Birding

[Racoon]

I had a great conversation with a guy who was a friend of my friend at the Book store. Turns out he does Bird Watching tours on the weekends, and is a Chinook Indian expert.

Sorry Turtle, I found another great mentor

 

We both have the same bird as our favorite! :phones: Stellar Jays

They can Mimick other bird species.. very intelligent, and very beautiful...

 

Heres something I learned from him: The common currency among Chinook Indians was Slaves.. Thats right Slaves. Slave people were currency although the history books don't teach you that..

 

Also.. The first Tatoos among the Chinooks were guess what???

The word **** on their arms..

So the sailors knew what to look for when they enetered ports..

 

Lewis and Clark? guess what they wanted to trade for when they first got to the WestCoast??

Dog meat.

No ****... Indians considered it a last resort, but Lewis and Clark preffered it.

 

[Turtle]

I had a great conversation with a guy who was a friend of my friend at the Book store. Turns out he does Bird Watching tours on the weekends, and is a Chinook Indian expert.

Sorry Turtle, I found another great mentor ;)

 

We both have the same bird as our favorite! :) Stellar Jays

They can Mimick other bird species.. very intelligent, and very beautiful...

 

Heres something I learned from him: The common currency among Chinook Indians was Slaves.. Thats right Slaves. Slave people were currency although the history books don't teach you that..

 

Also.. The first Tatoos among the Chinooks were guess what???

The word **** on their arms..

So the sailors knew what to look for when they enetered ports..

 

Lewis and Clark? guess what they wanted to trade for when they first got to the WestCoast??

Dog meat.

No ****... Indians considered it a last resort, but Lewis and Clark preffered it.

 

I am honored that you considered me a mentor Racoon San. :eek2: Any Lechtenberg area info gleaned from the new guy yet? Does he know how to harvest & fix Camas? Maybe the slaves did that? Always another view from another's moccasins. :phones:

 

My birding lately is confined to the few trees out my window, but one or more Steller's Jays have been regularly taking turns ruling those roosts. Really too far for any decent photos. Also seen taking turns up there: Scrub Jays, American Robins, Oregon Junkos, Black-capped Chickadees, Red-tailed Hawks & a couple others I couldn't ID. (I thought I saw some Western Meadowlarks up there, but they didn't stay long as they were busy fleeing a storm. )

[Racoon]

I

My birding lately is confined to the few trees out my window, but one or more Steller's Jays have been regularly taking turns ruling those roosts. Really too far for any decent photos. Also seen taking turns up there: Scrub Jays, American Robins, Oregon Junkos, Black-capped Chickadees, Red-tailed Hawks & a couple others I couldn't ID. (I thought I saw some Western Meadowlarks up there, but they didn't stay long as they were busy fleeing a storm. )

:phones:

 

It is I who am Honored Turtle-san .. Try not to forget that in your old (elder) age.

[Cedars]

If anyone is interested in more detail:

 

www.burnettcountysentinel.com

 

Article date is Jan 14. I do not know how long the link will be valid.

 

From article:

 

"A piece of lead the size of a poppyseed is enough to kill an eagle"

[belovelife]

i wish i had a digital camera (with video capture)

i could show some of the birds that are around san diego

 

they are so friendly

[Cedars]

Mary (the lady who was featured in the news article) posted an update. Because of time differences I am not sure if the surgery was sat or today. P58 is the bird that was in the very critical stage when brought into the rehab center.

 

Anyways, heres the update:

 

This morninng I was once again part of a transport team getting another one of our trumpeters to Marge Gibson for treatment. This one is a 14 year old swan, hatched on Joel Marsh, and the breeding male at Shiloh. He is one of our oldest wild hatched birds, and can take alot of credit for the population increase in the Wisconsin swan world. Barry Wallace in Hudson identified his illness early, and was able to catch him before he began to exhibit the most horrible symptoms. His lead level, though, is too high to read through normal testing procedures.

 

P58, the refuge extension bird, will be undergoing surgery in the morning to remove what they believe to be a sinker that is "hung up" on some monofiliment line. Z70, from the 2003 hatch on Grettum, is up and running. He is strong enough and mad enough to give Marge a black eye. Naughty bird!!!! Lead levels on these two swans, brought in on New Years Day, are down into the readable levels, although still very high.

 

/end of update

 

Mary has become certified for wildlife rehab and is in the process of converting/constructing the things needed at her house to begin taking care of some of the sick and wounded.

 

Here is the website for the place the hudson birds are taken for treatment:

Raptor Education Group, Inc. - Welcome!

 

Mary explained when wisconsin swans are taken to Minnesota for treatment, they bill wisconsin for the care resulting in extra swan losses due to budget concerns. So instead of a fast ride from Hudson Wisconsin to St Paul MN, the birds are transported to east of Wasau, Wisconsin, a 4-5 hour drive.

 

Kinda amazing that a federally protected bird is treated so casually, especially when found on boundry waters (st croix river is mn/wis boundry).

[Turtle]

...Mary explained when wisconsin swans are taken to Minnesota for treatment, they bill wisconsin for the care resulting in extra swan losses due to budget concerns. So instead of a fast ride from Hudson Wisconsin to St Paul MN, the birds are transported to east of Wasau, Wisconsin, a 4-5 hour drive.

 

Kinda amazing that a federally protected bird is treated so casually, especially when found on boundry waters (st croix river is mn/wis boundry).

 

I thoroughly enjoyed Mary's writing style and descriptions. Thanx! :hihi: I must say that I'm not much surprised anymore at the lack of concern, and downright disdain, that folks exhibit toward birds. When the jet went down in the Hudson and the federally protected Canada Goose was put forward as the most likely bird(s) to have downed the plane, the first suggestion out one of the announcer's pie-hole was to get rid of the birds. :(

 

Thanks for the update. :)

[Cedars]

Followup.

 

A Crex buddy sent me some pics of the x-rays. One is the swan with the sinker. The other was a swan full of lead shot. I do not know if the 2nd swan survived.

 

The same buddy sent me a link to a Minneapolis Star Tribune article on Bald eagles being poisoned. There is pretty strong evidence there are significant poisonings due to larger shots.

 

Article here:

 

Lead cuts short flight of some Minnesota bald eagles

 

Pictures attached:

[Don Blazys]

Several weeks ago, I witnessed a most amazing "dogfight" between a very large eagle

and a rather small bird that I could not identify. The small bird was much faster than the

eagle and was literally flying circles around it, "dive bombing" it from above with

such vicious pecks that I could hardly believe my eyes! The eagle was losing feathers

left and right and was obviously in trouble!

 

Then, by sheer luck, it managed to catch one of the small birds wings in it's claw,

and probably broke it, because the small bird came spiralling down, clearly injured,

and landed in a nearby tree.

 

The eagle must have been injured too, because it did not give chase, but opted to fly off

in the opposite direction.

 

That little bird was fearless! I wish I knew what kind of bird it was, and why it would

risk it's life attacking a bird of prey many times it's own size.

 

Don.

[Hill]

If you live in the United States or Canada, you can take part in a bit if citizen science counting birds for the next four days (February 13 - 16, 2009). I've done it every year for a while now. Counts like this help to determine changes in bird populations and motions like Global warming endangers California birds, study says - Los Angeles Times

 

What is the GBBC ?

 

The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds. We'll be adding updated 2009 GBBC materials as they become available.

Why Count Birds?

 

Scientists and bird enthusiasts can learn a lot by knowing where the birds are. Bird populations are dynamic; they are constantly in flux. No single scientist or team of scientists could hope to document the complex distribution and movements of so many species in such a short time.

 

We need your help. Make sure the birds from your community are well represented in the count. It doesn't matter whether you report the 5 species coming to your backyard feeder or the 75 species you see during a day's outing to a wildlife refuge.

Go to the Great Backyard Bird Count

[Cedars]

Several weeks ago, I witnessed a most amazing "dogfight" between a very large eagle

and a rather small bird that I could not identify. The small bird was much faster than the

eagle and was literally flying circles around it, "dive bombing" it from above with

such vicious pecks that I could hardly believe my eyes! The eagle was losing feathers

left and right and was obviously in trouble!

 

Then, by sheer luck, it managed to catch one of the small birds wings in it's claw,

and probably broke it, because the small bird came spiralling down, clearly injured,

and landed in a nearby tree.

 

The eagle must have been injured too, because it did not give chase, but opted to fly off

in the opposite direction.

 

That little bird was fearless! I wish I knew what kind of bird it was, and why it would

risk it's life attacking a bird of prey many times it's own size.

 

Don.

 

Hi Don

 

What is your location? First bird that popped into my mind was red-winged blackbird. Often they attack alone, driving a perceived invader out of their territory and into a neighbors territory, leaving one with the impression that its a group attack when is just the end of one territory and the beginning of another. Some males will guard their territory at all times, and define their territory as where-ever they happen to be that day.

 

We are already seeing some brave migrants in this area (not red-wings yet), so it may have been a hardy migrant looking forward to setting up shop.

[Cedars]

If you live in the United States or Canada, you can take part in a bit if citizen science counting birds for the next four days (February 13 - 16, 2009). I've done it every year for a while now.

 

Go to the Great Backyard Bird Count

 

Thanks for the reminder. I forgot this morning but will try to get a count for saturday morning. Sunday I am headed for the meadows so I will document and submit what we see. Reports of white winged crossbills came in early february. Would be a treat to see those.

 

Found fresh Fisher tracks in the yard thursday morn, and again this morn! I am very excited about this new critter in my yard. Talking to a wildlife person at Crex last summer, seems the fisher population all along the St. Croix has risen greatly in the last 10 years. He attributed that to less and less trappers. Oh and fresh fox tracks this morn too! They had cycled away from here due to the low rabbit population. But that [the rabbit population] began rising this past summer again.

 

Heard the death screams of a rabbit thursday morn, but I think it was a cat kill. Took too long to be a fox or something as effective as a fisher. I hate the screams of a dying rabbit! Makes me sad.

 

I had read the allegation of bird populations moving. 5-10 years ago they associated the increased number reports with extra people bird feeding, increased interest and knowledge, and better, more encompassing reporting capabilities. More people documenting larger and larger areas.

 

California Gnatcatcher animated report map:

 

Great Backyard Bird Count: Results: Map of California Gnatcatcher

 

Google maps of same region:

Google Maps

 

I really dont see a habitat change/northward shift. I see some variations over the years, but most species have population cycles.

 

I think there are bird habitat issues which are occurring simply due to more people, more encroachment, more fragmentation, and less habitat diversity. I would say this is the real issue for the California Gnatcatcher.

[Turtle]

Went for a trail walk yesterday along Lacamas Creek and then along the lake shore that the creek feeds. Walked 2 miles and boy are my legs sore!! :hihi: Not for naught though as I spotted & videographed some new birds to my list. Still working to ID one of them, a Grebe of some kind I think, but I have the other(s) ID'd and a short video.

 

YouTube - Bufflehead - Bucephala albeola http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kxCbtPsDVE

[belovelife]

i wish i had a camera, dvr or something

this hummin bird in my back yard showed me a call

and i went to my friends house

and did the call

and a humming bird flew right in front of my face

then landed on a branch next to me and sang with me for a while

[Turtle]

I grabbed a still of the other bird so I can be sure of the ID before I title & upload the video. I think this is a Red-necked Grebe - Podiceps grisegena. Nothing else in my Auduban guide shows this type of yellow bill except for the Yellow-billed Loon, and the plumage does not match well for the Loon not to mention how rare it would be to find it in my area. :naughty:

 

[Cedars]

I grabbed a still of the other bird so I can be sure of the ID before I title & upload the video. I think this is a Red-necked Grebe - Podiceps grisegena. Nothing else in my Auduban guide shows this type of yellow bill except for the Yellow-billed Loon, and the plumage does not match well for the Loon not to mention how rare it would be to find it in my area. :naughty:

 

 

Try under cormorants.

 

Red faced seems close.

[Mercedes Benzene]

Could it be an Anhinga?