Life is Good Today

Morongo Valley, CA

Sorry for the hiatus...no internet, no posts. :(

But, I'm back! Merry Christmas, everyone! Had a hoot of a time in Indiana with the folks. I'll post more on that soon.

Today, I am headed back to the desert for some sunshine and birding. Can't wait to see everyone again!

CBC Hooky

I'm missing the annual nationwide Christmas Bird Count ...again.

Every year thousands of audubon societies and bird groups around the nation get together a couple weeks before or after Christmas Day to count the birds they see within an established area. The information collected is published as important national research. This is a VERY big deal.

Last year, I missed the BMCP CBC because I was traveling to Missouri (and really didn't know what I was missing.) This year I had great plans on participating in a local StL CBC, but for some reason all of the dates are on days I am, again, traveling. Mix that with the fact that I am working full-time now, makes the chances of catching a CBC pretty slim on my schedule. Pooper....

Today, I did consider driving 2.5 hours west to Columbia, MO for their count, but with the weather being snowy/rainy with temps around 30 degrees and winds 20mph+, I just couldn't pull myself together enough to do it. I guess I am a bit of a fair-weather birder. Woose, I know.

So, again, I'm missing this great event.

Maybe next year.

Tree Walking GBH

Beach

I'm ba-a-a-ck!

I don't think I have to say too much about the beach...well, I'll say one thing, "Ah-h-h!" Wasn't even two seconds before those shoes came off and I went a'runnin! And the best part was I had the whole beach to myself! I love solitary beaches!

Looking for shells

I was so thankful to be on the beach on this particular day. It was 73 degrees and sunny. Back home in StL, it was -5 degrees. Tee-hee!

Birds

Wow! I had no idea. Not until a friend visited the island this past fall did I have any idea that one of my favorite beach spots had a real Audubon Sanctuary! The Audubon Sanctuary has ponds, swamps and beach access to find shore birds. Freaking fantastic!

A Ring-billed Gull

When I arrived at the Sanctuary at 10am, I found the island completely covered with low clouds. It literally felt like I was walking into a jungle in the clouds. Quiet, quiet, quiet...like I was the only one on the whole island. I was a bit disappointed at first, because it was so quiet bird-wise. But as soon as the morning fog lifted, the fun began!

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

My target bird for the day was a Brown-headed Nuthatch (yeah, Smiley!) Nothing like finding your target bird and new lifer 5 minutes into your search! Check! I also added the American Oystercatcher, which I found near Fort Gaines.

A pair of American Oystercatchers. As Baumann has said, "God worked a little bit too much overtime" on this one. Crazy colors! (It even has orange eyes.)

Dauphin Island Getaway

One of my favorite places in the Deep South is Dauphin Island, Alabama. Dauphin Island is a barrier island located south of Mobile, AL, and became my favorite beach spot during the time Charlie Ray was being repaired in Mobile. Not the fanciest of beaches because of the oil platforms located off shore, but it does have nautical charm and a sweet laid backness.

What I didn't appreciate a couple years ago was the fantastic bird sanctuary and historic Fort Gaines located on the eastern side of the island. Just this past week while I was in Alabama, I took a day and enjoyed all the island had to offer; the birds, the beaches and the buildings (historic ones, that is.)

So, the next three posts will be labeled as so. What a great day!

Selma on a Rainy Day

After showing the boat, I went out on a mission to find a southern-only bird, the Brown-headed Nutchatch (thanks, Smiley!) I tried and tried but constant rain kept me from wandering around the woods of Demopolis Lake. I even tried birding from the car, but it was a bust.

So, with 6 hours of daylight left, I decided to drive 45 minutes east to the town of Selma. I have been wanting to visit Selma every time I've been down here, and this rainy day would be my perfect opportunity. What an amazing city!

The sweet lady at the Chamber of Commerce said "Selma is civil. We had the Civil War and the Civil Rights." And that is exactly why I wanted to visit Selma.

Read this! (click on it to for a closer look.)

My first stop was the National Voting Rights Museum & Institute, which has documented the events surrounding the Selma to Montgomery March of 1965 and it's subsequent "Bloody Sunday." Short, short history lesson (according to the NVRM website)

On Sunday, March 7, 1965 the first march set out from Brown Chapel AME Church toward Montgomery, but was turned back just past the Edmund Pettus Bridge when marchers were brutally attacked by law enforcement officers. Two days later, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a second march from Brown Chapel toward Montgomery, but peacefully turned around at the “point” of confrontation” over the Pettus Bridge. On March 21, 1965 a third march under the protection of the National Guard, left Brown Chapel for Montgomery and five days later reached the State Capital.

Brown Chapel AME Church where the March began

I had studied the Civil Rights Movement at SEMO, and was profoundly effected the events of Bloody Sunday. I wanted to see the places with my own eyes. Crossing over the Pettus Bridge and driving down the same street where people were beaten down for peacefully walking was surreal.

Here's the photos I saw on the wall...

This is what I saw when I turned around and looked out the window...same place along the bridge. That brings it home!

What a place of history! I continued to drive around Selma in the pouring rain, being completely blown away by the enormous amount of historic houses. Honestly, I have never seen such a variety of architectural styles within one small town (and I've studied historic architecture!) I stopped and toured Sturdivant Hall, a pre-Civil War Neo-Classical house museum. Wow!

If you'd like to see the interior of the house and learn about it's ghostly history, here is a link to a short video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05SVV2fwZmc

Christmas on the River

I'm down in Demopolis, Alabama this week, working on and hoping to sell our trawler Charlie Ray. My arrival came just at the right time as this weekend was the locally famous Christmas on the River celebration.

The Christmas on the River celebration is a town sponsored festival that ends with a parade of lighted boats on the Tenn-Tom and a fireworks display. It is a great little celebration in a sweet little town. The floats were so beautiful reflecting off the water.


Everyone from the marina comes out and socialized together. We all met outside along the fuel dock, but we got kick out because a barge came in and was fueling. I guess we were too much of a liability for em'. So we moved to the nearby campground, where we had great views of the floats. BUT it was freezing...literally. It got down in the 20's last night, so standing outside for 2 hours was excruciatingly cold.


Thank goodness for campfires! The owner of the campground lit up little bonfires for us and we stayed mostly toasty. Mostly...still freaking cold! One of the campfire tenders was a gentleman who plays drums for various country bands and artists. I got a great scoop on John Michael Montgomery, whom I adore and learned lots about other country singers. COOL!

Ah-h, fire!

Nothing like fireworks over the water!

California Dreaming

DISCLAIMER: I am NOT in California right now. This is year long rewind back to Dec. 2008. I'm just reminiscing and wishing. :)

With that said, my BMCP friends are enjoying a day long birding trip to the Salton Sea in SoCal today. My heart aches to be there. Last year's trip was a memorable one for me, so I am a bit sad that I won't be there to make new memories.

So here are some of my photos from a year ago. Just go with me on this one....

Margaret, Jane and Phyllis

White Pelli's

One of my most favorite birding group photos of the BMCP group. Jean Halford, Dan Baumann and their famous scopes.

Great Egrets

Mike Smiley getting into trouble....

Thousands of snow geese.

Me and my Harris Sparrow Cookie

My best memory for the day (other than getting to know my new friends) was getting the Harris Sparrow Cookie Prize. While we were at the Sonny Bono Wildlife Refuge, we were told a rare Harris Sparrow had recently been seen, and to be on the lookout. Everyone had their eyes peeped on the nearby trees looking for the booger while we ate our lunch.

Dan put out the fun challenge to the group that the first person to find the sparrow would get one of his oatmeal cookies. It wasn't even two seconds later, that I looked up and found a LBJ that I didn't recognized. I looked at Mike and said, "What's that?" He said, "Harris Sparrow!"

So, new girl got the cookie for no real work at all. :) Oh, and yes, I do look different now. Let's not talk about it.

Pilly Fight

Okay, there was no fighting involved....

These photos are my new "Magic Deck" bird, the Pileated Woodpecker. If you are not familiar with the Pileated Woodpecker, they are immense in size and, in my humble opinion, the most beautiful of all woodpeckers.

They are very common here at Innsbrook, but I've just recently seen them at the suet feeder. He's holding on for dear life on that little feeder! Cracks me up!

For You Know Who

Found this is in Columbia....did you know this existed, Smiley?

Still looking for Mootz Memorial Drive
or
Turk Turnpike
or
Baumann Boardwalk
or
Zeller...Zeller...ummm, what goes with Zeller?

:)

Thomas Hill Reservoir

In my continued efforts to meet new birders and see new parts of this beloved state, I attended a field trip to the Thomas Hill Reservoir with the Columbia Audubon Society. The trip was focused on finding gull and duck species amongst the ponds of the Reservoir.

What a FUN group! Laughing, laughing, laughing! I really liked them!


But the best part of mostly driving tour was the use of walkie-talkies. While our six cars traversed the back roads of Macon Co., the trip leader, Edge Wade, spoke to us about the area and about the different species found there. It literally was like sitting in a class, but with a better view. I learned SO much.

Bonaparte's Gull

I added SIX new species to my life list that day! Banner day! My new species for the day were:

• Bonaparte's Gull
• Krider's Form of the Red-tailed Hawk
• Lesser Scaup
• Redneck
• Ring-necked Duck
• Red-breasted Merganser

Me and one hoot of a woman, Edge

The best part, or actually the most embarrassing, of the day was successfully completing the "Prairie Chicken Lifer Dance." It is a CAS tradition that anytime you get a new life bird, you have to do a little dance like a Prairie Chicken. I won't go into the details, but it sure was fun and embarrassing all at the same time. Thank goodness they did NOT make me do it six times! Once was enough! :)

If you want to know how a prairie chicken dances and how I looked for a whole 20 seconds, check out this video. Yes, I had to stomp my feet, too. Try not to fall out of your chair laughing so hard.... :)

Newbies at the Chalet

Most birders keep a "yard list" of the birds that show up on their property. My yard list generally consists of birds that I have seen from the chalet, deck or our dock. I've seen some pretty cool and crazy things over the past 6 months, including a Worm-eating and Golden-winged Warblers.

This past week I've added some newbies to my yard list. Here are a few of the newbies....
-Golden-crowned Kinglet
-Brown Creeper
-Purple Finch (which is a new lifer for me!)

The photo to the above is of a Purple Finch, taken through a dirty chalet window. Sorry!

Fun on the Lake

During the weekend with my parents, we celebrated my uncle's 80th birthday at a party in Michigan City, IN. Happy Birthday, Uncle Jim! But before the party, my parents and I stopped by the beach, pier and lighthouse on Lake Michigan. The weather was amazingly perfect, with temps in the mid-60's. Great for a walk on the beach!

As we were pulling up to the beach, I saw a group of people getting out of their cars with scopes. BIRDERS!!! I am not kidding when I say I just about jumped out of our moving car. I grabbed my binoculars and bird book and ran, I mean walked, to meet up with them. With a big smile I asked them questions about their group and asked what their target bird was. I joined right in. I was so needy.... :) I miss you, BMCP!

Me and Dad referencing the Horned Grebe in my bird book

While they didn't have a target bird, they were looking for a variety of gull species. They didn't find any other species other than the Ring-bill, they did find a Horned Grebe. A Horned Grebe THAT IS A NEW SPECIES TO ME! Yeah!!

Ring-billed Gull

We continued to follow the group on and off as they went looking for more birds along the pier and breakwall, but generally we just enjoyed the atypically warm sunshine and beautiful blue water.

Look at these good lookin' people I found along the beach!

OMG, I love this photo of my dad looking through a scope and holding onto my bird book! I'm telling you...I'm turning them into birders!

Lighthouses are COOL!

Parental Birding

How deep the love of a parent!

Since I've become a birder, my parents have become more than supportive of my new hobby (or obsession.) I've taken my Mom on a bird walk at BMCP. They've sent me photos of unidentified birds they've found. They've put up a bird feeder and kept me updated on its visitors. They've always shown interest in birds FOR ME, and for that I am more than grateful.

This is how awesome my Mom is....she drops me off, parks the van, walks a quarter mile from the van to the platform, walks back to the van to retrieves our coffee, and then walks back to the platform...all the while freezing her bootie off, just so I can bird! This is Mom walking with our coffee.

This past weekend, I pushed the limits of the normal sidewalk birding with my parents, and made my Mom do a little off-roading to find birds. IT WAS SO FUN!


We found cranes all over the place. We'd see some in a field, and she'd dart the van over so I could jump out. Reminded me of good times with friends in CA.


Our best find for the morning was a Bald Eagle! Not normally found in this part of Indiana, finding this treasure amongst the trees was easy. Giant black bird with a white head in a bare tree oak tree was easy to see. Mom took that van down a vacant house lot and across a grassy field so I could get a closer look at the sucker. What a Mom!


Beautiful! Of course, I spooked him, but I was able to get a decent photo of him as proof.

What a fun morning! I'll turn her into a birder whether she want to or not! :)