The Neighbors

We put up this house, maybe, 10 years ago. All that's ever moved in are Paper Wasps. Then finally a pair of Oak Titmice took over the compound.

We stopped filling the feeders as soon as it was we noticed they were condo shopping so that the masses wouldn't bum rush the show. The sparrows, finches, and squirrels have stopped construction of two attempted Bushtit nests.

These two have been chasing off visitors since moving in.

When they were setting up house I brushed out Annie and planted her fur on the feeders and around the yard. The nest should be quite cozy.

The Oak Titmouse builds its nest in a woodpecker hole, a natural cavity, or a nest box, using grass, moss, mud, hair, feathers, and fur. It breeds from March into July, with peak activity in April and May, laying 3-9 eggs, usually 6-8. The female is the primary incubator, with incubation taking 14–16 days. Young are altricial, and are tended by both parents in nest for 16–21 days. Parents continue to tend to young for another three to four weeks after they leave the nest. wiki

We can hear the babies and have been watching the parents come and go, bringing small worms and bugs from the rain soaked world.

West Coast Weather Report

It's been a crazy mild winter so far. We had maybe six days of rain and it just ended with a forecast of mid 60s for the week. Just before the rain came for a visit we were back out to the Berkeley Marina for a beautiful afternoon. The burrowing owls were back as well.

No Wind = No Sailboats

The clearest evening. So still and slightly eerie; it felt like earthquake weather.

A Vineyard of Smiles

Lost Bird Trailer

The Lost Bird Project

The Lost Bird Project memorializes 5 North American birds driven to extinction in modern times--the Carolina Parakeet, the Great Auk, the Heath Hen, the Labrador Duck and the Passenger Pigeon. Each memorial is being installed in the location where the extinct bird or flock of birds was last seen.

Strutting through the brush, male Heath Hens boomed and pounded the earth to attract a mate. Each year, returning to their breeding grounds, they engaged in spectacular displays of bravado and strength, jumping and spinning in the air, thrusting their chests against one another, as they competed for the right to propagate their species.

When European settlers arrived on the east coast, they hunted the bird so extensively that servants bargained not to be fed Heath Hen more than two or three times a week. The Heath Hen’s habitat stretched along the coast of New England from Maine to Virginia. But by 1870, due to overexploitation, the Heath Hen population on the mainland of the east coast had vanished.

Numbering in the 100’s, the survivors lived on Martha’s Vineyard. Over the next quarter of a century, the state of Massachusetts attempted to save them: enacting a hunting ban, shooting predatory animals, planting crops to feed the hens, and establishing a reserve in 1908. But numbers continued to diminish. A disastrous fire and the unfortunate arrival of goshawks, a serious Heath Hen predator, ravaged the remaining population.

Heath Hens usually flew only to the lower branches of trees. But in 1929 ornithologists witnessed a hopeful male fly to the top of a tree and call out, loud and repeatedly, across the island. There were no Heath Hens to hear his plea. He was last seen on March 11, 1932.

Martha's Vineyard (Wampanoag: Noepe) is an island (including the smaller Chappaquiddick Island) off the south of Cape Cod in New England, known for being an affluent summer colony. The islands both form a part of the Outer Lands region. wiki

Tympanuchus cupido cupido see it

Todd Called Again

I am so There.

Cooper's Hawk?

Please Call

The Vagrant Returns

We were back down to Lake Merritt yesterday and the ducks were too.

Just as GG was wondering aloud as to the possibilities of our rare visitor from Asia returning as well; she spotted him.

The Tufted Duck

Last year GG was down there and ran into a couple of our local Celebrity Birders (yes, celebrity birders) and they were searching for the rumoured Tufty. This is now his third year on the Lake that we know of. We spotted him around the same area of the lake. He obviously has joined a flock of lesser scaups, although I doubt he gets to breed with them. We will return to look for his mate. The tufted duck is a threatened species.

We kept looking for a possible mate or friend and GG spotted another (not quite as) rare visitor.

The Ringed Neck Duck

Hawkeye (GG) really can spot 'em. These two individuals are the only ones of their families around. There are dozens of lesser scaups, greater scaups, coots, mallards, canvasbacks, buffleheads, goldeneyes, pie-billed grebes and western grebes. She's amazing.

The birders will be flocking down to see Tufty...

Cervus Canadensis Nannodes

The tule elk is a subspecies of elk found only in the grasslands and marshlands of California. It is the smallest subspecies of all American elks, with the average weight of adult males only 450 - 550 pounds. The females average 375 - 425 pounds. The calves are similar to deer fawns, with brown coat and white spots. When the Europeans first arrived, half a million tule elk roamed these regions. But by 1895, habitat loss and hunting had reduced the elk population to only 28. Conservation measures were taken to protect the species in the 1970s. Today the wild population exceeds 4,000. wiki

Over 440 of the 4000 live on Tomales Point where it was in the seventies and sunny last weekend. We also got a good long look at a bobcat stalking a hole in the ground, and so many raptors that if we stopped to identify them all we would still be there.

Tympanuchus Cupido Cupido

The Heath Hen is installed!

Along a trail on Martha's Vineyard the Heath Hen is doing it's dance again! Todd has returned from memorial installation and sent these pics. It looks like a beautiful spot that calls for viewing in every season. Early Autumn's colors, Winter's three feet of snow, Spring breaking, lush Summer. Start making your vacation plans now.

A bit more information.

I recommend visiting the Great Auk in July.

Help Keep Our Wildlife Wild!

From the top down: Great Horned Owl, Pygmy Owl, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Acorn Woodpecker, Northern Screech Owl.

As GG and I wandered back from Gilroy (she gave a seminar at a regional conference) we went looking for the El Toro Brewing Co. We found these NorCal locals first.

The Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center in Morgan Hill, CA is both an acute care center for injured and sick wildlife and a nurturing center for orphaned wildlife too young to exist on their own.

W.E.R.C. operates as a temporary refuge as the organization's goal is not to tame, but to release animals back into their native habitat healthy, wild, and free.

These birds are not able to be released back due to injuries or other reasons (with the woodpecker, it's original colony is unknown so if it is released into the wrong colony it will be attacked and probably won't survive). They are used for foster parenting and educational purposes.

Up close and personal they are even more beautiful and mesmerizing. If the Giants hadn't been showing at the brewpub I would have had to leave GG there.

Are You Even Registered For This Class?

As always: kick it up to fullscreen

big do, little do

Day Eight

Last full day. Spent it in museums and dodging raindrops. Tomorrow we get on an early flight home.

Thanks for Reading.

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Day Seven

Woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my head. We had a nice breakfast and went for a walk. Down to Trafalger Square. A big beautiful square with fountains and statues and tourists in the middle of town. In this square are four giant plinths. Bronze statues stand on three of these plinths and the fourth is used for specially commissioned artworks. We were there on a fact finding mission. Investigating the size of the situation for future possibilities. Currently on this fourth plinth is Nelson's Ship in a Bottle, by artist Yinka Shonibare MBE.

In the square at the time was a bird trainer training a juvenile Harris Hawk. He would set the bird on a wall or tree and walk away, pull out a piece of food, slap the food bag against his thigh, and the beauty would fly back to him across the square buzzing the tourists.

It was amazing. I asked if he was afraid the raptor wouldn't come back but he said it always did eventually.

We strolled around Soho, window shopping and people watching, enjoying the day and Todd ended up in the Sassoon Salon.

Back at the hotel we were picked up by a car and driver to head out of town to a village called Tring, a typical English town an hour out of London.

Built in 1889 to house the private natural history collection of Walter Rothschild, the Natural History Museum at Tring is a fascinating Noah's ark in the Hartfordshire countryside.

This place is filled with taxidermied creatures great and small. We were there mainly to see examples of The Lost Bird Project. Like the Great Auk.

The Passenger Pigeon.

And the Carolina Parakeet.

They have cases and cases of birds.

They also had cases and cases of insects.

All kinds of animals from all over the world. Lions and Tigers and Bears.

Including cases of domesticated dogs taxidermied. No Papillions or Border Collies.

Crabs, fish, moths, butterflies, snakes, and an Elephant Seal.

They have all kinds of crazy stuff including whatever the hell this is.

All real and surreal and slightly sad. The place is cool.

Then we cruised back to the city and had a killer Indian dinner.

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Day Five

Today, the day of the Dedication Ceremony, we woke up to a wind storm. It was an interesting wind, a bit warm, I should have known it as the Wind Before the Storm. As we drove to the site the rain started. No big deal. In fact on the road we saw this, which some might call a sign.

By the time we got to Reykjanesbær it was coming down. We had lunch with the City Officials working with us and it was very pleasant. They brought us some small gifts and plans were made for the ceremony. While lunching the rain stopped and all were hopeful.

After lunch we headed out to the memorial and as we did we could see the storm moving in. By the time we arrived the rain was sheeting sideways. The city engineer and his dog were already there.

It is hard to explain the severity of this storm. We sat in the Land Crusher and watched as the albino boxer ran and jumped and loved it all. Then the engineer tried to cover the Auk and that's when the fun began.

Just when it's about wrapped.

Until finally.

And we sat and waited, laughing at the absurdity of this storm, the worst weather we had seen all week, expecting hardly a soul to make the trek out to the site.

In the distance we see a short tour bus coming and become a bit excited but it was a short Tour bus with tourists coming out to see the beautiful coast. They got out, looked around, and got back in. They were not there for the ceremony.

And then one by one guests start arriving. A small group battling the elements. The Mayor and others arrived and we got things under way.

The City Council Chairman made a speech in Icelandic and then English.

Then Todd said a few words. It was all very nice, brief, and wet. Thankfully they brought the megaphone because while the rain had let up a little the wind was still gusting hard.

Then the unveiling.

And Todd invited all to touch and admire the beauty.

And then handshakes all around and everyone piled back into their vehicles and left. And we were back in the crusher laughing at the absurdity of it all.

And then we went to The Blue Lagoon.

Yesterday's Geothermal Experience was better.

We chose a different route home that is on the Top Ten things to see in Iceland. It goes right along the ocean and a beautiful lake. It looked like this, with rain and wind.

We arrived back at the hotel in time for dinner.

Tomorrow afternoon we head to London where our plans have changed slightly but our excitement hasn't.

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