Saturday, September 12, 2015

Teaching eBird at Green Cay

My sweetheart taught an eBird class yesterday at Green Cay. Here are the highlights of our day.

David, introducing eBird.
While David lectured, I got to go out and play. Here's a Tri-color heron, hanging out on the board walk.
I learned something new and weird today. Perhaps all other birders already know this, but I didn't, and haven't noticed it in any other species. Here is an adult Common Gallinule. Note the candy corn face and generally dark feathers.
Here is a teenage Common Gallinule. Notice the lighter brown color and muted yellowish face shield.
Another view of a teenage Common Gallinule.
Now, this is where it gets weird - this is a baby Common Gallinule. Notice that he has very similar markings to the adult - dark feathers, and candy corn face. I have never noticed a species that goes from having the same markings as an adult, to something totally different, then back again. The babies are usually much better camouflaged than the adults. Very weird.
A duckie, probably mottled-mallard hybrid.
A Tri-color heron performing personal maintenance. I always feel like such a creeper when I get them in one of these poses.
A Glossy Ibis
An artsy-fartsy shot of a lone Piebilled Grebe swimming along.
A Soft-shell Turtle.
David, wrapping up the lecture portion.
David has many fans. Unfortunately, he didn't realize there was a fan just outside the door, and, lacking opposable thumbs, the poor fan had to sit outside and miss the eBird talk. Maybe next time.
This fan missed most of the eBird talk, but when we went outside, he sat and listened to the whole "Using eBird in the Field" part of the talk. In case you can't see the very well disguised fan, it's a Black-crowned Night Heron, sitting in the bushes behind David, about in the center of this picture.
 And, in case you don't believe me, here are a few close ups I got of the Black-crowned Night Heron.
The Night Heron really enjoyed the parts of the talk that he heard.

Post a note in the comments or drop us an email if you would like us to present this class to your group. We also offer Beginning Birding, Identifying Bird Silhouettes, and Profoundly Non-scientific Birding. The Beginning Birding class is 1/2 lecture and 1/2 field trip.

Friday, September 4, 2015

3 Lifers in 15 minutes!

David and I went out to Jetty Park this morning after hearing reports of a Snowy Plover.  So, I expected to get that bird, but I wasn't expecting two other lifers today too! Details:

First lifer was the Snowy Plover.
Second lifer was the Piping Plover


Compare and contrast - specifically, check out
 the leg color. Snowy on left, Piping on right. 

And, my third lifer (thanks to David for pointing it out) was a Ghost crab. In all the time I've lived here, I've never seen one before!
 Snowy Plover sleeping.

Piping Plover just looking sweet.

Not to be outdone, the Snowy Plover looking adorable.