Saturday, May 15, 2010

Stuff and Glossy Ibis, and a new enlightened attitude



Having messed around with life threatening strokes and now facing a salt free life style,as I look at this platter of freshly picked tomatoes, and a shaker of Mrs Sasquatch salt substitute SWMBO stuck in front of me. God those Tomatoes deserve a sprinkle of Kosher Salt not feed store bin dregs to enhance their flavour , with just one drop of real Malt vinegar, god just one drop, I promise never to touch salt ever again....
I decided that I would adopt a new attitude.
If I find a rare bird and I get a valid picture of it. I am simply going to photocopy the relevant page from whomevers book, staple it to the picture and mail it in to the rarities committee.
Why , you ask ?
Well the judgers of your record are all legends (in their own minds) of birding and continue to bolster their reputation by repackaging each others information. Especially with the current run around of pointless bathroom browsing picture books, sorry photo guides. They carefully dissect each others books and grab a bit here and a bit there and before you know it Jon Dunn has another book !I especially love the Birds of Western America/ Eastern America concept. Conveniently leaving out birds of confusion, so you have to buy both ! Why the Hell should I write any God damn description other than Photographed Blythe July 27. Attached you will find the published information this id was based on. If the bird does not match your description, then if you reject it,I suggest you modify your learned tome, to prevent reasonable folks from screwing up in the future.Lets start with the bottom pic first. Go to Page 65 of the Dunn driven nat geo Third edition. This pic was taken in late July 2006.I am calling this a 1st Fall Glossy Ibis. Or I want those pictures removed from that Jon Dunn meal ticket. Simple attempt to clean up "THE BOOKS" from "THOSE WHO KNOW" after all if they can not admit they are wrong how will we the peasents ever know? Remember they make their living based on our bucks and belief in their knowledge, skills and observations. KInda bird bible writers.
The top picture , simple logic.
Took that yesterday Friday, long , long range.
Now the one in the middle is different from the 2 others. Agreed ?
You know , red eyes , white face feathers and pink face above and below, as opposed to brown eye blue face and white skin lining making it to half way thru the eye in the middle.
Now a phone called revealed that none of the N Breeding Western Ibis have produced flying young, especially as the adults have in the majority have not got as far as their nesting grounds.Late May/June all plegadis are moulted into breeding plumage. Multiple sources. Even Wethersbys Birds of Britain, realised that.
So I now have 2 Glossy Ibii to add to the CA list.
This is going to be a hard sell
Absolutely NO NO NO migrants.
Have a fun weekend.roger et al

Saturday, May 8, 2010

id problem , retirement and migrants


Your choice,can't afford to, none.

Hm,
kinda threadbare better toss in some filler. Sewage plant today. Tiny puddle of water. 40 plus BNStilts, they breed there.11 Killdeer same as above. 3 W Sands,5 leasts,1 spotted. 2 Wilsons, 1 Semi P Plover.. And 3 dowitchers. Made them fly 3 times until they left. Here they are. One is a Short Billed, One is Long Billed, Calls of both distinctly heard. and one is either. There are their pictures. Knock yourself out !!!
Land birds ? None NONE ABSOLUTELY NNNOOOONNNNEEEE.....aaaaaargh
Could some one toss me a BHGBeak. or lets bust out for a friggin Wilsons Warbler.
Absolutely the worst spring I have experienced any where. Hellishly frustrating. Just bloody, bleeding,.......... bloody, bloody bleeding NOTHING.
Retirement, went in to meet with the principal for my end of year review. With all thats happened the last year, and money problems for the school, I thought it was headed towards the Golden Handshake.
Not so Fast Kemosaby
The pleasent young fellow warned me "That he would be all over me with regards to my professionalism, and following the Mandated teach to the test regimen". I think we will be revisiting that issue several times in the new school year !!
So you are stuck with another years Blythe Observations.
The poor fellow will not last long though,later I was told he said I was an "asset". Do not e-mail me and tell me they misheard him !
The truth hurts

Friday, May 7, 2010

id Bird revealed ! And why G Bush must go



Black Tern.
I am sure you all got it.
Here's the next frame. Hand held, and gust of wind about knocked us both over !The next one is a fun one !
As a teacher, I find a mild and somewhat childish solace, in periodically saying . "Education in this country will be so much better, if they would drag George W out of the White House, and hang him "
I realise a lot of people kindly point out to the "senile old man" that "he is no longer the president". I do not mind their pre/perception of me one bit.I cannot hear the phrase "George W.Bush is no longer in office" enough. Another year of teaching wasted. CST /No Child left behind bull shit testing, will your school be open next year based on test scores,Comes down to a half stoned punk answering multiple guess questions formulated by some asshole who has never taught.
Mathematics 90 mins . Done in 15 minutes.Yes, all 85(?) questions. Asked why "Hate that b11ch any way, maybe they fire her ass". All done in 45 mins, One student showed me his sheet quite proudly .
In the bubble box he had carefully blocked in the answer boxes so that at an angle it quite clearly spelled out "NIGAH" . .
And my job will hang, on the skills of these fools.
Thanks George W, the sooner they get rid of him the happier I will be. roger

Sunday, May 2, 2010

A/another ID test


Remember the last one harder than this one
Breeding plumage Eared Grebe.
I gave you enough damn clues, and a bit of lateral intuitive thinking , and photo pondering you should have nailed it.
Come on folks. It would not have been a bird far from my house in Blythe .
Had to be one I had photod recently.And had shewn
I do not go out just to take shitty pictures. It just appears that way
Now its a water bird.
Everyone with me so far ?
And it is going in not out
. Upwelling of lobed feet pattern.
Downward head going in ripple .Wings slightly opened going in.
Arching diving bird.
Pelagic bird, I stated ?
They are all over the bloody Salton Sea, thus making them "Sea birds", ergo Pelagics.
Logic is wasted nowadays
Now todays.
High winds, no birds, over at the fish farm.
Clue. First of year for me.
Pelagic.
Rare for me.
Huge dust gust almost blew it inside out.
CLUES
First figure out which way it is going !




Giveaway.Clues




Its name is not what you see! NO LUCK





It made one to land !


Sunday, April 25, 2010

Pretty bird


F O S !
Oh, first of spring as well.
FOS ?
O stands for Outstanding. Figure the rest. Four solits at Sewage plant, they fight like hell. More pics later. rh

OK, so I should not back into oncoming traffic


OK about 45 mins ago you probably heard a whip crack type sound, someone shouting jesus, a squealing of brakes and some unfortunate words. The "Crack" sound was my but snapping shut.The rest is logical. I was coming up 95 . The joy of the day has been swarms of tree swallows on the wires, I was at about 11 Banks, mixed in.So you cruise slowwly under them and hope for an odd type. Well 95 is not prone to that with boaters etc. Saw this damn thing in a long triple string of tree swalls.
Hit the brakes. Started backing up. Visions of christ knows what dancing around. Got four snaps. causing a problem, and CHP everywhere. Took off. Just ran it by . Damn, but that would make a great mystery bird sillhouette. Do not think I spelt that right, but them black paper things that victorian spinsters spent years snippimg out with nail scissors.I saw an exhibition, I believe at the V and A in London of the better ones. Utterly, scarily incredible products. Trees, and fields of flowers, all interconnected.One of the most impressive exhibitsI have seen, get a book from the library or google and see what I mean
Roger

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Birds and rubbish







Well. The road sign is now on a third of all exit ramps to Blythe (ie One)
Pretty much somes up the local negative spin on out of towners !!!
The birds , you should be able to figure out. The fun one was the sparrow, Camera totally unset up for the bird in view a minute snapped first ,bins second. Chesnuty cheeks, bright yellow head stripes stunning white throat, and rufous back. I guess a savannah sparrow , though it seemed in behaviour/posture different. A race I have never seen before. The picture does it no justice , any one know a sparrow loony? A total lack of migrants.
Headed to parker to fill drug prescription tomorrow. Will bird there. Why you ask when we have a Pharmacy at Rite Aid. Cal Cost $385.
Walmart AZ generics $37:95.
Tell me someone is not "F123456g" someone.
Keep smiling RH