"Owl" be seeing you in all the old familiar places...

From home base, Kim writes: Yesterday I spent a wintery day with a bunch of friends and colleagues at Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area (KPWA) in Central Ohio. We were meeting to discuss plans for our Ohio Young Birders Club (more on that later) and we used the excuse to get out and do some birding.

We were hoping to locate the White-winged Crossbills that had been reported in the area, but missed them. They're such nomads. I really admire that about them in spite of the fact that it makes them so darn hard to see. One neat thing we did see yesterday was a group of 20+ Eastern Meadowlarks. (These were the Eastern-Eastern Meadowlarks, not the Southwestern-Eastern Meadowlarks that Kenn discussed in an earlier post.) KPWA is one of the few places where you can reliably see them in Ohio in winter. They hang out near a barn that's used to stable horses, and roost inside the barn when the weather gets really rough. Really cool to see that splash of sunshine-yellow against a pretty bleak and wintery landscape.

"Killdeer" is my favorite birding spot in the world. Big words, eh? Especially when you consider that, thanks to Kenn, I've been blessed to travel to some pretty far-out and birdy places. So, what’s with the bold statement about KPWA?

When my interest in birds started to get a little out of hand and beyond my backyard, someone suggested I go to this place called “Killdeer Plains” to see the Bald Eagles that had a nest there. They had read something about it in the local paper, and since I had become a bird-crazed maniac, they thought I might want to see something like that. I was like, “WHAT? No way are there Bald Eagles in Ohio.” Crazy, right? How could there be Bald Eagles in Ohio without me knowing about it? But, off I went to check it out.

Sure enough, about a half a mile beyond a “cars with scopes cluster” was a big black mass in a sycamore tree. The folks behind the scopes were thrilled to show a newbie the ropes and I got the lo-down on Bald Eagles and KPWA from that great bunch of birders that day. The KPWA Bald Eagle saga is a story to be told, and I’ll share it with you soon.

Over the next few years KPWA became a place of refuge for me. I was birding alone at that point, and that’s exactly the way I wanted it. I was searching my soul for answers to some pretty tough questions and “Killdeer” provided a place of solace for me at a time when I desperately needed it. I could spend hours out there without seeing another soul, save the occasional fellow birder, and I could lose myself in this prairie paradise until the sun started to slip away and remind me that it was time to return to “reality.”

My first visit to Killdeer was in early winter, which was perfect, since winter is a great time to bird the 8000+ acres of prairie that spreads itself out in central Ohio and gives you a tiny taste of what wilderness might have felt like. Spectacular birds spend the winter here, and I got acquainted with many life birds during my early visits.

When you’re wrestling with life challenges, what better way to clear your mind than to stand in all-out, jaw dropping awe as 42 Short-eared Owls engage in little dog fights 8 feet away from you?

Or, looking up along the trunk of a gnarly old cedar tree and staring straight into the glaring eyes of a Long-eared Owl as it casually sizes you up and dismisses you from its twisted fortress?

Perhaps searching for the elusive little sprite of the forest, the Northern Saw-whet Owl. In the midst of a small group of pines, I came face to face with this adorable creature for the very first time. Searching in vain from the outside of a small stand of white pines, I eventually crawled up into the center of the branches, and in the instant that I stood, I locked eye-to-eye gaze with what is arguably the cutest bird in the world. In a moment that I pray I will never forget, this astoundingly sweet little bundle of feathers simply tucked its face into its wing, closed its eyes, and went back to sleep. Pure magic! I stood there until I couldn’t feel my feet any longer before prying myself away.

Kenn and I are poised to depart on what I'm sure will be the trip of a lifetime for me, ANTARCTICA! In spite of hours spent studying the field guides, searching the internet, and picking Kenn's brain (he's been there 4 times leading tours), in my mind I still can't really imagine what it will be like there.

Not like Killdeer ~ All I have to do is close my eyes and I can see that Saw-whet tree; I can smell the sweet tang of pine needles under my feet and feel the sting of winter on my cheeks; I can hear the soft sweet notes of the tree sparrows in the hedge along CH 71, and experience the same sense of comfort that this place has always given me. All I have to do is close my eyes....

Two New Birds

From Rocky Ridge, Ohio, Kenn writes: If you’ve traveled much in North America, especially in the West, your life list may soon go up by two species.

Something to sing about: we may have three meadowlark species.

The October 2008 issue of The Auk, the scientific journal of the American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU), was mailed late, and I just received my copy. But among the technical papers in this issue were two that could affect how some birds are classified. One study presented evidence that North America has three species of meadowlarks, not two. Another paper gave evidence that the Western Scrub-Jay should be split into two species.

Changes like this won’t become official until they’re voted on by the AOU’s Committee on Classification and Nomenclature (more affectionately known as the AOU Check-list Committee). This is the committee that establishes the standardized names and species limits that we see in field guides and bird checklists for North and Central America. But with the publication of these two new studies, it becomes likely that the committee will split these birds, perhaps as early as next July.

Meadowlarks in North America have long been divided into two species: the Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) in the West (naturally), and the Eastern Meadlowlark (Sturnella magna) in the East as well as in desert grasslands of the Southwest. Many experts have already pointed out that the desert-grassland "Easterns" look and sound somewhat different from those in the East. It had been suggested that they might represent a separate species. Now there’s good evidence for that: Keith Barker, Arion Vandergon, and Scott Lanyon studied mitochondrial DNA and other genetic markers for meadowlarks from all parts of their range, and found that the desert-grassland population was very distinct. Sturnella lilianae would be the scientific name of the "new" species; its English name might be Lilian’s Meadowlark, but the AOU will have to decide. Whatever it’s called, if you’ve seen "Eastern Meadowlarks" in southern Arizona or New Mexico or far western Texas, you can count them as this new species as soon as it’s officially "split."

Western Scrub-Jay: scrub that name, replace it with two others.

As recently as the 1980s, we had just one species of "Scrub Jay" in North America. Then the Florida Scrub-Jay and the Island Scrub-Jay (of Santa Cruz Island, California) were classified as separate species. Now there’s good reason to say that the remaining population, currently called Western Scrub-Jay, is really two species. Kathleen Delaney, Saba Zafar, and Robert Wayne studied the DNA of these jays and found that they divided into two groups that probably have been isolated from each other for more than 300,000 years. These authors suggest dividing Western Scrub-Jay into two species: California Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica), a more richly colored bird found from extreme southern Washington south to Baja, and Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma woodhouseii), a duller and grayer bird found from Nevada and extreme eastern California east to Texas. (Brian Small and I will be talking about this split in our "I.D. Tips" column in the March-April 2009 issue of Birder’s World.) There's a messy spot in western Nevada where the two may be interbreeding, and there's a population in southern Mexico that may be yet another separate species, Sumichrast's Scrub-Jay. But the split of the Western looks likely.

Again, neither of these splits will be official until the AOU's committee votes on them. But if you’ve seen them, you can count them as soon as the split is formalized -- so don’t pass up a chance to see birds like this and, so to speak, "put them in the bank." Or just enjoy such subtle variations, whether they count for any kind of list or not!

Old Friends New Again

From Home Sweet Home, Kim writes: I've spent the better part of the last two days preparing a presentation about the trip we took to the Galapagos last November. Kenn and I will be giving the talk together (which is so fun!) tomorrow night at the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge (ONWR). ONWR is the Observatory's neighbor, just a half mile west of the marsh that BSBO lives in. We have a very strong working relationship with the refuge staff, and we partner on many projects and programs. They're a great bunch of people and do amazing work maintaining habitat for thousands of migratory birds. I feel so blessed to have a refuge in our area, and most of 4500+ acres were purchased with Federal Duck Stamp monies! Every birder should be buying the stamp!

My office chair kind of sucks, so as I was putting the talk together, I'd get up and check the feeders every once in a while just to move and stretch a little.

Who thinks Kim should get a new office chair for Christmas?!

Kenn and I have only been in this house for about 5 months, so we're still working on our yard list. The most recent addition to the list was Pine Siskin--very cool! But yesterday, an old friend showed up and really made my day. There, in the midst of the usual gang of House Sparrows, was a female Red-bellied Woodpecker! I ran for the camera and got a few crappy shots of her before she took off.

She was a bit shy about her first few visits, but she came back today and seemed a little more relaxed about the whole thing. Kind of like me when I first arrived here.

All my life I've lived in the country, so I really had mixed feelings about living in town. Well, okay, Oak Harbor is a bit more like a village than a town. But still. Since it's become an "indicator species" perhaps it would help you picture Oak Harbor if I told you that there's not even ONE STARBUCKS in Oak Harbor. Nope. Not one. Nada. That's right, here in Oak Harbor we still drink good-old .99 for the big cup, gas station coffee. And, surprisingly enough...we’re okay.

Oak Harbor's proximity to the bird observatory and Magee Marsh (less than 10 minutes away), and the fact that the house was perfect for us, had been the deciding factors in our move, but I was a little uncertain about it. Having lived in the country all my life, I was apprehensive about living within the confines of even a small town. I mean, I knew I’d be happy--I’d be happy anywhere as long as I’m with Kenn--but within the first few days, I knew I was going to love it here. Our neighbors have kids that--get this--PLAY OUTSIDE! We like to play outside too. So, of course, Kenn and I have spent time with the kids looking at birds, bugs, trees, bats, the night sky. So yeah, having kids nearby that actually like to be outside was definitely a good start.

And then my old friends started to come around. First it was the trusty, dependable goldfinches. They arrived on our second day in the house as if to say, “No matter where you go, we'll be with you!" Next came the Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays, and Mourning Doves. It took a bit longer, but eventually the White-breasted Nuthatches dropped by, and not long after, we were thrilled to see Red-breasted Nuthatches too!

Yes, all these old friends quieted the tiny doubts in the back of my mind about my ability to adjust to life in the "big city." But, there’s just something about woodpeckers--you know?! When the first Downy showed up, I was at the bird observatory, and Kenn called to share the news with me. I’m not afraid to admit that I rushed home so I could see it too.

Kenn has taken me all over the world and showed me some of the planet’s most amazing birds. I can still recall the intense emotions that I felt when he showed me Blue-footed Boobies in the Galapagos; Honey Buzzards in Sweden; Maroon-fronted Parrots in Mexico; and Plate-billed Mountain-Toucans and Sword-billed Hummingbirds in Ecuador. Those experiences have shaped my life and made my world so much more three dimensional. But, I know Kenn will understand when I tell you that yesterday, when “our” Red-bellied Woodpecker arrived for her first visit, home was the only place in the world I wanted to be.

CHOOSING A LIFE PARTNER SHOULD NEVER BE BASED ON LOVE

When it comes to making the decision about choosing a life partner, no one wants to make a mistake. Yet, with a divorce rate of close to 50%, it appears that many are making serious mistakes in their approach to finding Mr./Miss. Right!

If you ask most couples who are engaged why they’re getting married, they’ll say: “We’re in love”; I believe this is the #1 mistake people make when they date.. Choosing a life partner should never be based on love. Though this may sound “not politically correct”,there’ s a profound truth here. Love is not the basis for getting married. Rather, love is the result of a good marriage.. When the other ingredients are right, then the love will come. Let me say it again:

“You can’t build a lifetime relationship on love alone”; You need a lot more!!!

Here are five questions you must ask yourself if you’re serious about finding and keeping a life partner.

QUESTION ..1: Do we share a common life purpose?

Why is this so important? Let me put it this way: If you’re married for 20 or 30 years, that’s a long time to live with someone. What do you plan to do with each other all that time? Travel, eat and jog together? You need to share something deeper and more meaningful. You need a common life purpose.

Two things can happen in a marriage: (1) You can grow together, or (2) you can grow apart. 50% of the people out there are growing apart. To make a marriage work, you need to know what you want out of life! Bottom line; and marry someone who wants the same thing.

QUESTION 2: Do I feel safe expressing my feelings and thoughts with this person?

This question goes to the core of the quality of your relationship. Feeling safe means you can communicate openly with this person. The basis of having good communication is trust - i.e. trust that I won’t get “punished” ; or hurt for expressing my honest thoughts and feelings. A colleague of mine defines an abusive person as someone with whom you feel afraid to express your thoughts and feelings. Be honest with yourself on this one. Make sure you feel emotionally safe with the person you plan to marry.

QUESTION 3: Is he/she a mensch?

A mensch is someone who is a refined and sensitive person. How can you test? Here are some suggestions. Do they work on personal growth on a regular basis? Are they serious about improving themselves? A teacher of mine defines a good person as “someone who is always striving to be good and do the right “;.So ask about your Significant other What do they do with their time? Is this person materialistic?

Usually a materialistic person is not someone whose top priority is character refinement. There are essentially two types of people in the world: (1) People who are dedicated to personal growth and (2) people who are dedicated to seeking comfort. Someone whose goal in life is to be comfortable will put personal comfort ahead of doing the right thing. You need to know that before walking down the aisle.

QUESTION 4: How does he/she treat other people?

The one most important thing that makes any relationship work is the ability to give. By giving, we mean the ability to give another person pleasure. Ask: Is this someone who enjoys giving pleasure to others or are they wrapped up in themselves and self-absorbed? To measure this, think about the following: How do they treat people whom they do not have to be nice to, such as waiters, bus boys, taxi drivers, etc. . How do they treat their parents and siblings? Do they have gratitude and appreciation? If they don’t have gratitude for the people who have given them everything; Can you do nearly as much for them? You can be sure that someone who treats others poorly, will eventually treat you poorly as well.

QUESTION 5: Is there anything I’m hoping to change about this person after we’re married?

Too many people make the mistake of marrying someone with the intention of trying to “improve”; them after they’re married. As a colleague of mine puts it: “You can probably expect someone to change after marriage for the worse” If you cannot fully accept this person the way they are now, then you are not ready to marry them.

In conclusion, dating doesn’t have to be difficult and treacherous. The key is to try leading a little more with your head and less with your heart. It pays to be as objective as possible when you are dating; to be sure to ask questions that will help you get to the key issues. Falling in love is a great feeling, but when you wake up with a ring on your finger, you don’t want to find yourself in trouble because you didn’t do your homework.

Another perspective….There are some people in your life that need to be loved from a distance….It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you let go of or at least minimize your time with draining, negative, incompatible, not-going anywhere relationships. Observe the relationships around you. Pay attention….Which ones lift and which ones lean? Which ones encourage and which ones discourage? Which ones are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are going downhill? When you leave certain people do you feel better or feel worse? Which ones always have drama or don’t really understand, know, or appreciate you?

The more you seek quality, respect, growth, peace of mind, love and truth around you…the easier it will become for you to decide who gets to sit in the front row and who should be moved to the balcony of your life. An African proverb states, “Before you get married, keep both eyes open, and after you marry, close one eye”; Before you get involved and make a commitment to someone, don’t let lust, pity, desperation, immaturity, ignorance, pressure from others or a low self-esteem make you blind to warning signs. Keep your eyes open, and don’t fool yourself that you can change someone or that what you see as faults aren’t really that important.

Do you bring out the best in each other? Do you compliment and compromise with each other, or do you compete, compare and control? What do you bring to the relationship? Do you bring past relationships, past hurt, past mistrust, past pain?

You can’t take someone to the altar to alter them. You can’t make someone love you or make someone stay. If you develop self-esteem, spiritual discernment, and “a life”; you won’t find yourself making someone else responsible for your happiness or responsible for your pain. Seeking status, sex, and security are the wrong reasons to be in a relationship.

WHAT KEEPS A RELATIONSHIP STRONG ARE:

1. TRUST

2. COMMUNICATION

3.. INTIMACY

4. A SENSE OF HUMOR

5. SHARING TASKS

6. SOME GETAWAY TIME WITHOUT BUSINESS OR CHILDREN

7. DAILY EXCHANGES (meal, shared activity, hug, call, touch, notes)

8. SHARING COMMON GOALS AND INTERESTS

9. GIVING EACH OTHER SPACE TO GROW WITHOUT FEELING INSECURE

10. GIVING EACH OTHER A SENSE OF BELONGING AND ASSURANCES OF COMMITMENT

If these qualities are missing, the relationship will erode as resentment withdrawal, abuse, neglect, and dishonesty; and pain will replace it.

Happiness keeps You Sweet,
Trials keep You Strong,
Sorrows keep You Human,
Failures keep You Humble,
Success keeps You Glowing,
But……… Only God keeps You Going

Antarctica vs. Galapagos: clash of claims

Adelie Penguins: Cool birds, but they're not in a biodiversity hotspot

From Birding Central, Kenn writes: If you follow news of the natural world online, you’ve probably seen the stories within the last week: "Antarctic islands surpass Galapagos for biodiversity." The headline has been repeated on dozens of websites and blogs. Everyone is marveling at this news because the Galapagos Islands lie on the Equator, and the generally accepted wisdom has been that biodiversity is greatest in the tropics and decreases toward the poles. That the South Orkney Islands, near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, should support more species than the Galapagos Islands is an idea that seems totally amazing.

It would be amazing, if it were true. But it isn’t true.

We live in an era when information can be flashed around the globe in an instant, perpetuated and multiplied a millionfold, whether it’s accurate or not. If it’s a remarkable piece of information and it seems to come from a reliable source, it will be repeated verbatim forever.

Here’s the background. Researchers from the British Antarctic Survey and the University of Hamburg carried out a detailed study of life on the South Orkney Islands and in the surrounding seas, down to a depth of 1500 meters. Between their own findings and a search of published records, they documented 1224 species of animals in the area, including five species new to science. All of this is very impressive, and the researchers are to be congratulated for their discoveries. It’s important for us to know that biodiversity at the edge of the Antarctic is higher than previously believed.

However, there was a problem with a press release from the British Antarctic Survey on December 1, 2008. This press release mentioned the Galapagos comparison just as a brief aside, but other news stories made this the headline. NewScientist presented it this way: "Antarctic islands surpass Galapagos for biodiversity." PlanetEarth Online said: "More Biodiversity in Antarctica than the Galapagos." Science Daily and LiveScience both said: "Antarctica Has More Species Than Galapagos." Dozens of websites, blogs, and newspapers repeated variations of the same.

It simply isn’t true, and I’ll give you the data in a minute, but it’s odd to me that so many news outlets repeated this uncritically. Certainly any birder on the news desk would have questioned it. After all, birders tend to be more aware of the realities of the world than most nonbirders. And I know I’m not the only birder who has been to both the Galapagos and the Antarctic.

Yes, the Galapagos Islands are arid and isolated. Diversity is not overwhelming there. Putting aside migrants and strays, the number of nesting bird species on the Galapagos is only about 60 -- but on the South Orkneys, the number is fewer than 20. What about insects? Birders often notice insects, if only for the fact that they’re often good bird food. The Galapagos have only about 400 species of beetles, to mention one insect group, but I guarantee that the South Orkneys have fewer than that. What about plants? After all, biodiversity involves all living things, not just animals. I don’t have figures for the South Orkneys, but it sticks in my mind that the number of flowering plant species on the Antarctic Peninsula is two. The Galapagos, arid and isolated though they are, have at least 550.

In fact, the figure given for the South Orkney Islands study, 1224 species of animal life, falls far short of what’s on the Galapagos. A study by Stewart B. Peck published in 1997 listed 1859 species of marine invertebrates in Galapagos seas, 2257 species of invertebrates on the islands and in fresh waters, and 431 species of vertebrates, for a total of over 4500 species. With new discoveries in the last ten years, the current number would be even higher. Add in the 1467 species of plants, fungi, and lichens listed in the Stewart Peck study, and the Galapagos are home to over 6000 known species of living things. The 1200-plus species around the South Orkneys are impressive, all right, but they don’t surpass the Galapagos.

Please understand that I’m not trashing the Antarctic region. The South Orkneys may have fewer than 20 species of breeding birds, but these probably add up to well over a million nesting pairs. Kim and I are leaving for the Antarctic in less than a month, and we’re insanely excited to be going. But I predict that ten years from now, people will still be repeating this false idea that the Antarctic has more biodiversity than the Galapagos, and I’ll still be wondering: How could so many news outlets repeat this without checking its accuracy?

I wonder if Jimi Hendrix was a birder?.....

From BSBO, Kim writes: One of the best things about working for a bird observatory (my Dad used to call it the Bird Factory.... isn't that funny?!)... anyway, one of the best things about working for BSBO is, of course, the birds! Our office is nestled just along the southern edge of Magee Marsh, and WOW, we get some cool birds coming to our feeders and water garden.

Case in point, check out today's special guest.

Ka-POW!!

Aren't Fox Sparrows amazing? Like some fairy waved her magic wand and out pops a bird that's a combination of a Song Sparrow, Hermit Thrush, and Towhee. I'll never forget seeing my first one. I had been feeding and studying birds in my backyard for awhile, when late one fall I noticed a bird scratching on the ground and thought, Oh cool, a thrush! I grabbed the bins and was shocked to see that, no, it wasn't a thrush. It was some super-sized sparrow and it was rusty red, red, red, all over. It was a life bird for me, right there in my own backyard. I really love when that happens!

Gratuitous Fox Sparrow Photo

Here's another shot of the same bird. There have been two hanging around the feeders at BSBO for a couple of days now. Note the poor, sad looking American Goldfinch in the bottom left corner of the photo. Wouldn't it just suck to be a winter-plumaged goldfinch when the Fox Sparrows are around?

The Finch Forecaster

From northern Ohio, Kenn writes: This Common Redpoll was outside our window a year ago, in December 2007. It was one of dozens that came to our feeder that month, and one of hundreds that we saw in the general area. This month, we haven’t seen a single one.

Redpolls are in the "winter finch" group, and they were the headliners last year. Common Redpolls (and a few of their pale high-Arctic relatives, Hoary Redpolls) were all over the central and eastern U.S. and southern Canada in the winter of 2007-2008. Pine Grosbeaks also moved south in good numbers. So did Red-breasted Nuthatches and Bohemian Waxwings, which are not finches but which are similarly erratic in their winter occurrences.

We used to talk about winter finch invasions being "unpredictable," but that’s not accurate. These invasions are caused by changes in the supply of natural wild food in the boreal forest of Canada and Alaska, and if we knew enough about what was happening there, we could make predictions about which finches would invade in a given winter.

In fact, there is someone who knows enough, who researches the situation every year and makes predictions about the finch flight. The dynamic duo of field ornithology in Ontario, Ron Pittaway and Jean Iron, are very well connected with scientists and birders all over the north. Every year in early fall, Ron Pittaway collects info about seed crops in the boreal forest and writes a prediction, focused on which birds will have a flight in southern Ontario and adjacent regions. All of us in the surrounding states and provinces wait eagerly for Ron’s forecast.

Knowing how tricky it is to gauge these things, it’s amazing how often Ron Pittaway is right on the mark. For the 2007-2008 winter, he predicted the big redpoll flight and the movements of Pine Grosbeaks, Bohemian Waxwings, and Red-breasted Nuthatches. For this winter, he predicted that Pine Siskins would mostly leave Ontario, and indeed we had a flood of them coming south through the Midwest this fall. He predicted the possibility of a widespread southward flight of White-winged Crossbills, and we’re all enjoying the reality of that now.

Does Ron have mystical powers? Well, yeah, but this is mostly just a result of detailed understanding of the birds and their food supply. This year, for example, Ron predicted that Pine Grosbeaks would stay in the far north because the mountain-ash berry crop was good there. He predicted that Pine Siskins would leave Ontario because the spruce cone crop was poor in that province. He predicted the White-winged Crossbill flight because spruce cone crops over much of Canada had fallen off from previous highs. It’s fascinating stuff; you can read the whole thing on the Ontario Field Ornithologists site here.