Been a busy work week so we only got one new species. Not going to get to 350 with these kind of stats. Work sure does interfere with what is important. Both of us got a dickcissel. Lise got her’s in West Lafayette at Prophet’s Town State Park and I got mine around here. Mine came thanks to a listserve post that directed me to the spot.
I also tried a little odonate work this weekend but that wasn’t too productive. I hit two spots on the Red Cedar in my waders. First time I’ve been in waders this season. Identified a couple damselfly species and saw a few dragonflies but nothing spectacular. I think the Red Cedar is just too muddy and silty to be good dragonfly habitat.
Molly was moving her life sized theater cutouts of Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy and watching a Harry Potter movie. I started thinking about what’s next for the boy wizard, now that he conquered all evil and saved the world as we know it. Going back to school doesn’t seem likely. That would be worse then when I went back to grad school. I figure that J.K. Rowling has to spend too much time in her counting house, counting all her money, to think up new adventures for the boy wizard. So I came up with a book idea for her. How about “Harry Potter and The Big Year” for book number eight of the series.
Doing a big year may be the perfect transition from saving the world to the more mundane status of a wizard with nothing to do but procreate. You certainly want to attempt it before kids, jobs, and a mortgage are in the picture. Doing a true big year requires all the skills that a world saving wizard can muster up. There’s both physical and mental challenges. There is the traveling around to strange places at ungodly hours. There’s the questions about your sanity from friends and family. Being able to talk to snakes may come in handy too. At least you don’t need to worry about things like the avada kedabra curse blind siding you.
A certain amount of wizardry is needed to be a big year contender. Breaking Sandy Komito’s 745 species big year record will require some major magic. Having Hermione’s time-turner gadget would be handy. The ability to be in two places almost simultaneously would certainly help your species count. Think about combining the time turner with the instantaneous travel via an old boot port key or flue dust. You can spend a couple hours birding on the Gulf Coast, then stroll into the simultaneously occurring Lansing staff meeting only a minute late. I could be a couple hours late to a staff meeting and not really miss anything. The flue dust may be a problem. It would probably make me sneeze and I would end up in the Bronx. Not sure which would be worse, staff meeting or the Bronx.
Mythical birds may be an issue. Can a wizard count birds that are not on the official ABA North American list? Like the phoenix that uses its tears to heal your fatal wounds or brings you a silver sword when you’re in a bind? Right now I’m starting to think that screech owls are mythical birds.
A few other potential Harry Potter titles as our hero gets on with his post Voldemort life;
Harry Potter and The Lost Thumb Drive: It has to be some powerful dark magic that allows so much data to fit onto such a small thing that then disappears into thin air. “Accio thumb drive” doesn’t seem to work.
Harry Potter and Quantum Physics: Only in the world of wizards or quantum physics could Schrodinger’s cat be both dead and alive.
Harry Potter and The Unsolvable Puzzle: His Mother-in-Law gives him an evil suduko puzzle. Solving it requires something stronger than pumpkin juice.
Harry Potter and The Mystery of Scrapple: Harry and friends solve the mystery of scrapple. No, it’s not Hippogriff meat. Some dark secrets are best kept from the rest of the world.
Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Debt: Just when he gets the student loans paid off, Harry buys a new house. It’s expensive buying into the Hogwarts School District. No more trips to the Quiddich World Finals.
Harry Potter and the Kidney Stone: Welcome to middle age kiddo. This ain’t the Crucio curse, it’s something a bit more painful.
Harry Potter and The Deathly HMO: Sorry but you went out of the network. You may as well be cursed.
Harry Potter and The Secret of Life: Unless it involved three wise men and a star, it’s not magic Harry. It’s called birth control for a reason.
Ed's and Lise's Biggish Years 