Been a crazy, crazy, crazy, but productive, week. For both birding and non-birding efforts.
This was our most productive birding week in some time, with me getting four new species and Lise getting three. Last Sunday we went over to Shiawassee NWR. We both got cackling goose and I finally got a Northern pintail. Then Wednesday we went to Port Huron and got king eider and surf scoter. The king eider was a lifer for both of us.
Shiawasse NWR, October 27.
This was the week for travel. Sunday, after birding at Shiawassee, a coworker needed help printing posters for a conference on Monday. I helped get them printed, and then we decided it would be good for me to go to the conference too. So bright and early Monday morning she and I headed down to Windsor, Canada, for a Status of the Straits conference. It was only one day but it was a long day. We completely misjudged Detroit morning rush hour traffic.
On Wednesday the same co-worker was putting on a workshop at Port Huron. Lise was involved with the same project so we all went over together. I did go to help but conveniently the king eider was reported there too. So another long day, but a couple new species too. I played a bit with pictures of flying gulls too.
Lise with scope at workshop. (Sarnia, Ontario is the city across the St. Clair River)
Flying Bonaparte’s gull – winter plumage.
The aptly named ring-billed gull.
RIng-billed gull leaving the water after diving for minnows.
Swimming Bonaparte’s gull.
Thursday I had to work, then teach until 10:30 PM, followed by a one day trip up to Rogers City and back Friday. The Rogers City trip was to remove our bat monitors from a 50 meter pole. Eight hours of driving for about an hour and a half of work.
Leaving bat monitors set up for a couple weeks there is always the possibility of some sort of equipment failure. You don’t, however, count on bear damage. It looks like a bear smacked around the plastic box on the ground holding the recorders and tried to chew on one. So we get to blame missing data on an irate ursine. Good thing I did my meat run to Plaths and Rygwelski’s after taking down the equipment. Smelling like a smoked kielbasa may not be the smartest thing to do with a bear in the area.
So today was a day for kicking back and relaxing. Sort of. The washing machine has been leaking so I took it apart to see what was going on. Taking a washing machine apart isn’t easy to do. Unfortunately that’s the easy part. Now I have to put it back together.
Ed's and Lise's Biggish Years 