Long Reads - beauty and birds

From January 13, 2019 New York Times

Long Reads:  How Beauty is Making Scientists Rethink Evolution

The worst photos you will ever see ...

... of Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus).

On Wednesday, November 7th, leaving home around 6:30 am, I drove out to the spot and saw the bird.  Really a big deal and the first really good chase in Washtenaw County in a very long time.  This much was evident by the fury it created on one of the list serves.  As I was looking at the bird, I realized that I knew none of the other people gathered around to also see it.  The feeling of disconnect from a birding community I had once been so well-acquainted with was obvious.

The bird started out close, but before I could get photos of it in the close spot of the pond, it moved quickly to the back of the pond and behind some stumps and logs.  The light was gray and low so it's likely that my photos would not have been great anyway, but at the back of the pond the deal was done.

I counted five Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) accompanying this bird and so hats off to whoever found it.  It would have been easy to walk away believing only yellowlegs were present in the pond.  Of course, once it revealed its bright orange legs its presence would have been eye popping.  Many excellent photos taken by others reveal the orange legs.

It was an attractive little bird.  I had seen Spotted Redshank before, in breeding plumage, in Bulgaria.  But seeing this bird, so far from it's typical range, I was jarred again by the feeling of the specialness of birds and all they can do and all that happens to them in the course of living their precarious lives.  It paused comfortably behind the stump, preened a little and showed no signs of relocating.  I was underdressed and getting colder and there was no one I knew to talk to and I still needed to go to work.

I was distracted by flocks of Sandhill Cranes flying over the road to land in the cornfield beyond the redshank pond (hereupon to always be known as the spotted redshank pond in Washtenaw County).  Time for me to leave and get to work.

Driving east I was so happy that I had got through the morning rush hour traffic to see the bird when I did.  The backup on the westbound I-94 was overwhelming.  I would never have seen the redshank had I left home a 1/2 hour later.  After being present several days, I think the spotted redshank left the pond that night and was not seen on November 8th.  

A Mandarin Duck in Central Park

This NYT article from this past week is quite funny.

A Mandarin Duck in Central Park

I missed it by a month so saving for my next trip to Central Park. 

Drama in the clouds

As the weather has gotten colder, more windy and more cloudy, Belle Isle has become a little less crowded.

First some photos from Sunday, October 15th, which was a very birdy day on Belle Isle.

Below, some photos from Saturday, Oct 20th.  First, I drove around downtown a bit to find the start  for the Detroit Free Press US half-marathon and the parking.  A few friends ran the race on Sunday, the 21st.  Race organizers had just starting setting up.  I thought about how it only takes one day to set up for a marathon.  We should have more marathons and fewer car races.

After this I drove over to Belle Isle, which with the colder and more threatening weather - as soon as I stepped onto the trail, loud, deep rolling thunder began - was not nearly as birdy as the previous Sunday.

Hermit Thrush above and female Eastern Towhee below were my two photo prizes.  Both of these birds were on the other side of the creek, but the distance was still doable and the lighting good.  I really love the towhee photo.  To me it seems that female towhees are hard to see and photo ops are rare.  Plus they are so beautiful.

Then came the cloud drama.  I think the one above is my favorite. Leaving the trail and driving around the park I had to stop for these photos.  All are cropped to get the construction mess around the park out of the shot.

Finally from the ABA blog a review of the book  Moving to the City:  Raptors in a Concrete Jungle just because I want to keep the review accessible for now.   

On-line Optics store

Potentially an on-line resource, Land Sea & Sky, follows our loss of Eagle Optics over a year ago.



I learned about this company from advertising on the back cover of the most recent North American Birds, Vol 70: No. 2, 2018.   I checked out the website.  Product line seems limited and product details wanting, but some of the bins and scopes are those desired by birders.  I think it's worth checking. Products and product details can always be added.  It seems like brick and mortar optic offerings are very limited with most offerings designed for hunters.