millbrook, new york. bacon flats lodge day 2
our porch is an amazing place to bird watch. it acts like a blind so they get really close to the windows and things. there's actually a pair of widgets that live here. they've built a little mossy nest in the corner of the porch :)
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just got back from lunch with my mentor and her (and thus also my) adviser. they both seem incredibly cool and both already told me to call them by their first names. kara is really young- just out of grad school- and also really short like me. according to her we'll be running the entire project together, so we'll be spending all of our time in the field together. my project is also starting very fast. while most people haven't even specifically designed their question yet, i'll be working on putting together a playback tape on weds. and may be out in the field by the end of the week. crazy.
the amount these people know about birds is a little intimidating. i can recognize most of the birds that live back home, but here i've only heard and seen robins and crows. and veeries. there are so many other songs that i need to learn to recognize. listening to kara and ken talk at lunch was amazing, but also a little scary considering there is so much i don't know. the plan today is start learning bird songs from around here. also, apparently, one of the crew members knows how to do a really good owl impression, which he actually uses in the field to flush out birds. crazy.
also, a crew member already has lyme disease. i sort of expect to get it too, with the amount of talk there's been about ticks. and the fact that i'm going to be tromping through the woods all day long.
we're expecting to tape 50-70 individual males this summer. it's going to be intense.
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the widgets are actually eastern phoebees
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took an hour and half long walk. saw some really cool stuff, most of which i frustratingly don't recognize. some of the really pretty things i saw:
catbirds
scarlet tanager (these birds are gorgeous- look up a picture of one -http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/scarlet_tanager/id)
bluebird
rose-breasted grosbeak (also very pretty with a very pretty song- http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Rose-breasted_Grosbeak/id)
I also heard (but didn't see) at least six or seven different veeries. which is good news seeing as i'll be looking for them soon.
----
just got back from lunch with my mentor and her (and thus also my) adviser. they both seem incredibly cool and both already told me to call them by their first names. kara is really young- just out of grad school- and also really short like me. according to her we'll be running the entire project together, so we'll be spending all of our time in the field together. my project is also starting very fast. while most people haven't even specifically designed their question yet, i'll be working on putting together a playback tape on weds. and may be out in the field by the end of the week. crazy.
the amount these people know about birds is a little intimidating. i can recognize most of the birds that live back home, but here i've only heard and seen robins and crows. and veeries. there are so many other songs that i need to learn to recognize. listening to kara and ken talk at lunch was amazing, but also a little scary considering there is so much i don't know. the plan today is start learning bird songs from around here. also, apparently, one of the crew members knows how to do a really good owl impression, which he actually uses in the field to flush out birds. crazy.
also, a crew member already has lyme disease. i sort of expect to get it too, with the amount of talk there's been about ticks. and the fact that i'm going to be tromping through the woods all day long.
we're expecting to tape 50-70 individual males this summer. it's going to be intense.
---
the widgets are actually eastern phoebees
---
took an hour and half long walk. saw some really cool stuff, most of which i frustratingly don't recognize. some of the really pretty things i saw:
catbirds
scarlet tanager (these birds are gorgeous- look up a picture of one -http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/scarlet_tanager/id)
bluebird
rose-breasted grosbeak (also very pretty with a very pretty song- http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Rose-breasted_Grosbeak/id)
I also heard (but didn't see) at least six or seven different veeries. which is good news seeing as i'll be looking for them soon.