Snow Owl

Yep, at dusk over the Portage Marsh heading towards the airport, with my valentine of course.

First yard lifer for 2011.

On a stiff south wind....

....an adult Bald Eagle floated above the house this morning while I filled the feeders.

Bohemian Waxwing

Well, what was a mind-blowing peak experience last December repeated as a "ho-hum that's nice" moment this week when a flock of Bohemian Waxwings stopped by the yard to say hello. They are starting to pirate the depleted fruit stock in town, raiding crabapple trees in the most urban sections of Escanaba. It won't be long before they have to head south for fruitier pastures. Hopefully that will give the rest of you the chance to add this little gem to your yardlists. There sure is a applecart full of them around this winter. Also a lot of Pine Grosbeaks too -- they have to be in the same boat as the waxwings.

Good luck...

MOVING ON!

Two big announcements for SWAMP KAT -

1) this mangy beast is now part of our family, the first dog in my life since 1993. I grew up with fleas, worms, and dogs -- my dad use to babysit me by putting me in the playpen with his litter of doberman puppies. My mom said my first attempts at communication was growling....

2) "My name is Joe and I am addicted to buying houses". I thought I had it beat but my enabler Chris, and I signed a Purchase Agreement on this Lake Michigan Abode. All those distant birds spotted last year from the Lair is where Lilly is sitting on the ice -- Portage Bay where the creek empties into Lake Michigan. The house is the one directly above her head. While I cannot claim that I will top last years effort I suspect that any loss of quantity will be replaced by quality (i.e. Franklin's Gull and Little Gull were near this spot last year). I promise no more Calidris, Podiceps, or Pluvaris sp.

The only saving grace for my yard birding pals is the house needs A LOT of work and it is unlikely it will be occupied until late in the year. So like a Peregrine trying to hunt a flock of shorebirds my focus will be split, which almost guarantees a divided (but hopefully not conquered) Swamp Kat.

Thanks for the kudos for 2010 -- I really had a lot of fun passing out free cans of whip-poor-ass-Caleb. I love you guys.

COME on Slackers!!

#9 just flew over The Wastelands...just barely got my bins on it from my office window...

...by the way, who's in charge of updating the GoogleDoc species spreadsheet?

Low Motivation; 2010 wrapup

I like some/many of you am experiencing low motivation for the yardbird blog of late. Primarily, it's because there's NOTHING in my yard (Creeper and Golden-crowned Kinglet being the best). But I kind of feel like we never properly wrapped up the 2010 contest. So, to that end: Swamp Kitty, we were are all awed by your display of power and domination. Congratulations and kudos.

Now, let's let the trashtalk for 2011 begin so we can all get motivated again...

Drooling As Usual

Yeah, that's about all the excitement that January affords me at The Wastelands. Although as I was talking to a birding friend yesterday, I nabbed a female AMKE zip down the street for number 7. I get more good birds while having phone conversations with birding friends...how does that work?

Ruling as usual.

Got a couple newbies for the yard year. A butterbut by the creek put me in first place for the Warbler War so far. Also picked up White-throated Sparrow at the feeder. It was raining today, looks like its good bye snow again. I hate that. At least I got to X-country Ski/bird one last time this morning I scored 25 species of birds (yes more than any of you have yet) and three mammals: White-tailed Deer, Red Squirrel, and E. Fox Squirrel. Bring on some waterfowl, and maybe a new woodpecker and some Redpolls!

Life Yard Mammal

I'd be curious to know how many of you blokes have COYOTE for their yard! [BEWA, what say you?]. Just this afternoon, the fam and I were maxing in our living room and I see a dog saunter past our patio door. Something immediately struck me as odd so I jumped and yelled for my wife to bring our son over to the window. Sure enough, a gorgeous coyote stopped at the street, looked around and took off to the south. I can only imagine that it caught wind of all the rabbits that hang out in the neighborhood. Everyone got to see, including my son...I know this because he was saying "woo woo" as we were looking out the window. Frickin' awesome!

In case you're wondering, this puts my yard mammal list up to TWO.

Icelandic and Galactic Gulls

My goodness it was a great five minutes of gulling at the Haas Tract! So I'm staring at the feeders thinking "man! this is the day of days! Where did this flock of 9 juncos come from??" Sweet ya know? But the I notice a couple of gulls going over, and lo and behold there was a 1st cycle Glaucous in with a loose pod of Herrings. Yaah ya know?! However just imagine the surprise about 2 minutes later when a fricking 2nd cycle Iceland Gull goes floating over?! Too cool! It's funny cause the only Iceland Gull I had all fall long and into CBC week in MQT was a 2nd cycle bird. I presume this was it still hanging out. This my 4th or 5th Glaucous here (of course missing it last year!), but Iceland Gull, thats a new one for the Haascienda. Just goes to show the merit of another year of yard-bird-blogging.
By the way, the title of this post is what a dump worker in Dafter several years ago said they were having when I asked what gulls had been around!

Just dropped in to say...

I'm winning, yes. Just dropped by to say it. I haven't even really tried, not that it takes much to beat you lot. In fact I think its my goal this year to beat most of you without trying. So, yes, pretty much business as usual. In fact my biggest challenges this year will be to try and catch all the mis-identifications, exaggerations, and general hallucinations that you guys constantly serve up. Can our hero prevail against such odds? Stay tuned. I'm up to 28 species for the yard so far (60 for the year in OH): Highlights: CEDW, EABL, BDOW, GCKI, SSHA, COHA, RSHA, CARW, etc.

I'm back Baby!!!

Heya-mia Desperado's!

Well after a relaxing sojourn to the birdless burbs of Metro Detroit, I have returned to claim the 2011 crown and be proclaimed King of all Yardbirders (while spending as much possible time birding elsewhere as possible! Unlike Swamp-kitten, I am pleased to be in the North Woods (what?!? Ross's Gull wasn't good enough for you?? nor winning the 2010 comp?!? Why don't you go cry to your mommy- she cares!)

It was a slow first day, the feeders needed to be dug out, but while doing so, a nice flock of Boho's flew over, their drunken slurs wheezing in the air (too much fermented berry I suppose....). Nothing else of note- hell, I'm only at six species so far- but I feel good; 2011 is gonna be my year. So hold tight, try your best to win, but I'm going to kick all your asses this year (If Caleb can do as well as he did with Noc Migrants in the middle of landlocked Kent (sucks nads!) County, I'm curious to see how I will do on amazing, incredible, doesn't get better then the shores of Lake Superior. Fer Crists sakes- its in the name!

I believe the words you all are looking for are "Kiss" and "My Derriere"

PEACE-YO!

~Take no Haastages

Ps. this photo of the waxwing, techincally not my yard, but a couple house up from my place.......