Don't forget the Great Backyard Bird Count is this weekend!

This is an osprey photo I took in 2011. I even did the GBBC back then.

February 13-16, 2015 is the Great Backyard Bird Count. This is a less formal bird count than the Christmas Bird Count which happens in December. Despite the name, you don't just have to count in your backyard, but you can if you want.

I plan to count somewhere for each day of the count. I like to do Lake Murray, around my home, Chollas Lake and somewhere in the South Bay. If you decide to count, try to pick an area where you are less likely to see people counting the birds. Be sure to count for at least fifteen minutes (of course you can count for longer periods).  You can sit by your window and watch birds come to your feeder if you like. After you count, go to the GBBC site and enter them on eBird through their link for them to count  If you're not familiar with eBird, visit the site and familiarize yourself with it.

It's important to get out there and represent San Diego with a high number of bird species. San Diego, and California, usually have some of the highest species numbers in the nation during the GBBC.  Some of the areas which may need some counters are the more remote areas of the desert and mountains. If you are planning to hike around this weekend, perhaps bring your bird journal with you so you can count the birds. Also, urban areas such as mid-city and southeast San Diego may also need counter. Southeast San Diego has a lot of birds, actually.

Don't worry if you don't know how to identify every bird you see. Just do the best you can.

Nature stuff going on around San Diego the weekend of January 31-Feb 1, 2015

Buena Vista Lagoon

I usually post my weekend events articles on Examiner, but thought I would post them here and see how they do. I may go back to posting them on Examiner in the future.

Saturday's weather is supposed to be a little wet, but may clear up in the afternoon. It should still be a nice weekend for most activities, though. Bring an umbrella for Saturday morning. Here are a few things going on this weekend.

Earth Discovery Institute: I like posting events for this organization. Mostly, they work with the east county preserves such as Rancho Jamul and Crestridge. This weekend, they will be having  the "Lilac 5k Fun Run and Kids Fun Run Fundraiser" on Saturday, January 31st from 7-11am. The actual race starts at 8:30am. and begins at the Crestwood Ecological Horsemill Road entrance at 1171 Horsemill Road in El Cajon. Unfortunately, pre-registration ends tonight. But, you can register at the day of the event. Entry fees for the race on the day of the event are $30, but Crest residents get $5 off. The fun run is $15 for the day of the race. Contact the Earth Discovery Institute at  619-447-4715 or email info@earthdiscovery.com for more information.

Mission Trails Regional Park: The park wants people to know that the south climbers trail is now open. It was damaged by fire last summer. This area is popular for climbers and is open from sunrise to sunset. Be prepared for a lot of people on the weekends. Also, if you want to learn about the basics of birding at Mission Trails, there will be a free class this Saturday at 1pm in the Visitor's Center. They are located at 1Father Junipero Serra Trail in east San Diego. Call them at (619) 668-3281 for more details.

Buena Vista Audubon: You can also learn about basic birding and participate in a bird count at the lagoon this Saturday beginning at 8am. The class starts at their nature center at 2202 S. Coast Highway in Oceanside. Joan Fountain at 760-729-1379 and Tom Troy at 760-420-7328 are the ones leading the class and count.

Update on "Mystery Goo": So far, no one knows what the goo is, but some of the bird patients that were being cleaned are being re-released in a different location. They have ruled out oil and PIB, the substance that killed hundreds of sea birds in Great Britain a few years ago. The little dunlin shown in the picture on this blog a few posts ago is said to be doing well.

On My Examiner.com page: Sorry that I haven't posted a Lake Murray birding update as I've been a bit under the weather. I may have to pass on it for this month and post it next month. 

My Eskimo Curlew Obsession

I wrote this about my Eskimo Curlew obsession.  Since I've written this article, the Squidoo site was merged with HubPages.  The link still works, but you will be directed to HubPages instead of Squidoo.

Eskimo Curlew Painting in the last 1880s
by Archibald Thorburn (1860 - 1935).

A lot of people know that my favorite bird is the killdeer, but, I'm also obsessed with Eskimo curlews. It all started when I saw (or saw again), the ABC Afterschool Special and read the book by Fred Bodsworth called "Last of the Curlews". It was a sad story about a lone male curlew in search of a mate, and then finds one, only to lose her at the very end of what was a promising travel back to the nesting area. The whole story of the Eskimo curlew was a very sad one that may have ended in extinction. But, I deeply hope that is not the case.

The Eskimo curlew was the smallest curlew in the Americas and was once the most numerous shorebirds in the region. It looked a lot like the whimbrel which is still pretty plentiful in most areas today. It had a remarkable migration going from the top of the Earth in the high arctic, almost all the way down to the tip of South America, though not quite as far as the red knot or arctic tern does. Like many birds in the mid to late 1800s in the United States, it was hunted mercilessly and went from multiple millions of birds to practically none in about twenty years. The bird had an endearing characteristic of returning to comfort its hurt mates and colleagues when they were shot or injured. Hunters took this as stupidity and this trait of the curlews made it easier to mow down huge flocks of these birds for the market.

Even when this bird became extremely rare, it continued to be shot by collectors wanting to be the ones to have one of the last Eskimo curlews in its existence. With the passage of the Migratory Bird Act in 1918, most of the shooting stopped, but it was too late. The bird was considered extinct in the 1940s, but was re-found in the 1950s. A pair of birds was frequently seen in Texas each year from the late 1950s to early 1960s when the two were photographed. One bird was shot in Barbados in 1963. This ends the last official records of the species. But, other sightings were confirmed up to the 1980s. There have even been fairly credible sightings up until the early to mid-2000s.

I maintain a page on Squidoo about Eskimo curlew sightings. One of the problems that people seem to be having is distinguishing the curlew from the whimbrel. Most people alive now have never seen an Eskimo curlew even in a museum. Skins of the bird are not common and only a handful museums display mounted specimens and mostly in the states where the specimen was obtained. Most skins are kept locked up and one has to get special permission to view and study them up close. Juvenile whimbrels can look very much like Eskimo curlews, especially far out on a mud flat. Many people also confuse Eskimo curlews with long-billed curlews. Even back in the 1960s, with photographs and a specimen, even sighting was highly scrutinized. Without physical proof, no sighting of this bird will ever be accepted now. Since the bird was, more or less, officially declared extinct this year after 50 years of lack of physical proof, I haven't heard of a single sighting where I usually hear of at least two or three a year.

Nest Monitoring for Science: My Experience

Last year, I wrote an article for Yahoo Voices about my work with Nestwatch, a Cornell Lab of Ornithology Citizen Science program.  I've been doing Nestwatch for a few years now.  I just finished monitoring a dove's nest on my neighbor's porch light.  I've also done several killdeer and hummingbird nests.  Here is what I wrote last year:

Killdeer nest I monitored 

I have been monitoring nests and reporting them though the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Nestwatch program for a couple of years now. Each year, I have to be "re-certified" for the program by taking the online training and quiz again. To do this program, you don't need special skills or knowledge, just a love and concern for birds and an interest in science. Cornell Lab of Ornithology has several "citizen science" programs that center around birds such as "Feeder Watch" and "Celebrate Urban Birds".

Where I live, hummingbirds nest in the courtyard of my apartment building, so I usually monitor all of those. Plus, I monitor any other nests I find on my regular routes, such as at Lake Murray where I often walk. I've tried monitoring other nests in my area, but I've found that unless I can visit them at least twice a week, it's not worth monitoring them because the data I enter might not be helpful to the scientists. The program usually wants people to visit their reported nests at least twice a week or on a regular basis.

So far, I've monitored about ten Anna's hummingbird nests, three or four killdeer nesting sites, one mallard duck nest, two osprey nesting attempts, two raven nesting attempts, and three red-tailed hawk nesting attempts. What I love about nest monitoring is watching the babies growing up and getting to know them. I especially love watching killdeer nests. Technically, killdeer are considered fledged once they leave the nesting area, but I still monitor them until they can fly (if I can find them as they often move around). The same goes for ducklings. I think it's important for scientists to know exactly when these birds feather and fly even though they're not in a nest. I also monitor the hummingbird babies as long as they're still being fed by their mother.

It's not all fun, though. Watching nests can be sad because predators sometimes eat the eggs and babies. I've lost two hummingbird nests; at least one, for sure, to crows. Crows have also gotten one entire killdeer nest and probably were the cause of a missing egg of another one. Gulls got many of the ducklings of the mallard nest I monitored. So, one has to be prepared for these things. I just hope that all the data I enter is helpful to scientists.

Sources:

This article is based on my personal experiences, but here are some helpful links about the Nestwatch program and some of the birds I've mentioned:

Nestwatch.org
Citizen Science Programs from Cornell
Anna's hummingbirds
Killdeer
Mallard duck

George the killdeer and the killdeer blog

In late 2010, I wrote about one of my other blogs here on Blogger:  Killdeers, Phoebes and Finches.  I also talked about George the Killdeer as well.  George was a real killdeer, but he may have passed away recently as I haven't seen him for at least a year.  He left Lake Murray in 2011 or 2012, but returned each year with his family.  You will find this blog in my lists of blogs on this site.

You can also find out more about George and his family at:   http://shorebirdie.hubpages.com/hub/georgethekilldeer

Killdeers, phoebes and finches (and ducks!) is a blog that I am currently keeping on a family of killdeer at Lake Murray in San Diego, California. 

One might wonder what, exactly, a killdeer is? A killdeer is a plover, a shorebird, but they have adapted themselves to living close to people and away from the shore. Most killdeer need some kind of permanent fresh water nearby for their daily requirements. However, a small drainage ditch or creek is more than enough for a killdeer to live a good life provided that there is always drinkable water. Killdeers like to live in open areas like golf courses, airfields, farms, fields, and, of course, on a beach.

Killdeers are mostly brown and white and are distinguished from other plovers by their double banded breast-marks and necks. They are about the size of a mourning dove with long, stilt-like legs. They often nest in the open and divert predators with a broken-wing act. Both parents usually care for the eggs and chicks. Their eggs look a lot like rocks and can be easily missed if they're laid in a rocky area. Their chicks hatch after about 24-28 days and the babies can run within hours of hatching.

Killdeers, phoebes and finches (and ducks!) talks about killdeers, chicks, ducks, and other birds that live around the lake. There are stories about chicks, ducklings, and other babies that hatched or were born in the summer. Raptors are also mentioned as are other shore and water birds.

So, if one is interested in birds, especially in the San Diego area, check out Killdeers, phoebes and finches (and ducks!). The main killdeer family in the blog, headed by a male killdeer named "George" (also called M2 in the blog) can also be chronicled on Twitter as @killdeergeorge or by clicking on the link in his name above.