Kaimana

After our rainy adventures on Kauai, we made our way to the three day tournament on the east side of Oahu.  Great tournament, camped the whole time just off of the beach.




Needless to say, it got muddy.

Kilauea Point NWR

Stopping at multiple drizzly sites along the way, I made my way back around Kauai and out to Kilauea Point NWR.


A variety of seabirds nest on, in and along the cliffs of this refuge, including Red-footed Boobies, Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, Red-tailed and White-tailed Tropicbirds, Great Frigatebirds and Laysan Albatross.

Though nesting season hasn't started yet, the Red-footed Boobies were there in force, staking claim over territories on the cliff's vegetation.


Red feet!


Great Frigatebird


There were a few Albatross flying around, but many more were on the edge of the cliffs.

Rain in the mountains

After visiting Hanalei NWR I decided to make my way around the island and up Waimea Canyon to Koke'e State Park to reach some higher elevations.  These high elevation sites include much more native vegetation and host some of the more rare endemics that can be found in Hawaii.

The drive up was beautiful.






But of course, by the time I reach my destination the rain had started and birding was not really an option.  I did scurry around in the rain until it became a downpour, spotting my one and only Apapane, a beautiful red, black and white honeycreeper.




I decided to spend the night up in the mountains, hoping rain would subside by morning.  It did not.  So I missed out on some great species and headed down hill to the coast again.  Along the way I did score some crappy pictures of these two species!

Erckel's Francolin


Nutmeg Mannikin

Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge

Not far from the treacherous Napali Coast hike I explored the Hanalei NWR.  I essentially just drove a few miles up and down a road, but was able to see most of the native waterbirds.



My first Nene/Hawaiian Goose.


Hawaiian Duck


Hawaiian Moorhen (though I think it's just called a Common Gallinule now?)


Hawaiian Stilt


Pacific Golden-plover

Napali Coast

After an initial day on Oahu, a few of us made the very quick flight to Kauai.  The plan was for everyone but me to hike the Napali Coast, camp for a night or two while I birded around the island, and meet up again before heading back to Oahu.


Things generally followed that plan, but the rain threw a wrench in everyone's plan. The hike they were doing required a few stream crossings, but as the rain kept coming, the streams turned to rivers and complicated things quite a bit.

Before the rain really came down I was able to explore a bit along the northern coast of the island.




Here I spotted my first Red-crested Cardinals.



As well as the melodious White-rumped Shama

NYE 2013

Back from a quick trip to Massachusetts for the holidays, yesterday we put out our last radio tag of the season. This puts us at about 85 birds caught in total, some of which were just banded, measured and released without a radio. We'll be doing some ground tracking over the next two weeks, but really I only have about seven days of work left here. Pictures of where I'm working while I'm working are really tough because most of it is in the dark, so here are a couple low light iPhone pictures that do no justice.
 

Mist nets at dawn

A weekend in the Big Sur region

I've been to Los Banos

Alright, I'm back. I've been computerless in Los Banos, CA for about two weeks now. Working for Point Blue again, I now spend my days in the wetlands of the San Joaquin Valley trapping wintering shorebirds, banding and attaching radio transmitters to them in an attempt to gain a better understanding of their habitat use and needs during this time of their life cycle.

We are specifically targeting Long-billed Dowitchers and Dunlin.

However, there are the occasional peep by-catches, this one being a Western Sandpiper, I believe, though our most common are Least.

As well as this Yellowlegs

The second team of trappers spend most of their time up in the rice fields of the Sacramento Valley, looking a little something like this.

Whereas, this is our typical morning scenery.

Fall Views

Outside our window at Manomet.

Skinner Mountain in western Mass.

Fish Docks

We went on a bird walk around Point Reyes yesterday with the new (and some old) interns yesterday, finding my year first Warbling Vireos, Pigeon Gullemots, and Pygmy Nuthatch.

Panarama with the iPhone from the fish docks.

PCT site photos

A few shots from my site along the PCT last week:






My points ran straight down this little ridge line, mostly Fox Sparrows and Towhees.

Tiff's Party

A male Evening Grosbeak from the the other week of banding:


Gold Lake

Lassen

Today is another rain/data day, bringing me to the big city (Quincy), where a post is possible!

Last week I camped and point counted with Mr. Lipp in the northern regions of Lassen National Forest. We caught fish and got ripped to shreds by manzanita, so there were ups and downs to the week, but it was especially nice for me to switch things up by helping out with their project, getting to see slightly different birds and habitat for the week.

Mountain Quail are spectacular. Though they do not shout "CHICAGO" like their Cali Quail relatives, they sure can belt out a good "Quork!"


Barn Swallows were nesting under this bridge, which was over a creek full of highly uninterested trout.


There were SO MANY butterflies everywhere we went. We must have hit hundreds with our truck, as they seem to gravitate toward moist surfaces...like these sandals.


This year the Juncos here are actually able to nest, as compared to last year, when there were still multiple feet of snow at many of our sites.


From the top of Burney Mountain at sunset.




Listen for the background barks

Burney

Right now I'm a few hours north (in Burney) of my usually work sites, helping out the northern crew with some of their work. Still point counting, but no nest searching, and we do playback calls for a few indicator species. Camping in National Forests is still the best.

View from atop the toughest site I've done, which runs parallel to the PCT.


Brent and with Fish.


Banded Yellow-rumped male


Shadowy Tree Swallow at Willow Lake

Gulls

There are lots more gulls around these days. Not as many as past years, but still a lot. Lots of Murres too, thousands actually. Songbirds, not so much, like 8 species a day, so here's some more scenery (warning: it's the same).

Saddle Rock with a flock of gulls above


San Fran

Familar landscape

Old water tanks

BRPE

Full moon

Yesterday was my best shark attack yet. Though no view of the shark's head, there was lots of blood, a carcass, thrashing, gulls and oil (pale water surrounding it), seen here (though this doesn't do an attack justice):


Full moon through the crane

Xantus's Murrelet

Today our USFWS friend Rob came and got the good stove up and running again! Now we can bake to stay warm! After dropping him off at his boat back to the mainland, Jim and I took a little detour over to our Murrelet friend to get some pictures and take a quick tour around the island. Twas wicked.

The murrelet!


Common Murre


Rhinoceros Auklet




Mew Gull

Re-up

Today Amanda and Melissa were kind enough to bring us food from the mainland! Every two weeks volunteers do a big grocery shop and hop onto a boat (which has also been volunteered to take the trip out) to bring it to us in order to resupply our fridges and pantry. They made it out here early afternoon, got a quick tour of the island and were getting back onto the sailboat again within an hour and a half. It's a brutally long day for anyone who does that (they shopped all evening last night, woke up at 5am, and will probably get home by midnight) and they also had some horrible weather on the way back, making it extra rough, so THANK YOU for doing it! Glad they got to see the island for what it is, but also where I'm working and living.

I somehow did not take any pictures while Amanda was here, but maybe she will supply some on her blog?

This sea lion was not happy about the e-seal. The e-seal could have cared less.




Black Turnstone


Black Oystercatcher, should still be the logo, I think






Big swell yesterday, made us wonder if the food and friends were going to make it onto the island today


Same Brown Creeper. I found him trying to cling to the house, he finally found the roof, then finally found the tree.