Checking out the blogs from other observatories, I thought I'd do an overview of our weekly totals (Aug 31- Sept 5) for anyone who is looking for fall migratory information at Fort Morgan . . . instead of just my ramblings about life in the field!
Species captured and numbers:
American Redstart- 1
Black and White Warbler- 1
Blue Gray Gnatcatcher- 6
Carolina Chickadee- 3
Carolina Wren- 1
Downy Woodpecker- 1
Great Crested Flycatcher- 1
Hooded Warbler- 1
Kentucky Warbler- 1
Northern Mockingbird- 2
Northern Waterthrush- 10
Ovenbird- 5
Prarie Warbler- 3
Prothonotary Warbler- 7
Red Bellied Woodpecker- 1
Red-eyed Vireo- 19
Trails Flycatcher- 2
Veery- 1
Warbling Vireo- 1
Yellow Breasted Chat- 6
Yellow Bellied Flycatcher- 2
Yellow Warbler- 5
Species Banded- 23
Total Birds Banded- 83
Net Hours- 848
In general, what we lack in abundance we make up for in diversity!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
The beginning of the season
Yesterday we topped out at 31 new birds- 29 captures in the AM prompted us to go out again in the afternoon for a few hours in the hopes of catching some more. We were a little disappointed with only 2 new captures in 2.5 hours in the PM, but it was good practice opening and closing our nets.
Today was much slower (7 new birds banded) but I had a fabulous first round: a whip-poor-will, a ruby throated humning bird, a northern mockingbird and a Kentucky warbler. See pictures of the whip-poor-will and Kentucky above. It's always nice to have some crazy birds in the nets- whip-poor-wills are part of a group called "nightjars" and are nocturnal so you are only likely to catch them during the first round.
Otherwise, this morning's highlights included . . . net repair! Seeing as a pelican could have flown through one of our nets, it was time for replacement and repair. It can be really tedious work but ultimately rewarding if we catch more birds as a result.
Monday, August 31, 2009
My new neighborhood
It's really not a bad place to live. There aren't many neighbors and all of the houses are on stilts . . . Pray for a hurricane-free fall for the Gulf . . . We live in the light yellow house next to the turquoise one.
And . . . I'm back!
Into the field that is! The past six months have been a roller coaster: I came home from Thailand, spent lots of time with the Mom unit after she broke her leg and tore her ACL skiing, visited Colby friends on the East Coast, went to OK briefly (insert shoutout to "Colby West" here), and then volunteered at a sweet place called Black Swamp Bird Observatory (check out bsbo.org). My five weeks there mistnetting and banding were a blast and I find myself inexplicably happy when handling birds (especially pulling them out of nets). To read more about bird banding at BSBO, check out Julie's blog at http://bsbobirdbander.blogspot.com/. Basically, a great group of people and TONS (over 10,000) birds was the perfect combination for me this spring. Then came summer- time at Falcon Camp running Woodslore and weekend activities, finding a field job for the fall, getting engaged . . . it's been busy!
So that puts me here, in Gulf Shores, AL with a Master's student from the University of Southern Mississippi who is running a banding station near Fort Morgan. Someone from USM has been banding at this site for many years now, and this year is Jaci's turn. She's also doing some radio telemetry with Swainson's Thrushes.
I'm living in an awesome beach house on the Coast with Jaci, Mason, Joanna and Nakita, a visiting researcher from Russia who has great stories. Jaci also has a sweet mutt named Cooper who is living with us for the time being. Today after work I swam in the ocean for the first time since Thailand and saw some rays and dolphins.
This banding station runs around 30 nets from before sunrise until the temperature in the sun is 90F- after that it is too hot for the birds- seven days a week. We finished setting up yesterday so today was our first bird-catching day. While our abundance was low (13 new captures), the diversity was great: yellow breasted chat, yellow bellied flycatcher, downy woodpecker, northern mockingbird, yellow warblers, red eyed vireo, carolina chickadee and a young male prothonotary . . . so it was a good day. I also saw a bobcat in the field, too, which is likely the craziest "cat" sightings I've had considering it was within 10 feet!
So that puts me here, in Gulf Shores, AL with a Master's student from the University of Southern Mississippi who is running a banding station near Fort Morgan. Someone from USM has been banding at this site for many years now, and this year is Jaci's turn. She's also doing some radio telemetry with Swainson's Thrushes.
I'm living in an awesome beach house on the Coast with Jaci, Mason, Joanna and Nakita, a visiting researcher from Russia who has great stories. Jaci also has a sweet mutt named Cooper who is living with us for the time being. Today after work I swam in the ocean for the first time since Thailand and saw some rays and dolphins.
This banding station runs around 30 nets from before sunrise until the temperature in the sun is 90F- after that it is too hot for the birds- seven days a week. We finished setting up yesterday so today was our first bird-catching day. While our abundance was low (13 new captures), the diversity was great: yellow breasted chat, yellow bellied flycatcher, downy woodpecker, northern mockingbird, yellow warblers, red eyed vireo, carolina chickadee and a young male prothonotary . . . so it was a good day. I also saw a bobcat in the field, too, which is likely the craziest "cat" sightings I've had considering it was within 10 feet!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Bangkok and Khao Yai
Following Chiang Mai, I headed back down to BKK . . . by train! Which adds another form of transportation to my ever-growing list : ) It was definitely the right decision; even though it took longer than a night bus it was more enjoyable and relaxing, in addition to being a great way to see the countryside.
I had a little bit of time in Bangkok as a backpacker bum so I headed back to Khao San Road to people watch, catch up on movies, and meet other travelers. Last Sunday I went to a little, unmotorized island called Ko Kret, a 90 minute boat ride north of the city on the Chao Phraya river. My new Thai friend, Vee, (who was also our family's tour guide when we were in BKK in December ) came with me and we had a good time taking a break from the city, watching sweets being made, and checking out some traditional pottery.
Monday I was due to head up to Khao Yai National Park, but first I took myself to may kaidee's vegetarian/vegan cooking school. I had decided it would be a birthday present to myself and planned to go in March, but even with leaving sooner I still wanted to learn! I now know how to make more than 10 Thai dishes and multiple curry pastes. Once I get home it will just be a matter of getting the right ingredients, but may told us of some other substitutes we can use if we can't find the necessary Thai foods.
Monday afternoon was quite the trip getting up to Khao Yai. I took a bus from Mor Chit in Bangkok to a little town called Pak Chong. Then it was songthaew to the gate. . . except the last songthaew of the day is full of school kids and I was literally being held in the back of this truck by numerous small bodies! (and realized if I were to lose my balance I would not only make these kids fall off the back of the truck but also crush them against the pavement.) From the gate we hitchiked (another new form of transport!) to the headquarters, and again to the research house. I went along with Andy, a British professor who is doing research in the park and managing some PhDs who work there. I spent the next few days in the forest helping a really awesome Thai PhD Phet do some arthropod sampling, learning more about birds of Thailand, and entertaining the resident wreathed hornbill, Gookee. I promise to post photos of him- he is really a character! He was confiscated from a poacher and had an injured wing so he was handraised by some hornbill researchers and Andy's crew as well. Like many hand-raised animals, he doesn't know how to behave like his own species does (he spits out figs), but I think he is a great companion for the researchers. I also met a guy named Chris who is trying to see all 32 species of pittas in the next 12 months- check out his website at pittasworld.com.
From Khao Yai there was more solo hitching out to the main road . . . I got picked up by the fuzz! Ha ha ha. No, really, a policeman who was on his way out of the park gave me a ride. I took a minibus (more new transport) down to Bangkok with a whole bunch of Thais getting on and off along the way.
Then the next morning it was off to Cambodia (where I am now) but that story will have to wait until the next post . . .
Happy Valentine's Day, all- I'm off for some French food and a local concert.
I had a little bit of time in Bangkok as a backpacker bum so I headed back to Khao San Road to people watch, catch up on movies, and meet other travelers. Last Sunday I went to a little, unmotorized island called Ko Kret, a 90 minute boat ride north of the city on the Chao Phraya river. My new Thai friend, Vee, (who was also our family's tour guide when we were in BKK in December ) came with me and we had a good time taking a break from the city, watching sweets being made, and checking out some traditional pottery.
Monday I was due to head up to Khao Yai National Park, but first I took myself to may kaidee's vegetarian/vegan cooking school. I had decided it would be a birthday present to myself and planned to go in March, but even with leaving sooner I still wanted to learn! I now know how to make more than 10 Thai dishes and multiple curry pastes. Once I get home it will just be a matter of getting the right ingredients, but may told us of some other substitutes we can use if we can't find the necessary Thai foods.
Monday afternoon was quite the trip getting up to Khao Yai. I took a bus from Mor Chit in Bangkok to a little town called Pak Chong. Then it was songthaew to the gate. . . except the last songthaew of the day is full of school kids and I was literally being held in the back of this truck by numerous small bodies! (and realized if I were to lose my balance I would not only make these kids fall off the back of the truck but also crush them against the pavement.) From the gate we hitchiked (another new form of transport!) to the headquarters, and again to the research house. I went along with Andy, a British professor who is doing research in the park and managing some PhDs who work there. I spent the next few days in the forest helping a really awesome Thai PhD Phet do some arthropod sampling, learning more about birds of Thailand, and entertaining the resident wreathed hornbill, Gookee. I promise to post photos of him- he is really a character! He was confiscated from a poacher and had an injured wing so he was handraised by some hornbill researchers and Andy's crew as well. Like many hand-raised animals, he doesn't know how to behave like his own species does (he spits out figs), but I think he is a great companion for the researchers. I also met a guy named Chris who is trying to see all 32 species of pittas in the next 12 months- check out his website at pittasworld.com.
From Khao Yai there was more solo hitching out to the main road . . . I got picked up by the fuzz! Ha ha ha. No, really, a policeman who was on his way out of the park gave me a ride. I took a minibus (more new transport) down to Bangkok with a whole bunch of Thais getting on and off along the way.
Then the next morning it was off to Cambodia (where I am now) but that story will have to wait until the next post . . .
Happy Valentine's Day, all- I'm off for some French food and a local concert.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
The adventure continues
And I was off! As of February 2 I've been taking in the sights and sounds of Thailand on my latest solo adventure. The first stop was Chiang Mai, the biggest city in the North(west), for some boring stuff (Immigration; which is less accessible by pedal bike than the maps lead you to believe) to really fun stuff, like the Hill Tribe Museum, Wat Phra Doi Suthep (it's on a mountain and I hiked there!), and . . . the ZOO!!!
Chiang Mai Zoo was definitely a highlight- I saw my first Giant Pandas!!! And I greatly enjoyed their climate-controlled enclosure, complete with cool mist, after a lot of walking in the rest of the park. Note to self: next time take the tram- it's worth it for the heat and hills. The animal show was hilarious- I was sitting in a sea of Thai schoolchildren who found me almost as interesting as what was going on on the stage : )
The highlight of the show was your favorite Asian animal and mine: the binturong! Never heard of it? CVA has and there's a picture earlier on my blog under "Who am I?" CVA won the contest and a fabulous Phu Khieo Wildlife pin (which I'll send when I'm back in the US).
I'm in BKK now and at an internet cafe- more news in a few days!
Chiang Mai Zoo was definitely a highlight- I saw my first Giant Pandas!!! And I greatly enjoyed their climate-controlled enclosure, complete with cool mist, after a lot of walking in the rest of the park. Note to self: next time take the tram- it's worth it for the heat and hills. The animal show was hilarious- I was sitting in a sea of Thai schoolchildren who found me almost as interesting as what was going on on the stage : )
The highlight of the show was your favorite Asian animal and mine: the binturong! Never heard of it? CVA has and there's a picture earlier on my blog under "Who am I?" CVA won the contest and a fabulous Phu Khieo Wildlife pin (which I'll send when I'm back in the US).
I'm in BKK now and at an internet cafe- more news in a few days!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Baan Ling Update: December and January
Sorry it’s been awhile since I’ve written . . . things have gotten busy and keeping the blog current was adding to my feelings of being overwhelmed so I let it slide a little. Here’s some of what I’ve been up to in the past 2 months and what I’m looking forward to in February (read to the end!):
December
A big part of our job and some of the most important data we collect is gathered during “focal” sampling. Basically, we follow one individual langur (usually a male) for 20 minutes and record everything he does in that time period both continuously and instantaneously (once every minute). There’s a lot of crazy syntax and it was kind of intimidating to learn, but it is rather entertaining and a great way to see a whole lot more of what our monkeys do.
December was a big month for poop. Yep, I started standing UNDER my monkeys and really hoping they would poop . . . but not on me because then the sample would be contaminated with my DNA (there aren’t langur-specific primers so we have to use human ones . . . and let’s just say with what it costs to analyze samples Carola doesn’t want to know MY genotype). We collect poop to determine paternity of infants which can help answer a lot of our research questions, e.g. does relatedness change or predict behavior? Some of this info is top secret and not for blog publication, but if you’re interested in hearing more just get in contact with me : ) We also had one day where we collected male poop for hormone analysis and a storage experiment. We keep our langur poop in alcohol and then dry it on silica gel; the Macaque Team keeps their poop frozen and there are trade-offs with each of these methods. At some point, alcohol destroys hormones, but it is really hard to keep a freezer if you’re off the grid (as we are here). Collecting poop for hormone analysis is a little different than for DNA analysis, but I did enjoy “homogenizing” the samples (a fancy way of describing how you would put as much poop from one individual as you could find in a paper cup and stirring it with a tongue depressor).
I also ran the King’s race on the 21st- in 60 minutes and 23 seconds! Pictures forthcoming. Zach ran, too, and came 7th overall, and 1st in our age class. The 21st was super crazy because that’s the day I met my family in Bangkok. We spent the next 10 days on a whistle-stop tour of Thailand: beaches, Bangkok, Chiang Mai . . . My parents and Gram even spent New Year’s at Phu Khieo with me! Luckily it wasn’t too cold . . .
January
After ringing in the new year with the fam it was time to go back to work. My focal group, PS, is followed at the end of the month so I had plenty of plans to practice before I would be called on to focal for meaningful data (in those first practice focals you lose your langur a lot, or can’t ID what is going on, or don’t know how to write it in code, or it happens too fast . . .). Rich and I were both refreshed from spending time with our families and Zach had gotten some R & R in Thailand while Rich and I were away too.
Unfortunately, when we all were back together we found out that our big grant application had been rejected : ( That left us with one other (smaller) application in process and there was 2 weeks of nervous waiting before we found out . . . that that one was rejected, too. It’s come as quite the blow to the team and the future of following our langurs is a bit uncertain. We have our last day with them January 30, but are trying to do the best we can between now and then.
I won’t quite be turned out on the street, but my work is Phu Khieo is over at the end of January. I’m planning on traveling for a big chunk of February but will be Stateside again in March. Grant funding (or the lack thereof) is one of the less fun aspects of my present line of work, but these things seem to happen to everyone at some point and it can’t deter me from more fieldwork (at least not yet!). I’m already looking into field positions in the States and abroad for the rest of 2009 . . . this blog is called “Jenn’s Adventures” not “Jenn in Thailand” so I’ll keep letting you know what I’m up to.
I don’t know how much internetting I will do as I travel, but I will catch you up with stories and pictures at some point, even if I post from Chicago!
PS- More great animal sightings: dhole and gaur! I know these aren’t household names so search for images on the web : )
December
A big part of our job and some of the most important data we collect is gathered during “focal” sampling. Basically, we follow one individual langur (usually a male) for 20 minutes and record everything he does in that time period both continuously and instantaneously (once every minute). There’s a lot of crazy syntax and it was kind of intimidating to learn, but it is rather entertaining and a great way to see a whole lot more of what our monkeys do.
December was a big month for poop. Yep, I started standing UNDER my monkeys and really hoping they would poop . . . but not on me because then the sample would be contaminated with my DNA (there aren’t langur-specific primers so we have to use human ones . . . and let’s just say with what it costs to analyze samples Carola doesn’t want to know MY genotype). We collect poop to determine paternity of infants which can help answer a lot of our research questions, e.g. does relatedness change or predict behavior? Some of this info is top secret and not for blog publication, but if you’re interested in hearing more just get in contact with me : ) We also had one day where we collected male poop for hormone analysis and a storage experiment. We keep our langur poop in alcohol and then dry it on silica gel; the Macaque Team keeps their poop frozen and there are trade-offs with each of these methods. At some point, alcohol destroys hormones, but it is really hard to keep a freezer if you’re off the grid (as we are here). Collecting poop for hormone analysis is a little different than for DNA analysis, but I did enjoy “homogenizing” the samples (a fancy way of describing how you would put as much poop from one individual as you could find in a paper cup and stirring it with a tongue depressor).
I also ran the King’s race on the 21st- in 60 minutes and 23 seconds! Pictures forthcoming. Zach ran, too, and came 7th overall, and 1st in our age class. The 21st was super crazy because that’s the day I met my family in Bangkok. We spent the next 10 days on a whistle-stop tour of Thailand: beaches, Bangkok, Chiang Mai . . . My parents and Gram even spent New Year’s at Phu Khieo with me! Luckily it wasn’t too cold . . .
January
After ringing in the new year with the fam it was time to go back to work. My focal group, PS, is followed at the end of the month so I had plenty of plans to practice before I would be called on to focal for meaningful data (in those first practice focals you lose your langur a lot, or can’t ID what is going on, or don’t know how to write it in code, or it happens too fast . . .). Rich and I were both refreshed from spending time with our families and Zach had gotten some R & R in Thailand while Rich and I were away too.
Unfortunately, when we all were back together we found out that our big grant application had been rejected : ( That left us with one other (smaller) application in process and there was 2 weeks of nervous waiting before we found out . . . that that one was rejected, too. It’s come as quite the blow to the team and the future of following our langurs is a bit uncertain. We have our last day with them January 30, but are trying to do the best we can between now and then.
I won’t quite be turned out on the street, but my work is Phu Khieo is over at the end of January. I’m planning on traveling for a big chunk of February but will be Stateside again in March. Grant funding (or the lack thereof) is one of the less fun aspects of my present line of work, but these things seem to happen to everyone at some point and it can’t deter me from more fieldwork (at least not yet!). I’m already looking into field positions in the States and abroad for the rest of 2009 . . . this blog is called “Jenn’s Adventures” not “Jenn in Thailand” so I’ll keep letting you know what I’m up to.
I don’t know how much internetting I will do as I travel, but I will catch you up with stories and pictures at some point, even if I post from Chicago!
PS- More great animal sightings: dhole and gaur! I know these aren’t household names so search for images on the web : )
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