Estero Llano w Paul

While we were out we bumped into David Seal (a regular happening). Dave is cool. He has a couple of niches, hawk counts - his flying raptor identification skills are simply amazing, and he has probably banded more birds than anyone alive. Today he introduced us to his friend. They have been birding and banding together since 1949.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it - working together at something they love since 1949!

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Juvenile

Least Sandpiper

Osprey

Santa Ana NWF - Pintail Lake this morning (before the wind came up).

Miscellaneous

No birds, no butterflies, just things on a walkabout ... well, a few birds, but in bunches.

A Big Deal

This is really a continuation of yesterday's posting. 

On the way back to Alamo we stopped at the Blue Onion for a late lunch. Lorna took this photo of a befuddled old man waiting for an al pastor calzone.

Back in Alamo I posted my earlier blog entry and then walked with Paul five or six blocks to the "old firehouse park" where earlier he had seen some warblers, among them a Black-throated Gray. I have a bit of a soft spot for warblers and the Black-throated Gray summers on the West Coast, so I have never seen one in Minnesota. "Park" proved to be a bit misleading; in reality the park was a large, rough vacate lot with a few large trees. Trees=warblers.

We did not see any warblers, but I spotted a flycatcher. Expecting it to be a phoebe I was just gobsmacked. Paul asked, "What have you got?" "A male Rose-throated Becard!"  "Heh, heh, yeah right." "No, seriously, it's a Becard." He scrambled to see it and his eyes got really big. Paul does not use rough language, but he did then, "*G@d$#%*!!" Then, "Photos! Photos! We need photos!" I had a camera on my hip, but when I see see something amazing my mind tends to go blank with wonder. We tried to get a photo, but alas the bird did not cooperate and soon vanished, as birds often do. Unfortunately Lorna did not get to see it, but hopefully she will in the future.

Back at the apartments, Paul sent an email to Mary Gustafson, officially reporting the bird. We then reported it to our Alamo Inn Apartment birding friends, which for me are more important than the E-bird folks at Cornell University. Half a dozen of us gathered on our veranda and told stories and drank beer to celebrate friends and rare birds. Later we went to Bill and Cathy's apartment for Bill's great pork stew and sides. After we ate, Prappas pulled out the guitar and sang some Guy Clark tunes for us. Wonderful evening.

Those that know more than I do, feel there probably hasn't been a male Becard see in the Rio Grande Valley for at least a decade. It wasn't a life bird for me because four years ago I saw a female Becard. So after the smoke cleared and the feathers settled I didn't get a life sighting of a Black-throated Gray Warbler, but I got first sighting of a far rarer bird.

All in all it was a pretty fine day. 

Slept in

... then dealt with some mundane, pissy things that just wouldn't go away and fix themselves. Late morning it was sunny and 82F - hot midday so there just aren't many birds out, so ... oh, what-the-hell? we went birding at Estero Llano Grande anyway. Not much, but I took some pictures anyway.

The Northern Jack!

Often first year birds tend to wander out of their normal range. This year one of those, a Northern Jacana (Jacana spinosa) has wandered out of coastal Mexico or Central America to our Lower Rio Grande Valley. Aka "the Jesus Bird", so called because it seems to walk on water with its incredibly huge feet. I have been out mornings scouting places where it has been sighted or could be sighted - standing and waiting, waiting, waiting, Lorna even more, because she is more patient and dedicated. We have only been able to see the bird at an extreme distance. 

This morning we waited. The bird showed up far off on the edge of the reeds on the next pond to the west. After a long time of looking at a little brown blob "way the hell out there", a few watchers wandered off. Normally I would too, but today we hung in there "just a little longer". Eventually there were just four of us left, Lorna and I, and a couple from Oklahoma. The bird came closer, not so close you could really see it with the naked eye, but it was there! Suddenly it flew closer and we scrambled to get to a better vantage. We got settled in with the binoculars and now it was even in long camera range. Then the show, it lifted off, shit! it's leaving .... but no, instead of flying away it floated closer and settled down in the cattails 40 or 50 feet from us and it spent ten minutes working the edges right in front of us. 

This bird is in mid-molt, changing from its juvenile light color to a rich chestnut brown, dark neck and head, and yellow flight feathers.

I can die now ... or maybe I will just die until the next rare bird comes along. - Gunnar B.

Outing No 73: Clappering and Bitterning

Morning didn't really break this morning, rather morning slipped in under a wet, gray blanket fog when we were distracted by our sleep. Lorna, Paul Prappas, Carolee Colter and myself - at 7:30 we mopped the water off the old Ridgeline Birdmobile, packed our assorted optics, and hit the high road to South Padre Island, Paul behind the wheel as I am still fighting off a cold/flu and I am kind of draggin, ass. Low.

Driving into the glare of a sun-up fog, the early trip was a little painful. As it burned off we made a side trip stop at a mudflat harbor for shorebirds, particularly Oystercatchers. Got them. Very birdy - see below.

We pulled into South Padre at about 9:30 and drove directly to the Convention Center where we deboarded the birdmobile. We strapped on our cameras and binoculars and hit the boardwalk. Honestly we didn't see much by South Padre standards - a flock of Roseate Spoonbills poking around in the water, but mostly just napping, a few Ospreys, Pelicans, etc. We went back up the road to the World Birding Center to try our luck there. Paul wanted to see a Least Bittern, a bird which I understand shouldn't be here now. Eventually we did get eyes on it, not enough for a photo for me, but Lorna and Paul did get a couple.

(Paul's photo) 

No matter, here some others I was able to take as we looked for the Least Bittern..

Paul eventually got his Least Bittern so we took a lunch break at Padre Brewing. Brewmaster Mark Haggemiller sat with us for a while, talking Minnesota, beer and food - he has had a same cook for 20 years. We had some of his great beer and seafood.

After lunch we checked out the beaches looking for more shorebirds.

On the way home we stopped at Estero Llano because ... well, because it was on the way.

At home Paul and I split a tall beer - a Surly Over Rated, and I finished the leftover chicken soup that Bill Mauck made for me to help cure my cold. Did it help? Maybe, maybe not, but the soup tasted fantastic. 

Started out cool, damp and foggy. Saw some beautiful things along the way. Finished sunny and 80 degrees. A great day. 

Be well, - Gunnar

Stranded In Texas

...with a good woman and a bad cold. We went out to Estero Llano Grande anyway and reconnected with some friends from past years.

Among them was Huck Hutchins. A heavy cast on his right foot, he was stranded on the pond deck, propped upright by a pair of crutches. After a sincere exchange of greetings after not seeing each other for nine months, I directly cut to the chase - the foot. "Jeez Huck, what the hell happened?" ... long pause... "You mean no one told you? Well, I suppose I may as well tell you myself. I was right here on the deck greeting visitors, and someone asked how I was. I was good! I jumped in the air to click my heels together (illustrating the leap and click with his crutches) - to show how great I was ya know. I guess at 71 years I can't jump high enough anymore because my right foot kinda got caught underneath and I came down on top of it."                 I thought about that, an old man who felt so good that he jumped up in the air to click his heels together. "That's great Huck, at least you weren't doing something stupid."

There were a lot of birds about. We walked the park and I took a few photos.

On the way home we met Paul and Carolee at the Blue Onion for some great food and a La Fin Du Monde ale. Later, back at the apartments Paul came over for a Surly Cynic, a Minnesota Saison Ale (in a can) which has a 90 B.A. rating - certainly a very good beer, but in the long run those Belgians really do know how to make beer.

- Live well, be well, - Gunnar

The Ridgeline Has Landed

We arrived at the Alamo Inn Apartments on Sunday afternoon. It actually turned into an emotional landing as Paul and Carolee, and Bill and Cathy, were already there and waiting. There was a lot of hugging, high-fiving and catching up with news of the past year. In the evening Paul came up and we killed a little craft beer.

Monday, it was cool - we went down to the Santa Ana NWR. Saw some birds, including a Say's Phoebe. I didn't take many photos. Monday evening, more Paul and beer.

Black-necked Stilt

I have a terrible cold, not sleeping well, but we about to head to Estero Llano Grande.

-G.

Jerry's Tree

I don't know Jerry, but I like his work, his attitude. Every year we drive by this tree along I-35 and I say to myself, "I have to take a picture of that tree sometime. But of course I never do. Photos and videos pale though; it is something you really have to actually see unexpectedly - come around the bend from the north and POW! there it is. I recently read that the house is for sale so this year may be the last. There seems to always be an end to good things.

Lorna and I are headed to the Lower Rio Grande Valley next week.

You all have a great 2016.  I know I'm planning on having one.

-Gunnar

Vintage Bicycle Component Advertising

I picked up some small vintage bicycle advertising posters last week from Velo-Retro. I am not really sure of how I am ultimately going to use them, so for now they are simply tacked to the back wall. Where they will likely live forever.

I  have the Ron Cooper mixte pretty much wrapped up. As I mentioned earlier, Chris Kvale is booked for now, so I will check with him again in the Spring for paint when we get back from Texas. No matter, it will roll fine, painted or not.

Sunday I had a first time guest in the Growlery - Chuck Jacobson, who is Lorna's cousin Jill's husband. We shared a couple of beers and discussed the history of the miscellaneous knickknacks that fill the Growlery shelves. He was fine company and is certainly welcome anytime he is in the area.

Eat well, stay warm,  Gunnar

Drivetrain

I installed a long cage on the typical vintage Campagnolo Nouvo Record derailleur, in essence creating a Rally derailleur. I think the cage is aftermarket, but maybe it's Campy. It was in a "someday" drawer.

Theoretically the NR derailleur will only handle a 26 or 28 tooth cog. 'Pooh', I say. If you shorten the chain a little it will swing the jockey wheel down to clear the cog, and by moving the axle to the rear you can get to 30 or 32 teeth. Of course the shortened chain precludes a large ring/big cog situation, but maybe you shouldn't be doing that anyway. All this works on a stand; next Spring on the road we'll see if I can handle that big cog.

Now the crankset. This started out as your basic NR Campagnolo crank. It has a conventional 49T big ring, a Red Clover 42T triplizer ring and a 34T granny ring. I do have a 30T, but I have some doubts about clean shifting with the vintage front derailleur I am going to use. (The BB is a Velo Orange with a front spacer to kick it out to clear the granny.