Going to the AOU meeting next week?

I heard this talk might be interesting:

ND Sly, AK Townsend, CC Rimmer, JM Townsend, SC Latta, and IJ Lovette

COMPARATIVE PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF HISPANIOLAN ENDEMIC BIRDS

Within-island avian speciation is unlikely on medium-sized islands, yet Hispaniola supports at least four endemic species pairs. Complex geological history is a likely driver of this speciation: Hispaniola was previously configured as separate northern and southern island blocks, the southern block was itself previously divided by an ancient sea channel, and the present-day island contains several isolated montane regions. We surveyed phylogeographic variation in the four endemic species pairs and three non-endemic species using data from mtDNA, nuclear introns, and morphology. Haplotype networks, multilocus coalescent models, and principal components analysis of morphology revealed two patterns: several species show a north-south division at varying levels of differentiation, and two groups show distinct structure between the Tiburon Peninsula and mainland Hispaniola. No within-island structure was detected in the non-endemic species, which are part of recent Caribbean radiations and may have colonized Hispaniola too recently to be affected by older geological events. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that speciation in some taxa occurred on Hispaniola during ancient vicariance events, but that the history of this speciation differs among taxa.

Abstract (5496); Session G11, Fri 14 August, Location: Cohen Hall, Terrace Room, Oral at 11:00

Meeting Abstracts:
http://www.birdmeetings.org/aou2009/files/aou2009-abstracts.pdf
Meeting Program:
http://www.birdmeetings.org/aou2009/files/aou2009-program.pdf

I and the Bird #98 - A Diversity of Birds

Our good Earth is blessed with c. 10,000 species of birds, depending on your taxonomic preferences and definition of a species (Birdlife International checklist - 9,990 species with several hundred taxa under review). This impressive diversity keeps us enthralled, and blogging, with each of us finding our own aspect of bird life to love. One of the things I love is the diversity itself, so I set about in this, the 98th edition of I and the Bird, to quantify just how many avian species and families we can pack into one biweekly blog carnival. And man, you guys did not make mine an easy job! Bird bloggers submitted an impressive total of 190 species of birds spanning 65 families and 142 genera.

Jay at Ocellated chose not to add any species to the count. Instead, he submitted a tool to help others catalogue their bird diversity records - a tool to make data entry into eBird easier.

Despite having a blog celebrating diversity named 10,000 Birds, Charlie couldn't even come up with a named species to add to the total. Instead, he gives us a look at an endangered undescribed species of antwren from Brazil.

On the other end of the spectrum, many bloggers saw fit to make my life miserable for this compilation by submitted a wealth of species in their excellent writings. James of Coyote Mercury gives an excellent summary of all of his Project Feederwatch data, including his whole species tallies.

Others with a high tally include Dave of DDolan New Birder, who writes about seeing a huge number of species, including a vagrant Hooded Oriole and 18 lifers, on High Island, Texas.

Plenty of bird bloggers are reporting that migration is underway:

Seabrooke of the Marvelous in Nature shares 'crummy photos' of some recent arrivals.

pinguinus of Great Auk - or Greatest Auk? notes the rising tide of new migrants in 'So it begins'

Eric of Neighborhood Nature joins his son in photographing the local early spring migrants.

As the Mind Wanders heads down to San Bernard for a big diversity of wading birds.

With all the focus on species totals, we musn't ever forget the value of individual species. Plenty of people wrote about just one or a few species that they find interesting.

Clare of The House and other Arctic Musings discovers Ol' Half-beak the Raven

Delson of Friendly Animals adds great photos of a Common Pochard and Mute Swans.

Larry of The Birder's Report gives a great review of the fastest animal on the planet, giving us our only Falconid for the list.

Vickie of Vickie Henderson Art contributes a whole series of photos of a visiting Downy Woodpecker

The Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata) was the most frequently reported species, but don't let that detract from Amber of Birder's Lounge and her animated photos of these charming butterbutts.

The Ridger of The Greenbelt adds in the only report of those common species so easy to overlook - Mallard and feral geese.

Kenton and Rebecca from the Wild About Nature Blog report bluebirds pecking at windows.

Susan's My Purple Martin Blog reports ongoing struggles for nest sites between Purple Martins and Starlings.

noflickster of The Feather and the Flower finds a Turkey Vulture in the middle of the road.

Nature Canada's photo of the month is a Ruby-throated Hummingbird

The Zen Birdfeeder looks closely at Pine Siskins. Is it a green morph or not?

From Ella Bay Forever! we get the only ratite bird for the carnival, and the most fearsome one at that - Cassowarys!

Amila of Gallicissa seems preoccupied by large cats, but not enough to neglect the awesome frogmouth.

Susannah (aka Wanderin' Weeta) goes wandering through the wetlands and finds a bird that I never expected - a chicken!

Rick from Aimophila Adventures gives a nice study of the only quail in today's carnival - Gambel's Quail.

Madras Ramblings writes about a White-throated Kingfisher's encounter with a snake.

The Bird Ecology Study Group writes about the courtship of the Purple-throated Sunbird

Grrlscientist of Living the Scientific Life writes about a study on Jackdaws and their uncanny perception of where our own eyes are looking.

Roger writes from Birds and Science about duetting antwrens.

The Listening Earth Blog presents A Madrigal of Magpies - no, not the corvids in Europe and western North America, but Australian Magpies in the family Cracticidae.

One of the only parrot submissions comes from a place where they're not native - Liza Lee Miller reports parrots in the Palisades coming to feeders.

With such a large number of contributions to this bird blog coming from North America, bloggers from any other continent provide some much-needed diversity. Beth, The Bufflehead Birder, contributes a report from Moscow and some common Russian birds.

Gunnar Engblom contributes 11 awesome, amazing, absolutely must-see species from Peru adding some neotropical families (Cotingidae, Opisthocomidae, and more) not otherwise represented in our tally.

Jeffrey A. Gordon also takes us to South American, into the high Andes in search of a particularly unique group of birds, the shorebirds that look like grouse (Thinocoridae).

Peregrine's Bird Blog presents an epic pelagic that packs the bird list with albatross and petrel species.

Eva writes from The Flying Mullet about an excursion to the Bahamas that adds some Caribbean flavor to the list.

Dan from Migrations contributes two Sylviid warblers from Europe - although unfortunately they were caught by illegal traps in Cyprus.

The final bit of neotropical diversity comes from Julie, who submits banding pictures from Nicaragua from Net Results and banding pictures from a coffee finca from Coffee and Conservation.

Duncan writes from Ben Cruachan writes about birding by the river, adding a little bit of unique Australian bird family flair to the carnival.


What a great bunch of posts! Here is the complete list of birds blogged in this carnival, with who contributed them:

Casuariidae (Cassowaries)
Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) - Ella Bay Forever

Odontophoridae (New World Quail)
Gambel's Quail (Callipepla gambelii) - Aimophila Adventures

Phasianidae (Grouse)
Chicken (Gallus gallus) - Wanderin' Weeta

Anatidae (Ducks, Geese, and Swans)
Greylag Goose (Anser anser) - The Greenbelt
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) - Great Auk - or Greatest Auk
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) - Friendly Animals
Torrent Duck (Merganetta armata) - Gunnar Engblom
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata) - As the Mind Wanders
Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors) - As the Mind Wanders
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) - The Greenbelt
Common Pochard (Aythya ferina) - Friendly Animals

Spheniscidae (Penguins)
Humboldt Penguin (Spheniscus humboldti) - Gunnar Engblom

Diomedeidae (Albatrosses)
Waved Albatross (Phoebastria irrorata) - Gunnar Engblom
Antipodean Albatross (Diomedea antipodensis) - Peregrine's Bird Blog
Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophrys) - Peregrine's Bird Blog
Shy Mollymawk (Thalassarche cauta) - Peregrine's Bird Blog
Chatham Island Albatross (Thalassarche eremita) - Peregrine's Bird Blog
Salvin's Albatross (Thalassarche salvini) - Peregrine's Bird Blog

Procellariidae (Petrels)
Northern Giant Petrel (Macronectes halli) - Peregrine's Bird Blog
Cape Petrel (Daption capense) - Peregrine's Bird Blog
White-chinned Petrel (Procellaria aequinoctialis) - Peregrine's Bird Blog
Westland Petrel (Procellaria westlandica) - Peregrine's Bird Blog
Buller's Shearwater (Puffinus bulleri) - Peregrine's Bird Blog
Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus) - Peregrine's Bird Blog
Hutton's Shearwater (Puffinus huttoni) - Peregrine's Bird Blog

Podicipedidae (Grebes)
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) - Great Auk - or Greatest Auk?

Phoenicopteridae (Flamingos)
Chilean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis) - Gunnar Engblom

Ciconiidae (Storks)
White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) - The Bufflehead Birder

Threskiornithidae (Ibises (Ibi?) and Spoonbills)
White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) - As the Mind Wanders
White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi) - As the Mind Wanders

Ardeidae (Herons)
American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) - As the Mind Wanders
Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) - As the Mind Wanders, Great Auk - or Greatest Auk?
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax violaceus) - As the Mind Wanders, The Flying Mullet
Great Egret (Ardea alba) - As the Mind Wanders, Great Auk - or Greatest Auk?
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) - As the Mind Wanders, Great Auk - or Greatest Auk? Wanderin' Weeta
Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) - As the Mind Wanders
Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) - As the Mind Wanders
Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor) - As the Mind Wanders

Pelecanidae (Pelicans)
White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) - DDolan New Birder

Phalacrocoracidae (Cormorants)
Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) - As the Mind Wanders

Cathartidae (New World Vultures)
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) - The Feather and the Flower
Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus) - Gunnar Engblom

Falconidae (Falcons)
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) - The Birder's Report

Accipitridae (Hawks)
Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) - As the Mind Wanders
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) - the Marvelous in Nature
Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus) - DDolan New Birder

Rallidae (Rails)
American Coot (Fulica americana) - As the Mind Wanders

Recurvirostridae (Stilts and Avocets)
American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana) - DDolan New Birder

Thinocoridae (Seedsnipe)
Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe (Attagis gayi) - Jeffrey A. Gordon

Laridae (Gulls and Terns)
Inca Tern (Larosterna inca) - Gunnar Engblom
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) - The Flying Mullet

Columbidae (Doves and Pigeons)
White-crowned Pigeon (Patagioenas leucocephala) - The Flying Mullet
Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) - DDolan New Birder
White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica) - Coyote Mercury
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) - Coyote Mercury
Inca Dove (Columbina inca) - DDolan New Birder

Psittacidae (Parrots)
Blue-and-gold Macaw (Ara ararauna) - Gunnar Engblom
Black-hooded Parakeet (Nandayus nenday) - it's just me

Opisthocomidae (Hoatzin)
Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin) - Gunnar Engblom

Cuculidae (Cuckoos)
Mangrove Cuckoo (Coccyzus minor) - The Flying Mullet
Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) - The Bufflehead Birder

Podargidae (Frogmouths)
Sri Lanka Frogmouth (Batrachostomus moniliger) - Gallicissa

Apodidae (Swifts)
Common Swift (Apus apus) - The Bufflehead Birder

Trochilidae (Hummingbirds)
Long-billed Hermit (Phaethornis longirostris) - Net Results
Stripe-throated Hermit (Phaethornis striigularis) - Net Results
Violet Sabrewing (Campylopterus hemileucurus) - Net Results
Cuban Emerald (Chlorostilbon ricordii) - The Flying Mullet
Stripe-tailed Hummingbird (Eupherusa eximia) - Net Results
Violet-crowned Woodnymph (Thalurania colombica) - Net Results
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl) - Net Results
Black-tailed Trainbearer (Lesbia victoriae) - Jeffrey A. Gordon
Marvellous Spatuletail (Loddigesia mirabilis) - Gunnar Engblom
Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) - Coyote Mercury
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) - DDolan New Birder, Nature Canada

Trogonidae (Trogons)
Collared Trogon (Trogon collaris) - Net Results

Alcedinidae (Kingfishers)
White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) - Madras Ramblings
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) - DDolan New Birder, Great Auk - or Greatest Auk?

Ramphastidae (Toucans)
Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus) - Net Results

Picidae (Woodpeckers)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) - Coyote Mercury, Great Auk - or Greatest Auk?
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) - Great Auk - or Greatest Auk? Vickie Henderson Art
Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Picoides scalaris) - Coyote Mercury
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) - Great Auk - or Greatest Auk? Wanderin' Weeta

Cotingidae (Cotingas)
Andean Cock-of-the-Rock (Rupicola peruvianus) - Gunnar Engblom

Tyrannidae (Tyrant Flycatchers)
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) - the Marvelous in Nature, Great Auk - or Greatest Auk?
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (Empidonax flaviventris) - Net Results
Paramo Ground-Tyrant (Muscisaxicola alpinus) - Jeffrey A. Gordon
Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant (Ochthoeca fumicolor) - Jeffrey A. Gordon
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus) - DDolan New Birder
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) - DDolan New Birder
Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus) - DDolan New Birder

Thamnophilidae (Antbirds)
Peruvian Warbling Antbird (Hypocnemis peruviana) - Birds and Science
Sao Paulo Antwren (Stymphalornis sp.) - 10000 Birds

Furnariidae (Ovenbirds)
Stout-billed Cinclodes (Cinclodes excelsior) - Jeffrey A. Gordon
White-chinned Thistletail (Schizoeaca fuliginosa) - Jeffrey A. Gordon

Dendrocolaptidae (Woodcreepers)
Cocoa Woodcreeper (Xiphorhynchus susurrans) - Coffee and Conservation

Meliphagidae (Honeyeaters)
Yellow-faced Honeyeater (Lichenostomus chrysops) - Ben Cruachan

Acanthizidae (Thornbills)
White-browed Scrubwren (Sericornis frontalis) - Ben Cruachan

Cracticidae (Butcherbirds)
Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) - Listening Earth Blog

Laniidae (Shrikes)
Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) - DDolan New Birder

Vireonidae (Vireos)
Rufous-browed Peppershrike (Cyclarhis gujanensis) - New Results
White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus) - DDolan New Birder
Yellow-throated Vireo (Vireo flavifrons) - DDolan New Birder
Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus) - DDolan New Birder
Blue-headed Vireo (Vireo solitarius) - DDolan New Birder

Rhipiduridae (Fantails)
Grey Fantail (Rhipidura fuliginosa) - Ben Cruachan

Corvidae (Crows and Jays)
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) - Coyote Mercury
Western Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica) - it's just me
Common Raven (Corvus corax) - The House and Other Arctic Musings
Carrion Crow (Corvus corone) - The Bufflehead Birder
Jackdaw (Corvus monedula) - Living the Scientific Life

Paridae (Tits)
Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus atricristatus) - Coyote Mercury
Great Tit (Parus major) - The Bufflehead Birder
Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) - Coyote Mercury

Hirundinidae (Swallows)
Purple Martin (Progne subis) - My Purple Martin Blog
Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis) - Great Auk - or Greatest Auk?

Alaudidae (Larks)
Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) - DDolan New Birder

Sylviidae (Old World Warblers)
Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) - Migrations
Whitethroat (Sylvia communis) - Migrations

Zosteropidae (White-eyes)
Silvereye (Zosterops lateralis) - Ben Cruachan

Regulidae (Kinglets)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula) - Neighborhood Nature, Coyote Mercury, Great Auk - or Greatest Auk?
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa) - Neighborhood Nature, Great Auk - or Greatest Auk?

Troglodytidae (Wrens)
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) - DDolan New Birder
Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) - Coyote Mercury
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) - Coyote Mercury
Spot-breasted Wren (Thryothorus maculipectus) - Net Results
White-breasted Wood-Wren (Henicorhina leucosticta) - Coffee and Conservation

Polioptilidae (Gnatcatchers)
Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea) - The Flying Mullet, DDolan New Birder, Great Auk - or Greatest Auk?

Sittidae (Nuthatches)
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) - the Marvelous in Nature

Certhiidae (Creepers)
Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) - Neighborhood Nature, Wanderin' Weeta, Great Auk - or Greatest Auk?

Mimidae (Mockingbirds)
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) - DDolan New Birder
Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) - Coyote Mercury, it's just me
Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) - DDolan New Birder

Sturnidae (Starlings)
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) - My Purple Martin Blog, Coyote Mercury

Turdidae (Thrushes)
Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) - Wild About Nature Blog
Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus) - Great Auk - or Greatest Auk?
Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush (Catharus mexicanus) - Coffee and Conservation
Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) - Net Results
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) - Coyote Mercury
Red-legged Thrush (Turdus plumbeus) - The Flying Mullet

Nectariniidae (Sunbirds)
Purple-throated Sunbird (Nectarinia sperata) - Bird Ecology Study Group

Passeridae (Sparrows)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) - the Marvelous in Nature, Coyote Mercury

Fringillidae (Finches)
Pine Siskin (Carduelis pinus) - The Zen Birdfeeder
Lesser Goldfinch (Carduelis psaltria) - Coyote Mercury
American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis) - Coyote Mercury
House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) - it's just me, Coyote Mercury
Elegant Euphonia (Euphonia elegantissima) - Net Results

Parulidae (Wood-Warblers)
Orange-crowned Warbler (Vermivora celata) - Coyote Mercury
Tennessee Warbler (Vermivora peregrina) - DDolan New Birder, Net Results
Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora pinus) - DDolan New Birder
Northern Parula (Parula americana) - DDolan New Birder, The Flying Mullet
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata) - Birder's Lounge, Neighborhood Nature, DDolan New Birder, Great Auk - or Greatest Auk?
Yellow-throated Warbler (Dendroica dominica) - DDolan New Birder
Palm Warbler (Dendroica palmarum) - Great Auk - or Greatest Auk?
Chestnut-sided Warbler (Dendroica pensylvanica) - Net Results
Pine Warbler (Dendroica pinus) - Great Auk - or Greatest Auk?
Black-throated Green Warbler (Dendroica virens) - Net Results
Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia) - Net Results, DDolan New Birder
Kentucky Warbler (Oporornis formosus) - Net Results, DDolan New Birder
Worm-eating Warbler (Helmitheros vermivorum) - Net Results, DDolan New Birder, The Flying Mullet
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) - DDolan New Birder, The Flying Mullet
Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapillus) - Net Results
Louisiana Waterthrush (Seiurus motacilla) - Net Results, Neighborhood Nature, Great Auk - or Greatest Auk?
Northern Waterthrush (Seiurus noveboracensis) - DDolan New Birder
Hooded Warbler (Wilsonia citrina) - DDolan New Birder
Wilson's Warbler (Wilsonia pusilla) - Net Results
Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens) - DDolan New Birder

Icteridae (Blackbirds)
Hooded Oriole (Icterus cucullatus) - DDolan New Birder
Baltmore Oriole (Icterus galbula) - DDolan New Birder, Net Results
Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius) - DDolan New Birder
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) - DDolan New Birder, Coyote Mercury
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) - As the Mind Wanders, Neighborhood Nature, Coyote Mercury
Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) - Great Auk - or Greatest Auk?
Boat-tailed Grackle (Quisculus major) - As the Mind Wanders
Great-tailed Grackle (Quisculus mexicanus) - DDolan New Birder
Common Grackle (Quisculus quiscula) - Coyote Mercury, Great Auk - or Greatest Auk?

Emberizidae (Sparrows)
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) - DDolan New Birder
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) - Coyote Mercury
California Towhee (Pipilo crissalis) - it's just me
Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus) - it's just me
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) - Coyote Mercury
Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla) - it's just me
White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) - it's just me

Thraupidae (Tanagers)
Crimson-collared Tanager (Ramphocelus sanguinolentus) - Net Results, Coffee and Conservation

Cardinalidae (Grosbeaks)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) - DDolan New Birder
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) - the Marvelous in Nature, DDolan New Birder, Coyote Mercury
Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra) - Net Results
Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea) - DDolan New Birder
Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) - DDolan New Birder
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) - DDolan New Birder, The Flying Mullet
Blue Bunting (Cyanocompsa parellina) - Net Results


Thanks for stopping by. The next edition, IatB #99, will be hosted by Dan of Migrations. You can submit entries to him at daniel DOT rhoads AT gmail DOT com. Get them in by April 28th for the April 30th carnival.

I and the Bird and I !!

I and the Bird #97 - Dead Letter is up at Great Auk - or Greatest Auk?

IatB #98 will be hosted in two weeks here, by yours truly! The theme will be biodiversity - I want to see as many birds as possible! Start the birding blitz by sending me links to your avian species-rich blogging at pagophila at gmail dot com. The deadline for the April 16th carnival is April 14th so I can tally the results - don't miss out!

Distractions from Blogging

I've been too busy to blog much lately, although I've got plenty of exciting things to write about that are just piling up higher and deeper. My chief distraction is all the time spent in the field playing with Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens). What a terribly photogenic species:


Like these photos? I've got a million of them.

My other big distraction is another push towards finishing some of my genetic research. Along those lines, I was just cited for the first time! Okay, so it was for my 'in prep' manuscript and not in a publication, but still... to see for yourself, check out the Gray-crowned Palm-Tanager (Phaenicophilus poliocephalus) account on Neotropical Birds.

Parrot Evolution

A long, long time ago, I wrote a short article briefly summarizing what is known about the evolution of parrots (Psittaciformes). You can check it out now at 10,000 Birds:
Parrot Biogeography and Evolution.

What brings people here?

My frequent posting schedule? Ha! (I am in fact working on more posts, just slowly. Got a lot on my plate) Here's a funny little aside that I thought I'd share. A little over a month ago I signed up with Google Analytics to see what new stats I could track about blog visitors. Well, the funniest thing ever is seeing what google searches lead people to my site. Here are the best searches in the past month:

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"bird blog\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"
.5 new species of fish discovered in 2008
all about potamotrygon in indonesia 2009
amazonian river turtle reproduction
are deer mice found in durham, ontario
books of pack of wild dogs rabies
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cruel
does the alligator snapping turtle have any enemies
dose trout eat snakes
explain the existence of blue snow geese
fresh water stingrays in wv rivers
got milked
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hairless bat
he is 13 years older than me
horrible fish photos of cayuga lake
in relationship what we have to do
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who is the best genus
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youngster gargoyle
your friends says,class insecta is most diversified and biological successful taxa.do u agree with this?give rasons

In reviewing the best searches, I noticed a trend. People seem to enjoy large dead African mammals, but don't seem to know what to do with them. They've repeatedly found my blog using these searches:

dead giraffe
uses for a dead giraffe
rhino meat
rhino meat pictures
where to buy dead rhino meat
what to do with rhino meat
can you eat black rhino meat?

To all of the people who have crossed through my blog using these bizarre searches, I salute you, and I hope you found the answers you were looking for.

Supporting local conservation: Sharpe's Longclaw

Conservation of natural resources is fundamentally a human problem - we can only save species by convincing the people who live on the land and the people who use the resources that it is worth saving. For this reason, I am always made happy by seeing sincere local initiatives to solve conservation problems. The bird bloggers at 10,000 Birds have taken up this grassroots approach, using their blog to support local education efforts aiming at saving the Kinangop Grasslands in Kenya, with a focus on one particularly cool convergent endangered Motacillid. Check out more information over at 10k.

I and the Bird

I and the Bird #94 is up at The Birder's Report. It's a big one.

I and the Bird #93, which I never posted about, was at Vickie Henderson Art

Growing Forplings

I have another guest post up on 10,000 Birds! If you want to learn all about how Green-rumped Parrotlet parents grow their next generation, hop on over and see Green-rumped Parrotlets: from egg to adult. There's lots of OMG CUTE!!! pictures like this one:

My contribution is part of 10,000's ongoing Parrot Month. Check out all of the fantastic Parrot Month contributions here.

I and the Bird #91

I and the Bird #91 is up now - read it!

Also, for the five people out there that don't yet read 10,000 Birds, they've started Parrot Month. I'm working on some guest contributions, but while you wait there's already a wealth of great content. Check out:

Spix's Macaw - the world's rarest parrot
The Puerto Rican Parrot
Interview with Dr Jamie Gilardi, Executive Director of the World Parrot Trust

There's more, so head on over.

Happy Nu Yah!

Happy New Year! 2008 was good, I hope to make 2009 even better.

I've been quite busy and not blagging very much since my return from Venezuela at the beginning of December. Hopefully that will change soon. I've got a bunch of posts half-started and will get them cranking out as soon as I can manage. I hope to finish Venezuela blogging before I go on my next 'trip'... a six-month stay in Florida beginning at the end of January. More on that soon...

PS... do you like the new headers? I've got a bunch more to add into the mix soon.

I'm Back!

I've been back in the states for a week now. I immediately dived back into work in the lab, while my evenings have been spent organizing photos, editing videos, checking taxonomy... so, posts are coming soon! Stay tuned.

As a side note, does anyone know why my photobucket images have suddenly become enormous?

Not dead yet

If you´ve been wondering what I´ve been up to for the past few weeks, check out my guest post up at 10,000 Birds -

Forpus passerinus and the Ornithologists of Masaguaral

I head south

I leave today for Venezuela where I will be until December. The last-minute crush of preparation prevented me from finishing up a couple different projects on here (including the answers for that bone quiz) but they can wait. I'll post if I can but it will not be frequent. Check back in December.

Carnivals!

At the Marvelous in Nature, Seabrooke hosts an artful 81st edition of I and the Bird.

John of A DC Birding Blog hosts a very birdy Linnaeus' Legacy #10, my favorite taxonomic blog carnival.

PalMD at the denialism blog gets all poetic with Tangled Bank #111, the biweekly collection of science blog writings.

I was boring this time around and submitted the same post for each of these. Go check them all out anyways!

Going to the llanos

Sunset on the llanos in Guarico, Venezuela (Source)

I depart at the end of the month for my first field job out of college. I'm heading south, way south, to Los Llanos of Venezuela to assist a grad student in studying the nestling vocalizations of a parrot. Los Llanos are the immense, flat, seasonally flooded grasslands in the Orinoco River plain. They're teeming with all sorts of bird life - seven species of ibis, many herons and waterfowl, hoatzins, and more. I'm also looking forward to the herps I could potentially see, including several species of boa, anaconda, and caiman, although I'm working now to construct my own keys to the region because no good guide covers it. The focus of my work down there (and I expect it will keep me extremely busy) will be to monitor nestboxes containing Forpus passerinus, the Green-rumped Parrotlet, one of the smallest parrots in the world. I don't know what the situation will be concerning internet access but once I leave I probably won't be posting regularly until I return in December. I will do my best to keep a detailed notebook and take lots of pictures so I can document my trip when I return. For pictures of the sort of things I expect to see on my field site, check out these photos from one of last year's field crew.

Investigations

Starting with this original post on Bird Ecology Study Group, a combination of my comments and the inquisitiveness of everyone on that superb blog has led to an interesting observation on how the patterns of individual feathers contribute to the outward appearance of the Red-bearded Bee-eater. Go check it out!

How high will he go?

The month of July saw my little blog pass 5,000 page views for the first time ever. This is right in line with the whole last year of blogging - the trend is clear:


How high will I climb before my little empire comes crashing down? I don't know, but I know abandoning the blog soon to go running around in South America for a while won't help. I also know that when I started this thing in spring of 2007 that I had no idea what it would become. I certainly never expected 5,000 people to be reading each month (or is it the same 5 people 1,000 times?). For those of you still reading, I thank you!

Taking a break from Kenya

Shawn is taking a break from his flurry of Kenya bird blogging, to run away from the East coast and go to the West coast for some birding in Olympic, then the AOU Conference in Portland. Unlike last year, I won't be joining in on the conference festivities this year. I will be in the lab pipetting like mad as my summer job wraps up. So, back to your regularly scheduled biological blogging...

Bird and Science Blog Carnivals

PZ Myers is hosting the 110th edition of Tangled Bank - check out this excellent collection of blog science writing.



Patrick Belardo at The Hawk Owl's Nest is hosting the well-written Olympic-themed I and the Bird #80, containing the best of the best in bird blog writing of the past two weeks.