tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44440888430404012592024-03-14T03:29:36.855-07:00loessalTim Hajdahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12843358876229187767noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4444088843040401259.post-56637206152264714142010-10-30T08:28:00.000-07:002010-10-30T08:28:52.090-07:00Reasons I want to go to Turkey (2 out of 10)<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>(If you thought this series was about Costa Rica, you were gravely mistaken.)</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">SICK.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i> </i></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8srqCaYdkby3iZzija4j_xPm0rcXhuVTT1DpaxRk2wjnsObfAZ0VZ_itvo6H8opWRLb_vHnq0n7B9KpTc1zqOVYhQ_9mkuq44UVHylX8dLTPXKX1oXQPn8Sk8bXBC9mHwf9iw4ZOdWAM0/s1600/lammergeier.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8srqCaYdkby3iZzija4j_xPm0rcXhuVTT1DpaxRk2wjnsObfAZ0VZ_itvo6H8opWRLb_vHnq0n7B9KpTc1zqOVYhQ_9mkuq44UVHylX8dLTPXKX1oXQPn8Sk8bXBC9mHwf9iw4ZOdWAM0/s640/lammergeier.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">(From </span><a href="http://www.jorgerubio.es/" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Jorge Rubio Photography</a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It's a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bearded_Vulture">Lammergeier</a>. They're massively huge vultures, with a wingspan of up to 10 feet, weighing up to 17 pounds, found only in high mountains to 13,000 feet. They're scavengers and are able to digest bones.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">They're huge. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/af/Lammergeier_with_boy,_Kabul,_1973.JPG/430px-Lammergeier_with_boy,_Kabul,_1973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/af/Lammergeier_with_boy,_Kabul,_1973.JPG/430px-Lammergeier_with_boy,_Kabul,_1973.JPG" width="458" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> (From <a href="http://www.wikipedia.org/">Wikipedia</a>.)</span>Tim Hajdahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12843358876229187767noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4444088843040401259.post-6643596673055623502010-10-29T18:49:00.000-07:002010-10-30T08:00:46.720-07:00Daniele Occhiato Bird Photography<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">While on the hunt for Turkish bird photos, I came across the stunning galleries of <a href="http://www.pbase.com/dophoto">Daniele Occhiato</a> on <a href="http://www.pbase.com/">PBase</a>. The photos from Turkey and nearby countries multiplied my current Turkey craze exponentially. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Snowfinch by Daniele Occhiato.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTAO173UdLYfoOYzXhZNqVYrFqt8rwvYqiNBORm8yEybHW3y3rDweIb8IDDjL3PU7UPqA4b79AiVosZTvDTN6aWIgF5cTWRt_ZRDj-v9XmQOWFLhcXcJ_fgqVbsKjSR2naPC-ZOEVf-do/s1600/snowfinch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTAO173UdLYfoOYzXhZNqVYrFqt8rwvYqiNBORm8yEybHW3y3rDweIb8IDDjL3PU7UPqA4b79AiVosZTvDTN6aWIgF5cTWRt_ZRDj-v9XmQOWFLhcXcJ_fgqVbsKjSR2naPC-ZOEVf-do/s640/snowfinch.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">(From <a href="http://www.pbase.com/dophoto">Daniele Occhiato Bird Photography</a>.)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Be sure to check out the rest of his photos <a href="http://www.pbase.com/dophoto">here</a></span>.</div>Tim Hajdahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12843358876229187767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4444088843040401259.post-56272681880493620022010-10-07T11:54:00.000-07:002010-10-07T11:55:19.662-07:00October Bluestem<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I really love October. It's probably my favorite month. It seems like everything is my favorite color. The prairie is stunning right now, with big and little bluestems turning to their radiant mahogany-red fall colors.</span><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/o-q61qTJMWBPJgMUjYeWnf6nWMQMLPnm7_iku6TRUJA?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="349" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCL2XGPxua0v62dgWOwtNHoVwTXYpbwuYFgvx21cR_EXmsPnLFrH4sfzEae-pdkjmjZ0VE5NBcx1pJIId3VY8EHmznlk9lZ_7zjixtnnnmcjqv0Zpf9mVvMclTE8nq28wv_vk9w6aAoIGL/s800/octoberprairie2.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Little bluestem seedhead.</div><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/lnd8oAENp9RtQXU8XOHRP_6nWMQMLPnm7_iku6TRUJA?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cMM8EdgWdJhXNYsHckRfXnEAnSM7ZUgOuIg3nYKmB6yW9RBxWweJofQZx-3BfkEL3EnD-3O1dz_1cFO2fMC8aPiUeuP_fiX8wDWWhKmGb5IzcHRiqyNK0PgcsV_byXWxRj39i8uq_6pq/s800/IMG_0597.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Big bluestem seedhead.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/V75jWeLPpcYLkgGD279mFv6nWMQMLPnm7_iku6TRUJA?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvtRvRoIMRIIWT3A0rex_3K4u0L0QcL7wwYt4ZrhtVHQ7AF8rXaVc1WybJrLEPw39Wfj7jOTaGskSytLVAzfDQ-DUMqjWB27Cr7IF2txEXd0Ne1nY_My-Y9cT20pVfjlzs2S01IYk7tbG/s640/IMG_0610.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I was trying to take a self portrait of me jumping, but I jumped too soon. It looks like I'm giving the prairie a big air hug, which works, too.</span><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Gm__6lOMJ0TFoFnsLVAGdf6nWMQMLPnm7_iku6TRUJA?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-bGa5u2hwCEulhDgxpJUVvuUyp0ajWNEoD78pjxBB0nvRnvMvPJo17DT24SXddEywuL3U2o49fce6EUIWM-ihKitTjgSpzuKs7hG3SoYvjlObXuq89Nrifin41bKR76yW-zX6_NOfkG91/s640/IMG_0618.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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</span>Tim Hajdahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12843358876229187767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4444088843040401259.post-9864468716209507962010-10-06T09:45:00.000-07:002010-10-06T09:56:11.469-07:00Reasons I want to go to Costa Rica (1 out of 10)<i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">(This series is in no particular order.)</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">A good reason for wanting to go to Costa Rica is to hear a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-faced_Solitaire">Black-faced Solitaire</a>'s song in person. Recordings (like the one below) give me goosebumps. </span><br />
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<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">(From <a href="http://xeno-canto.org/">xeno-canto</a>.)</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Not a bad-looking bird, either.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://costaricaguiding.com/black-faced_solitaire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="http://costaricaguiding.com/black-faced_solitaire.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">(From <a href="http://costaricaguiding.com/sighting-photos.html">Leo Garrigues Tour gallery</a>.)</span></div>Tim Hajdahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12843358876229187767noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4444088843040401259.post-1813855735036803682010-10-05T08:30:00.000-07:002010-10-06T09:50:31.849-07:00Unchained Melody<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zrK5u5W8afc?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zrK5u5W8afc?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Tim Hajdahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12843358876229187767noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4444088843040401259.post-9499397408954397932010-09-17T08:03:00.000-07:002010-09-17T08:03:36.595-07:00The Big Sit! 2010<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/connect/bigsit/index.php">The Big Sit! 2010</a> is coming up. You should participate.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_Az3KZeqBV83P7AALcu9xf6nWMQMLPnm7_iku6TRUJA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixNs0KMhOUXBE0LLzKlM_RdyUzxqeoHF9cjJPzVu5J7WYMniEud4_b6ZW5ByuU-HLAawLsKgW_ddKaVe61SxY1GMcyhOMP8FmD8YjsUaYkWZ-Va4o8Y2WCRsHmr-CTql4u1-h_64W4whMp/s800/bigsit2010-header.jpg" /> </a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">If you're wondering what The Big Sit! is, here it is in a nutshell, straight from <a href="http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/connect/bigsit/about.php">The Big Sit! website</a>:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><blockquote>"The Big Sit! is an annual, international, noncompetitive birding event hosted by <i>Bird Watcher's Digest</i> and founded by the New Haven (CT) Bird Club. Every team that observes this year's "Golden Bird" has a chance to win $500. We hope bird watchers from around the globe will unite on this special day by participating in this event (it's free!). The Big Sit! is sponsored by Swarovski Optik.</blockquote><blockquote>The Big Sit! is like a Big Day, or a bird-a-thon in that the object is to tally as many bird species as can be seen or heard within 24 hours. The difference lies in the area limitation from which you can observe. <b>THIS FREE EVENT is OPEN to every person and club in any country!</b> </blockquote><blockquote>Some people have called it a "tailgate party for birders." Today there are Big Sit! circles all over the world, including Guatemala, India, the Netherlands, England, Vietnam, and New Zealand. </blockquote><blockquote>The simplicity of the concept makes The Big Sit! so appealing. Find a good spot for bird watching -- preferably one with good views of a variety of habitats and lots of birds. Next you create a real or imaginary circle 17 feet in diameter and sit inside the circle for 24 hours, counting all the bird species you see or hear. That's it. Find a spot, sit in it, have fun."</blockquote><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/connect/bigsit/index.php">Click here</a> to find out more and register your circle.</span> <br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I participated for the first time last year. I had big plans to place my circle on the minimum maintenance road that's about a mile south of my house, hoping to find some awesome stuff. However, the weather turned nasty (snow, cold, etc.) and I ended up having it in my yard. It was still a lot of fun, even though it never got above 30</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">° F and there were a few inches of snow on the ground. I ended with 30 species, including my one-and-only Fox Sparrow of that fall, a flyover Prairie Falcon, and several Greater Prairie-Chickens. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I didn't take any photos during The Sit, but here's a representative photo I took the day before of a Field Sparrow posing with a clump of snow in a still-green Siberian Elm. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/LxXKzlw1ACHKD0-n6-ywr_6nWMQMLPnm7_iku6TRUJA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgozG9W1asin-jOQ-kkXfCVIUC1fw-X5LB7kAyh15Qa3wJe_3mS8aLZw2_F2gV-6wVPVLKSzrXANbyHn_ms16evyQiJC-Z2ZxcMD_CU3kIWYuKuOnNfET1tjyqY_bgcSCMOvxm6v0J52JB/s640/DSC_0098.JPG" /></a><br />
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</blockquote>Tim Hajdahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12843358876229187767noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4444088843040401259.post-48073412935666727542010-09-09T09:35:00.000-07:002010-09-09T09:35:43.170-07:00No Shortgrass<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Most of Nebraska's prairie ecoregion maps look like this.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_exC1MkLnzC73QjFMLxx4f6nWMQMLPnm7_iku6TRUJA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOZ55KCw4g9er7JXkjEchP4D5bX0vOiCxwKETgVlXaX8r2HP71uYbfznW6SbR8nYvh-rvzVLMY7VANExfwHMAqeYNa7eIlx5d49Eb7IkPfRHwFtVisQ7ighvILQcy4eN3mfi39CH3BG-2/s800/nebraskaecoregions.JPG" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">(From <a href="http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/wildlife/programs/legacy/">Nebraska Natural Legacy Projec</a>t).</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Or this.</div><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/3SBOVK11HEB6P09bpD-QB_6nWMQMLPnm7_iku6TRUJA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh35M7M_a2tfHte9Yk_mGdKEBVEZ-C-hQAimCW13ETgIt2AyWXeNOlwpu3l0JM_1HRmlU3bekOsTxKYv7WRqrJpdwh16apsFCdxNT6RHB05ikn6Fw_Yv_sZV9hWFnzwh34RA9VBqREI9xbD/s640/Fullscreen%20capture%20992010%20100143%20AM.jpg" /></a><br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">(From <a href="http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/cropmap/nebraska/maps/NEeco3.html">this page at Purdue University</a>.)</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
Most sources seem to agree that most or all of the grasslands west of the Sandhills and south of the Pine Ridge (in other words, the High Plains) are "shortgrass prairie." Shortgrass prairie is defined by the Nebraska Natural Legacy project as being "... dominated by short statured grasses such as buffalograss, blue grama, sideouts grama, and purple threeawn. ... The low precipitation in the shortgrass prairie ecoregion, in conjunction with grazing causes, [sic] most shortgrass vegetation to rarely exceed 10 inches in height." This is a tidy way to classify Nebraska's High Plains prairies, but, as will be revealed below, not entirely true.<br />
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Enter <i>Terrestrial Ecological Systems and Natural Communitese of Nebraska</i>, Version IV, by Steve B Rolfsmeier and Gerry Steinauer.<br />
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I got this awesome publication about a month ago. It defines the 19 ecological systems and 83 natural communities found in Nebraska and goes into great detail on all of them, including ranges, environmental descriptions, vegetation descriptions, invasive species of concern, and several other topics. Most of their classification correlates with what other sources have classified, with one major exception: <b>they changed the name of the universally-accepted "Western Great Plains Short-grass Prairie" to "Western Great Plains Mixed-grass Prairie."</b><b> </b>Basically, they're ditching the term "shortgrass prairie." Here's why:<br />
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<blockquote style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"For many years, biogeographers and ecologists unfamiliar with the region have classified the High Plains of western Nebraska as a region of "short-grass prairie," as the global name for this ecosystem reflects. Short-grass prairie is defined as dominated by blue grama with other short and mid-height grasses playing a secondary role. In Nebraska, areas of short-grass prairie have been recorded, but always as a patches [sic] occuring within a mixed-grass prairie setting, apparently the result of localized heavy grazing. These sites tend to revert to mixed-grass prairie once grazing pressure is diminished. Prairie in the northern High Plains of Nebraska tends to be dominated by cool-season graminoids, with blue grama playing a supporting role (except where increasing under heavy grazing), so the inclusion of this area in a system dominated by warm-season grasses seems problematic. "Short-grass prairie" was recognized as an accepted community in previous editions of this classification, but its occurrence as a patch type within several other mixed-grass prairie communities (usually Threadleaf Sedge Mixed-grass Prairie but also Loess Mixed-grass Prairie, Sandhills Dry Valley Prairie, and Northwestern Mixed-grass Prairie) indicates that in Nebraska it exists only as a temporary condition caused by livestock or herbivore grazing (though in some cases grassland associated with dense clays in extreme northwest Nebraska may be naturally-occurring shortgrass type, albeit limited in distribution."</span></blockquote><br />
So, assuming that the above is true (which I have no doubt that it is), it seems like "shortgrass prairie" should be out of the picture in terms of Nebraska's ecoregions, being replaced with "mixed-grass prairie"—more specifically, "Western Great Plains Mixed-grass Prairie."<br />
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Some Western Great Plains Mixed-grass Prairie in central Sioux County in late June.<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/qc95Xp6LPehCAJMQhsy54P6nWMQMLPnm7_iku6TRUJA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSN3TgQpV62QyJBQug_hyphenhyphenQpxG8Xn9NyvWWDgOtjRoRoP7Y0CJOIWK3AA6sV1ilALQ0tR2rDi6Wjdd8VW1mUDcEcih_zLkhC0NA0OGazsVilY1dlyazJb24qo1q89XTb6Jl5CnESGH2GHf/s640/IMG_0479.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div>Tim Hajdahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12843358876229187767noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4444088843040401259.post-17415684755884975622010-09-07T11:15:00.000-07:002010-09-07T11:15:17.883-07:00Blue Eyes<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I came across this gorgeous Blue-eyed Darner at the Broken Bow Sewage Lagoons on Sunday evening. Unlike most of the <i>Aeshna </i>I've come across, it actually held still for a few minutes and let me approach.</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span></span><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/aolZYiJf6Jmd9jvHRH83Dv6nWMQMLPnm7_iku6TRUJA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUopg4zXKO4pj0hHr8U9ks5DQSssXLDFp_2AicEbc_l3QGHY7HlvTSjgotcyiAnkFwOxPOv2SntRIXZ7WWiU0Boj-eanBht_1c-9TtSxWM4JVSQZbyctU_phuP0_BHyM_4zg83W-cqIA0P/s640/DSC_0063.JPG" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It must have been feeling lousy, because it let me catch it with my bare hands.</div><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/oflU_Cce9I5s7f8aJsKxRP6nWMQMLPnm7_iku6TRUJA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMGz3IAdeO-RnRaR-1KoHU7VutAnDmTgG1AdD2y-F76scbSYI-cS5i3XToVMsaPY606f03biLL-3tyUjdtkegkwlztoVRN6dyR-O0N05Xmzv5Ycv6InYze2DuuIgr7GAyxUinB6fOpoeOJ/s640/IMG_0424.JPG" /></a><br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Those eyes are just incredible!</span><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xhgw1y0IEXPx6SMGq3aC4_6nWMQMLPnm7_iku6TRUJA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPD-JoYencVq9vKTlhO7U6D0K4Gw70imyVVbrqgehkEEc51-D4_h5B_Qbcchg1N2IUENSI1wgHkDAY4_wge5NmeD1mxjZAiazXyTSlq1O6A-yy6pcCctTDPHggoWxzO1y1Mj1qD2Kmmt7_/s640/IMG_0426.JPG" /></a>Tim Hajdahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12843358876229187767noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4444088843040401259.post-35231073683750533452010-09-06T13:19:00.000-07:002010-09-07T11:16:51.130-07:00Bitterns Call WMA<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">On Saturday morning, Mom, Amelia, Harriet, Levi, Clara, and I packed into the van and drove down to the Cozad-Lexington-Overton area to shop some craft and antique stores (another story). We left at around 6:45 AM so that I could spend some time at <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Bitterns+Call+State+Wildlife+Management+Area,+Cozad,+Dawson+County,+NE&sll=40.83797,-99.833965&sspn=0.056235,0.110378&ie=UTF8&hq=Bitterns+Call+State+Wildlife+Management+Area&hnear=Bitterns+Call+State+Wildlife+Management+Area,+Cozad,+Dawson,+Nebraska+69130&ll=40.844593,-99.847355&spn=0.028115,0.055189&z=14">Bitterns Call WMA</a> in western Dawson County. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The funny thing about Bitterns Call WMA (besides that its name is a punctuational fail) is that the good habitat is actually south of and adjacent to the WMA proper. The WMA itself is solid cattail marsh. Everyone still calls it Bitterns Call WMA, though.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/UwSLwPIT9hPJo3Feqa-rOf6nWMQMLPnm7_iku6TRUJA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhudRRMklOSIJi1aszVpQ4Qa57FwlHCf8y4MUW0ZGR7IUOYqcGv5x4Rp76aauJdRbf3RFyiVHVNr25D_MzqQ7jrPu2vlcKsak-ZJJwI4jnNtTgVedw-eCUyZrTnjaVgwKFye_xkCltIUNV6/s640/IMG_0417.JPG" /></a></span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">There are usually some decent mudflats, but the water levels were really high on Saturday.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/IeuudewZEaDY8R0kx6ztpf6nWMQMLPnm7_iku6TRUJA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjVzqnE8jqS-dh-lwuVWvQfo03_BSWwKgX4WhjQu1zyOcWVG4rOFjM6acw-8Fc4YmWM9p4Bm25PBH95FFG_8nHSK4g59kOst6oS8bYTAyyuLQBuKn8qSXpV-9mxw996_SZgCjh1Cx1UgXd/s640/IMG_0416.JPG" /></a></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Bird variety was good. Not as many shorebirds as I had hoped, but it was nice. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Blue-winged Teal were everywhere.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/i4GcuDxMoT42aC7ik44ZCv6nWMQMLPnm7_iku6TRUJA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFocWB37gw20DuLqLCSkScKzeKI5TjFE4vU9kHRzWpu4fdBK9Mshpp369e36AJU9HlCJ5v7bjEyINj3cYH4RKSljAuom47qgEmaIpsAcyO2OaOiewFMSAROT3DnoFdQ-ZIlkkzRW7_NbKh/s640/DSC_0008.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
Yellow-headed Blackbird.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/GnvhEyHLT3iz-pVjmrW0Av6nWMQMLPnm7_iku6TRUJA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJ8zSeqrpw82IFq2odAY6L8CkcMQvzSTVg_HzoEgwXDDGiseNTb23qN7KcF0bwOyNakFzVj3fTUfaZFlC-2apGhvsiv4BloRUOw2dDiNH7NR-CtDAl6NyMjnfbr2D6awpsYPf-HzkvK-X/s640/DSC_0025.JPG" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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Bronze Copper.<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/QYjNlpGfTk1Tlul5EC-1m_6nWMQMLPnm7_iku6TRUJA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfIM43U4yDPsDFRIqG3lCuXYcE8SvXNPPuxd6RSz9vcX30xTdVQsK-zpBCGm6B43jbfz3DRG21G92elxcApUWmc88dcI7T1KwQoB3bspg-RMfK8D4OzhvQ-sQiQgdOvqK0LLPEjB87tgbc/s640/DSC_0045.JPG" /></a><br />
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Juvenile Baird's Sandpiper—always a crowd-pleaser.<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/VcvfakwUWN8DX-OdImaqv_6nWMQMLPnm7_iku6TRUJA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhChYKhj_PzLGx9EdPSd2Vxa6RPYyqEWkpxMmVrK5po_Wd1VJJkNXFt6k9KkntggAQuhvW5e268OX9EagX9WTCObXxY4DfylH0R12QrfmXbeHTcehnadYupjT1utErc_263375U8DlNAoJ_/s640/DSC_0051.JPG" /></a><br />
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Pectoral Sandpiper.<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tJliVuXX10jiqAC67Wkq6_6nWMQMLPnm7_iku6TRUJA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sZfFKsptMiGtr3_JBXed_0LGk4ukMqrTH0hyVuPRIPfjD_x5yptR5kdH3D2ulJERvRMa3rAv9IqlHodLq6P0GA5YHJN_DPLxv_C2te4M0DBnSRG6vTZUO2z5z_EEEKbWYHSImg8hIinl/s640/DSC_0001.JPG" /></a><br />
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Cattle Egret.<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/NbNPyTwsFMLir0gz6chE0v6nWMQMLPnm7_iku6TRUJA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoGIXERWcl_iZwbkdwC-JZvcXSymj0oc70R0wVYuDF8IPlAaHfsK-lKD3F03D6mEh67OZizpvweHK0p1dowwSwHXVXLJ6HrxKrpcCdo9JYpcoIlEA83rJUPG66YC_Ce7gGHeZ_RGWYr05-/s640/DSC_0034.JPG" /></a><br />
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Great-tailed Grackle.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bcZbNonLE3PEFnQ5CJyYov6nWMQMLPnm7_iku6TRUJA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-50MhCX4lxJE-NnX31f0iL7dwCyzAGzT-I12tcB8bHX-_8gnFO8hh_7CNExs3NWWU_9Pi42JMW1yUjybd6nmJ0GwoxFDAPwb-zV-hQ7l1t1A4htR7CTASrV_kWxvsUpk0sSLDpVZjAcJU/s640/DSC_0022.JPG" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
Killdeer.<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/aftfObHqDZzQGHqqRXFM2f6nWMQMLPnm7_iku6TRUJA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeUBMbqX6dOUnLfQIwnDhK4q1ti0edfJNMi9fHwj_ZBTwEzxAasXPv01aZvDxJbSyML5ruhCbqHwT70mkdaPqAHb47uC83kQOI5JJri96mO2O4MmwJNFDRaMpXcvyiLYvH30ar33fAXnhl/s640/DSC_0015.JPG" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The sad news: after we got home, I checked my email and read that someone had been there later that morning and found a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron. BUMMER.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Complete list of what was found:</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Location: Bittern's Call WMA</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Observation date: 9/4/10</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Number of species: 36</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /> <br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Wood Duck 1</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Mallard 15</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Blue-winged Teal 25</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Northern Shoveler 1</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Ring-necked Pheasant 2</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Pied-billed Grebe 8</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Great Blue Heron 2</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Cattle Egret 1</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Plegadis sp. 1</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Swainson's Hawk 1</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Red-tailed Hawk 1</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> American Coot 20</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Killdeer 15</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Solitary Sandpiper 1</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Lesser Yellowlegs 4</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Semipalmated Sandpiper 5</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Least Sandpiper 10</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Baird's Sandpiper 3</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Pectoral Sandpiper 3</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Stilt Sandpiper 1</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Wilson's Snipe 2</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Red-necked Phalarope 3</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Black Tern 2</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Mourning Dove 2</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Red-headed Woodpecker 1</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Hairy Woodpecker 1</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Northern Flicker 1</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Warbling Vireo 1</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Blue Jay 1</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Barn Swallow 10</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Cliff Swallow 2</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> European Starling 10</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Song Sparrow 2</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Red-winged Blackbird 70</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Yellow-headed Blackbird 70</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Great-tailed Grackle 50</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> House Sparrow 1</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /> <br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(</span><a href="http://ebird.org/" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" target="_blank">http://ebird.org</a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">)</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span>Tim Hajdahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12843358876229187767noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4444088843040401259.post-49671466212421030412010-09-06T07:58:00.000-07:002010-09-07T11:17:38.882-07:00Start<span style="font-size: small;">I recently bought one of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Elements-External-WDBAAU0010HBK-NESN/dp/B002QEBMB4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1283785155&sr=8-1">these</a>:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/k5GMuXy2qH_12vcjzZ_ggf6nWMQMLPnm7_iku6TRUJA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiekx9qWCD5gXbpUSmSeSTR3aB-oxOZ0y4E3YuhKMF0uLQ9DWTDQtfre3q4hf5HFamFnMvNoPgtqpQ6_t3pe7EDb60tMlyYTo59GJNfFW6J7A99h5amYxpHVi5xfBT8WeG02MEvShD9hUpG/s800/wdfElements_BAAU.jpg" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
Which has made these much more organized and accessible:</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/1YeGDaf79nu8wiwM_jSGIP6nWMQMLPnm7_iku6TRUJA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEnbvvp6v2mZZSJ8gyWDDgOHpLA52lGAlCXkHVL_717SdkOLkOPIuhVcvHoLQ-5VYoKP0cicmSQeTXA1mklPHkNQe35jVCd56Zj3EJ7hh9JYyVJj7OjcxvmkRYtuMRWu1UI_Kz6JpZjqfZ/s640/May%202010.jpg" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">So now I feel the urge to post on a blog again. I used to post frequently on a blog (Broken Bow Birder), but I didn't like the name, the graphics, or the layout, so I thought it would be easier to just make a new blog.</span>Tim Hajdahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12843358876229187767noreply@blogger.com2