Utah Glossy Ibis

This morning at 9am I had a Glossy Ibis south of Benson in Cache Co. This is perhaps the 11th report (6 accepted by the Utah Bird Records Committee) from the state, all since 2006.

Bird was in flooded field on west side of 3200 West .8 miles north of 500 North.

Bird was with 6 White-faced Ibis. I was able to clearly see the dark facial skin outlined with light blue ridges above and below. No white on the chestnut face. Brown eye. Dark grayish legs (didn't notice pinkish joints--was focused more on face and then trying to get set up to take some pictures). Appeared slightly bulkier or heavier in direct comparison with White-faced Ibis.

Observed at about 50 yards for one minute through 7x42 Zeiss bins, then over two minutes in 20x60 Bausch & Lomb scope. I was getting set up for digiscoping when bird flew west. It was not back by 9:30am when I came back to check the field again.

Road Trip

So I'm crossing the country in the minivan with the kids, headed out to Utah and Oregon for a month of family (and birds, of course!). Stopped today in Nauvoo and Carthage, Illinois. Mostly checking out Mormon history sites, but of course there are birds around.

Red-headed Woodpecker in "The Grove" just below the Nauvoo temple.
White Pelicans on the Mississippi below Nauvoo
Yellow-billed Cuckoo in Nauvoo
Eurasian Collared-Dove in Carthage
Common Nighthawk in Carthage

Also some fun birds, such as this Great Egret, painted on the murals inside the Nauvoo Temple.

Teaching at Rosemont College

Just a quick update: I'm currently teaching a Sustainability and Environment class at Rosemont College in Philly. Will be teaching a Biodiversity course there in the fall, and an Urban Ecology course there in January.

eBird is now everywhere

Great news, you can now enter into eBird your bird sightings from ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. Time to break out the old trip lists. Maybe now I'll be able to finally figure out how many birds I've actually seen :-)

New Bird Gig

So I've started a new gig as a consulting ornithologist for Bird-B-Gone, a leading bird pest control company out of California. I'll be answering emails from people with bird problems, or just bird questions. Also writing monthly articles on bird behavior and biology for the Bird-B-Gone website.


So how can a birder and bird conservationist work for a company that specializes in getting rid of birds?

Easy! It's all about birds and people, and getting people comfortable with the birds in their surroundings. Or if there is a real conflict, solving it in a way that doesn't harm the birds and moves them to somewhere they can better thrive.

I love birds. I love people. I want them to get along. Helping people with their local bird issues is just part of the picture. Part of keeping the ecological peace!