Ravens Eating Dead Stuff In The Gutter

The weather turned gnarly here in Palmdale today.  Hurricane force winds and hecka rain.  As a result, I stayed in all day and watched tv.  Also, Sultry and I went to see the movie version of kids killing each other (Hunger Games).  It was pretty good.  Hopefully I see tons of rare-ass birds at work in the morning.

Two ravens contemplating how best to cook a squirrel.

Barn Owl, being awesome as Barn Owls tend to do.

Palmdale Is The Future Of Our Great Nation

I did my first day of work today in Palmdale.  It is awesome here.  Pretty much like Disneyland.  Or Heaven.  I hope that when I die, I go to a place just like this so that I can spend eternity here.  I'm hella tired.  Again.  So Ima sleep.  Here were the first two things I saw this morning.  Tomorrow I will post awesome desert birds.

Lark Sparrow, eating seed thingys.

Common Raven, using CORA nesting habitat.

Here We Come To The End Of The Road...

...Still I Can't Let Go.  Well boys and girls, the end of another SEFI Fall has come for Daniel Maxwell.  I will be getting on a boat in a few hours and heading back to do some hard time in Real Life.  On the Island, there is a certain amount of superstition that goes with boat days like today.  Some people believe that the best birds always show up on boat days.  It certainly happened last year.  On my last day, birds seen were Summer Tanager, Ancient Murrelet, and (1 hour after I departed) a first Island Record Smith's Longspur.  Life was pain that day.  I'm hoping to not repeat that day.  Here are the 2 PADs from yesterday.  It was mostly slow, but there were a few birds here and there.

My favorite resident of Southeast Farallon Island, Common Raven.  This guy has been over on the mainland for the entire Fall.  He made a reappearance yesterday, just in time for me to see him before leaving.  He promptly began murdering mice out on the Marine Terrace.  

My last SEFI suset.  Goodbye gulls.  Goodbye rock.  Goodbye sharks.  Goodbye Lighthouse.