All Hail The King

After being here for two months, you start running out of things to take pictures of.  Especially if you mostly take pictures of birds.  So, sorry if this is all getting a bit repetitive.  There's nothing I can do to bring vagrants to the island.  I try to appease the Birding powers that be by drinking lots of booze, dipping, and using swear words on the reg, but mostly it doesn't work.  I guess I should try doubling my rations.  We'll see if that has any effect.  By the way, something new is coming soon to TPAD.   Something big.  If you want a sneak peek, check out today's post at BB&B:


http://seagullsteve.blogspot.com/2012/01/human-birdwatcher-project-presents.html 


Hope y'all have a pleasant night.  I'll just be out here waiting for the eggs to hatch.  Mahalo.

Red-tailed Tropicbird.  I haven't put one of these guys up in a while, and I happened to get quite close to some today.

Our Brant is still alive and kicking.  It seems more friendly now, too.  You can walk Right up to it.

It Is So Effing Early

This post is dedicated to keeping score of the birds seen on Midway by Felonious Jive (Steve), and Handsome Dan (me).  The winner of this noble contest will receive Eternal Glory and Fame, and it will probably advance him in the GBRS (Global Birder Ranking System).  I will update as scores change.  FJ, if you find any problems or inaccuracies with the lists, notify the TPAD administrator immediately.  Here is the rundown:

Felonious Jive: 39 species

Green-winged Teal
Laysan Duck
Northern Pintail
Northern Shoveler
Eurasian Wigeon
American Wigeon
Laysan Albatross
Black-footed Albatross
Short-tailed Albatross
Bonin Petrel
Bulwer's Petrel
Wedge-tailed Shearwater
Christmas Shearwater
Tristram's Storm-Petrel
Red-footed Booby
Brown Booby
Masked Booby
Lesser Frigatebird
Great Frigatebird
White-tailed Tropicbird
Red-tailed Tropicbird
Cattle Egret
Pacific Golden-Plover
Whimbrel (Siberian and American)
Bristle-thighed Curlew
Grey-tailed Tattler
Wandering Tattler
Ruddy Turnstone
Glaucous Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Little Tern
Least Tern
Sooty Tern
Grey-backed Tern
Brown Noddy
Fairy Tern
Black Noddy
Common Myna
Canary


Handsome Dan: 35 species

Brant
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
Laysan Duck
Northern Pintail
Northern Shoveler
Eurasian Wigeon
American Wigeon
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Greater Scaup
Laysan Albatross
Black-footed Albatross
Short-tailed Albatross
Bonin Petrel
Wedge-tailed Shearwater
Red-footed Booby
Brown Booby
Great Frigatebird
White-tailed Tropicbird
Red-tailed Tropicbird
Cattle Egret
Pacific Golden-Plover
Bristle-thighed Curlew
Grey-tailed Tattler
Wandering Tattler
Ruddy Turnstone
Sanderling
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Peregrine Falcon
Brown Noddy
Fairy Tern
Black Noddy
Common Myna
Canary

This is Nuom and Pong.  They are bad ass cooks and keep me well fed.  They both left for 2 months on thursday.  Nuom (striped shirt) had his house badly damaged in the Bangkok flooding and has to go deal with that horrible mess.  If any of you are ridiculously well to do and would like to donate to his family, contact me and I'll tell you how.

Here is Patty at the airport scene on Thursday.  Patty is our doctor.  If anything bad happens to me, she will save my life.  There were a whole bunch of people out of the runway to wish John Hanna farewell after hella years of service on Midway.

Summer in The City

I called in to the sf birdbox yesterday to find that somebody had found a Summer Tanager in the park.  I went to pick up Felonious and we quickly got on the bird.  We had to hold some older folks' hands and walk them through the whole experience as well.  They were overjoyed.  Today I flee the City for higher ground.  I am heading into the mountains to drink, gamble, and bird my way through the next few days.  All while living in the lap of luxury.  I will check in tomorrow from one of South Lake Tahoe's fabulous casinos.  

Summer Tanager.  Isn't it lovely?

Great Blue Heron at Sutro Baths.  Very tame, great success.