Bird Sick Day

It's a sad day blog fans, because your amateurnithologist is a bit under the weather. It's ok though, because everyone gets sick sometimes, and maybe we can get through this together. How do some of the birds we've taken a look at in the past deal with it when they get the sniffles?

Brown Pelican (juvenile) lazes about and feels sorry for himself. If you get too close to him he'll start coughing more loudly or moaning about his headache. Best to just give him some space.

Red-winged Black Bird believes in ayurvedic techniques and tries to purge her body of vaguely defined toxins. She goes to hot yoga, drinks tea that makes you sweat, and generally covers herself with lots of blankets. It's very sweaty, but she is dedicated.

There's no polite way to put it, Green Heron is a hypochondriac. He constantly thinks he's getting sick, and when he inevitably does, he approaches it like a job. He takes a ton of over-the-counter medicines, but also goes to the doctor and tries to get anti-biotics even though it's probably just a cold. That doesn't work for a cold, Green Heron! It's going to be worse for you in the long run..

Black-necked Stilt continues to live a party lifestyle and pretends he is not sick. He takes a big gulp of alcohol and laughs and says 'this should kill the germs!' Black-necked Stilt gets a lot of people sick because of his inconsiderate behavior.

Sora & Martin Luther King Regional Shoreline

Sora aka. Sora Rail, aka. Sora Crake
Arrowhead Marsh, Oakland, California, USA
December 2014
Member of the Rails, Coots, and Gallinules Family
§An Expression of Soras§

~true bird fact~ Soras are the most widely distributed and populous member of the Rail family in North America. They are also the most frequently hunted. Who knows why people do these things, but anyway, their population has remained fairly stable because of their high breeding rate. Good job Soras!

Silent defender of the marsh
Has an air of knowing everything, but really just does a lot of research
Strongly committed to ethical behavior, sometimes to the detriment of his own life
Never really feels like he has done enough

Other denizens of Arrowhead Marsh at MLK Regional Shoreline, In beautiful Oakland, Califonia:

Great Egret
has put a new focus on spending time with the family




American Coots
heard about a really great sale

Black-necked Stilt chronic single-hood is not as fun as it used to be

Burrowing Owl
on sabbatical to write a book

Bird of the Year 2013: Meet the Candidates

Hello birdpersons! I had planned a super boring entry about a Northern Flicker, but then I got the news. Audubon California has announced the candidates for Bird of the Year 2013! Obviously I had to stop everything I was doing and write up a voters guide. For birds we've covered before, we'll catch up on their latest accomplishments. New birds will receive a brief, but informative overview. An informed voting public is a societal good!

Black-necked Stilt

On fire since being declared sexiest bird of the year 2012. Has successfully branched out into more sectors than anyone really expected. Resting on his laurels right now, to be honest, but in the eyes of the public this bird can do no wrong.
Chances of winning: GOOD.


Brown Pelican

What did brown pelican do to get his name on the ballot? You don't wanna know. But he's there, and he's made all the right moves this year to position himself for a win. Why does he care? A bid for power? A move towards legitimacy? Simple egotism? No one knows, but he's been racking up endorsements from the business community, and detractors are suspiciously (ominously) silent.
Chances of winning: I'M MORE WORRIED ABOUT WHAT HE'LL DO IF HE DOESN'T WIN

Burrowing Owl
 
Archival Image from Ca. Audubon: Peter LaTourrette
The traditional gesture nomination provided to someone both cute and deserving of recognition, like when a child actor is in an actually good movie. Unlikely to be awarded the title unless the public is in a strange mood. Burrowing Owl himself is pretty 'over' his fifteen minutes and right now is attempting to drive away interest with rude public behavior. Unfortunately this is leading to more attention, and not the positive kind he's used to. Will burrowing owl make it through this rough spot?
Chances of Winning: PROBABLY NOT

Golden Eagle
 
 Archival Image from Ca. Audubon: SigmaEye (??)
Your Amateurnithologist saw a golden eagle once in the wild. He was hiking in the desert and one took off from the ground just a few dozen feet from him. Honestly, the experience was too awing for him to even try with the camera. He seemed aloof and perfect, like some kind of bird god-king. A mighty and remote competitor, golden eagle is pretty much ignoring that the contest exists, but is still commanding respect from all commentators.
Chances of Winning: HOW COULD HE NOT?

Loggerhead Shrike

Archival Image from Ca. Audubon: Patricia R. Pierce
Loggerhead shrike's positioning in this contest is mostly that of a spoiler for the more serious competitors. He's a third party candidate, in essence. He appeals to bird purists with his straightforward approach and no-drama attitude. He seems to say: I am a bird, I have wings, I have a tail, I have a beak. What more could you want?
Chances of Winning: VERY LOW

Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo

 Archival Image from Ca. Audubon: Laura Frazier
When's the last time western yellow-billed cuckoo did anything worth mentioning? Truly a nomination out of left field for the struggling bird. Perhaps a bone throw from the academy so that people will say 'hey, remember western yellow-billed cuckoo'. Retains his charms in a technical way, but to those who know him well, it is like seeing a ghost.
Chances of Winning: ACTUALLY ZERO

I hope this guide prepares you for election day and the celebratory gala afterwards. This amateurnithologist knows he will be there with bells on, live blogging the ceremony. Best of luck to all the competitors.