Hearing the Gospel '06 - Part 2

So, the reason that I'm so behind on my posts is that I took some vacation days to see Pearl Jam in Boston. The first show was on Wednesday and I left work early to pick up my sister. The two of us drove to the Riverside T stop and checked into our hotel. Then we took the T into the city.

We got to the TD Banknorth Garden early since I had to pick up my tickets at the box office. For these shows I got my tickets thru the Pearl Jam fan club. I've used the Ten Club to get tickets to a lot of Pearl Jam shows. But this time the tickets were awarded by seniority, and since my number is pretty low, I expected good seats. But I was blown away when I got opened the envelope.... third row, left center!

After waiting for the doors to open, Kerry and I rushed upstairs to get the show poster and a new t-shirt (I got one at Hartford but one is never enough). Then we settled down into our seats.

The opening band was My Morning Jacket again and I really didn't have any interest in hearing them again. But I sat back and enjoyed the show anyhow.

After a qucik set change, Pearl Jam took the stage at 9:00. The first song of the night, Release, was a real treat for me since this was the first live Pearl Jam song that I ever heard way back in '94 (setlist for that show). After Release, the bank kicked into gear with Severed Hand -> Wordwide Suicide -> Corduroy -> Animal. Red Mosquito, which followed a few songs later, was a cool addition to the setlist.

Further into the opening set, they played Sad which has been on the top of my list since it was released as part of the B-sides disc, Lost Dogs. It was just as awesome live as it is on the CD. Next was Wishlist, which is my sister's favorite. So we were both glad they dropped that one. My last highlight from the opening set was Gone, one of the new songs that they didn't play in Hartford.

After a short break, the Ed and Jeff came back on stage. Ed told the crowd that it was Bob Dylan's birthday before he launched into one of Dylan's songs, Forever Young. The rest of the band took the stage and did another Dylan song (and Pearl Jam favorite) Masters of War. It was just blistering. After a few slow songs, the band closed the first encore with Alive.

The second encore opened with Spin the Black Circle and didn't slow down from there. Towards the end of the night they played Rats which is one of the earlier Pearl Jam songs that I'd never heard live. They finished off the night with another rollicking version of Rocking in the Free World.

The show was just fantastic. I never seem to believe it but the band just keeps getting better every time I see them. I don't know if it was my seats or just the enthusiasm of the Boston fans but I enjoyed this show so much more than Hartford. I'm not saying that Hartford was a bad show. Its just that Boston LOVES PJ! And the band totally draws off the crowd's energy. Plus, I was sitting with hard core fans just like me. I spent the whole night jumping around, head banging, and singing at the top of my lungs (at the appropriate moments) and no one noticed. In Hartford, they all looked at me like I was crazy.

After the show, Kerry and I hopped back on the T and got back to the hotel at 1:00 AM.

Busy Sunday (5/7)

Well, here I am behind in my postings by over a week again. But this time I have a good reason (see my upcoming posts). Anyhow, in an effort to catch back up, I'm going to combine all of my trips from last Sunday into one big post.

I started early with a Forbush Bird Club trip to Sylvester St. in Leicester. We started near the airport and listened to the Bobolinks and Chestnut-sided Warblers in the cold morning air. After a few minutes, we started down the main road and immediately found a Scarlet Tananger. A clearing a few minutes walk down the path gave us great looks at Common Yellowthroats and Yellow Warblers. Before the trip ended I had to turn back so that I could get to my next stop.

The full trip bird list can be found here.

Next I drove to Dauphinais Park in Grafton for a Massachusetts Butterfly Club outing. By this time it was late morning but we still got some nice birds in addition to a healthy list of butterflies. Thanks to Dolores Price for leading the trip.

Birds: American Robin, Prairie Warbler, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Oriole, Gray Catbird, Eastern Towhee, Eastern Phoebe, Black-capped Chickadee, Blue Jay, Red-tailed Hawk, Great-crested Flycatcher

Butterflies: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Cabbage White, Clouded Sulphur, Orange Sulphur, American Copper, Eastern Pine Elfin, Eastern Tailed-Blue, Spring Azure, Pearl Crescent, Mourning Cloak, American Lady, Common Ringlet, Dreamy Duskywing, Juvenal's Duskywing, Wild Indigo Duskywing, Pepper and Salt Skipper

After dinner I finished the day off at All Faiths Cemetery in Worcester. The highlights there were a pair of Orchard Orioles (one adult male and one juvenal male singing), a Green Heron, and a pair of Killdeer mating.

Peaked Mountain, Monson (5/20)

Our final stop for the field trip planning was at a Trustees of the Reservations property in Monson named Peaked Mountain. The property has a very nice field and we found a few nice butterfly species (American Copper, Pine Elfin, American Lady, Pearl Crescent, Clouded Sulphur). We only spent a little time in the field before we had to start back to Norcross. We swung back thru the woods and by a small lake. The Black-throated Green Warblers were still calling even though it was well into the afternoon.

But, my best discovery at Peaked Mountain was a Brown Snake along the path on the way back to the parking lot. It was overcast so he wasn't in the mood to get out of the way. I took some pictures and you can check them out on my PBase (Snakes) page.

I'd like to thank Jen for all of her help. She guided us the netire day and her expertice was invaluable.

Conant Brook Dam, Fiskdale (5/20)

After finishing up at Norcross, Jen brought us over to Conant Brook Dam, a Corps of Engineers property neat Norcross. There is some nice butterfly habitat there but we couldn't stay long. But, even with a visit of only a few minutes, we did spot a Broadwing Hawk, several Rough-wing Swallows, and a Kingfisher flying over the lake.

Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary (5/20)

After finishing up at Wells State Park, we drove out to Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary in Monson. Our goal was to scope the property out for a field trip that Elise Barry and my Mom will be leading during the North American Butterfly Association conference next week. We were met by the staff naturalist, Jennifer Ohop, an all-access tour of the sanctuary.

The property itself is really fantastic. There are several native plant gardens that are packed with rare species. Some of the gardens are enclosed to protect them from being eaten by deer. But, others are open parts of the landscape. In addition to the cultivated natives, the property is covered with naturally growing plants. I learned a lot of new plants and took a ton of pictures. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to edit any of them yet. When I do, I'll put them up on my PBase site and post a quick notice here.

Some of my favorites that were in bloom during our visit were the trillium species, Columbine, Yellow Ladyslipper, Fringed Polygala, and Golden Groundsel. You can get a list of what's currently in bloom on the sanctuary's web site.

Birds: Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Oriole, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Cedar Waxwing, Eastern Phoebe, Black-capped Chickadee, American Goldfinch

Saving the Spider (5/20)

I had a busy day on Saturday. It started a Wells State Park in Sturbridge. I got there early, parked at the main entrance, and did some exploring of the pond and nearby powerlines. Every log and stump on the pond was covered with Painted Turtles even though the sun was barely over the trees. Dozens of Tree Swallows and at least one Great Crested Flycatcher were swooping down along the water. As I hiked along the water I could make out a few warblers but when I got to the powerlines they were everywhere. There were lots of Common Yellowthroats and Blue-wings but by far the most prevalent were Prairie Warblers. The Prairies were everywhere... high in the trees and feeding low in the bushes. I've never had such nice looks at this bird. I even got a few nice photos which I hope to post when I get the chance.

After a few minutes I had to leave for my next stop. But, as I was making my way back to the parking lot I spotted some movement in the water. It was a nice size (maybe 2 inches long or so) spider. He was struggling against the current which was carrying him toward a breach in the beaver dam. He was really in trouble so I leapt into action. I quickly picked up a large stick and angled it in the water directly in his path. As he floated by he was able to grab a hold and I lifted him to safety. Before I left him to dry off, I took almost a whole disk full of photos.

Birds: American Robin, Mourning Dove, Northern Flicker, Great Crested Flycatcher, Tree Swallow, Yellow Warbler, Black and White Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Blue Jay, Eastern Towhee, Field Sparrow, Blue Wing Warbler, Gray Catbird, Red-tailed Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Northern Cardinal

Herps: Garter Snake, Painted Turtle

Nighthawk (5/17)

While working in my yard today I heard the unmistakable "peent" of a Nighthawk. This is my first of the year. It was headed north but swerved every once in a while to catch a bug or two.

"Bad" Weather?

So, it was a long wet weekend. I understand that the Bird-a-thon teams were hoping for sunny skies for the event but in the end, it was just rain. And, to be honest, I really enjoyed it. I think that if you really love nature you should try to experience it in all conditions. It might be uncomfortable to be wet and cold but thanks to our advanced society, we can always go home, dry off, and get a good nights rest. Loving nature and staying inside every time the weather is bad is like being a mathematician and only using even numbers. You're missing out one half the experience.

And the rewards are great. You can learn so much about how the animals endure these conditions. Which birds sing in the rain? How do butterflies sustain themselves after a week without nectar? How do Tree Swallows find food when the insects are all grounded? Do rails come out in the open when it rains or do they stay hidden in the reeds? How clear does it need to be for raptors to fly?

And, if nothing else a few hours of uncomfortability really makes you empathize with the animals. Its amazing that they can migrate thousands of miles and still survive a wet, windy, and unseasonably cold week. I realize that this is what they've done for millions of years but that doesn't make it less admirable.

Cromwell Meadows (5/14)

When I woke up early on Sunday morning it was overcast but it wasn't raining. So, I decided to go over to Cromwell Meadows a state owned property only a mile or so from my home. It's been about a year since I hiked this area and it certainly has been improved. The main trail has been filled in with crushed rock. This is a really nice update since the property is mostly marsh and the trail flooded often. For those of you who perfer a more natural path, there are still several side trails thru the bushes.

I got to the property around 7 o'clock. Unlike Saturday, the woods was filled with birdsong. I could pick out a few warblers (Black and White, Yellow, Common Yellowthroat) but I definitely missed more than I identified. While exploring a side trail I even found a Magnolia Warbler (photo by Amy Lavy). I was surprised to be able to ID it since I think that this was the first time I'd found one. While I was admiring the bird, a Beaver scared me half to death with a load slap of his tail on the water.

Other than warblers, the woods were packed with Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Orioles, and Catbirds. I also heard at least one Virginia Rail and found a Northern Flicker tending to her nest.
The woods were also filled with spring flowers. Some of them I knew (Common Buttercup and Wild Geranium). The others I had to photograph and search the internet to learn their names. My favorite of these was Purple Dead Nettle. What a great name.

When I got to the end of the path, I discovered a pair of Blue-headed Vireos (male and female) searching the tree limbs for some food. The male would find a medium size caterpillar, smack it 4 or 5 times on the limb, and then swallow it whole. He must have done this six times while I watched. It was like he was at a buffet.

As I turned around to head home, it started to rain harder. I got pretty wet but it was worth it.

Birds: Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Red Bellied Woodpecker, Red Tailed Hawk, American Crow, Gray Catbird, American Robin, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Mouring Dove, Mallard, Wood Duck, Titmouse, Virginia Rail, Eastern Kingbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Baltimore Oriole, Northern Parula, Black and White Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Magnolia Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat(?), Great Crested Flycatcher, Song Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Blue-headed Vireo, Blue Jay, Eastern Towhee, Common Grackle, Northern Cardinal, American Goldfinch

Hearing the Gospel '06 - Part 1

After getting done with Bird-a-thon on Sunday I dried off and headed down to Hartford to catch the Pearl Jam show at The Meadows. This was my 12th show and it ended up being really great. I rolled into the parking lot around 6:00 for the 7:00 o'clock show. Its been a while since I've been to the Meadows and I forgot how nice a venue it is. The main ampitheatre has around 5000 seats (I'd guess) and there's a lawn section further back. The venue seems smaller than it really is and there aren't many bad seats (except those near the walls)

My friend Glenn and I were about 10 - 15 rows in front of the lawn. Luckily for us and the rest of the fans on the lawn, the rain held off for the whole show. The opening band, My Morning Jacket, kicked off the show and they played around 45 minutes. I liked some of their material but other songs were just annoying.

After 45 minutes to switch over the setup, PJ took the stage at 8:30. They started off with fantastic versions of songs off the new album (Severed Hand, World Wide Suicide, Life Wasted, Marker in the Sand). The rest of the main set spanned the breadth of the groups work. There were a number of songs from Ten including Why Go and a new version of Garden. They also ripped thru three of my favorite live songs Corduroy, Rearviewmirror, and Hail Hail. One of the highlights near the end of the main set was an awesome version of Inside Job (one of my favorites from the new album)

After a short break the band retook the stage and attempted I'm Open for the first time live. It ended up being just the chorus but it was still a bit of a treat. The encore ended with a nice version of Do the Evolution.

As they always do, the boys came back for a second encore. They started off with Go and then moved on to Alive. An absolutely furious version of Neil Young's Rocking in the Free World followed and would have been fitting but they capped the night with Yellow Ledbetter.

The show was a solid 2.5 hours long and I had a great time. Even the parking situation was smooth and I was on the open road by 11:20. [Check out The Sky I Scrape for the entire setlist.]

Bird-a-thon 2006 (5/12-5/13)

This past weekend was the annual Bird-a-thon fundraiser for the Massachusetts Audubon Society. For those unfamiliar with the event, the idea is to get groups of birders together and spend a 24-hour period trying to locate as many bird species as possible (think of it as a naturalist's scavenger hunt). Each team represents a different sanctuary and after the results are totaled a winner is crowned.

Well, that's the background. I've done this event 4 or 5 times and its always fun. But you're really at the mercy of the spring New England weather. One of the past years was cold and rainy (some groups even had snow) while others have been unmercifully hot.

This year it was torrential rain. Its been raining here in southern New England for an entire week. Its been pretty hard on the area. There's been a lot of flooding and property damage especially up north. So, in the grand scheme of things, our Bird-a-thon problems are pretty small.

But, it certainly didn't help the situation. My sub-team (my parents and I) had the territory of Wachusett Reservoir and Delaney WMA in Bolton/Stow. On Friday night, we started at Wachusett. It was raining pretty good when we got there at 6:00 PM but we were able to immediately check off Mallard, Common Loon, and Hooded Mergazer. We also found a pair of Greater Yellowlegs. We stopped at a few more spots along the reservoir and as the weather cleared a bit we found some other common birds (Rose Breasted Grosbeak, Mourning Dove) but everything was hunkered down for the night. We tried to listen for some owls but finally gave up.

The next morning we got up bright and early and made our way out to Delaney. It was already raining again before we even got there. The rain came in waves the entire day. At times it would be coming down hard for a few minutes. Then it would stop and just mist for a while.

These conditions made the birds were extremely hard to find. They weren't singing and when we did happen across an adventurous one, the fog made identification difficult. We did have a few nice sighting though. My favorites were a single Scarlet Tananger, and a couple of Brown Creepers trying to find something to eat. I also had a really fantastic sighting in the afternoon that was a "life" bird for me. Unfortunately I don't think that I should go into any more detail since the species is locally rare in Massachusetts and I'd hate to have a mass of birders descend on the area and scare it away from this potential nesting site (like anyone reads my ramblings). Maybe in a couple of months I'll write it up.

Finally we took a drive to Sterling Peat and found a few more shorebirds and some swallows. We stayed around long enough to finally hear an Eastern Phoebe. Unbelievably this is the first one we heard all day... but I'm glad we got one.

So, after spending the day searching as hard as we could, we headed home. But, we couldn't help but take a slight detour to pick up one more species. We intentionally drove the long way since it would bring us under two bridges. But, we got our target: a Rock Pigeon!

Our final species total was modest (64 species) but overall the Broad Meadow Brook team did well. We got 158 species in total. But the most important thing is that we raised a lot of money for the sanctuary.

My teams birds: Common Loon, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Wood Duck, Mallard, Hooded Merganser, Virginia Rail, Killdeer, Greater Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper, Greater Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Common Tern, Mourning Dove, Eastern Screech Owl, Belted Kingfisher, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Eastern Phoebe, Warbling Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Tree Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, House Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Wood Thrush, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, European, Starling, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Pine Warbler, Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, Scarlet Tanager, Chipping Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Baltimore Oriole, House Finch, American Goldfinch, Rock Pigeon, Northern Parula, White-throated Sparrow, House Sparrow

Greenbriar Park, Oxford (5/7)

I finished up on Sunday at Greenbriar Park in Oxford. The birds were still out but not in the same numbers as the morning walk. Yellow-rumps and Yellow Warblers were still singing and the bug eaters (Phoebe, Kingbird, Tree Swallow) were out in force. But I didn't find any rarities.

The water level in the pond was very high, possibly due to beaver activity. This appears to be great for the Eastern Painted Turtles. There were dozens of them of every size. They were all hauled out onto anything above the surface of the water to get some much needed sun. Also, in one of the side pools, I found a medium sized Northern Water Snake swimming back and forth. Its almost hypnotic to see them move thru the water.

But, the strangest thing was to see three Rangers on 4 wheelers "patrolling" the property. I don't know if they were assigned to Hodges Village Dam Corps of Engineers property which abuts Greenbriar but they had badges and special plates. Regardless, it couldn't be more ridiculous to see these large vehicles attempt to work their way down trails designed for hikers and mountain bikers. I realize that motorized vehicles are a big problem for the area in general. But, this seems to be an initiative that does more harm than good. And what a waste of resources.

Birds: Yellow-rump Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Ovenbird, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Catbird, Northern Cardinal, Red-wing Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Goldfinch, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Kingbird, Mallard, Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Brown Thrasher, House Wren, Tree Swallow, Chickadee, Blue Jay, Tufted Titmouse, Great Blue Heron, Downy Woodpecker, Warbling Vireo.

Sylvester Street, Leicester (5/7)

I got up relatively early on Sunday and got over to Sylvester St. There were a good number of birds singing even though it was a bit cool. The warblers were the best I've had this year including great looks at a Blue-wing and a Black and White.

Birds: Downy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Cowbird, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-wing Blackbird, Common Grackle, Wood Duck, Goldfinch, Purple Finch, Northern Cardinal, Wood Thrush, Veery, American Crow, Ruffed Grouse, Catbird, Eastern Phoebe, Canada Goose, Tree Swallow, Tufted Titmouse, Chickadee, Killdeer, Pine Warbler, Blue-wing Warbler, Northern Parula, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Ovenbird, Yellow-rump Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Spotted Sandpiper, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Common Raven, Least Flycatcher, Eastern Towhee, Blue Jay, American Robin, Mourning Dove.

Broad Meadow Brook MAS (5/6)

After the Forbush trip we went over to Broad Meadow Brook hoping to do some butterfly monitoring. By this time the sky was completely overcast. So, we changed plans and explored the powerlines in the Granite St. area hoping to find a Brown Snake. We turned over lots of plywood, discarded rugs, and tires without finding a snake. We did have around 3 dozen Red-backed Salamanders. After a while the rains started and we headed for home.

Before we got to the driveway, the sun was back out. After relaxing for a bit we felt that the weather was too nice and we decided to head back to the sanctuary. We walked the powerlines and found a few Azures. But, it was too late for any significant activity.

But our effort was rewarded as we walked back to the car on Trioano Brookside Trail. A Great Blue Heron was hunting for food in the water and a lot of birds were out enjoying the last sun of the day. As we were enjoying the birds, my dad spotted soming moving along the trail. We all rushed up to see what it was. Before we got too close we recognized it as a medium sized Snapping Turtle. It was "migrating" from the muddy area at one side of the path to the water on the other. After taking some close up pictures, we decided to leave it to its task. But the trail was so busy with people that it retraced its steps instead.

Buck Hill, Spencer (5/6)

The Forbush Bird Club had a trip to Buck Hill in Spencer on Saturday morning. The The conditions were a bit cool and but the variety of birds was pretty good. Its still a bit early in the spring so our warbler count was low. We did get some nice looks at a few Northern Parulas and Black-throated Greens. The members also heard a Black-throated Blue and a couple of Chestnut-sided Warblers. A Great Crested Flycatcher and Tree Swallows were around the lake and a Spotted Sandpiper was discovered on one of the rocks. A full trip list can be found here (when its posted).

The flowers realized that it was spring. The Wood Anemone, Goldthread, Marsh Marigold, and Cranberry Viburnum were in full bloom. We also found some Purple Trillium and the shoots of some Solomon's Seal. If you're interested in native plants, the Connecticut Botanical Society has a great wildflower site. I constantly refer to it for the names of all these plants.

Overall, it was a nice morning out with some good people. Many thanks to Susan Sachs for leading the trip.

Oxbow NWR (4/30)

Tom Murray led a Massachusetts Butterfly Club trip to Oxbow NWR last Sunday. As always, butterflies are hard to find in this area in the early spring, but we did have some nice sightings. The list was: Tiger Swallowtail, Cabbage White, Eastern Pine Elfin, Eastern Tailed Blue, Spring Azure, Eastern Comma, Compton Tortoiseshell, Mourning Cloak, Juvenal's Duskywing (and, not a butterfly but just as pretty, a Tiger Beetle)

But, my personal favorite from this refuge is the Blanding's Turtles. I had good, long looks at two individuals and was even able to take some respectable pictures. Oxbow is said to have the largest breeding population of these turtles in the East. And they are just great animals. [More pictures can be found at my PBase-Turtles site]

The flowers were also starting to bloom including Bloodroot, Bluets, and this one that I can't remember.

UPDATE: The mystery wildflower is Round-lobed Hepatica.

Spring Flowers

Well, I'm a little behind on my posts. That's the problem with spring... there's too much to photograph and it takes a lot of time to process them. Anyhow, last weekend (4/29 - 4/30) the spring flowers were really out at the Cascades in Worcester. There were virtual fields of two of my favorites: Trout Lily (above) and Purple Trilium (below).

Crow Hill - Personal Assessment

I'd never been to Crow Hill before Saturday and I was suprised at how nice the property was. GWLT's web site states that the property is approximately 28 acres. The top of the hill had recently been burned so much of the ground cover was gone (some meadowsweet was trying to poke thru). Successional trees such as birches were pretty well established at the peak. The larger trees (including at least two large apple trees) were all at the bottom of the hill.

The site also had two small ponds. The first one was ringed by a small patch of milkweed and contained two muskrat lodges. The lodges were a favorite sunning spot for a pair of Eastern Painted Turtles throughout the morning.

Other herps at the site were Green Frogs, Redback Salamanders, and one snake (from second hand description I believe that it was probably a Brown Snake). Birds included Eastern Towhee, Turkey Vulture, and a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks (probably). Butterflies included Mourning Cloak, Clouded Sulphur, and Pearl Crescent.

In general, the site contained a lot of good habitat with nice trails. I look forward to going back to explore more of the property in the future.

Crow Hill Cleanup (4/29)

I participated in a Earth Day cleanup of the Greater Worcester Land Trust's Crow Hill Property on Saturday. The property was in pretty good condition considering its in the middle of the city. We found a couple of motorbikes and a lot of car parts and tires. The top of the hill appeared to have been used as a dump since we found a large pile of glass and ceramics. But, the group did a great job and the property is now fresh and clean. The City of Worcester should also be commended for their support of this and other cleanups around the city on Saturday.

All Faiths Cemetery, Worcester (4/29)

I took a short morning drive thru All Faiths Cemetery on Saturday morning. There wasn't too much to speak of other than our yearly residents (Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Robin, Chickadee, etc.). The only migrants were a significant flock of Yellow Rump Warblers and a solitary Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.

Leopold the Hunter - A Counterargument

A post on my friend Eric's blog (Green Fire Lost) got me riled up last week. And now I'm filled with PJ fueled adrenelin, I think that I'm going to give it my best shot.

The article that Eric references in his post makes several arguments to prove that Aldo Leopold supported hunting. I'm not familiar with Leopold so I won't agree or disagree with the author's assessment but I would like to tackle his core points. As I read them they are:

1. Hunting is critical to land conservation.
2. Hunting is a good way to connect with and understand the natural world.
3. Hunting is necessary to cull game populations (which would otherwise be subject to widespread starvation).

I'll start off slow with #1. I agree that hunters, indirectly and directly, have contributed greatly to the conservation of open land in the United States. Without the nation's hunters we would probably not have a Fish and Wildlife Service or the refuge system. Money from hunting licences allows the government to patrol and maintain these lands.

Also, private organizations such as Ducks Unlimited have conserved thousands of acres of critical wetlands. This should be a great thing but I can't help to think about the "net good". You're conserving habitat for animals and then removing a portion of their population. Certainly it would be better to protect the land and not kill the animals you're attempting to conserve. On top of this you're poisoning the land and water with lead sinkers and shot.

Now on to #2. In theory, hunting should be an good way to connect with the natural world. But, in practice, I just don't believe that to be true. What does sitting with gun ready at a bear baiting site teach you (other than bears like donuts)? How hard is it to find and shoot pheasants that are purposely released at specific sites on specific date? There is no preparation or investment of knowledge involved with these practices. There's no understanding or appreciation of the natural world. Its just barbaric, plain and simple.

Furthermore, there doesn't appear to be good adherence to basic safety in the general hunting community. If you can't tell a California Condor from a game bird, you're not ready to hunt. If you can't tell a lawyer from a pheasant you're officially a menace to society. If you're not 100% sure of what you have you shouldn't be attempting to kill it. People and pets should not have to wear orange vests during hunting season. It should be up to the responsible hunter to take the time to be sure of what he sees. Anyone with half a brain can tell a human from a deer.

Finally on to #3. There's no doubt that the predator/prey balance has been completely disturbed by over 200 years of human influence. Certainly deer populations all over the country have exploded to a level where they overwelm their foodsource. But there is evidence that if predators are allowed to reestablish viable populations, they can restore the balance. This is evident in the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone. The population of elk has dramatically dropped and this has benefitted the ecosystem as a whole. Native trees are free of overgrazing and the land begins to heal itself.

The problem is that there's too much money in hunting. The state organizations receiving the funds from hunting licences and tourism don't want to see the reintroduction of predators because they will affect the deer/elk populations. Audubon Magazine published an article on Maine's program of snaring coyotes in 2002. If you only have time to read one article that I've referenced, please read this one. And if it doesn't make you embarrassed to the point of physical sickness then I'll never reach you.

The simple fact is that hunting is big business. And those in power want to protect the industry. If this means actively throwing off the balance of predator and prey, then so be it. Just don't come to me expecting a parade for the "charity" work you're doing. You're not culling only the weak and starving. And you're not doing it for the sake of the animals. Its just a self-serving PR opportunity.

Happy "Pearl Jam" Release Day!

Today is the most sacred day of the PJ calendar... new music from my favorite band. I just got in from picking up the new record. It rocks hard! Check it out.

Oldest Animal Dies

Addwaitya, a Aldabra tortoise at the Indian Zoo has died of liver failure. He was thought to be 250 years old. This means he was already in his 20's before the American Revolution. Unbelievable!