Sunday birding in Cape May

Once the sun came out, the Cape came alive with migrating birds. Sunday morning, we all got up super early and went to Higbee Beach, which was just crawling with songbirds and hawks. That’s where we stood in the same spot for almost a half hour watching dozens of birds flit around, including this cooperative palm warbler:


Walking back to the cars, I saw this bumper sticker:

After that, we went back to the hawk platform at Cape May Point and saw some freshly banded sharpies, a kestrel, and a red-tailed hawk. It was awe-inspiring to see these great hunters up close! They were all so beautiful and powerful. Sadly, I didn’t get any good photos, but Susan and Laura did so check out their posts.

After that, we walked through the marshes on their very nice boardwalk, and I remembered the last time I’d been there: with Kat in February, when it was FREEZING.

Look at this beautiful mockingbird; he was as interested in us as we were in him:
His expression reminds me of this lolcat.

Northern shovellers, way in the distance:
Even from all the way across the pond (not that pond), I could see their huge bills—like Daffy Duck’s bill.

Also got a lifer in the butterfly category, a buckeye:
As I said in my previous post, I didn’t get many pictures on Sunday because I was having battery trouble the whole time, despite having bought new rechargeable batteries on my way to the Cape. I hope they just need a little seasoning and will soon hold a charge longer than ten minutes.

After this we went for lunch and then took Birdchick and Jay from birdjam to the 2nd Avenue jetties, where we saw terns, gulls, and black skimmers. (by now the batts were dead, so no photos) I helped a really nice Canadian woman by IDing the shorebirds for her, confessing that I only knew them all because Birdchick and Laura had already IDd them.

I stood there for a while, watching the ocean waves and wishing Kat had been there with me to see the beach. She and I both love the ocean and hope to move closer to it when she’s done with her PhD (only a year and half to go!). Then, after saying my goodbyes, I got in the car and drove home. What a melancholy experience that was!

I can’t wait to get out in the field again; I’ll probably go on a field trip this weekend to Bald Eagle State Park, where I’ve been only once before. I feel like I’m a better birder now, having seen so many shorebirds and marshbirds in New Jersey. I have a certain confidence that wasn't necessarily there before, along with even more fervor for getting out into the field. All this leaves me wondering: Am I still a beginner? I hope so.

I might just see a few more lifers out there, as the field trip leader (from the State College Birding Club) says we might see some more peeps, some red-shouldered hawks, and maybe some ducks that I haven’t yet seen.

I have a ton of calculus homework to do tonight, but tomorrow night I'm going to start reading Kingbird Highway. I'm really looking forward to reading about what makes a birder "extreme."

In search of the best pumpkin

Saturday/Sunday lifer-rama at Cape May

A flock of double-crested cormorants flies over the Nature Conservancy's refuge area, which used to be known as "the meadows."

Despite the rainy conditions on Friday and most of Saturday, I made my goal of 20 lifers (plus another 11!) at Cape May. At one point on Sunday morning at Higbee Beach, we stood in front of two or three trees for like half an hour with bird after bird landing there and sharp-shinned hawks flying overhead. I was kinda hoping to see a kill, but we were spared any carnage. We finally had to surrounder our sweet spot to the next group of birders, or we might still be there today.

My lifers list:
American Wigeon
Blue-winged Teal
Gadwall
Northern Pintail
Northern Shoveler
Ruddy Duck
Snowy Egret

Pectoral Sandpiper
Black Skimmer
Surf Scoter
Bonaparte's Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Herring Gull
Laughing Gull
Royal Tern
Forster's Tern
Sanderling
Merlin
Northern Harrier
Peregrine Falcon
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Yellow-rumped Warbler (finally!)
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blue Grosbeak
Blue-headed Vireo
Clay-colored Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Common Yellowthroat (finally!)
Purple Finch (finally!)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet

In total, I saw over 75 species during the weekend, which isn’t bad considering the amount of rain we had. UPDATE! Thanks to Patrick, I've adjusted my count to 31 lifers with that pectoral sandpiper (photo below). Now my lifelist count is now officially at 152, since I got serious about birding in 2006 and started keeping a lifelist.

It seems like it’s been a lot longer than that, but maybe that's because I’ve been looking at birds since I was a kid. I would never have guessed I'd come so far so fast (or it seems far and fast to me, anyway).

I ate some great food, made some good friends, got a copy of Kingbird Highway (which Taryn at Houghton Mifflin was kind enough to give me), and learned a ton about raptor ID, not to mention birding fieldcraft. I also met Pete Dunne, got some neat t-shirts for Kat and Em and me, and got a nice new comfy strap for my binocs.

I’ll be thinking back to this trip for a long time, always with a certain wistfulness right along with the joy. I miss Cape May, and I miss the birds.

Here are a few shots I got on Saturday:

a mated pair of American wigeons; I love their little call:
Sanderlings on the beach:

Pectoral sandpipers (thanks, Patrick!):

My best shot yet of a great blue heron:

Birdchick gives a presentation on blogging:

There were many people there who were geniunely curious and then excited about the prospect of getting on the Web. Directly to Birdchick's right is Mike of 10,000 Birds. What a great guy; he's the one who really started the whole bird-blogging scene. I handed out my card to several people during the festival; if you're one of them, visiting my blog for the first time, hello!

Sunday was another eventful day; I had a lot of trouble, however, with my batteries. Still, I'll try to post some Sunday photos later.

Friday Night in Cape May

It’s been difficult to find a few moments to myself since returning from Cape May. I’m trying to catch up on undone calculus homework, undone laundry and chores, and an email inbox that threatens to blow open at any moment.

Further complicating the situation, my thoughts and impressions about the weekend are almost too numerous, too jumbled to organize. That, along with the post-vacation blahs, has made it hard to put any coherent posts together.

I covered the Friday birding in my last post; now I’ll move on to the Friday evening Birds and Beers session at Jackson Mountain Café. They let us have the top floor, TVs on “Meerkat Manor” and then “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” playing in the background, and a waiter who probably cursed us bitterly every time he had to climb up and down those stairs yet again for another brewski or martini.

All these birders were lifers for me, this being our first in-person meeting. What a great bunch of birds!

Susan Gets Native and Sharon the Birdchick discover digital photography, with the incredibly nice Jay Davis of Birdjam in the background.

BornAgainBirdWatcher, Laura Somewhere in NJ, and a gloomy sea captain who obviously disapproved of our mirth.

Birdchick, performing an energetic display ritual and consuming one of her species' favorites, a dirty martini. I don’t want to anthropomorphize, but I’d guess she’s thinking, “Another bride/ Another June/ Another sunny honeymoon/ Another season, another reason/ For makin' whoopee.”

In the “It’s a Small World After All” category, Elizabird and I discovered that we’d gone to high school together! We didn’t recognize each other until she learned that I was from Harlingen, and then she came over and we reminisced and hugged and laughed our heads off, thinking about our time in drama classes, Children’s Theatre, and other antics. Liz is now a big-time birder, married to big-time birder Jeff Gordon of Jeff Gyr fame, and (as if that’s not enough) she was instrumental in starting the Rio Grande Valley Bird Festival! How incredible is it that after 25 years, we would meet in a bar in Cape May, NJ, brought together by our mutual love of birds!? Life never ceases to amaze me.

Here we all are, the birding bloggers: (back row from left) Laura from NJ, (that's Harry Potter and Ron Weasley on the TV), Beth from Easy Ecoliving and Patrick from the Hawk Owl’s Nest, Jeff Gyr and Elizabird, Birdchick and martini, Sheri the hummingbird specialist and author; (front row from left) John the BornAgainBirdwatcher, me looking like some sort of thuglet doing a very scary gangsta pose, Susan Gets Native, Susan at Lake Life, Amy Wildbird on the Fly, and Mike from 10,000 Birds.

What a flock! Next time, we'll move on to Saturday, which started out rainy and miserable but ended up sunny and gorgeous.

Bubble wrap ...

h/t to DCup!

Bush and Rice share blame for Blackwater

Dan Froomkin, in a special column to washingtonpost.com, writes:

In the wake of last month's shooting of 17 civilians by Blackwater gunmen in Baghdad, the Bush administration is finally acknowledging -- more than four years late -- that private security contractors in Iraq should operate under the law.

Last week, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice admitted to Congress that the State Department had inadequately supervised those contractors. As Karen DeYoung wrote in Friday's Washington Post, "Pressed to express regret for what Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) called "the failures of your department, your failures," Rice said, "I certainly regret that we did not have the kind of oversight that I would have insisted upon."

Not the kind of oversight that she "would have insisted upon?" Would someone please remind me of her job description? Isn't she like in charge of these things, or am I missing something?

Rice agreed that "there is a hole" in U.S. law that has prevented prosecution of contractors.

But did we really need an apparent massacre to point out this giant loophole and its perils?

As it happens, President Bush has been aware of the hole for some time -- and deserves some of the blame for not fixing it earlier. Confronted about it in public more than a year ago, Bush literally laughed off the question -- and then, tellingly, described his response as a case study in how he does his job.

Here's the video, posted to YouTube on April 11, 2006:


As my good friend Tengrain at Mock, Paper, Scissors would say ... Impeach the mutha already!

Flashback: Getting to Cape May

I'm home again, and I'm exhausted! I was so happy to see Kat, to sleep in my own bed, and to be back in familiar surroundings, but I also miss Cape May. Actually, I missed it as soon as I crossed the bridge and got on the Garden State Parkway yesterday afternoon.

There is a SO MUCH to tell you about the weekend; I'll go in chronological order and give you a little account of each day's activities.

I drove to Cape May Thursday after work; en route, I got lucky:

Woo hoo, all sevens! What do I win?

The Cape Harbor Motel: clean, comfy, and affordable:

Down at Cape May Point near the lighthouse, I saw my first warbler--a palm warbler amongst some bare shrubs:

At the convention center, I walked into the vendor show area and met my first celebrity!--Wildbird on the Fly, editor of WildBird Magazine (oh, she's the cute one on the right; pay no attention to the chubby-cheeked geek on the left):My first lifer of the trip was a Savannah sparrow, seen on a field trip to the Beanery:Not a great photo, but note how dark it was with the rain coming down; it was wet and miserable, and Susan of Lake Life and I were soaked to the skin by the time the Beanery field trip was over. However, we got some good looks at a few birds, both in the trees and overhead.

I can tell you that the migration flightline definitely runs through Cape May. All weekend, we saw flocks of everything from red-winged blackbirds and robins to double-crested cormorants and great blue herons, all heading for their winter homes down south. It was awe-inspiring to see groups of 200+ cormorants, all focused on getting to their destination.

I'll flash-forward now to my drive home because, after all I'd seen and learned during the weekend programs and birding walks, I really began to think about this whole fall migration business. Like everyone else, I learned about bird migrations when I was a kid in science classes. What I didn't learn in school or even in these last few years of learning bird ID, behaviors, and so forth, is that a lot of birds don't survive the fall migration. I don't know if I just missed that part of 4th grade science with Miss Gomez or maybe I just tuned it out (you know how bird death bothers me), but I never really thought about the fact that, despite their preparations of packing on the fat stores and staying together for safety, a lot of birds will die en route to their winter vacation homes.

Thinking about it last night in the car as I watched another flock of cormorants flying over me, I wondered: Am I naive or just dumb? Neither option is very comforting. Of course, some birds die; it happens every day. But somehow, this was different. I imagined what it would be like to be forced to pack up, leave my home, and walk hundreds of miles to a new home. Along the way, there would be dangers--predators, man-made obstacles, and others around me competing for what food and drink were available on the way. I wouldn't have a choice about leaving; I'd be compelled by instinct to do this, not just once but every autumn, so I could get away from the snows of the north. This would be no fun vacation, no retirement trip in the luxury RV to Texas or Florida for the winter visitors from up north. During this "vacation," I could die at any moment. I might collapse from exhaustion, unable to continue because I hadn't brought enough food or couldn't find enough on the road. Someone might just decide I'm an easy meal and kill me. I met encounter a storm that blows me so off course I can't recover; I'm separated from my traveling companions and I'm lost. Finally, I just lay down on the side of the road, confused and tired, and sleep until I don't wake up again.

I know that to most birders, all these things are so obvious on their face as to be silly. But as I said, I just didn't think about that before this weekend. As I drove on toward Philadelphia in the fading sunlight of the day, I was filled with a sadness I couldn't shake. I thought about that forced "vacation" all the way home.

Spring migration at Oil Creek had been a wonderful experience; the birds were all dressed in their finest outfits, excitedly singing and looking for mates; I could sense the thrill of possibility in the air. Most importantly, these birds were coming home. They'd survived the trip south and the trip back north, and now they were singing and fluttering, ready to create the next generation of birds. Fall migration is different, though. Everyone has to leave; all the nests they'd worked to build, all the great hunting spots they'd worked to find, all the warm sunshine and gentle breezes of spring and summer are over, and now they're were facing a hard flight away.

For me, it's just a lot to think about. I looked up at a passing flock of 20 or so great egrets, and I whispered, "Good luck."

Sunday Funnies

A quick hello from Cape May

We're sitting in the darkened corner of a bar called Cabana's, with a live band playing and a huge crowd jamming to the band and the PSU Nittany Lions losing to the OSU Buckeyes, and WE ARE BLOGGING. This WIFI business blows my mind!

The hotel's WIFI connection is rather lame; you have to sit in a breezeway just to get a signal, so we came out to this bar to get free wireless Internet access. Laura H of Somewhere in NJ was kind enough to let me blog on her laptop, so I'll do a quick hello from Cabana's in Cape May!

What a great two days of birding--sopping wet, trudging around in the mud, tired, cold, but 19 lifers later !!! I'm still incredibly happy! This has been a weekend for the ages, one I'll remember for the rest of my life. I've met some incredible people--Laura, Susan Gets Native, Susan from Lake Life, Sharon the Birdchick, Amy of Wildbird on the Fly, Mike from 10,000 Birds, and a bunch of other people. Laura and the two Susans and I have been quite the birding foursome, getting lifers left and right, learning about each other and ourselves in other people's eyes, and just having a great time. Quick impressions?

1. Susan Gets Native runs red lights but won't cross against the light when walking; she looks like a former beauty queen and is hilariously fun.

2. Laura H is just as beautiful and poetic in person as she is on her blog, and her sense of humor lights a room.

3. Susan of Lake Life is a grounded and earthy person, always on schedule and always ready to go to the next event and find another bird.

I'll leave you with this shot of us at the shore of the Atlantic Ocean on our first and only sunny day so far:

I'll post again from home. In the meantime, I hope everyone else in the world is having as great a weekend as I am.

Hip Hop Violin

I loved this!
h/t to Karen at Beautiful Day Rule

Fake FEMA Press Conference

Good grief! You'd think an agency already dealing with image issues would be particularly conscious of their actions -- but not FEMA! The New York Times reports:

The Federal Emergency Management Agency staged a fake news conference this week, with agency staff officials, pretending to be reporters, peppering one of their own bosses with decidedly friendly questions about the response to the California fires, the Department of Homeland Security acknowledged Friday.

The action, first reported on Friday in The Washington Post, drew a rebuke from the White House and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, and an apology from the agency official who was at the lectern, Harvey E. Johnson, the deputy director.

“We have made it clear that such a stunt will never be tolerated or repeated,” a spokeswoman for the department, Laura C. Keehner, said on behalf of Mr. Chertoff.

It seems the agency only gave reporters 15 minutes notice of the event, which meant only television news crews had time to show up before the 'questions' began.

As a result, staff members asked Mr. Johnson a series of friendly questions like, “Are you happy with FEMA’s response so far?” and, “What lessons learned from Katrina have been applied?”

Mr. Johnson gave no indication that the questions came from his own staff.

“I’m very happy with FEMA’s response so far,” Mr. Johnson said in response to one question, according to a transcript.

Dana Perino, the White House spokeswoman, said the event was mishandled. “It’s not something I would have condoned,” she said. “And they — I’m sure — will not do it again.”

Mishandled? Good grief!!

Justice FINALLY for Genarlow Wilson

After spending more than two years behind bars, Genarlow Wilson is tonight a free man.

The New York Times reports:

The Georgia Supreme Court today ended the 10-year prison sentence of a man who was convicted in 2003 of having consensual oral sex with another teenager. The court said the harsh sentence violated the Constitution’s protection against cruel and unusual punishment.

In a 4-to-3 ruling, the court’s majority said the sentence was “grossly disproportionate” to the crime, which the justices said “did not rise to the level of culpability of adults who prey on children.”

The inmate, Genarlow Wilson, who is now 21, was 17 when he was caught on videotape having oral sex with a 15-year-old girl at a drug- and alcohol-fueled New Year’s Eve party in 2003. He was released this afternoon.

This law was deemed so harsh that Georgia legislators changed it a year after Wilson was sentenced. Unfortunately for Genarlow they did not make it retroactive to include him. So this honors student and star athlete has had years stolen from him, that he will never get back.

Writing for the majority in Friday’s 48-page opinion, Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears noted that changes to the law made after Mr. Wilson’s conviction “represent a seismic shift in the legislature’s view of the gravity of oral sex between two willing teenage participants.

“The severe felony punishment and sex offender registration imposed on Wilson make no measurable contribution to acceptable goals of punishment,” she wrote. [...]

Attorney General Thurbert E. Baker, in a written statement, indicated that he would not challenge the high court’s decision.

“I respectfully acknowledge the court’s authority to grant the relief that they have crafted in this case,” Mr. Baker said. “I hope the court’s decision will also put an end to this issue as a matter of contention in the hearts and minds of concerned Georgians and others across the county who have taken such a strong interest in this case.”

John Lewis, a Democratic congressman from Georgia, called the case “one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in Georgia in modern times.”

Earlier in the year it looked as though Wilson might be allowed to leave prison, but the AG appealed a lower court decision.

Tonight, Genarlow Wilson's nightmare is finally over. With the full recognition that this is much easier for me to say than it might be for Genarlow to do ... Let's hope this young man can move on with his life, and not allow what was once a promising future to be lost to him forever.

________________________________

PREVIOUS POSTS:

Genarlow Wilson: perverted justice

Genarlow Wilson caught in a web of injustice

Genarlow Wilson interview on Today Show

For 'I was just wondering' Jess

... hope it was good for you.

Is the GOP driving out moderates?

When a moderate Republican decides to take a pass on running for an open U.S. Senate seat, I think it's a problem. The WaPo reports:

Rep. Thomas M. Davis III said this morning that he will not make a run for the U.S. Senate next year in part because of what he sees as the Republican Party's increasingly narrow focus on candidates who pass conservative litmus tests.

Davis (R-Va.), who has been preparing for a Senate bid for years, said national and state Republicans have failed to recognize how dramatically the country's electorate is changing. Continuing to close their tent to such groups as social moderates, immigrants and those who look to government to protect public schools or reform health care will result in further electoral losses, he said.

Would I vote for Davis if I lived in Virginia? No. But I still think it's tragic how Republicans seem to be squeezing their more moderate members out.

How do they think this will help them win elections? The president's approval rating is at an all time low for ANY president. So why are party faithfuls still listening to the likes of Karl Rove and James Dobson?

Davis, 58, said his decision to take a pass on the Senate race next year was fueled largely by the Republican State Central Committee's decision this month to choose a convention over a primary to nominate the GOP Senate candidate in the spring. The choice is widely viewed to favor former governor James S. Gilmore III, whose right-leaning positions on taxes and social issues are more likely to appeal to the conservative Republicans who tend to participate in conventions.

Still, Davis, a seven-term congressman and former chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, appeared far from ready to withdraw from politics. He said his decision on whether to seek reelection to the House next year will come later. In addition, his choice of a roomful of Washington journalists as his audience seemed designed to give himself a national platform as GOP critic. It is a role that could keep him relevant if the party's fortunes continue to suffer.

I hope he continues to speak out!

It's here--Cape May Weekend

It's finally here -- the Cape May Autumn Weekend. The Flock has been exchanging emails to set up last minute details like where we'll eat tomorrow night and when we're arriving, etc.

I'm so excited that it's hard to sit still. This is only my second birding festival, and this is THE birding festival in this part of the country. The Oil Region one was small and intimate, a great festival for a first-timer like me. Plus I met and birded with Julie Zickefoose--WOW. This time around, I'll be with the Flock and with tons of other birders.

I've packed everything I could think of, and I'll be leaving a little early from work (working through lunch) to get a little head start.

I'll blog from the festival, so be sure to check this little bloggy over the weekend!

Signing off from PA,
DG

Bush threatens Cuba ... with what?

George Bush plans to issue a stern warning to Cuba that the United States won't accept a political transition from one Castro brother to another. The only problem with this is Bush is a little late -- the transfer is pretty much done.

The New York Times reports:

As described by an official in a background briefing to reporters on Tuesday evening, Mr. Bush’s remarks will amount to the most detailed response — mainly an unbending one — to the political changes that began in Cuba more than a year ago, when Fidel Castro fell ill and handed power to his brother Raúl. [...]

[Bush] will say that while much of the rest of Latin America has moved from dictatorship to democracy, Cuba continues to use repression and terror to control its people. And, the administration official said, Mr. Bush will direct another part of his speech to the Cuban people, telling them they “have the power to shape their destiny and bring about change.” [...]

Some of the sharpest parts of the speech, however, will be aimed directly at Raúl Castro. Mr. Bush is expected to make clear that the United States will oppose an old system controlled by new faces. The senior administration official said that nothing in Raúl Castro’s past gives Washington reason to expect democratic reforms soon. And he said the United States would uphold its tough economic policies against the island.

Because they have worked so well up to now! But wait, there's more.

Phil Peters, an expert on Cuba at the non-partisan Lexington Institute, said he saw Mr. Bush’s speech as an attempt to reorient a policy that had fallen behind the times. American policy, he said, had been centered around the idea that the Communist government would fall once Mr. Castro left power, and that Mr. Castro, 81, would be forced out of power only by death. Instead, Mr. Peters said, Raúl Castro’s rise caught the administration off guard.

President Bush has remained largely silent, Mr. Peters said, while Raúl Castro consolidated his control over Cuban institutions by establishing his own relationships with world leaders, and opening unprecedented dialogue with the Cuban people about their visions for their own country. Meanwhile, all the doomsday scenarios predicted for Cuba once Fidel Castro left power — a violent uprising by dissidents and a huge exodus of Cuban refugees — never materialized.

“The administration realized they had missed the boat,” Mr. Peters said. “Succession has already happened. They can no longer have a policy that keeps them waiting for Castro to die when the rest of the world has moved on.”

Bush and Condi are certainly on top of this one! Bush's comments will no doubt play well with "the politically-powerful exile community in Miami." But for what purpose? One has to wonder what Bush has up his sleeve?

Whatever it is, 2009 can't come too soon for me!

Cape May Revised REVISED wish list!

First order of business is to announce that my friend Niki just had her first baby, a little girl named Sidney Lorelai. Mommy and Baby are healthy and well, and Daddy's happy as a clam. Whew! Of course, now I’m all alone at work for the next six weeks with no one to email back and forth with… ugh. Still--congratulations, friend!

Back to the birds: I got an email this morning from Laura H in NJ; seems a Jersey listserver was in Cape May and got the birding experience of a lifetime! Look at these birds:
Northern gannet
Little blue heron
Swainson’s hawk
Parasitic Jaeger
Yellow-bellied sapsucker
Western Kingbird
Eastern kingbird
Blue-headed vireo
Eastern meadowlark
Long-Billed Dowitcher
Short-Billed Dowitcher,
Pectoral, Dunlin and Stilt Sandpiper.
Brown Creeper
Vesper Sparrow
Clay-Colored Sparrow
Field Sparrow
American Tree sparrow
Ruby and Golden Crowned Kinglets
Black Throated Blue Warbler
Black Throated Green Warbler
American Pipits
Wilson's Snipe
Merlin
Red-shouldered hawk
Broad-winged hawk
Pied-bill Grebe

Almost all of these would be lifers for me! We can only hope we get half as lucky this weekend, and that my eyes are sharp enough to catch all these birds. Now I’m panicking—I need to study my field guides! I’m freakin' out!

I can’t believe I’m leaving tomorrow. It seemed like time was going so slowly, and now it’s flying by. I have to pack tonight because I’m leaving directly from work tomorrow. My tummy is starting to get all nervous and hurty now. I hope I don’t forget anything.

I’d better go check my packing lists again….

UPDATE - Urge Congress to End Discrimination!

Support Baldwin Amendment to ENDA Today!

As soon as tomorrow (Wed, Oct 24), the U.S. Congress could vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).

Currenly the bill is not transgender inclusive. Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) will be offering an amendment tomorrow to re-insert protections for gender variant people including the transgender community. WE MUST SHOW OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FOR THIS AMENDMENT TODAY!

A loss for transgender equality could be catastrophic to efforts in Washington, and in the 50 states, to protect our entire community.

Contact your member of Congress TODAY and tell them you support ENDA and the Baldwin Amendment.

ACT NOW!

UPDATE: The vote is expected on Thursday, but still contact your Representative right away.

My REVISED Cape May wish list

Seems I was a bit over-hopeful about what birds should be visible in Cape May this time of year; thanks to Patrick for his NJ knowledge! My revised wish list:

1. Sparrow
2. Sparrow
3. Sparrow
4. Another sparrow
5. Yellow-rumped warbler
6. ...Sparrow
7. Still a sparrow
8. Black-throated green....nope, sparrow
9. Sparrow
10. Hey a sparrow!
You get the idea. Especially given this crappy weather. Laura H in NJ was kind enough to send a pre-weekend postcard saying howdy-do and that we should hope for NW winds and a cold snap. I'm not too optimistic.

The other ten on my revised wishlist:
11. Susan Gets Native
12. Birdchick
13. Laura H. in NJ
14. Patrick at Hawk Owl's Nest
15. Lynne at Hasty Brook
16. John the Born-again Birdwatcher
17. Amy, Wildbird on the Fly
18. The spirit of Mary at Mary's View
19. Any raptor, especially at the hawk-banding
20. Sparrow

Who knows? Maybe I'll even see a sparrow! Seriously, there are a few "gimme" birds I have not yet seen, so adding a nice Savannah sparrow or my nemesis, the common yellowthroat (which I've heard but never seen), to the lifelist would ROCK.

I think the most important thing, though, will be meeting all my birding blogger pals--we know so much about each other from reading each other's blogs, but finally meeting in person will be so sweet! It's like hearing that common yellowthroat but still not having seen him; it's just not the same. So it's going to be an action-packed and memorable weekend, hangin' with The Flock!

freepolls.com discriminates against lesbians

It had been awhile since I'd changed the polling question in the side bar ... so long that I had to pause to remember my account name and password. Anyway, I decided to do something fun ... like ask people how they self identify.

Do you identify as straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, asexual ... or maybe you can't decide, or simply don't want to decide. Then I always toss in an "other" for people who might be confused by the question.

Anyway, when I clicked on the "next" button, this was the screen that came up!

In case you can't read it, the message says: "* We do not allow inappropriate polls"

I tried again, thinking this must be a joke, but I got the same message!

When I removed the word "lesbian" I was allowed to continue on to the part where they give you the HTML code for your blog or web site.

Can you believe it? In 2007 you can't ask in an online free poll whether or not someone is lesbian. This might just be my last freepoll.com ... what do you think?

"ValueVoters" - Will they hold their nose and vote?

The Family Research Council (and Focus on the Family) held their big "Value Voters Summit" in Washington, DC over the weekend. The Summit has replace the practically defunct Christian Coalition's "Rode to Victory Conference" that was, for so many years, the cornerstone of the evangelical political movement.

With the Christian Coalition struggling, FRC has jumped in to establish itself as the preeminent "decider" for evangelical voters who believe abortion and same-sex marriage are more important issues than health care, education or the war in Iraq.

Now that the Summit has ended, the big question remains --"Will evangelicals hold their nose and vote?"

The New York Times reports:

After an earnest appeal for acceptance from Rudolph W. Giuliani, Christian conservatives ended their two-day summit here Saturday still divided about which of the Republican presidential candidates to marshal their collective might behind.

Mitt Romney edged out Mike Huckabee in the straw poll at the Values Voter Summit. But questions were raised about the way the voting was conducted — votes were permitted to be cast online as far back as August — and even top leaders said there did not appear to be any consensus.

“I don’t think the question is anywhere close to settled,” said Gary L. Bauer, an influential Christian conservative leader and former Republican candidate himself in 2000. “I think it’s going to play out over the next several months.”

Bauer urged the crowd to reject the idea of a third party, but James Dobson has indicated if the Republicans nominate Giuliani he will urge his supporters to back a third party candidate.

It also never ceases to amaze me how oppressed this group feels. Bush has given them two US Supreme Court Justices, one the Chief Justice. They have enjoyed direct access to Republican leadership in Congress -- yet the faithful still somehow feel their voice is not being heard. Geezz

Mike Huckabee was the clear favorite of those attending the Summit, while he and Mitt were in a virtual tie in the overall straw polling. (click image to enlarge)

When you compare "Value Voters" numbers with other polls, it doesn't look good for them.

And with the last few elections being decided by only a few percentage points, losing the evangelical vote could spell disaster for the Republican party. One can only hope!

Summit organizers certainly gave Giuliani time to make his case.

Mr. Giuliani spoke for about 40 minutes, twice his allotted time. The response was gracious and even warm, despite his own acknowledgment that members of the audience probably had serious differences with him. Nevertheless, he highlighted his willingness to be forthright and cast himself as more principled than his primary opponents, insisting he would not bend and sway to the political winds.

Mr. Giuliani took a thinly veiled shot at his rival, Mr. Romney, whose campaign has been vigorously courting social conservatives but has battled skepticism about his authenticity.

“Isn’t it better that I tell you what I really believe, instead of pretending to change all of my positions to fit the prevailing winds?” Mr. Giuliani asked, drawing murmurs of approval and applause from the audience.

It's going to be a long time until November 2008!

*blush*

Will ya look at this? That Dr. Monkey is having way too much fun with his scanner.

My Cape May wish list

Gosh, so much to blog about, and so little time! Here’s the first post of many I need to get done today.

I mentioned in my sidebar last time I updated my blog template that my lifebird goal for the Cape May Autumn Weekend is twenty lifers. Why twenty? Several reasons. First, at the last (and first) festival I attended, I got 23 lifers on one birdwalk with the great Julie Zickefoose, so I figure 20 is a realistic goal – when you’ve seen as few birds as I have, the lifers come pretty fast. (My lifelist is at 131.)

Second, I went through my NE list of possible birds and I picked twenty that I’d really like to see. Actually, if I only saw all the warblers on this list, I’d be thrilled! But you know me—always setting ridiculously high expectations. Here’s my list, and don’t laugh at some of the common “gimme” birds on here:

Canvasback
Ruddy duck
Northern pintail
Blue-winged teal
Purple finch
Common goldeneye
Gull (any besides ring-billed)
Plover (any)
Sandpiper (any besides Solitary)
Scoter (any)
Pine siskin
Common snipe
Tern (any)
Warbler, Blackpoll
Warbler, Cape May
Warbler, Connecticut*
Warbler, Hooded
Warbler, Nashville
Warbler, Prothonotary
Warbler, Yellow-rumped

Just this morning, a local bigtime birder I know went to Scotia Barrens and saw 75+ butter-butts, along with four other species that would’ve been lifers for me. Gees! I’ve been meaning to get out to the Barrens since late August, but it seems like my weekend mornings are always being filled with sleeping or birding somewhere else or housekeeping or just chillin’ with the bun and the kitties while reading Harry Potter or something. Sigh.

Of course, I’m leaving off these other lifers I’m hoping to see:
Sharon the Birdchick
Lynne at Hasty Brook
Laura at Somewhere In NJ
Susan at Lake Life
Amy at Wild Bird on the Fly
Patrick at The Hawk Owl's Nest
John at The Born Again Bird Watcher

I’ll be sure to get photos to confirm my IDs.

Happy Birthday Braco

Braco is "officially" 11 years old today. She is my oldest, and most beloved dog. Yes, the other two have accepted that I love her most. You see love is a wonderful thing ... you always have enough for everyone!

Braco has had a tough couple of years, and she is not completely out of the woods -- but she is doing much better.

The picture at the top is how she looks now. I love her beautiful coat, it's so soft. And I love her coloring, she is just a gorgeous dog.

The picture to the right was taken about a year ago, when the vet was still trying to find out what was wrong. Her coat was so thin she was almost bald in spots -- and I was really worried.

The diagnosis was Cushing's Disease, and she is now on medicine that she will be taking for the rest of her life. Combine the Cushing's with her blindness, and related eye problems, and our counter looks like the local pharmacy.

But I don't mind, if it means I will have her for a few more years. After all, no matter how many other dogs I have Braco will always be "my baby."

Happy Birthday Braco ... and many, many more!

For Tengrain

On October 21st, 2007 Tengrain, at Mock, Paper, Scissors, posted a Milestone (of sorts).

My spamcatcher says it has protected me from 112,645 spam posts since I installed it — which was on Day 1 of MPS’ existence, January 2, 2006.

I think there ought to be some sort of celebration for this milestone. Suggestions?

Here is my suggestion ... with great affection, for Tengrain:

Fun with Bart and Bella

Just a suggestion ...

Bill Maher's New Rules for Values Voters

In Memoriam - Deborah Kerr

The New York Times reports:

Deborah Kerr, a strikingly versatile actress whose screen persona of a genteel, tea-sipping Englishwoman blossomed into a deeper, more provocative identity when she played a ocean-swept sex scene opposite Burt Lancaster in “From Here to Eternity,” died Tuesday in Suffolk, England. She was 86.

Kerr's other major films include "An Affair to Remember" and "The King and I."

Disapproving rabbits in book form

Went to Barnes & Noble yesterday and saw Disapproving Rabbits!

Congratulations to Birdchick Sharon Stiteler, and to her ever-disapproving cover-model-bun Cinnamon! Finally, rabbits everywhere have a voice.

And look--here's the thank-you page: There I am!

On the way to B&N, I passed a car with a little sticker on his back window that said, "one by one the rabbits are stealing my sanity." I was in a hurry, though, and couldn't get a photo of it.

Next weekend is Cape May, and this weekend is play-with-camera! I can't wait.

Deja vu: Senators Clash with AG Nominee about Torture

Call it deja vu ... Groundhog Day ... whatever you like ... an exchange between Senators and the AG nominee about torture is unsettling, to say the least.

The WaPo reports:

President Bush’s nominee for attorney general, Michael B. Mukasey, declined Thursday to say if he considered harsh interrogation techniques like waterboarding, which simulates drowning, to constitute torture or to be illegal if used on terrorism suspects.

On the second day of confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Mr. Mukasey went further than he had the day before in arguing that the White House had constitutional authority to act beyond the limits of laws enacted by Congress, especially when it came to national defense.

He suggested that both the administration’s program of eavesdropping without warrants and its use of “enhanced” interrogation techniques for terrorism suspects, including waterboarding, might be acceptable under the Constitution even if they went beyond what the law technically allowed. Mr. Mukasey said the president’s authority as commander in chief might allow him to supersede laws written by Congress.

When pressed about his stand on the president's authority Mukasey responded:

“The president is not putting somebody above the law; the president is putting somebody within the law,” said Mr. Mukasey, who seemed uncomfortable with the aggressive tone, occasionally stumbling in his responses. “The president doesn’t stand above the law. But the law emphatically includes the Constitution.”

The remarks about the eavesdropping program drew criticism from the committee’s chairman, Senator Patrick J. Leahy, Democrat of Vermont, who told Mr. Mukasey that he was troubled by his answer, adding, “I see a loophole big enough to drive a truck through.”

In an attempt to get a straight answer from Mukasey, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Democrat of Rhode Island, engaged in one of the sharpest exchanges.

“Is waterboarding constitutional?” Mr. Mukasey was asked by Senator Whitehouse.

“I don’t know what is involved in the technique,” Mr. Mukasey replied. “If waterboarding is torture, torture is not constitutional.”

Mr. Whitehouse described Mr. Mukasey’s response as a “massive hedge” since the nominee refused to be drawn into a conversation about whether waterboarding amounted to torture; many lawmakers from both parties, as well as civil liberties and human rights groups, have said it is clearly a form of torture. The administration has suggested that it ended the practice after protests from Capitol Hill and elsewhere, although it has never said so explicitly.

“I mean, either it is or it isn’t,” Mr. Whitehouse continued.

Waterboarding, he said, “is the practice of putting somebody in a reclining position, strapping them down, putting cloth over their faces and pouring water over the cloth to simulate the feeling of drowning. Is that constitutional?”

Mr. Mukasey again demurred, saying, “If it amounts to torture, it is not constitutional.”

Mr. Whitehouse said he was “very disappointed in that answer; I think it is purely semantic.”

Republicans were quick to heap praise on Mukasey. The committee's ranking Republican, Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania said that while he shared some of the concerns:

“I think you are virtually certain to be confirmed, and we’re glad to see the appointment and glad to see somebody who is strong, with a strong record, take over this department.”

Other Republicans joined in the praise. “I’ve listened to your testimony here, and it seems to me that you are extraordinarily well-suited for this position, pretty much as well as anybody who hasn’t served in the position before could be,” said Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona.

No wonder the 2008 presidential campaign began so early, people are just fed up! With Bush's approval rating the lowest in history, the question to ask is why do the Dems keep bending rolling over?

Brownback is Out

NBC4 in DC and the Associated Press is reporting that Senator Sam Brownback is dropping out of the Republican presidential race. All I can say is woooooo hoooooo!!

Republican Sen. Sam Brownback, the Kansas conservative who struggled to raise money and gain recognition in the 2008 presidential campaign, will drop out on Friday, people close to him said Thursday.

Money was a main reason for his decision, said one person close to Brownback who requested anonymity because the candidate had not yet announced his plans. Brownback is expected to announce his withdrawal in Topeka, Kan.

It's widely anticipated Brownback will run for Kansas governor in 2010, when his term — his second — expires. He had promised in his first Senate campaign to serve no more than two terms.

"He also mentioned he is really looking forward to spending more time in Kansas," the person said.

With his family, no doubt! ha

154 Republicans and 2 Democrats fail America's children

WaPo reports the Dems plan to press ahead on SCHIP.

A failed veto override on a major children's health insurance program yesterday prompted House Democratic leaders to promise to push a new version of the bill, daring Republicans to oppose them. [...]

To override Bush's veto, the House needed two-thirds of those voting to support the bill. The measure attracted 273 votes, including 44 from Republicans, and was opposed by 156, just two of them from Democrats. [...]

The vetoed bill would have expanded the $5 billion-a-year program by an average of $7 billion a year over the next five years, for total funding of $60 billion over that period. That would have been enough to boost enrollment to 10 million children, up from 6.6 million, and to dramatically reduce the number of uninsured children in the country, currently about 9 million, supporters say.

While Pelosi is willing to talk to Bush, she stressed that Democrats will accept nothing less than an expansion to 10 million children. "That's not negotiable," she said. [...]

Public opinion polls show that 75 to 80 percent of the nation supports the vetoed bill. After yesterday's vote, the liberal activist group MoveOn.org launched another round of ads, targeting six House Republicans.

Remember when the phrase "liberal activist group" didn't automatically proceed MoveOn.org? Thank goodness MoveOn.org IS ALSO pressing forward on behalf of children of poor and working poor families.

'Cause baby, I'm a star! Whoa-ooh!

(all credit for the title of this post goes to His Royal Purpleness)

It seems my bloggy buddy FranIAm has given me a "Blogging Star" award! Cool! Fran's posts about politics, family, religion, and other important topics have made me think, laugh, fume, and wonder. Her recent posts about going to the Holy Land are especially moving.

So now I get to pick five other stars--like I'm going supernova and creating more little points of light to twinkle in the heavens. It's difficult to keep it to only five because I'm blessed to know of so many great bloggers out there sharing their worlds and their viewpoints! But I'll try:

1. Mary at Mary's View--at once funny and touching, Mary's views on the world are always right-on, and her photography is quite simply stunning.

2. Julie Zickefoose--NPR commentator, bird-walk-leader extraordinaire, Science Chimp, wife, mether, singer, and all-around coolness personified, Julie's encyclopedic knowledge of all things bird, plant, and animal is enough to make me think she is actually Jeeves the answer-guy, with a shining-bright soul.

3. Distributor Cap in NY--witty, bitingly sarcastic, whip-smart and worldly, D-Cap is one of my heroes. He's always insightful, informed, and ready to speak truth to power.

4. Matty Boy at Lotsa 'Splainin--from his Gigantic Child BridesTM, math superpowers, great sense of humor and irony, and political commentary--not to mention his always-hilarious comments on Princess Sparkle Pony's blog--Matty introduced me to a larger world. Dguzman says check him out.

5. Laura H in New Jersey--If I had a "blogging mother," whose thoughts on nature, literature, and life were my inspiration and my touchstone, it would be Laura. Her beautiful photos and lyrical prose are always a balm for my weary soul.

Whew! It's a wonder I get anything else done, what with reading the amazing blogs of these and other stars out there. You guys light my universe!

Compassionate Conservatives, an Oxymoron

What kind of blogger are you?

I found this quiz on FranIAm's wonderful blog. If you've never been there, you should read her thoughtful and compelling posts for a few days--you'll get hooked. She often comments on my bloggy, which is always a treat because she's so freakin' nice!

Apparently,

That's me--an undiscovered expert. On what? I don't think I've discovered that yet. However, I'm a little worried about my eyes and the amount of facial hair I seem to have acquired...

The new camera is here!

Oh joy and rapture! I'm looking at my new Kodak Z712 IS -- and it's a beautiful thing! Sadly, I had calculus and housecleaning to do last night, but I did get to read the manual (I'm a dork) and fiddle with buttons. I also took some photos!

I have yet to try my old camera's memory card in this new camera; I did, however, see an option in the menus for formatting cards. I'm guessing that will likely delete the photos (including the last fateful digiscoped crow photo) on it, though. But we'll see. Maybe not.

Here's Kat makin' it happen on her comps.

She'll be done on Friday. Whew!

Here's a cute photo of Clawsie, who seems to be saying, "Oh please, must you take my photo again? Blasted papparazzi."

And finally, a northern flicker! Or at least a photo of my calendar at work, with next month's Northern Flicker photo, copyright Maslowski Productions.

Well--better go. I will have better photos and stuff later, although tonight's another busy night with meetings etc., and then tomorrow night is calculus again.... ugh! This whole work and school thing really gets in the way of my birding and blogging. Sheesh.