Scrub Jays 9, Michelle 2

So I finally found my first (and possibly second) nest today! I was watching both sets of breeders on their separate territories for over an hour a piece. All that watching paid off. So that was this morning. This afternoon I headed out again on the ATV to do nest checks and fill some feeders. We are supplementing some territories with food, to see what happens... birds breeding earlier, physiological markers in the blood that change, etc. This is supposed to mimic Scrub Jays living in a suburban habitat. (Removing other variables.)

I've already been here a week and I've settled in nicely. Lynx cabin really is luxury to come back to after working in the field. A hot shower whenever I want it, full kitchen, and AC. And the nearest town is only about 20 minutes drive... all on paved roads.
We even have a kumquat tree growing in our front yard. And the fruits are ripe and taste pretty good.
Living on the station is pretty fun. There's a basketball hoop at the end of the main parking lot and the other night our house and 2 other people played a game of 3 on 3. I'm pretty awful, but it was still fun anyways. There's also a tennis court, and a lake not too far away. I'm going to have to check that out when it warms up. It was 32 degrees last night! The windows next to my bed are not double paned or insulated so it was a little cool. It made for a pleasant day of fieldwork though.

I've also made a new bird friend. His name is GCB-I and he is one of the few hand tamed birds on the station. I was out on his territory a few days ago, looking for him and checking up on who he's hanging out with (2 females... he's a player.)I drove into the territory, stopped my ATV, and whistled for the birds. Then I began scanning with my binoculars to try and see where they would come from (helpful later due to the fact that it might reveal where they're building a nest). All of a sudden I saw a blur out of the corner of my eye, headed straight for my head. It was BCG-I. So apparently besides being hand tamed he also likes to land on heads.
And if you're wearing a baseball hat and put a peanut in your mouth he will stand on the brim, lean over, and pick the peanut from your lips. (I haven't tried that yet.) Needless to say, he made calling in the other females difficult because every time I threw them a peanut to get them closer to read band combos he'd swoop down from his perch on my head and steal them. The humor of the situation made up for any frustration.