I am Destroyer.

So I’ve actually been given a nickname that has stuck. Destroyer.

Apparently the name had its origins during the hiring process for my job. When deciding between the last 3 candidates our names were on a whiteboard in the office. One of Travis, Michelle and Gina’s friends walked in and, without looking too closely at the names exclaimed, “Wait? Is one of them named Destroyer?!” So somehow my last name was transformed to Destroyer. And the friend’s vote was for me. On the basis of his mis-reading of my last name. When he came to visit about 2 weeks ago he only referred to me as Destroyer. It’s gotten to the point now that I will actually respond to it to when people call me from the other room. It’s a fitting nickname, as I have done quite some damage to my ATV already. Ran out of gas one day (and didn’t have any reserve because it was switched the wrong way… oops…), broke the kick shift another day (it was going when I got it), had a water bottle explode in the back welded on box (which promptly turned spilled dog food used for supplemental feeding of territories to a nauseating mush), broke the box of my first aid kit, and somehow had my fire extinguisher explode in the back, coating everything in a nice fine yellow dust. In my defense, the sand roads are actually pretty rough. There’s all these washboard like bumps at strange intervals that make for quite a bumpy ride, as well as rolling lumps that make you feel like you’re on a mechanical bull at times. Travis says that his go to karaoke choice while riding the ATV is Eddie Vedder, a la Pearl Jam. The washboard bumps enable him to get that signature vibrato just right.

I’ve started my own research project which if I get some interesting data, hopefully I should be able to write something up… and possibly get it published in a small journal. I’m testing the theory that as the stages of the nest progress, from empty, to with eggs, to with nestlings, that the breeders will defend it more vigorously, because a loss of that nest to predation later in the process represents a greater loss of time and energy that they had invested in their genes in the next generation. I’ve been collecting data with all my nest checks that I conduct in the afternoons. I’ve been doing it for 4 days now and I’ve already got lots of data. I’m excited that I’m going to have such a large sample size. I’m also excited that I’ll be able to look at the overall population, as well as individual breeding pairs fit into this theory. And I’ve only been pecked by angry momma jays 3 times, (2 of those times being by the same one.) Here she is… looking rather cross with me. I had to give her about 5 peanuts, and then pretend to walk away from the nest before she hopped off and I ran back… then got pecked.


I’ve also been on a roll as of late. I’ve found 7 nests in the past 4 or 5 days. I’m definitely getting the hang of it. The birds are crafty. Today I had a male who I’m sure knew I was looking for his nest, because he led me right to a nest that was probably about 3 years old, filled with old crusty leaves. But I stuck around… and with a mix of luck, and strategy I found the nest… with the female on 2 eggs. Sometimes it really is a battle of wits out there. The birds are still winning, but I’m trying to close the gap.