Winter at Palo

Another job of the winter intern at Palo is called “The Winter Bird Census.” This is essentially like spot mapping during the breeding season… except it’s not the breeding season. Each of the interns chose a “grid,” and once a week, for 8 weeks, we visit that grid and map all the birds we see and hear, (or both.) I chose a historically grazed plot. Very different from the coastal scrub with poison oak growing up in forests of despair that the other interns muck through weekly. I also get some different birds than the typical coastal scrub, which was part of the reason I chose that grid. Pretty much every week I see the same white-tailed kite hanging out on top of a Douglass Fir. Even though it is easier to get around on, my plot it isn’t a cake walk. I’ve gotten stuck it my very own pit of despair a few weeks ago… slipped down an embankment in a riparian area and came to rest up to my eyeballs in blackberry vines. A very painful 10 or 15 minutes followed during which I extracted myself from that spot… and then another 10 or 15 minutes were spent trying to find my way out of the brambly, thorny riparian area. (I got great data though.) I now know my way much better around the plot, and can avoid falling into the pit of despair, while still getting good detections. I’m thankful that the worst I now get from my plot is dried up thistle thorns stuck in my pants and socks. These only hurt until I change my clothes and dump out my boots. Nora has had a mild case of poison oak for 4 weeks. And probably won’t be rid of it until the end of the Winter Bird Census.

Winter interns at Palo also have the opportunity to help with a wintering shorebird survey on Bolinas Lagoon. Basically we go out there to ID and count all the shorebirds that we see in a given area. This data is being used to look at trends over time in which species of birds are using the lagoon. I’m definitely learning my ducks… and large shorebirds… and even getting better at sandpipers, thanks to a lesson from Steve Howell. Last census I spotted the Eurasian Widgeon in our plot. (By standing in the bed of a truck, and scanning a group of American Widgeon partially hidden by vegetation. He was asleep.)

Don’t forget to do something special for Darwin’s birthday this upcoming February 12th. It’s his 200th after all! I’ve organized an informal interns vs. staff ultimate frisbee game… and the trash talking has already begun. We’ll see who comes out victorious…