This weekend I started up a new blog. I've always admired and enjoyed reading blogs such as Julie Zickefoose's or Bootstrap Analysis, that post entries about things they find or observe in nature, little factoids and tidbits from a personal point of view.

I haven't updated either of my personal blogs in a while, having fallen out of the habit since they were mostly documenting my day-to-day life and were directed to friends as a manner of keeping people up-to-date. I wrote a lot in University, when I started them, because I had lots of time and desire to be distracted from schoolwork, but as both decreased I found it more challenging to write, particularly for something that didn't have a broad audience and was mostly personal in nature.

I think that this new blog will be more fun to post to, and hopefully will appeal to more readers. I'll get to share my observations and some of my knowledge, and hopefully learn a bunch myself in the process. I've named it the Marvelous in nature, taken from a quote by Aristotle: "In all things of Nature there is something of the marvelous." Which basically sums up my philosophy for the blog. The name may or may not change in the future, if I stumble across something that appeals to me more. ;)

I chose a WordPress blog because it offered a lot of features that LiveJournal and/or Blogger didn't have. It uses CSS styling, but I discovered after signing up that you need to purchase an upgrade in order to customize the CSS style of your blog (they have about 60 defaults, most of which let you change the header image, but you can't change anything else). If I decide to keep with it, I may purchase the upgrade to make the page a little more interesting, but it's functional as it currently is.

If anyone has any comments or suggestions on the content of the entries (regarding images or writing style or writing content), I'd be happy to hear them!

I'm participating in an art show in Kingston that my sister found an ad for a couple weeks ago. I took them up seven pieces today, and hope that I sell one or two (all would be nice, but I'm not holding my breath). It's a fundraiser for a Kingston art studio, so they'll be getting a portion of sales. Most of what I submitted are older pieces that I've had for a little while, but I did do a new one over the last couple of days so that I'd have an additional colour piece to include (I only have one other colour piece).

This is a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, done in gouache (a medium recommended by friend Dave Beadle, as well as my sister). This is my first attempt at painting with gouache, and while it took me a little bit to get used to using it, because it applies differently than acrylic, once I got comfortable with it I quite like it. The best thing is that, unlike acrylic which once it's dry it's dry, even dried-out gouache puddles will come back to life with just a little water, so no more having to re-mix a colour if it dries up before you're done with it! I always hated that.

Here's an official Christmas-related poll, mostly out of interest:

When you were a kid, did Santa wrap the presents that went into your stocking, or were the gifts in your stocking left unwrapped?

Santa wrapped my and my sisters' (all of them, down to the little package of Lifesavers), but consultation with a couple of the boyfriends indicates that only the big gifts of theirs were wrapped, so I'm curious about what other families did.

I don't usually give in to all that motivational stuff, but I liked this poem. It was just on Monday Night Football, the Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, has it posted in his locker and they showed a short glimpse of it, saying his college coach would read this to his players. I got to the third line and said, "oh yeah." Author is apparently unknown.

Don't Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a fellow turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint in the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It might be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

I took a commission about a month ago to draw a portrait of a house for the client, which was to b a gift for his mother, who is moving away after many years in the house. This is the finished piece. It looks like I'll have two additional commissions out of this, too, which will be good. Also nice to know he liked it that much!

I found this website, Despair.com, a satirical spoof of those motivational posters you see in offices and schools everywhere. Here are a few of my favourites.

I finished off the third piece of the commissioned group. Thank goodness! That means that I can now get paid, and I can move on to another project (and I have more lined up waiting for me...).

I haven't posted in a while. I should do something about that.

This is the second of a three-piece commission I'm working on (the first was the Blue Jay), which I spent yesterday and today completing.

Since I've had a lot of time on my hands the last week, I decided to start on the drawings I had a commission for (I got the commission back in April, but it was just for personal, rather than commercial, use, so they were okay with not rushing - which was good, as I really didn't have a lot of time through most of the spring). This is the first of three. Unfortunately I don't have a scanner available to me at the moment, so this is a photo, hence the subpar image quality. I'll likely end up sending them all off before I return home to my own computer, too.

Well, I made it safely to BC! I actually arrived last Thursday, so I've been here a little while. We still haven't started banding yet, however, due to red tape and paperwork involved with the site use taking longer than anticipated to get through. I'm currently staying with the RPBO president until we get access to the site, and have been enjoying the comforts of amenities prior to settling in for a few months of trailer
living.

I've used the time to take care of some RPBO tasks, as well as my own computer stuff, including going through the 600 photos I took while on the road. I've picked out the best 40-odd and, rather than clutter everyone's friends page, put them on my website where they only take up my own space. Be forewarned, the page is very picture-heavy! Although I resized all the photos down, it will still probably take a minute or two to load on a high-speed connection, and probably several minutes on dial-up. I considered breaking it into a couple of pages, but my hosts only own Macintoshes, and it was enough of a challenge for me to figure out how to get this far and get it uploaded!

The trip summary can be viewed at:
http://chickadeewoods.symbiotic.ca/TripWest/

For most photos there a slightly larger version can be viewed by right-clicking and choosing "view image", or some version thereof.

I am off and away! I had intended for the last two weeks to get an update together, but I've been so busy. So much for a relaxing couple weeks between end of work and departure! It'll take me seven days to get out to BC, but hopefully once I've settled in I'll have time to write.

Hope everyone enjoys their summer!

Back in April I posted an RFI for good birding spots along the route I'm planning on taking west from Ontario to British Columbia, through the northern States. I decided on the I-90 (rather than I-94) route option, and have spent some time thinking about where I wanted to stop along the way. Here's my (tentative) final itinerary (indicated as "night" where I'll camp, but also will probably spend several hours birding there before leaving). Depending on the particular location and my available time, I'll be able to visit some nearby birding spots for some of these, as well.

Night 1: Chain O' Lakes State Park, IL
Mix of forest, bog and prairie grassland. Birding highlights include Prothonotary and Yellow-throated Warbler, Henslow's Sparrow, Broad-winged Hawk.

Night 2: Blue Mounds State Park, MN
Prairie plains and riparian areas. Birding highlights include Blue Grosbeak, Dickcissel, Sedge Wren, Red-headed Woodpecker.

Night 3: Badlands National Park, SD
Grasslands and natural bandlands canyons and cliffs. Birding highlights include Ferruginous Hawk, Prairie Falcon, Long-billed Curlew, Lark Bunting, and much more! This is the stop I'm probably most looking forward to of the whole trip.

Night 4: Yellowstone National Park, WY
Primarily montane forest, also grassland and wetland. Home of Old Faithful. Birding highlights include Clark's Nutcracker, Mountain Chickadee, Williamson's Sapsucker, Brewer's Sparrow.

Night 5: Ginkgo Petrified Forest/Wanapum Recreational Area State Park, WA
Sagebrush and some riparian habitat. Known for its petroglyphs and petrified wood. Birding highlights include Sage Sparrow, Sage Thrasher, Loggerhead Shrike.

Night 6: Olympic National Park, WA
Temperate rainforest and montane forest. Birding highlights include Blue Grouse, Northern Pygmy-Owl, Townsend's Solitaire, Varied Thrush.

Night 7: southern Vancouver Island, my final destination. It has its own birding highlights including Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Steller's Jays, Bushtits, and many more landbirds (too many to list!), and is right on the water providing opportunities to watch oystercatchers, auklets, puffins, and more. I'm excited!

I do have one question for people on this community. I can make reservations at every park where I'll be stopping. However, at Yellowstone the "primitive" (ie, no electricity, which I don't need), and therefore cheaper, campgrounds are non-reservable. Does anyone have experience with camping at Yellowstone in the summer, specifically weekdays? If I show up mid-afternoon on a weekday (Monday), will there still be campsites available? Or should I just bite the bullet and reserve one of the electric-service sites?

Also, does anyone have recommendations on particular can't-miss trails for birding at these parks? Otherwise I'll likely go with what's nearest my campsite, or has notable features (eg, Old Faithful, prairie-dog town).

Thanks again to everyone who offered suggestions and tips for my previous post! Once I'm settled in BC I'll post some photos from the trip.

It’s that time of year again – the 2007 Baillie Birdathon is just around the corner, and I’m posting to ask for your help again this year in supporting a great cause that’s near and dear to my heart.


The Baillie Birdathon

Bird Studies Canada’s (BSC) Baillie Birdathon is the longest running sponsored bird count in North America! This year I will be doing my birdathon at Tommy Thompson Park Bird Research Station. I expect to see between 90-100 species over the day.


How Does it Work?

• On any day in May registered Baillie Birdathoners try to tally as many species as possible in a 24-hour period (or as much of that they’d like to do).
• Birdathoners are sponsored either at a flat rate or on a per-species basis.
• An average of 7000 people worldwide are involved every year as either participants or sponsors!

Where does the money go?

• Member organizations of the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network (e.g.TTPBRS) have a unique opportunity to receive up to 90% of funds raised for their own initiatives.
• A small portion of funds raised through the TTPBRS Baillie Birdathon will go to Bird Studies Canada toward their vital national and international conservation efforts.
• The bulk of the funds raised will go directly to support operating costs of Tommy Thompson Park Bird Research Station.

Benefits

All contributions over $10 are tax-creditable (through BSC). Sponsors contributing $35 or more are considered supporters of Bird Studies Canada and will receive four issues of BirdWatch Canada.

How you can help

You can sponsor my birdathon in one of three ways:

• Donate online at BSC's secure website
• Donate a flat-rate in advance by sending me a cheque made out to "Bird Studies Canada" for the amount you wish to sponsor
• Pledge either a flat-rate or a per-species donation that I will collect following the completion of my birdathon.

Leave a comment if you wish to send by snail mail.

More about Tommy Thompson Park Bird Research Station (TTPBRS)

TTPBRS was initiated to assist in the understanding and conservation of birds and their environments through monitoring, research and education.

Monitoring

Primarily through volunteer support, TTPBRS has developed many vital programs that support birds and their habitats in the Greater Toronto Area. These include:

• Migration Monitoring Program
• Great Lakes Marsh Monitoring
• Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship
• Nocturnal Owl Monitoring Program
• Breeding Birds of Tommy Thompson Park

Data from these programs help conservation agencies protect birds and their environments at local, national and international levels.

Research

Ornithological research is another main objective of the station. We provide opportunities for students and professional researchers to study birds and to develop their skills. Staff and volunteers participate every year in various projects with researchers.

Education

The close proximity of the research station to a major city affords us a unique opportunity to engage a large population at a site of global significance for birds. Education programs for students and the general public are a focus of the research station. Our curriculum-based program, Winged Migration, is offered to grades 4, 6 and 7. Staff and volunteers also provide regular demonstrations for visitors and training opportunities for those interested in the study of birds.

Toronto and Region Conservation Authority is in the process of establishing TTPBRS as a permanent centre for bird studies and environmental education on the Toronto waterfront! The Baillie Birdathon fundraiser is key to the operation of our programs on an annual basis.

49 more office days.

39 more sleeps in this apartment.

83 days till the voyage west begins.

20 sleeps till I turn 27.

3 weeks till I get my new camera. ;)

This is kinda fun. :) They put a lot of work into putting this together.

Check out the caveman's crib.

Aaargh. I have spent close to four hours trying to make either Excel OR Access return some information that should be VERY EASY TO GET. I could've done it by hand in four hours. But now I'm so annoyed with the program and I know there has to be a way, and I want to find it 'cause it's bugging the hell outta me.

I want to find the maximum count for each species of bird, and the date that maximum count occurred on. Simple, right?

I CANNOT, for the life of me, get either program to return these values together. I can get the max count easy. But not the date corresponding to that count, for that species. You can't have side-by-side results in a pivot table (it only returns one set of results, for stepped criteria) in Excel. In Access I tried a query, but for some absolutely bizarre reason, it will either return every single date and the max count of the species on that date (which, of course, was a single number because we only make one count of a species on any given date), or, if I ask it to return the earliest date, it will return the earliest date that that count occurred on, regardless of species. So if the max count of Common Terns was 40, it will return the first date 40 of any species was recorded, not specifically Common Terns. So it looks like (not real values):

Common Tern
40 (the most we ever saw on a day, on June 4, 2005)
April 1, 2006 (because on April 1, 2003, we recorded 40 Canada Geese).

WHY, I ask? Sooooo frustrating!

Edit: I ended up posting to a community forum on Microsoft's Access page. The person who responded was very helpful, and the solution was fairly easy. I'd actually tried something like that before, but whatever I was doing was slightly not right, 'cause I kept getting an error, but when I followed his instructions, it went fine. Thank goodness!

Okay, official poll, and I need everyone to respond because Dan and I are having a disagreement and I need to prove that I'm right. ;)

Your friend needs help with something and you direct them to check out the FAQ page. Do you say:

a) "Check out the fak"

or

b) "Check out the F.A.Q."

Or something else?