Birding

So as some of you may have read on Monday, I was on my way out the door to do some birding on the Salt Flats with the refuge biologist, Ron, and two other bird enthusiasts - both from Tulsa. The two Tulsa-ians stayed at the bunkhouse on Sunday night, and they were both very nice, and very very enthusiastic about birds.

Me? I like birds. But I'm not nearly as excited to spend all day staring at them through binoculars in the middle of a salt desert.

Based on prior experience, I expected we would be spending the morning out there doing the bird thing, and get back to the refuge HQ by 1 or 1:30 at the latest. So I did not take my lunch. And I only put on the thinnest of coats of sunscreen.

Needless to say - big mistake.

By about 4:30 we rolled into the refuge. My skin was a very dark, scary red, and I could already feel the burn and was dreading doing anything to my skin - like take a shower. I came back into the office and sat down at the computer - with all the intention in the world to write about my day.

But then I realized that not only was I fiercely uncomfortable and extremely hungry, I was also very grouchy at having to spend another 3 - 4 hours looking at birds through binoculars than I was expecting. I was in no mood to write positively (or even fairly) about my day. So I gave it a couple of days.

Now, the sunburn (at least on my arms) is slowly turning into a tan, my nose is already peeling, and I've downloaded all the pictures I took that day. Sad to say, not many of my bird pictures turned out all that well. But don't despair. The two volunteers are also amateur photographers, with very expensive and pretty digital cameras. They have my email address and the request that they send me the pictures they took of all the fancy (and, in some cases, rare) shorebirds. So, hopefully I'll have those soon, and when I do, I will post them ASAP.

The day started out beautifully. It was cool enough to bring goosebumps to my (unsunburned) arms, and I always enjoy riding ATVs. Right off the bat we saw thousands (literally) of White Pelicans.

***Interruption*** The white pelicans are migrating through this time of year, and a lot of them stop and rest at the salt plains refuge. As a consequence, we have an annual "Pelican Celebration" I will be giving tours this weekend of some points where you can see the pelicans, but you'll be able to see them anytime the rest of this month or next. I was interviewed for the Lawton Constitution last week, and yesterday I sent out press releases to many of the OK newspapers. So look for it and come out!! *******

We couldn't get very close to the pelicans though, because they were very skittish. We followed the edge of the Salt Plains Reservoir, and stopped at various points along the way. There was huge excitement for several birds that are rarely seen in OK. The bird we got the most ecstatic about, however, was the Red Phalarope - we ended up seeing three of those birds, and only 2 have ever been documented in OK!

One thing I hadn't really given much thought to regarding the pelicans. With approximately 40,000 pelicans hanging out here for a month or so, there is an awful lot of stinky bird guano on the salt flats. We would stop to (guess what) look at birds through binoculars, and I would just be overwhelmed with the smell! I've heard it takes 2 minutes for your nose to get used to a new smell (and then you won't smell it anymore), but that theory did not hold up then! Here - take a look:


The pelicans are in the background (thousands!) and the poop, well, it's everywhere else.

Other birds that I took half way decent pictures of were Snowy Plovers, Lesser Yellow Legs, a Willit (or "won't it?", as my clever friends and family would say), and a Least Sandpiper. I'll show my pics (one for each bird, except 2 for the Least Sandpiper) in that order - but again, my digital camera is not the best for bird photography...







You probably notice that some of the birds appear to be having some trouble with their balance. The reason is THE INSANE SPEED OF THE WIND. I've lived in Oklahoma the majority of my life, so I'm used to wind. But it was so very windy on Monday it was actually rocking our ATVs. At one point we saw a Great Egret staggering around, acting like he was drunk. It was pretty funny, even as the wind was turning the strands of my hair into little whips that attacked my increasingly red and burning face.

So the day pretty much wore on in this fashion. We followed the shoreline of the Great Salt Plains Reservoir until we couldn't go any further (blocked by woods and water, it looked like). This very far corner of the reservoir acted as a slight wind-block. This is where all the pelicans were gathered. I was finally able to get close to one to take some pictures. The reason that was, unfortunately, because he was injured. I didn't get too close to him, because I didn't want to stress him out. Ron didn't act too concerned about it, so I assume his injury is just par for the course. And indeed, when these birds are flying from Canada, the Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana, and Minnesota, it is expected that some will not be able to make it. It's easy to realize this fact, but when you're starting it in the face, it is a bit more difficult.

It was at about this time that I realized my arms were literally burning. I was really ready to get back to the refuge. But, I was alone in that wish. We started our way back, however, which was a huge relief to me. But, more knowledgeable than I have been in the past, I knew we would stop several more times before we actually made it back to the trucks. And sure enough. We were in the middle of one of the stops, and to keep myself from thinking about the enormous sunburn I was going to have - and indeed already had - I put down the binoculars and looked for something else to keep me occupied. I found it in a rather large turtle not that far from where we were. He was slowly making his way to the reservoir, so I thought I'd drive my ATV over there and take some pictures. I pulled up to him and he pulled halfway into his shell - really uncertain about me and all the noise I was making. So I shot some pictures, then wanted to get some shots from a different angle.

So I get off the ATV, and he turns toward me - like we're facing off. I take a step towards him, and he starts walking toward me. I thought "this is a seriously aggressive turtle!" I take another small step, and he takes off at a turtle run. I hop out of the way with a squeal, and he makes it to his refuge - underneath my ATV.

Well, that's a problem! I don't want to run over the little monster, but I don't know how to get him out from under my 4-wheeler. I push and pull my ATV in the very muddy, slippery sand, and the turtle just scurries along with it. We play this game for approximately 10 minutes, until the others are ready to leave. Ron comes over, asks if I'm stuck (It did look that way). When I explained things, he grabbed the back-rack on the ATV and did what I had been doing. Aaaannd the turtle did what he had been doing. This goes on for another five minutes. Finally, Ron hops on my ATV, asks me if he's clear, and when I give him the go-ahead, backs up quickly. I think if the turtle had a middle finger he would have used it as he stalked off in the direction he had been going before he was accosted by an over-eager, sunburned biologist.

So - the million dollar question - How many biologists does it take to outsmart a turtle?

Here are the pictures in chronological order - the last one taken right before I squealed and hopped out of the way...