A strange scary land...

This America place, its weird. The scenery is beautiful, my current post is located in a valley and mountains rise up all around it. Most aren't very tall, but there are enough of them with snow that usually rise past the clouds to really feel like mountains rather than just big hills. But the town itself, Medford, is dang ugly. All the businesses are slightly decrepit but they all have massive signs, so the road becomes an ugly tube of concrete and signs in all directions. Luckily down the road is Ashland, a hippy haven that has built itself on a large Shakespeare festival that they put on every year, and the town is built on rolling hills with all the buildings looking somewhat respectable, looking down at the rabble that is Medford. But no matter where you go, its trucks trucks trucks, huge trucks, small trucks, noisy trucks, noisier trucks, they are everywhere. Its a strange place that seems to only live in extremes.

As for the bird banding, I really still haven't started. A few days ago I actually banded my first bird (not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be). But you see, it then escaped from my hand as I was shifting it around to get a measurement. This seems to be a common thread with birds and I, I try to move them, and then they fly off. In fact, today while trying to get a sparrow out of the net (getting anything out of the net is tough for me at this point - no idea how rough or soft to be without breaking their wing off - which hasn't happened yet, thankfully) I went in, grabbed it, had a strange grip and its foot was between my fingers, so I tried to move my hand a bit to get the foot out, and off it went. There are a few that haven't escaped though, this is a bird I liked to call a "Robin", commonly found in small cloth bags hanging from ropes above my head. You have to make a really dorky face to subdue them otherwise they will spit acid.



Apparently yesterday someone came up to the cabin to join the crew for a while (not sure how long, but I am guessing until November). She's from California and thats where my knowledge ends, but on the same day our dear friend Carl left us, to head back home and eventually up to Mount Saint Helens where he will be monitoring volcanic activity to save the world and at night he will be spending it dancing the night away (he's actually doing bird surveys I think). He will always be remembered.



(Just so everyone knows, that costume Carl is wearing, it wasn't chosen to be funny, that was what he took normally to go canoeing, just had to put it into context).

Week 1 and a bit

Today was day 10, well over a week of Oregon life under my belt but not so much with the bird banding. Firstly, the living accomidations very greatly here, some times I stay up in a really rustic cabin way up in the mountains, whereas other times (including those days when I update this thingy) I am in a house in the suburbs. Its a weird mix. But the cabin is really cool, unfortunately I have been sleeping on the floor or couch most nights because there is 1 too many people (and for some reason, that 1 person is always me).



But my regular schedule currently is, wake up at 4 am, head out to wherever we are working and arrive usually by 5:30 just before sunrise, scramble around to set things up (and there is always a complication because we are rushing), finally get all the nets up, sit around and not catch many birds, and then close down the nets early because its raining or too windy. And thats the day. But I am learning a great deal every day, and seeing as I really couldn't identify a single bird before I came, and I can do at least 15 or 20 now (including separate some warblers and sparrows) and can identify some from just their songs, I think things are going well. Soon I will be extracting the birds from the nets, which is stressful to watch, so I can only imagine what its like to have to slip a tight mesh net off a bird as it tries to get away.



The people here (see above) are really cool, and they are from all over the place, infact Colombians outnumber the amount of Americans working as banding interns. And its not always bird talk (which I was afraid of), in fact, its rarely bird talk.

Anyways, its 10:30 and I have to be up at 4 so its off to bed for me. A new post should be coming much sooner than the last update (I say that now). Until later...

I have arrived...

So, I finally made it here (well, I've been here for a few days) and boy was it an ordeal getting here. First of all I woke up nice and early in the morning with plenty of time to get to the Buffalo airport, like 2 1/2 hours early. However, that was not to be. I arrived at the border and was told that I had to go to this little building off to the side of the parking lot. There I waiting in a little room where they announced your name before you could come into another little room. I waited for about 20 minutes before they called my name. I went in and was quickly told that I could not enter the country, on my letter explaining what was going on there was written that one of my qualifications for my employment was my bachelors degree in zoology, and they wanted to see proof. This proof had to be an original letter with the handwritten signature of the dean, or the actual diploma itself. Of course I didn't prepare for this because thats insane. So I sat there, I couldn't leave before my rejection forms were filled out and of course, that day, the computers were down. So I sat there, for over 90 minutes, complaining and stressing out to my family about it, and watching the clock tick down until the time my plane left. They must have listened to all my stressing because at 45 minutes before my plane left they said that they would accept a fax from my school. I frantically called the guidance department and got a letter written up extremely quickly and sent along. Unfortunately it took about 15 minutes to come through (and people there were not willing to check the fax machine because it was soooooo busy - who then promptly went and sat down to eat and talk with his friends). So I had my passport quickly stamped and I was sent along, with 30 minutes to get to the airport, through everything and onto the plane. We sped along, ran into the airport only to find that the plane was delayed for 90 minutes. So I had plenty of time to make it through, sit down and relax. Unfortunately because of the delay I missed my connecting flight because apparently the La Guiardia in New York has more than 1 building that you need to catch a bus to get to. So I arrived only to find that my seat had been sold, although the plane was still sitting in the terminal (and stayed there for about 20 more minutes). I was given a new plan, instead of going from Buffalo to New York to Denver to Medford, I was now going from Buffalo to New York to Chicago to Portland to Medford. I was lucky not to miss another flight however each one required sprinting from plane to plane and just sneaking onboard. I arrived an hour later than planned and unfortunately without my luggage, which also didn't make my first connection and was now in California some where. But it all worked out in the end, I got my luggage 4 days later and have spent a few days out in the field setting up different sites. Tomorrow I actually start banding (I think) and will keep you posted on that once I determine if I can use this computer to put my pictures up. Until then...

The Wedding...

Today was the big day, my Dad's wedding. It was an amazing day for it, perfect weather that wasn't too hot or too cold either, perfect for wearing a tux around without sweating up a storm, which was good too because tuxedos, while quite daper, are heavy. I easily took over 100 photos within the past two days, but my Dad and Stephanie, in their technological phobia, do not wish to have their photos posted on the internet. I however, have no qualms with it and will post many a picture.



First of all, yesterday was the rehersal and consisted of Grayson and myself helping set up the dining room, laying out the dishes, cutlery, and table clothes. Then we went down to the church and went through what we were doing. Now, I have never been to a wedding before, let alone be one of main players, but the rehersal really didn't prepare me for the actual day at all. The horse and carriage that was carrying the bride arrived earlier than some of the guests so we had to send them for another loop of the village (it was in a Heritage village, forgot to mention that before), but not before yelling rather frantically "Everybody needs to go inside NOW!" and then causing chaos as people rushed to get inside while others were coming outside to see the bride arrive. But she wasn't arriving and quickly rode off into the woods. This happened at least once more before the final arrival happened, at which point things started to fall into place. The supper was excellent and the dance afterwards was good for a dance, heck, I even danced for like 3 dances and thats not a common occurance. But alas the night ended (really early actually) and as people headed home we started to clean up, collecting all the wedding presents and the remaining drinks up into the van and brought them back home, then we had a riotous party using up the rest of the alcohol and burning all the wedding presents. That the only way to finish up a wedding.

Almost ready

Well, today I finished everything that I needed to before I head out. I have my flights, complete with two stop overs (New York and Colorado I believe), and got my insurance too. Everything is packed up tight into my backpack and ready to leave when necessary. Why, you say, am I all already packed up if I am not leaving until Monday? Well my friend, its because this weekend is going to be buuuuusy. My dad is getting remarried, and tomorrow is the rehearsal and then Saturday is the final show, and then because my brother and I are in positions of importance, we get to stay late and clean the place up afterwards. So Sunday might be a bit of a write off, sleep in that one last time before I have to be getting up at midnight (Ontario time) every day.

I've been keeping my eyes out for all the birds around here, but apart from the really easy ones (robin, mourning dove, crow) I really haven't got it yet. I've still got quite a bit of reading to do before I make it down, but I have gone over the basics and have a few more days to go over the rest. But I haven't been able to go through any of my bird calls yet to familiarize myself with them. I figure I will bring the cds down and listen to them once I actually have some field experience and have something to work from.

I was pretty anxious about going earlier this week but today has been a good day, and I'm feeling pretty excited about going. Only 3 more days.

Yours truly
Huxley Turnpickle

Here goes another one...

With another phase of my life comes another attempt at creating a blog, and the hopes that perhaps this time, it will survive. Writing is not my thing, and to those few that choose to look at this and gnaw in anticipation at your finger nails waiting for another post, I apologise for the poor grammar and lack of focus. I will try, but I can make no promises.

This blog will serve as a means for myself to communicate to those at home and abroad (well, mainly my parents) my adventures as I spend the next 6 months or so camping and cabining in the forests of Oregon banding birds, rafting great rapids, and fighting cougars and bears. Hopefully I will become more comfortable writing and will maintain it, keeping it for my upcoming adventures travelling across the world rafting various great rapids, and fighting increasingly larger and scarier animals.



But that is it for now, I'll be back soon.