Lake Tahoe for a Week!

Well most of it anyway - then to Sonoma County for a few days - gonna be another hot one I fear - but it is Vacation - and if it's hot then there will be lots of time at the pool - which I don't really like - I can't see without glasses - and don't wear contacts any more - so can't really swim in the pool :(

There might be geocaching and horse back riding too


time will tell

FaceBook and Girl Scouts!

Spent WAY too much time hunting HATCHLINGS - Way too much time...

I started a "group" for our Girl Scout Service Unit - and before it was even really ready a buddy requested to join!!

Set some more stuff up on it and sent invites to the Service Unit and - no one else :( But, it is a nice weekend - maybe in the coming week.

Went to the Orange County Girl Scout Council August kick-off this past Tuesday - Only one other person from our Service Unit went with me - funny thing - she's the buddy who is in the GROUP I started today! It was at the Kick-off that I heard to use FaceBook as the platform for the SU site - easier than setting up and entire site on my own, I was told. Boy, was it easy. Only thing is that I can make it fancy - but - the price is right - and for now - it will be great - IF I can get some response! Pictures, Events and other things can be added all right there for the group - EASY!

Tomorrow - I may have a new Daisy Leader to give Orientation to but, have not heard from her - no email replies and I don't have a phone number for her - I just have to show up - just in case - that is a bit frustrating when I don't hear anything... but - I never get tied of where I hold the Orientations - so if no one shows- my daughter and I will just enjoy the oaks for a while - and listen to the birds.

More Geocaching

Friday foxhound and I took Pidude 26 caching - there was a fire at the Fisher Plaza, the building that houses the servers for Geocaching dot com so that causes us to change how we cached. Saturday - GC was back and we came up with some caches for today - Sunday. Pidude found one called "i've fallen and I can't get up" - there are at least eight caches in that immediate area - which i told him - "if we go for that one - we have to look for htese others" "Why?" he asks - I say "If you are going to be passing them and haven't found them yet - ya gotta look for them!" and besides - one of the ATW80 caches (China) was there too -

We ended up only finding 4 of the eight - DNF'd one - decided to not bushwhack one and completely pass on two others (including "I've fallen") too steep and too hot - but we all had fun and Pidude still wants more - so that's the good thing!

TAGGEDTURKEY VULTURES

http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl/homepage/recwobnd.cfm

Turkey Vultures are some of my favorite birds - I love watching them hang on the thermals - circling - rising and falling...

Tagged Turkey Vultures - Some people I know are involved in tagging and studying these birds. I received an email telling about a study and I hope that I get to see some of the tagged birds - kinda like Condors with tags only smaller...

- groups dot yahoo dot com / group / CALBIRDS - with the spaces removed and "dot" to "." will take you to a group with more info - OR:

Posted by: "mendocinorjk" rjkeiffer@ucdavis.edu mendocinorjk
Mon Apr 13, 2009 10:12 am (PDT)


The University of California Davis - Wildlife Health Center began a statewide study in 2008 looking at heavy metal exposure in scavenging birds. Turkey Vulture is one of the species that has been live trapped, tagged, and monitored. The TUVUs are fitted with "large white with black-numbers" patagial (axillary) tags that are easily visible in flight and when perched. Numbers can usually be easily read with binoculars and/or spotting scopes. Please report any sightings with exact location, observer, date, and tag number to BOTH the BBL and the two researchers below:

The following link for the BBL has instructions on how to report the sighting of an axillary marked bird to the BBL:
http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl/homepage/reptauxm.htm

Also please report the sightings to Pete Bloom (master bander) and Terra Kelly the same info by e-mail (trkelly@ucdavis.edu, PHBloom1@aol.com).

This message posted by Robert Keiffer, UC Hopland Research & Extension Center. 707-744-1424