FORT HUACHUCA RECON

For my third work trip in a row, I went out to Arizona. The main purpose was to meet our Point of Contact (POC) for the pollination networks project, as well as some other key players (botanists, GIS specialists). While I was there, I learned my way around base, picked up some maps, copied lots of info on pollinators and plants found on base, and explored the various ecosystems. It was not what I expected. The view heading onto the base looks like this:

There were many more trees than I thought there would be, and when I got up into the canyons I was really surprised! There were streams! It was really beautiful and I'm looking forward to working there for the next 2 years (it's a long-term project with 2 long field seasons: April-September). Hands down, the best part of my trip, was of course adding new birds to my Life List. In particular, I was amazed to see a pair of Mexican Spotted Owls, just 50 ft up the trail from an endangered plant I was observing:

One more cool experience on this trip was getting to meet a couple of hummingbird specialists and watch them work a migration survey station.

This is the trap they use to catch the hummingbirds, fine mesh on a pully system!

Here's a beauty waiting to be processed (they caught half a dozen during the hour I visited).

I've never seen a bird weighed like this before... but it sure worked like a charm!

And the BEST part? I got to be a launch pad!

TN & AL BATS

This month started off with another field trip, this time to Tennessee and Alabama to sample gray bats. I started off near Knoxville, then went through McMinnville and Huntsville. I worked with a couple of contractors from Copperhead Environmental Consulting, Inc., as well as employees from USFWS and TWRA.

Let's start off with some photos of gray bats:

This one shows a gray bat and another endangered bat, the Indiana bat. They gray bat is the larger of the two:

How do we catch them? With harp traps (fishing line is strung like harp strings vertically above a catching bag, when the bat hits a string, it falls into the bag below):

What do we do once we catch them? We take various measurements, such as weight and arm length, then I use a biopsy punch to sample a tiny piece of tissue (which I'll extract DNA from back in the lab). I also collect guano (as a back-up and/or non-invasive DNA source).

One of the caves we sampled was a big, deep pit that we had to repel into. Here is Piper, headed down with the guano collection equipment: And finally, here are Jennifer, Bill, and Steve, finishing up for the night.

ARKANSAS BATS

Yeah! Back in the field! We went up to Arkansas to get some more samples from the endangered gray bat. Jay came along to help out. We went to Blanchard Springs Caverns, a place we're hoping to go back and tour someday just for fun. Arkansas was actually much prettier than we expected!

Jay sets up the harp trap.

Gray bat on the left, Eastern pipistrelle on the right (look how pink their arms are).

Rick shows Jay how to tell a gray bat from other species.

Bands for bats are even smaller than the ones I used on warblers!

Just a little tissue sample for analyses...

We caught 30 bats that night, so Jay had to get creative...

GRANDMOTHER'S 92ND!

Here are some photos from our weekend in Georgia with Jay's extended family. We celebrated Grandmother's 92nd birthday at Doug and Cheryl's lake house. There were presents, cake, water sports, and of course, football!

Here are some scenes from around the house:

And some of everyone out enjoying the lake:

Thanks Waddells, we had a blast!!

WEST COASTERS IN THE DEEP SOUTH

Some of my west coast family came to visit for a week, so there was much sightseeing, shopping, eating, and drinking to be done! We had a great time!

At the Coca-Cola Museum in Vicksburg, where the soda was first bottled.

A strong thunderstorm came through the next morning and knocked half a tree down across our driveway. Never fear, Neighbor Jay rescued us with his ATV!

Once free, we went down to Natchez to do some touristy things. After the visitor center, we stopped at the Grand Village of the Natchez.

Then we toured Longwood Plantation (worth the money).

And we came back to Vicksburg northbound on the Natchez Trace Parkway.

After a day of shopping on Sunday, we spent the night drinking wine and gossiping. Grandma's finger-pointing proved to be contagious...

I met the gang for lunch at Walnut Hills, an amazing round-table buffet with good ol' fashioned southern cooking. The guys tried to rock off a few calories out on the porch afterwards...

After Jay's now famous fried catfish meal, we walked around the yard and Grandma helped me pick some blueberries.

We loved having my parents, Grandma, Uncle Daryl and Aunt Margie in town. We hope they come again soon, and bring the kids along!

TOOL CONCERT

We made our first trip home to Jacksonville together, driving. It was a long 10.5 hours, but well worth it for the amazing concert, the good times had with some of our best buds, and getting to see Jean!

To start the weekend off right, we went to see the new baby.

Here is Jamie with his proud mama.

My turn to hold him! Check out all that hair!! He's so cute!

Looks like Cole loves being a big brother...

On to Ryan's house, where the boys caught up over poker and beer.

Stacey stopped by to say HI, home for the summer from FSU.

That night we went to the TOOL concert (not Jackson of course, though he probably would have liked the lasers... just not the loud music). Here's the whole gang!

Before leaving town we had to get some El Potro, and Jay got another chance to hold the baby. He looks like a natural!

On the way home to Mississippi, we stayed a night with cousin Jason, Amy, and baby Finn (we just couldn't get enough of babies on this trip!) Oh my goodness was Finn adorable, his big happy smile just melts your heart!