Nest Watch 2011

I'm back at Hopper this hitch. Today was Nest Observer Training, an information session detailing all the observation protocols for us nest observers--Intern James, me, the Santa Barbara Zoo nest technician Molly and the new Santa Barbara Zoo liaison Ria. The prospect of nest obs is daunting: seven-hour blocks of time--beginning at sunrise or ending at sunset--staring into a spotting scope, recording the attending parent's (and eventually chick's) every move.

Spent the early part of the evening exploring the grounds of the Hopper Ranch House in the twilight, a chorus of bird calls and frog song to accompany the distant chords of James's guitar. That night, we all gathered around the living room coffee table for a game of Risk. I'd never played, so as beginner's luck would have it, I quietly took over the world while everyone else was squabbling over South America.

Suckers.

Frog calls at dusk.