I was getting tired of my previous post, and I ran across this really cool story that I thought I would share. First I need to preface it with a little bit of background information.

There is only one place in the United States where you can regularly see wild flamingos: south Florida. They are very rare (no more than 10-15 individuals), and usually only seen in the winter. These are American Flamingos and it is thought this small migratory flock that returns to south Florida each winter actually breeds in Cuba and stays there most of the year. There are also a handful of isolated records of American Flamingos from the Texas coast over the last 50 years. These very rare Texas sightings are probably wild birds that breed on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and get blown up north by tropical storms.

Other species of flamingo are also kept in zoos, and sometimes they escape and can be seen anywhere.

Now check this out:

In 2006 someone spotted a pair of flamingos in Louisiana, which was a huge deal since it was the first record of flamingos in that state. However, some of the first birders who looked at this pair realized that they were actually two different species of flamingo. And not only that but they both had bands on their legs.

The unique band number of each bird revealed an incredible story. The brighter pink flamingo is an American Flamingo, and it was originally banded on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico the previous year. Therefore, it was a truly wild bird that somehow wandered its way to United States, possibly due to Hurricane Rita.

The other bird, which is more of a white color is a Greater Flamingo. This species is found throughout Africa and Asia, and even breeds in parts of Europe. However, this individual began its life at a zoo in Wichita, Kansas where one day back in the summer of 2005 it escaped, and was not seen again, until it showed up in Louisiana….with the most unlikely of companions!

For these two birds, one wild and one captive, to somehow find each other is truly amazing! What are the odds that this Greater Flamingo escapes from a zoo in Kansas, flies down to the Gulf Coast, and just happens to find the one American Flamingo that has somehow just undertook its own amazing journey from Mexico.

This famous inter-species pair of flamingos eventually decided to journey down to Texas. Over the last 5 years, they have occasionally been spotted together at various locations along the Texas coast. The most recent sighting was actually just a few weeks ago at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the central Texas coast. How cool is that!


I guess some things in life are meant to be.

There's nothing quite like a much needed break from reality, courtsey of the Onion. Enjoy:


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Today I had to call 911 for the first time. Thankfully it did not involve a life-threatening emergency. But it did involve a rather serious and gruesome injury that I witnessed today in San Marcos. At about noon today I was driving through the square and stopped at a red light when I noticed this girl riding a skateboard on the sidewalk. Just as I glanced in her direction I saw her fall off her skateboard and hit the ground. It didn’t look like she hit the ground very hard so at first I didn’t think anything of it. Then I noticed that she didn’t get back up and that she was grabbing her ankle and screaming pretty loud. When she noticed I was looking in her direction she frantically started waving and motioning me to come over and help her, so I quickly pulled over and got out of my truck. I was on the other side of the street from her, so before I could get over to her, she yelled that she had broken her ankle and told me to call 911. I went back to my truck got my phone and crossed the street to see how badly she was injured. It was pretty bad.


She had a small part of her ankle bone protruding out of her skin and there was some significant bleeding. So I called 911, and by that time a couple of people from a nearby lawyers office came out to see if they could help. They got her a towel and some ice to put on the injury. The ambulance got there in about 5 minutes. They put a splint on her leg and loaded her into the vehicle. Crazy day.

Two lessons learned today:

1. Stay away from skateboards.

2. If you see someone in need, never assume someone else is going to be the one to offer assistance or call 911. It seems like a rather obvious statement to make, but no else driving by even stopped to see if this girl was ok, and I know others had to have witnessed the same thing I saw. I know if I had broken my ankle (which I nearly did last year) I would hope someone would help.

Yeah, its another post about birds. I know, I'm predictable. But I couldn't resist posting this video in anticipation of spring.

I am ready to be done with the bizarre world known as academia. I haven't even officially begun my career as a wildlife biologist and apparently I have already stired up some controversey. I recently learned that the presentation I gave last month about my research was not well-received by many in the audience. At least one person from a wildlife agency described my presentation as " irresponsible" . They apparently thought that I was trying to suggest that the Golden-cheeked warbler is not as rare as other studies have shown, and that my research was seen as casting doubt on other counting techniques that wildlife agencies have relied on for monitoring this species. And these not-so-happy people in the audience felt that my presentation and the results that I found sends the wrong message to the public and could potentially hinder conservation effforts in protecting this species. So much for trying to find a job in Texas. :)

I guess I could have done a better job of clarifying the implications of my research.


I think I'll let Brian Fellow help me with presenting my research at my next presentation: