Bird Birds & Birding

Guiding Tony Woodward and Scott Minnich from Colorado Springs, I found pretty awesome birding action on the west side of the Lower Laguna, but not before we enjoyed some classic sight casting on the “the sand” of the LLM’s east side. A classic day of spring fishing: full sun for the sand, and birding action in the waning hours of the day.–Capt. Scott Sparrow, kingfisher@lagunamadre.net, author of Healing the Fisher King: A Fly Fisher’s Grail Quest. Come see me at www.lagunamadreflyfishing.com.

www.angrybirds.com Big and exciting things are happening in the Angry Birds world! The enigmatic Mighty Eagle is lurking in the shadows, waiting to make his debut in an Angry Birds update later this Fall. Mighty Eagle will help you skip the toughest obstacles, but there’s a limit you can only use the aid of Mighty Eagle to pass a level once per hour. In other words, when you pass a level with Mighty Eagle, you need to wait an hour to use him again to pass another level. Is that all? Far from it! Mighty Eagle includes all new gameplay goals and achievements! In each level that you already cleared using the regular birds, you can smash away freely and try to fill up the destruction gauge! If you want to smash your way through every level leaving nothing behind, you have every incentive to do so! – Get the iPhone version from iphone.angrybirds.com – Get the Nokia N900 version from http – Get the Palm OS version from palm.angrybirds.com – Get Angry Birds Lite Beta for Android from http Become a Facebook fan: facebook.angrybirds.com Follow us on Twitter twitter.angrybirds.com Video made by Kombo (http Music & audio made by Ari Pulkkinen (www.aritunes.com)

Angry Birds Theme, covered by Pomplamoose We’regoing on tour in October, check it out!!! Pomplamoose 2011 West Coast Tour Los Angeles October 21 @ The Troubadour Tickets: www.ticketfly.com Facebook: www.facebook.com Santa Barbara October 22 @ SoHo (21+) Tickets: clubmercy.blogspot.com Seattle October 26 @ The Triple Door Tickets: www.tripledoor.com Facebook: www.facebook.com Portland October 27 @ Doug Fir Tickets: www.ticketfly.com Facebook: www.facebook.com San Fran Jazz Festival October 29 @ YBCA Tickets: www.sfjazz.org Facebook: www.facebook.com This recording will be available on iTunes within the next few days! This entire VideoSong was filmed with a Samsung Infuse 4G phone. Angry Birds was written by Ari Pulkkinen This cover is a VideoSong, a new Medium with two rules: 1. What you see is what you hear (no lip-syncing for instruments or voice). 2. If you hear it, at some point you see it (no hidden sounds). (Yes, even the banging the head on the piano bit. that’s the real sound! we swear!)

There have been many great individual rivalries in sports through out the ages which have seen great players compete against each other in ways which brought out the best in each other. These being the kind of matches in which one was never really sure who would come out on top but one could always count on seeing great encounters as well as magnificent displays of talent and skill from both players. As examples of such rivalries one might refer to Connors VS. Borg (tennis), Russell VS. Chamberlain (basketball), Evert VS. Navratilova (tennis), Senna VS. Prost (formula one), Ali VS Frazier (boxing) and Bird VS. Johnson yet in a strange way though these last two were competitors; they almost never actually had to go directly against one another. It being a case of Larry Bird playing small forward while Johnson played guard which meant that unlike Chamberlain and Russell, who were on each other all the time; Johnson and Bird did not player against each other so directly yet by leading their teams did create a strong rivalry.

The year was 1980 and the truth was that basketball had lost a lot of its popularity since the 60s with players like Russell and Chamberlain having retired and the newer generations not having been able to capture the imagination of younger audiences. Of course there were great players like Abdul-Jabbar and Julius Erving (Doctor J) yet interest in the league and basketball in general were in decline. It perhaps being a case that Abdul-Jabbar though admired for his skills was not really one who was liked by the public. Abdul-Jabbar being a very shy man who was not very friendly with fans as he preferred to keep his solitude. It being at this time that two great players came out of college in the same year and in fact, it was their universities which met in the final with Johnson’s team beating Bird’s team; to win the national championship.

As for myself at the time, I was 13 years old and the truth is that I had never really been a basketball fan by any stretch of the imagination. Basketball being a game which I did not follow on television as I neither liked the game, nor disliked it and playing it was definitely something which I was and still am utterly incapable of doing. This not only due to my limited height but my lack of any talent which might allow me to either dribble the ball or shot it or even pass it. It being a case that when I did play the game in summer camp, I was the only one allowed to travel due to the fact that if this had been called against me; it would have been called all the time and would have really slowed down the game. I, in fact liked playing the game in spite of not having any ability for it yet it was in this year that I started really watching basketball.

It being in the spring of 1980 that a lot of the talk in American sports was about two rookie players in the NBA, Larry Bird and Earvin “Magic” Johnson who had brought a new energy in to the game as well as talent to go along with their personalities and competitiveness. This also being a year in which sports programs could not get enough of Darrel Dawkins and the two backboards she simply shattered. As they would show these videos over and over, Dawkins in fact being the first player in NBA history to perform this act which though not one of great basketball skills; did make a big impression on a lot of people.

I will never forget the first time I saw Larry Bird play. It was in game two of the final of the Eastern Conference between his “Boston Celtics” and Doctor J’s “Philadelphia 76ers” and as I watched the game, I noticed that Bird brought a new kind of excitement to the game which had not been there before or at least not that I was aware of. Bird by being very competitive though perhaps not as graceful as Doctor J (or later Michael Jordan) had brought something new to the sport and in fact was making things very hard for Doctor J. As the two fiercely played each other. Doctor J, in fact also giving Bird a hard time as these two had to face each other directly yet Bird despite being only a rookie was able to play Doctor J and do it well.

The game seemed interesting and for the first time, I actually started enjoying basketball as I never had before and even became a fan of not only Larry Bird but the sport. I, for my part did not know much about the game back then apart from the basics that a basket was worth two points and that a free throw only one while a shot from past a certain line was worth three points though this was something which had just been implemented that very year. Regarding Larry Bird, however I could see that he was interesting to watch not only because he could shot and score but because when he had the ball; he moved his whole team. This meaning that at times he would pass the ball and make it easy for someone to score yet he also seemed to have an energy about him which ignited all those around him. Bird being active when getting rebounds or going after loose balls or whenever playing defense. Bird being a player of such enthusiasm that it not only captivated his teammates but whole audiences both in the stadium as well as on TV. Larry Bird and the Celtics went on to win that game and though Doctor J showed great moves in going for the basket much in the way Jordan would later; it was Bird who made the game interesting not only for his quality of playing the game but just his presence on the court and the way he seemed to push his team.

The Philadelphia 76ers went on to win the next two games of the 4 out of 7 series to set up a fifth game back in the Boston Garden which unfortunately the Celtics would also loose. I however did not see games 3 and 4 of this 7 game series yet saw the fifth game which eliminated the Boston Celtics and sent the 76ers in to the final and though I was upset the Celtics had lost; I had became not only a fan of Larry Bird and the Celtics but the NBA which in a way was being revolutionized.

The Boston Celtics, despite not having won the NBA championship or even made it to the final, could at least feel better about themselves as a team for having made it to the Eastern Conference Final and having had the best record in the NBA. Also as further cause for optimism; was the fact that they had failed to make the play offs in their last two previous seasons. The Boston Celtics, in fact being a franchise which in the opinion of many had been living on the championships of the past yet it was Larry Bird to change all that. Larry Bird even picking up “Rookie Of The Year” honors as well as being named to the “All-NBA First Team” yet apart from all of this he in a way became Doctor J’s rival. It being a case of two great players with completely diverse styles going against one another which created an interesting rivalry with some preferring Bird over Doctor J or Doctor J over Bird yet this was not based on Bird’s being white or Doctor J’s being black but more on generation. This meaning that those of my generation most likely would prefer the younger Bird while those of the previous generation would prefer Doctor J; in these very heated battles which in 84 even led to a fist fight between the two of them.

The Philadelphia 76ers made it to the finals where they would be meeting the Los Angeles Lakers, who also had a rookie sensation of their own in Earvin “magic” Johnson. Johnson having done for the Lakers what Bird had done for the Celtics. “Magic” Johnson bringing a new life not only to his team but to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born Lew Alcinder) who though a great player was past his prime yet found a fountain of youth in a playmaker like Johnson; who was able to deliver the kind of passes he needed to score almost at will with his trademark “skyhook”. Magic Johnson in a way had rejuvenated Abdul-Jabbar, who was already a well established star yet despite all his achievements had only won one NBA title and had not been in a final in a long time. It being Johnson, who not only brought a new enthusiasm to the Lakers but to Abdul-Jabbar as well, who with Johnson’s arrival become much more approachable.

The series was a memorable one with Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar going up against Doctor J and Dawkins. This in fact being the first time in my life, I had ever seen an NBA finals along with the excitement which went along with it. As for Magic Johnson, he gave a display of all the talents he possessed. As he was able to lift his team to victory, thanks to his play making ability which brought out the best in all those around him. Johnson also in a way being in part responsible for Abdul-Jabbar getting the MVP for that particular year. The Lakers took a 3-2 lead in the series yet it was in Philadelphia, in game six where Magic Johnson made history when he replaced the injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at center. It being in this game in which he scored 42 points as the Lakers won their first NBA title in a long time yet perhaps more important than this was the fact that Johnson, like Bird; had brought something new in to the game.

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Gianni Truvianni -
About the Author:

My name is Gianni Truvianni, I am an author who writes with the simple aim of sharing his ideas, thoughts and so much more of what I am with those who are interested in perhaps reading something new. I also am the author of the book entitled “New York’s Opera Society” which is now available on Amazon.

1985 interview with former Detroit Tigers pitcher Mark “The Bird” Fidrych about his career and injury. From the television series “Once a Star,” hosts are Steve Stone, John Mengelt, and Jack Brickhouse. You can watch the full version here: mediaburn.org

Download mp3 320 kbps www.megaupload.com Lyrics ================= Dont worry about a thing, cause every little thing gonna be all right. Singin: dont worry about a thing, cause every little thing gonna be all right! Rise up this mornin, Smiled with the risin sun, Three little birds Pitch by my doorstep Singin sweet songs Of melodies pure and true, Sayin, (this is my message to you-ou-ou:) Singin: dont worry bout a thing, cause every little thing gonna be all right. Singin: dont worry (dont worry) bout a thing, cause every little thing gonna be all right! Rise up this mornin, Smiled with the risin sun, Three little birds Pitch by my doorstep Singin sweet songs Of melodies pure and true, Sayin, this is my message to you-ou-ou: Singin: dont worry about a thing, worry about a thing, oh! Every little thing gonna be all right. dont worry! Singin: dont worry about a thing – I wont worry! cause every little thing gonna be all right. Singin: dont worry about a thing, cause every little thing gonna be all right – I wont worry! Singin: dont worry about a thing, cause every little thing gonna be all right. Singin: dont worry about a thing, oh no! cause every little thing gonna be all right!

Bird: The Definitive Visual Guide

List Price: $27.95

Your Price: $14.88-

Unrivaled in scope for a single-volume reference work, this visual guide to every bird order and family profiles more than 1,400 species, photographed in their native environment by photographers around the globe. Authoritative, comprehensive, and completely up to date, this is a must-have reference for anyone with even a passing interest in the world’s birds. Illustrates the full range of birds, bird behavior, and bird-watching locations. Organized in taxonomic order with detailed introductions to every bird order. Special double-page features on the most spectacular birds. Breathtaking images of the bird world.

The Sibley Guide to Birds

• ISBN13: 9780679451228
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

List Price: $39.95

Your Price: $22.93-

David Allen Sibley, America’s most gifted contemporary painter of birds, is the author and illustrator of this comprehensive guide. His beautifully detailed illustrations—more than 6,600 in all—and descriptions of 810 species and 350 regional populations will enrich every birder’s experience.

The Sibley Guide‘s innovative design makes it entirely user friendly. The illustrations are arranged to facilitate comparison, yet still capture the unique character of each species.

The Sibley Guide to Birds provides a wealth of new information:
—Captioned illustrations show many previously unpublished field marks and revisions of known marks
—Nearly every species is shown in flight
—Measurements include length, wingspan, and weight for every species
—Subspecies and geographic varients are covered thoroughly
—Complete voice descriptions are included for every species
—Maps show the complete distribution of every species: summer and winter ranges, migration routes, and rare occurrences

Both novice and experienced birders will appreciate these and other innovative features:
—An introductory page for each family or group of related families makes comparisons simple
—Clear and concise labels with pointers identify field marks directly
—Birds are illustrated in similar poses to make comparisons between species quick and easy
—Illustrations emphasize the way birds look in the field

With The Sibley Guide to Birds, the National Audubon Society makes the art and expertise of David Sibley available to the world in a comprehensive, handsome, easy-to-use volume that will be the indispensable identification guide every birder must own.

More than 10 years in the making, David Sibley’s Guide to Birds is a monumental achievement. The beautiful watercolor illustrations (6,600, covering 810 species in North America) and clear, descriptive text place Sibley and his work squarely in the tradition of John James Audubon and Roger Tory Peterson; more than a birdwatcher and evangelizer, he is one of the foremost bird painters and authorities in the U.S. Still, his field guide will no doubt spark debate. Unlike Kenn Kaufman’s Focus Guide, Sibley’s is unapologetically aimed at the converted. Beginning birders may want to keep a copy of Sibley at home as a reference, but the wealth of information will have the same effect on novices as trying to pick out a single sandpiper in a wheeling flock of thousands. The familiar yellow warbler, for instance, gets no less than nine individual illustrations documenting its geographic, seasonal, and sex variations–plus another eight smaller illustrations showing it in flight. Of course, more experienced birders will appreciate this sort of detail, along with Sibley’s improvements on both Peterson and the National Geographic guide:

• As in Peterson, Sibley employs a pointer system for key field markings–but additional text blurbs are included alongside the illustrations to facilitate identification.
• Descriptive passages on identification are more detailed than those in most other field guides. For example, Sibley includes extensive information on the famously hard-to-distinguish hawks in the genus Accipiter (sharp-shinned, Cooper’s, and northern goshawk), noting differences in leg thickness and wing beat that will be of use to more advanced birders. A section on the identification of “peeps” (small sandpipers) includes tips about seasonal molting and bill length. Confusing fall warblers, Empidonax flycatchers, and Alcids receive similar treatment.
• As previously mentioned, ample space is given to illustrations that show plumage variations by age, sex, and geography within a single species. Thus, an entire page is devoted to the red-shouldered hawk and its differing appearances in the eastern U.S., Florida, and California; similarly, gulls are distinguished by age and warblers by sex.
• Range maps are detailed and accurate, with breeding, wintering, and migration routes clearly depicted; rare but regular geographic occurrences are denoted by green dots.
• The binding and paper stock are of exceptional quality. Despite its 544 pages, a reinforced paperback cover and sewn-in binding allow the book to be spread out flat without fear of breaking the binding.

Some birders will be put off by the book’s size. Slightly larger than the National Geographic guide, it’s less portable than most field guides and will likely spend more time in cars and desks than on a birder’s person while in the field. For some it will be a strictly stay-at-home companion guide to consult after a field trip; others may want to have it handy in a fannypack or backpack. But regardless of how it is used, Sibley’s Guide to Birds is a significant addition to any birding library. “Birds are beautiful,” the author writes in the preface, “their colors, shapes, actions, and sounds are among the most aesthetically pleasing in nature.” Pleasing, too, is this comprehensive guide to their identification. –Langdon Cook

Amazon Exclusive Essay: Author David Allen Sibley on Spring Birding in the United States

photo credit:  Erinn Hartman

Birders are an optimistic lot–always looking forward to the next day, the next season–and no season is as keenly anticipated as spring. Everyone loves spring, of course, but to a birder that feeling is multiplied as

spring is the season of discovery. Migrating birds make their way north from wintering grounds in the south to breeding grounds in the north, and no matter where you are you can see this migration in action. Every day brings new arrivals and new sightings, and the flood of birds can be overwhelming at times.

If you’re lucky enough to be able to travel to a place like Gray’s Harbor in Washington state, Cheyenne Bottoms in Kansas, or Delaware Bay in the east, you can see hundreds of thousands of migrating shorebirds as they stop for a few weeks to refuel on their way to the arctic. Along the Gulf Coast beaches you can see birds that have just flown from the Yucatan or from South America and are dropping into the nearest patch of cover to rest. Even in urban areas–places like Central Park in New York City, Rock Creek Park in Washington DC, Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, and countless other parks in cities and towns across North America–you will find outstanding birding. During spring migration these natural oases can be filled with brightly-colored songbirds, and seeing an exotic bird like a Blackburnian Warbler or a Western Tanager, where there were none the day before, is a thrill unique to birding. You don’t even have to travel. Whether you’re a seasoned birder or a neophyte, just grab some binoculars and a bird guide, and head out to your backyard, or to your local park or beach to see what’s happening. Those warm spring days when all you want to do is take a long lunch break and sprawl out on the lawn are the same days that the birds will be migrating north, and all you have to do is look up.
–David Allen Sibley

Buy NOW! ‘The Death Of You And Me’ – www.NoelGallagher.com Pre-order the album now – http www.noelgallagher.com Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds “The Death Of You And Me” released on Sour Mash Records Digital bundle — 21st August The Death Of You And Me The Good Rebel The Death Of You And Me – video CD single and 7″ – 22nd August The Death Of You And Me The Good Rebel Join Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds online www.noelgallagher.com http www.myspace.com twitter.com www.youtube.com Music video by Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds performing The Death …