Building Team Intrigued…by Brad Marks

Howdy everyone! Just got back from attending the Midwest Region Haunt Convention up in Chicago with Ron and “partner in haunt” Brad S. (yes, I have lots of friends that happened to be named Brad ha). This was our first time attending this Halloween themed gathering and it was a BLAST. Got to see some of my heroes in the industry, try out new props/gadgets/mechanisms, take in all the attendees in costumes (a shocking amount of them) and most of all, came back with a ton of new ideas to add to our own haunt this year! Pretty exhausted from hours of walking around the exhibits and the long car ride up and back. Was getting ready to write up a post and realized Brad had sent me on our latest corporate outing. Let’s go with that while I test a quick rest from the trip.

…take it away Brad.

In the middle of May, Brian suggested we have an Intrigued team building event.  The entire staff of photographers and writers was invited.  No, there weren’t any rope courses, trust-falls, tug-o-war events, or overpaid motivational speakers.  We did talk extensively about the Legal department and how much copier paper they had been using lately.  It was Brian’s day off from intensive training for an upcoming ultra-event.  I think the next event is “only” a 50k trail run.  I’m working up to 10-15 miles on my bike and mowing my 1-acre lawn, only using the self-propelled feature for mowing up the hills.  I did my best to keep up with Brian on the trails in the deep woods at Jubilee College State Park.  We are both, after all, retired.

We met early in the morning at Intrigued HQ and drove the corporate Jeep (the corporate motorhome was out for cleaning and it wasn’t far enough away to use the corporate jet) to the north entrance of Jubilee State Park.  This entrance is mostly used by people camping and riding their horses over miles of trails.  The sky was clear and blue, not a cloud to be seen.  The trees were sporting their full leafage (is that a word?) and blocking our view of most of the birds. 

Brian parked the Jeep (skipping the valet service) and we began assembling our cameras.  It was an honor to be in the presence of The Beast, Brian’s Nikon 200-400mm lens.  Normally, I use a monopod to hold up my nearly 9 lb. (8 lb. 12 oz.) camera/lens combination (D300 with battery grip and Nikon 200-500mm lens).  I believe that I end up with better results taking gravity out of the equation.  But for the team building event, I decided to hand-carry the camera by the lens foot.  Of course, I had the camera strap wrapped around my wrist as a failsafe.  Brian hand-carries the much heavier combo of The Beast and his camera (8 lb. 15 oz.) all the time.  In other words, we both carried a full gallon of milk (or your favorite almond/soy substitute) plus a glass or two, all day.  (By the way, employees of Wildlife Intrigued all use Nikon cameras and lenses.  If anyone from Nikon wants to talk sponsorship for the shameless plugs above, please contact our Legal Department.  You may have to leave a message because they are probably out buying more copy paper.)

Just as I was putting the lens cap in my pocket, Brian pointed and said “Look over there.”

Hit the jump to learn what caught Brian’s eye and to read more about our corporate outing!

“It’s an Eastern Phoebe,” he said. (Sayornis phoebe)

This cute little ping-pong feather ball was happily soaking up the early morning sun, which was coming over the trees.  It wasn’t singing quite yet.  I think it was still waking up and wondering why those giant camera lenses were pointed in its general direction.

Seconds later, Merlin identified a Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus), which was sitting in the tree behind us.  The striking red triangle against the black and white gave it away instantly among all of the green leaves.

This one seemed to be looking down its beak at us and was probably thinking, “Silly photographers. I unclog my nose at you.” I recognize the same haughty demeanor as our Legal department. Though, I didn’t see tiny photocopies of bird butts lying around (link here). Merlin is a wonderful tool to help identify bird songs and calls.  However, if a House Wren is nearby, it will nearly drown out all other birds within hearing distance.

While the sound pleasant enough, I don’t think House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon) actually breathe between song phrases.  It was certainly a very nice welcome to the parking area, but it was time for us to hit the trails. 

The trails at Jubilee are shared by everyone.  And by “everyone” I mean horses, too.  I grew up around farms, and I always know to watch my step.  I definitely didn’t want to step on a road apple.  The smell alone could cause my eyes to water precisely when I’m trying to hyper-accurately focus on a bird, all while ignoring the surrounding twigs and leaves, for an award-winning photo.  Plus, Jan would never let me near the house with horse doody on my hikers.

We had been hiking for about 20 minutes when I realized we had descended hundreds of feet along the trails into the woods.  I think we also forded three rivers.  Well . . . at least a couple dozen feet of drop into the lower meadows and crossed three rivulets that were a bit too wide to safely jump across.  By either measurement, my knees were gently reminding me that we were descending.  The thick foliage overhead told me there would be sparse mobile phone coverage where we were headed.  Good thing Brian downloaded the Merlin bird info for our area ahead of time.  (Note to self:  download the Merlin bird info for upcoming assignments.)

Approaching the bottom of the valley/ravine near the meadow, there was an uncharacteristically single, silent sentry guarding the deepest part of the trail.

Normally, Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) are found in flocks, or not very far from one.  Though quiet now, the trill from one sends me back to being 10 years old fishing with my dad, uncle, and grandpa.  We would be near Charlie’s farm pond during summer, listening to the Red-winged Blackbirds sing while we were trying to catch fish.  I’d be taking worms to my uncle or grandpa as my fishing pole was slowly pulled into the moss by a large bluegill or a bass.  I often hooked the largest fish, but landed few of them with this method.

OK, back to the team building event.  As we reached the bottom, Brian spotted this little beauty just off trail perched nicely on a stick.

The Acadian Flycatcher (Empidonax virescens) was doing what its named implies, except it was really just watching a fly at this point.  Between streams of photos, I shifted my focus for a micro-second, and I noticed its position on the twig had shifted ever so slightly and the fly was gone.  I thought I saw it licking its tiny beak.  Normally Linda is Brian’s bird whisperer, spotting individuals before The Beast can come to bear on them.  Jan does the same for me.

The Field Guide for Competitive Birder Rules of Engagement is handy to have on all Wildlife Intrigued outings, even when it’s not exclusively Brian and his brother doing the birding.  I was especially glad for Rule #9, though I did not expect any urgent or emergency situations to arise.  In summary, Rule 9 states:  

“You are not obligated to stop birding when birding companion experiences non-life-threatening situations that require that person to cease or suspend birding activities.”

Originally, the rules were written for the brotherly competition, but am glad they apply to all Intrigued employees.  Sort of.  Be sure to download the rules before any birding expedition as there probably won’t be mobile phone coverage.

In full disclosure, Brian did alert me to the presence of ticks as per Rule 9 Addendum 3a requires.  And in keeping with Intrigued Corporate’s employee engagement and retention guidelines, he recommended I spray on something stronger that the Deep Woods Off! (25% DEET) I was using for mosquitoes.  Brian said he uses Repel (40% DEET) and proceeded to spray around my ankles, just in case. 

Just like the Acadian Flycatcher a few minutes before, the Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) wasn’t actually making any noise either.  Frankly, I’m a bit surprised I saw it sitting there quietly, observing us on the trail from its perch.  It was a completely random find, since Merlin gave no indication of its presence.

Though, somewhere along the fourth level of descent, Brian did bring up a point that may need to be an addendum to Rule 9 (not life-threatening), or Rule 21 (life-threatening), depending on severity of the situation.  The new proposed addendum would apply if a fellow birder is unable to continue and/or loses consciousness and/or falls off the trail.  (You can tell Legal was involved with the rule definition.)   

“After following the guidelines for urgent or emergency care (with or without mobile phone coverage), the remaining birder(s) must ensure the unresponsive birder is back on the trail and propped against the nearest tree for EMTs to find.  At that point, the remaining birders are permitted to continue unimpeded.” 

I think this Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) was following us.  See how it acts like it’s trying not to look at us?  Brian saw one when he parked the car at the beginning.  Then again around the first corner on the trail.  And around the next corner.  Across the first “river”.  And now near the bottom of the trail.  Maybe Intrigued’s Legal department sent it to keep an eye on us.

Luckily, for me, on the way back up the trails at Jubilee Park, the birds were very vocal.  This allowed for frequent stops, and a breather for me as the camera was getting heavier.  More photos equal more “1” bits, therefore adding weight over the “0” bits on the memory card.  It also allowed time to listen for nearby birds and try to photograph any unwary subjects.  However, while the birds were very vocal, they were also very elusive and we didn’t see very many at all on the way back out.  I think they were simply taunting us a second, or perhaps a third, time.  Brian did spot a Turkey Vulture circling our general location, probably looking for something to eat that was just wafer thin.  Or maybe it was looking for a lost photographer.

Once we emerged from our 6-hour expedition in the woods, Brian drove us back to Intrigued HQ for some refreshment.  Not long after we arrived, there was a “hold my root beer” moment.  Brian spotted at least two birds he wanted me to see.  It seems these cute little guys frequent the wide-open spaces on the mall at HQ, too.

This is one of a mated pair of Eastern Phoebe’s.  How do I know this?  First, Brian told me.  Second, check out this photo evidence tucked under the Intrigued HQ balcony overlooking the mall.

I think there are four baby Phoebes in the nest.  They were certainly alert to my presence, but silent as a mouse.  The hatchlings were only a few days old, and probably within 10 days of leaving home.  Not to worry though, mom and dad Phoebe will usually raise a second brood later in the season.

UPDATE: Bri here, just wanted to give a quick update on the baby Phoebes. They did indeed all depart in the following days. I had the privilege of watching them when they decided to take on the brave new world. All 4 had no troubles flying and all took up positions in different nearby trees. Mama Phoebe was a bit frazzled at first flying to each one in turn, making sure everything was okay and congratulating them on their big step. At least once a day I’ll see one of the new ones chasing after a moth – still a bit clumsy but always brings a smile when I see them successfully grab one. As Brad mentioned, the mother immediately started doing improvements to the nest and is now preparing for her second brood – going to be even more of a nightmare for moths at Intrigued HQ in a little while ha.

While I was packing up my camera, from all the way at the back of the mall I hear “Brad, bring your camera!” There was a red flash darting through the trees. At first, I couldn’t get my camera to focus on the fleeting red bird through all of the twigs and leaves.

The Summer Tanager finally gave in and settled on a twig that was barely in the open.  This one was a first year, still waiting for all of the red feathers to come in.

By the end of our team building event, Brian had seen or heard over 40 species of birds.  Merlin identified a few more that were just at the edge of our ability to hear them.  Ain’t technology wonderful?!  I ended up photographing 26 species of birds including 12 new +1’s for my life list.  There are still a couple of LBJ’s I’m trying to tease out of the inky shadows with Photoshop; I’m not counting them just yet.

Thank you for reading.  If you want to see more from our team building event, please visit Intrigued Team Building.

Now it’s time to take a couple more Advil for my knees.

Credits

Thanks again to Jan and Allyson for proofreading and editing.