Delaware site, Gate plot

Hence the name �Gate plot.� After walking down the road with the soybean field on the left...

...you arrive at a big open marsh This is the first territory I ever saw when the Smithsonian mentor first took me here in mid-May. The first bird I ever recorded had a songpost in one of those trees.

This is more of the same bird�s territory. He was one of the ones that stopped singing after his female laid eggs, so I never got to run a second test on him. I�m still mad, because the first one went so flawlessly.

Here�s Joel bleeding a bird. He and Brian collected them for hormone samples.

The brachial vein is located and punctured with a hypodermic needle, and the blood is collected in a capillary tube. For all the resistance the bird puts up when it�s first captured, it�s pretty docile during this procedure.

Blood from common yellowthroats was also collected, to be sent to a researcher who�s studying them.

Dogday cicada. They buzzed away at crazy rates in late summer.

Here�s a marsh wren nest, except the male builds several dummy ones that are thought to stymie predators, so I�m not sure whether it was functional or not.

Final pics of the party next! Actually...wait...I'll just put them below.

End-of-season field crew party

Texas Hold �Em was played late into the night. Incredibly, I won some hands�only when I actually had good cards, of course, since I am still unable to bluff. All thanks to Stan for his tutelage and support.

Brian endorses the American Birding Association�s publications.

Run for your lives! It�s the Violent Femmes� flail-inducing music!

I have no idea what they were doing.

Giving you the bird, of course.

This is �kuh-Caw kuh-Caw,� resident crow decoy, looking snappy with his orange flagging bowtie and perched in an unusual location.

Spot the sharp-shinned hawk receives punishment for being a sparrow predator.

But we love him anyway. At least Josh does, after three months of working with a stuffed bird.

That�s all of us! (Note: I never actually used the piece of equipment I�m holding.)

And with that...the end of an incredible summer and my first field season ever. I spent the week after getting back seeing as many friends as possible and recharging at home. Now, preparations for senior year, Sign Language Club, my Spanish Honors Project, CAPSA, teaching jobs, piano, karate and a long semester of data analysis beckon. Off to work!