Any other birders interested in getting out in the cool of the morning to check out some of the local eBird hotspots? There are a number of greenbelts along creeks that flow into the Colorado River within walking distance of the con. Bring your binoculars and a field guide and come add some species to your year (or life) list!
Conversations about Drupalizing the birdwatcher community also welcome!
This is kind of a late addition, so give me a shout @daletrexel on Twitter if you want to schedule something!
Wrap-Up & the Future
Sadly, I didn't think to post this idea for a birder meet-up until just before the con, and no one else seemed to see it. But I know there's at least one other Drupal birder out there, who I ran into on Friday morning birding along the Colorado River and who hadn't seen this post. (Hi Dave from Canada!) Perhaps with some better planning ahead I can get some interest in birding trips around future cons.
It was not the best time or location for birding -- migration's over down here, and few of the local birds were putting the effort into singing once the sun came up and temperatures started to rise -- but I still managed to identify 40 species along the rivers and streams within walking distance of the con. Basic list here. Check out eBird if you want the full details!
Mute Swan - Cygnus olor
Wood Duck - Aix sponsa
Mallard (Domestic type) - Anas platyrhynchos (Domestic type)
Little Blue Heron - Egretta caerulea
Green Heron - Butorides virescens
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron - Nyctanassa violacea
Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis
American Coot - Fulica americana
Killdeer - Charadrius vociferus
Rock Pigeon - Columba livia
White-winged Dove - Zenaida asiatica
Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura
Yellow-billed Cuckoo - Coccyzus americanus
Common Nighthawk - Chordeiles minor
Chimney Swift - Chaetura pelagica
Red-bellied Woodpecker - Melanerpes carolinus
Ladder-backed Woodpecker - Picoides scalaris
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens
Monk Parakeet - Myiopsitta monachus
Acadian Flycatcher - Empidonax virescens
Eastern Phoebe - Sayornis phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher - Myiarchus crinitus
Western Kingbird - Tyrannus verticalis
Eastern Kingbird - Tyrannus tyrannus
Red-eyed Vireo - Vireo olivaceus
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata
Purple Martin - Progne subis
Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica
Cliff Swallow - Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
Carolina Chickadee - Poecile carolinensis
Carolina Wren - Thryothorus ludovicianus
Bewick's Wren - Thryomanes bewickii
American Robin - Turdus migratorius
Northern Mockingbird - Mimus polyglottos
European Starling - Sturnus vulgaris
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus
Great-tailed Grackle - Quiscalus mexicanus
House Finch - Haemorhous mexicanus
House Sparrow - Passer domesticus