Day of Days: March 3

Today is my 48th birthday. Funny, I don't feel a day over 50.

Taking inventory today I find I can make the following statements with complete confidence:

• My sense of humor stopped maturing somewhere around 16.
• I went running today and made it about 3/4 of a mile before Nick Nolte's voice came into my head, saying "I'm too old for this $#!+"
• It's worth it to get up each day to watch the sun rise.
• Being rich with blessings is better than just being rich (never having actually been rich, I guess this is more of a hypothesis....)
• I like what I do and I [try to] do what I like
• I think you can buy T-shirts that say that
• Music feeds me better than any food (except for my mom's cherry-custard pie, which totally kicks culinary butt)
• My hair is growing well, but in all the wrong places
• The aches and pains of growing old are simply there to remind you that you are still among the living.
• I love the company of my family of friends and the love of my own little family
  

I'd like to send out some special birthday wishes to my fellow March 3 celebrants:
Ron Tuffel
Valerie Butler
Su Snyder
Holly G. Wallinger
King John II of Portugal (I think this is for whom the Porta John is named)
Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Alexander Graham "Cracker" Bell
John Montgomery "Monkey" Ward
Charles "The Scheme" Ponzi
Jean "The Original Hotness" Harlow
Doc "Guitar" Watson
Gudrun Pausewang (perhaps the BEST name EVER!)
"Who will?" Lee Radziwill
Lys Assia (second best name ever)
Perry Ellis
Snowy White
Robyn Hitchcock
Zico
Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Herschel Walker
Tone Loc
Brian Leetch
Matt Diaz (Let's Go BUCS!)
Seomoon Tak
Li'l Flip
Jessica Biel
and my special birthday pal John "George Peppard" Kogge

I plan to celebrate with a day of writing (book, blog [check!], and song), loads of my fave food, perhaps a frosty-cold bevvy, and a long walk (with birding) around the farm. Thanks to all my friends over at Facebook for the wishes of the day, for the direct notes I've gotten. Hugs to Julie for her always-sweet annual birthday post.

The biggest thanks of the day goes to my mom, Elsa Ekenstierna Thompson, for giving me this life. And to my dad, Bill Thompson, Jr., whom I miss so very much.

This Birding Life: Sophie Webb

There's a new episode of my podcast "This Birding Life" all about the fascinating and talented author/artist/ornithologist Sophie Webb, a Renaissance woman if ever there were one. This new episode (which is episode #30! Wow!) is titled Sophie Webb: Life at Sea.

An illustration from one of Sophie's children's books about the ocean.

In it Sophie talks about her early years as a budding artist/naturalist, the creation of A Field Guide to Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America with Steve Howell, her field research projects all over the world, and her series of best-selling, award-winning children's books.

Sophie Webb's name is familiar to birders who have used her Mexico Birds field guide.

The enhanced audio version (with images) of this episode is visually stunning, illustrated with many of Sophie's paintings, field sketches, and photographs. Here are a just a few:

A plate of parrots and macaws from the Mexico guide.

Sophie is the author of several best-selling nature books for children.

Painting in Antarctica.

Painting aboard the MacArthur II in the Pacific.

Field sketching in an Adelie penguin colony in Antarctica.

A painting of Adelie penguins.

Jumping Adelie penguin.

A feeding aggregation in the Pacific.

Field painting of a tawny-throated leaftosser in Bolivia.

As with all episodes of "This Birding Life" the files are offered as free downloads at Podcast Central and in the iTunes Podcasts section. Both mp3 (audio only) and M4v (enhanced audio illustrated with still images) are available.

"This Birding Life" is sponsored by eBWD, the digital edition of Bird Watcher's Digest. All subscribers to the print edition of Bird Watcher's Digest automatically get free access to the digital edition (!), which is enhanced with photo galleries, videos, audio files, and hotlinks to all kinds of great, informative websites.

I hope you enjoy this new episode of TBL. If you do (or don't) please share your comments here via my blog. I'd love to hear from you.

Happy listening!

First Robin of Spring!

I am pleased to report that on my recent birding adventure to the north country, I encountered The First Robin of Spring! Clearly these early returnees to the wintry parts of the species' range are made of different stuff than your normal, everyday robins.

I've written here before about TFROS. I wonder if they subsist on iceworms during spells of inclement weather.