May 16, 2024
Philadelphia Vireo, Box Canyon Old Dam, 5-15-24
This one was a big surprise. Totally unexpected. I was not sure about it in the field. On my computer it resolved quickly. This is about the best bird I’ve found. Very unusual in May.
Philadelphia Vireo, Box Canyon Old Dam, 5-15-24
Berylline Hummingbird, Ramsey Canyon, 5-13-24
Laughing Gull, Wilcox, 5-15-24
Quite an unusual find. I was there when this bird flew in, but another birder spotted it and proposed that it was a Laughing Gull. After looking at some flight shots, the several birders present came to a consensus….. Laughing Gull. Franklin’s Gulls, which are very similar, are relatively common at Wilcox. However, the lack of white tips on the birds wing rules out Franklin’s.
Elegant Trogon Ramsey Canyon 5-13-24
Gila Monster, Montosa Canyon, 5-11-24
Notes on American Culture – Kay Kyser and Ish Kabibble
The Kay Kyser band was a notable big band in the 1940s, reaching greatest popularity in the war years. Keyser had outstanding talent such as Harry Babbitt and Mike Douglas. The whole band could sing, and Kyser himself would strut and dance in a hopelessly vanilla parody of Cab Calloway. His best known sideman was Ish Kabibble, (real name Merwyn Bogue) 3rd trumpet, band manager, vocalist and comedian. Ish was a sort of an Alfred E. Newman character. Some wags claim that his name meant something like “what, me worry” in Yiddish. I never learned Yiddish. Damn. Kyser’s big hits included Jingle Jangle Jingle, Strip Polka, Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition, Three little Fishies, and, The Woody Woodpecker Song. His movies include Stage Door Canteen and Thousands Cheer, insipid wartime light musical comedies. Despite all of the above, the music and schtick of the Kyser band, although musically flawless and with the best talent, was lame. The band was on television in 1949-50, but because of arthritis Kyser wanted to retire and he released the band after the TV show contract expired. He originally wanted to be a veterinarian, but drifted into music in college. He gave away a lot of money to education, and is well remembered at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.
The Bad Humor Man, from “You’ll Find Out” 1940. Very high production values and lip-synced.