Keitt Lab

I got a tip off from the TEXBIRDS list that folks had been seeing Upland Sandpiper around Manor northeast of town. That is a bird that has somehow always eluded me. Took off after work and drove around the area and managed to find one. Nice look at close range. Great bird.

OK. This is a bit pathetic, but I am actually going to complain about living a stone's throw from the best coffee shop in Austin. Every once in awhile I head over to Cafe Medici to clear my head and do some writing away from the distractions of home and office. The problem is that with 50k+ students in Austin, there is never ever a seat in the cafe. Students (ok and a few profs and other professionals) camp out with laptops all day. They'd sell more coffee if the dumped their free wifi.

Our huge lab windows look out over some nice oak trees so we see a fair number of birds. Last week we had a migrating hooded warbler and 30+ white pelicans soaring above campus. Time to start a lab bird list. Orange-crowned warblers are regulars. I've also seen yellow-rumped warblers and Wilson's warblers. A Carolina wren nests in the alcove below and frequents the oaks. I've seen peregrine falcons, Cooper's hawks, red-tailed hawks, American kestrels and sharp-shinned hawks. Can't think of any others at the moment.

I get asked from time to time to give feedback on student's application materials. Writing good personal statements is often a challenge. I wrote a few tips based on ideas I picked up in a grant writing workshop. Perhaps they will be useful to others.