This week’s meeting featured some great talks, interesting posters, and fascinating discussions. Perhaps the attendee most interested in all three was a being who tweets (haha) have dubbed “GeoPigeon.”

My first close encounter with GeoPigeon was at the Whipple Lecture on Tuesday afternoon. During Bibring’s fascinating talk, I almost jumped 10 feet in the air and screamed like a banshee when I caught a movement in my periphery–GeoPigeon, sauntering down the aisle, presumably looking for a place to sit. Instead, I whispered a horrified “holy moly” equivalent and jumped only 2 feet in the air, much to the surprise of the people sitting around me.

GeoPigeon then hanged a left, turning for a prime viewing spot under the chairs of the 5th row.  Who knew that birds were interested in Mars?

I thought that was the last of GeoPigeon–surely the bird went wanted to experience the beautiful SF weather. But no, he/she (I stayed far away and am not a zoologist) seemed to prefer the cavernous halls of the bottom floor of Moscone South. I last saw GeoPigeon checking out the Space Physics and Aeronomy posters on Thursday night. Unperturbed, beer-drinking scientists welcomed their new audience!

–Mohi Kumar, AGU Science Writer