tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77599911835985681782024-03-14T06:11:57.088-05:00Adventures with OlafADVENTURES WITH OLAF: The RV Life on the road less traveled and to places less attired.
Some say he is the most interesting man in the world, others say he is crazy. Read about Olaf, Silja, "Big Bird", two cats, and assorted characters making cameo appearances in interesting places. Sometimes we see birds, other times butterflies, but mostly strange things no one else notices.
Olaf Danielsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18427270873795437960noreply@blogger.comBlogger284125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-76156809118717271142024-01-10T17:24:00.008-06:002024-01-11T08:13:44.139-06:00Trip report the Canary Islands<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJJacl5he3DNw9Aq2Gnkg-oHyiV1EQlPVa6SO6Kfnnp8XC_5_1J-7cA3PISHLtaRMlp7dTh2ZhRP8nDeJvL0IwGaDVtY_ppmCETBh0_TXT3RxZ0um24wG0QLIKmBzA2b7IVgfK4WnhAEyAQl8wOd69aHMWYXDn5OAiHNBh6GmZeuXp5LHFszRi_BzWVA/s5408/agatha%20christi.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="5408" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJJacl5he3DNw9Aq2Gnkg-oHyiV1EQlPVa6SO6Kfnnp8XC_5_1J-7cA3PISHLtaRMlp7dTh2ZhRP8nDeJvL0IwGaDVtY_ppmCETBh0_TXT3RxZ0um24wG0QLIKmBzA2b7IVgfK4WnhAEyAQl8wOd69aHMWYXDn5OAiHNBh6GmZeuXp5LHFszRi_BzWVA/w400-h266/agatha%20christi.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Agatha Christi once wrote in a novel set and written in Puerto de la Cruz Tenerife Canary Islands Spain</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">“Mr.Satterthwaite passed on down the cypress walk to the
sea. It was rather wonderful sitting there--on the edge of nothing--with that
sheer drop below one. But he found no
inspiration there, and turning slowly he walked back along the path between the
cypresses and into the quiet garden.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I, however on that very same cliff WAS inspired. Most of our trips or so it seems, are learning events. We learn how to get through an airport, get a rental car, order food in a foreign language, how to find the birds and what unfamiliar calls are, or drive on the left. We just spent 9 days in Tenerife on the Canary Islands and a day in Iceland after going for a week to Wisconsin and Minnesota for Christmas. I have made some additions to "Olaf's Rules."</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1) Never check in luggage.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This is an old rule, but recently we have forgotten. Icelandair bullied us to check a suitcase in Minneapolis and we did not have to, and we checked one going home that we definitely did not have to, and it is still out there ...somewhere, carrying my tripod, two monopod walking sticks, a bathrobe, a pair of Crocs, a field guide, and an 800 camera part I just got in from losing it in Bhutan.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2) Christmas trips are two long</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">being gone 17 days over the holidays is too much, thing need to be fixed in the future.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3) Why are we going to a place that is typically cooler than Florida when we have a house in</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> Florida plus and RV spot? The Canaries are nice but from Tampa we can be to Puerto Rico or Panama in 3 hours by plane, and almost any Carribbean Island in four. Tenerife was 6 hours from Minneapolis plus another 6 to Tenerife. The flight home was 6 plus 8 to Orlando with an overnight in Keflavik near a volcano that is ready to blow again, and possibly a closed airport. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">4) Do not eat squid ink, it is a little salty going in, but what comes out a day or two later is a little much</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwAHnB_jiqblOmkkfVcCebsE1OkD37sCTaxP7RIdxF2sS0Ookx92O2AaAebjXoOTQ0eoTRdsVN9c0Ekh9P8r1bv6DS0KX13zeI2OMzrHI1JI4dnbLc7RXy3RBm7BGGH1A2bowzwhhQ-4WRgtStF-nY6Qtm7Fu3nRheEUYdw-oRqgTDFZjP_mNfqh90NOY/s5440/canary.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwAHnB_jiqblOmkkfVcCebsE1OkD37sCTaxP7RIdxF2sS0Ookx92O2AaAebjXoOTQ0eoTRdsVN9c0Ekh9P8r1bv6DS0KX13zeI2OMzrHI1JI4dnbLc7RXy3RBm7BGGH1A2bowzwhhQ-4WRgtStF-nY6Qtm7Fu3nRheEUYdw-oRqgTDFZjP_mNfqh90NOY/s320/canary.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><p>So with that introduction, we went to Tenerife, just off the African coast of Spanish Sahara, we met up with our son Allwin, his girlfriend and her parents. We've known then for many years, Allwin is a research Chemist at the Max Planck Institute in Germany. It is much easier to get to Tenerife for him. a Four hour flight</p></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgclybeFoQD10r-YxFpRkz8qP3kcfE-fZPSQPSMbrD_9SPka5AHg6EJicnjrymUmJYkJzgG0XW0PqMjN9o9Q9J39l6qyorGZGeu-Mth0gIHFeTlFCnsxUA5QART4rhGD7ZQRjQd4O7sTyYsg5JyFi1kqek56WPvLT31DQycpF6TR9a25vwcj8OS8MN4TdQ/s5440/canary3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgclybeFoQD10r-YxFpRkz8qP3kcfE-fZPSQPSMbrD_9SPka5AHg6EJicnjrymUmJYkJzgG0XW0PqMjN9o9Q9J39l6qyorGZGeu-Mth0gIHFeTlFCnsxUA5QART4rhGD7ZQRjQd4O7sTyYsg5JyFi1kqek56WPvLT31DQycpF6TR9a25vwcj8OS8MN4TdQ/w400-h266/canary3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We stayed in a nice VRBO and hung out on the tropical island. The house was in the middle of a banana plantation</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwuaagDhko1nuwhkmGLbcHCuqqKt4N1WvUYB_Py4oA9GiDLVVVhi2h5UNy38YmkKR4zJA5daLSgXeMJ0wGNKuqhuKUZC4xtehX_CCoAQ9Xkq6l3VMlR0I-3zTZnZBW2xxWlszXxtccnhzEKRQk9GfqReastuz0seH8WSw_324ny8cxfcqZI_LfzKn7pg/s5408/canary5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="5408" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwuaagDhko1nuwhkmGLbcHCuqqKt4N1WvUYB_Py4oA9GiDLVVVhi2h5UNy38YmkKR4zJA5daLSgXeMJ0wGNKuqhuKUZC4xtehX_CCoAQ9Xkq6l3VMlR0I-3zTZnZBW2xxWlszXxtccnhzEKRQk9GfqReastuz0seH8WSw_324ny8cxfcqZI_LfzKn7pg/w400-h266/canary5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">We had a nice view of the ocean, and of the city below us. We went up to the volcano, Teide that last erupted in 1908 and could threaten the entire eastern US coast. The barren landscape was used for the movie "Planet of the Apes."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmINsuDb089eCw2VCUqDO9T9ILkwRWs4aTjxD_Un-16kP75O5mz6WuWIn25SvV_QB_HnGVDDcgjsPcHLQsO5AVeIlIsehTIme8Mu73uqza4nMlVy0zfUcKHLG4JtiV9_jdRJ4plwUSYN5vjsNjNTy_B0TbpASAJ550DKMWwvpIxfSxjtGbNrd21KWBy7Y/s5440/canary2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmINsuDb089eCw2VCUqDO9T9ILkwRWs4aTjxD_Un-16kP75O5mz6WuWIn25SvV_QB_HnGVDDcgjsPcHLQsO5AVeIlIsehTIme8Mu73uqza4nMlVy0zfUcKHLG4JtiV9_jdRJ4plwUSYN5vjsNjNTy_B0TbpASAJ550DKMWwvpIxfSxjtGbNrd21KWBy7Y/w400-h266/canary2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV5MLf_xZMN4SzSKw_fSeJKmlHgm6H5E8WBfRmir60m28ipVrAvw0EAV1fmccB-MTJWJxz_0TXd7FFpMDcNOXd4yEOrlpSSZhOepujEDD5GMKXqH2fHZhABy2P0y0qli6thY8dMwpZdaip0lRGntixAS7FgbxA2VeWCsoizjabODMAq_rDdudt9yeyd_s/s5440/teide81.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV5MLf_xZMN4SzSKw_fSeJKmlHgm6H5E8WBfRmir60m28ipVrAvw0EAV1fmccB-MTJWJxz_0TXd7FFpMDcNOXd4yEOrlpSSZhOepujEDD5GMKXqH2fHZhABy2P0y0qli6thY8dMwpZdaip0lRGntixAS7FgbxA2VeWCsoizjabODMAq_rDdudt9yeyd_s/w400-h266/teide81.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJWTrNO67xwFMMZMWbqlkhfLODjEd2_KQ_C3hijzi2dJwTtMsc8r5f7jkT-EGCwq_Yf-nXkLKuGhyQI96668BHJOKuiXOrlxziH8ebQPhPAY0Oy6XsbvsvUDB-6lIlUgVkWMXdX3AHsp54s5JFmS8wYEJ6ihwlzy2BVVktDdA5idqK40O3nzJe3ILf-w/s5440/tiede.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJWTrNO67xwFMMZMWbqlkhfLODjEd2_KQ_C3hijzi2dJwTtMsc8r5f7jkT-EGCwq_Yf-nXkLKuGhyQI96668BHJOKuiXOrlxziH8ebQPhPAY0Oy6XsbvsvUDB-6lIlUgVkWMXdX3AHsp54s5JFmS8wYEJ6ihwlzy2BVVktDdA5idqK40O3nzJe3ILf-w/w400-h266/tiede.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The most common critter in this massive desert is the Gallot's lizard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvTEPj-eCaTH7PmvIbjEyD0EtxMtlIvYkS3pSwGTVzO-RpUGRZsmi1nQmvoxMyOuyI8ratjJLCKLg2hjPUK4H5xMgz3Qyq__erhr9UjhZbeo9qfxuC6PqcKRhvKkNFSvQeehQAufOSvtzbe5E_z2YH6f5iXF0D0KY-OnLcO29mMD_FWcf-E1Vd_UepPMw/s6132/gsllot's%20lizard.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4068" data-original-width="6132" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvTEPj-eCaTH7PmvIbjEyD0EtxMtlIvYkS3pSwGTVzO-RpUGRZsmi1nQmvoxMyOuyI8ratjJLCKLg2hjPUK4H5xMgz3Qyq__erhr9UjhZbeo9qfxuC6PqcKRhvKkNFSvQeehQAufOSvtzbe5E_z2YH6f5iXF0D0KY-OnLcO29mMD_FWcf-E1Vd_UepPMw/w400-h265/gsllot's%20lizard.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />We also saw endemic butterflies like the </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9qRY5Vdb0XO8QbWWe4r6hglwYrRRZ7Vn72yZPSN9RLI3SYzyfREEawwNFQ4TDnhdFNh3qJlZ8IFZPAAThv6UM87M-cV4Xm5GDnQoZkg84tuw0Ojq4zuE_YeFt-giROmVLYRAw2ULhfCtYHe99xFxUyw3zhrZiclwotOIJMbQZOB92FYSuypcj4kjdV4s/s2336/canary%20specled%20wood%20butterfly2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1905" data-original-width="2336" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9qRY5Vdb0XO8QbWWe4r6hglwYrRRZ7Vn72yZPSN9RLI3SYzyfREEawwNFQ4TDnhdFNh3qJlZ8IFZPAAThv6UM87M-cV4Xm5GDnQoZkg84tuw0Ojq4zuE_YeFt-giROmVLYRAw2ULhfCtYHe99xFxUyw3zhrZiclwotOIJMbQZOB92FYSuypcj4kjdV4s/w400-h326/canary%20specled%20wood%20butterfly2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPRrOLbOBgwOuE3iN-4eOyZaaEQjXzNuaOoVHCO3KZ2TYnyfhLzbB8T5fT3m1PNc3ia3osJcF6gEC9WdoCpQx5vtW_SVYEZ3DaTFy32-LzcNmQM_JJYB4HdbrVv0cTADrY1n_uOB_dFIXU6pTTn8nm11xqJJhZn-6xcYgtaDJ0iQnIjWQutA6qhjRI5U/s2710/canary%20specled%20wood%20butterfly.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1964" data-original-width="2710" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPRrOLbOBgwOuE3iN-4eOyZaaEQjXzNuaOoVHCO3KZ2TYnyfhLzbB8T5fT3m1PNc3ia3osJcF6gEC9WdoCpQx5vtW_SVYEZ3DaTFy32-LzcNmQM_JJYB4HdbrVv0cTADrY1n_uOB_dFIXU6pTTn8nm11xqJJhZn-6xcYgtaDJ0iQnIjWQutA6qhjRI5U/w400-h290/canary%20specled%20wood%20butterfly.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The Canary Speckled Wood Butterfly, and we also saw African blues</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhZACVDJ8lXrd0Oio1rVP5Z9RyooubhCpWJ_ieqif8YD5aOPA7gm5hO3vZPFvusD5i6KE7I0VddNyBgYCgbL5YD2MIMWTjQDBCmGt2bKMR4ytBY22380gjyOFUdnUU7yAm8Ga-3__2_u41wSRxqHAk53EFDahHydWF80wjBF48QRNNa7Ct1N9NsOqTXag/s1943/blue%20butterfly.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1532" data-original-width="1943" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhZACVDJ8lXrd0Oio1rVP5Z9RyooubhCpWJ_ieqif8YD5aOPA7gm5hO3vZPFvusD5i6KE7I0VddNyBgYCgbL5YD2MIMWTjQDBCmGt2bKMR4ytBY22380gjyOFUdnUU7yAm8Ga-3__2_u41wSRxqHAk53EFDahHydWF80wjBF48QRNNa7Ct1N9NsOqTXag/w400-h315/blue%20butterfly.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The beaches are down steep cliffs, wavy, black sand beaches and filled with shadows</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUZGzED5h5XsTPA9RKyY3ugUFgnr-hSrsHZE6-UP36OA09rOnReTnQC5DZcju7OvpZbVEj-EZ_Xe1NnbU5XUDk5tRxBNyXuQDuNGSl5coatVYAd6dMSSxXEDWNhCYuFjhjPYplw31q-LHcFMKQtYecJld1BsDqMzFW1gWBsEJL-U5D90_I4TS8yBAMJh4/s4032/sign.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUZGzED5h5XsTPA9RKyY3ugUFgnr-hSrsHZE6-UP36OA09rOnReTnQC5DZcju7OvpZbVEj-EZ_Xe1NnbU5XUDk5tRxBNyXuQDuNGSl5coatVYAd6dMSSxXEDWNhCYuFjhjPYplw31q-LHcFMKQtYecJld1BsDqMzFW1gWBsEJL-U5D90_I4TS8yBAMJh4/w400-h300/sign.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA0hcse-DolxJptzzjBKCFHRjEuO3_eFDSUQCFBrEy4OEbZoCCib8ES4jkBOQlPF_HJaG35X0npkgFSa6VwEP0Kw6KEf4Z8e8lbFJcvXwQMYSplkYM6UMmPG5rZ2FuGZjXahiuJvPFbxO89vZewtUQ_gDyrio-y9jkBLgYLq0yqSu6tc4KuhsitQS3nNM/s5440/ancon%20beach.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA0hcse-DolxJptzzjBKCFHRjEuO3_eFDSUQCFBrEy4OEbZoCCib8ES4jkBOQlPF_HJaG35X0npkgFSa6VwEP0Kw6KEf4Z8e8lbFJcvXwQMYSplkYM6UMmPG5rZ2FuGZjXahiuJvPFbxO89vZewtUQ_gDyrio-y9jkBLgYLq0yqSu6tc4KuhsitQS3nNM/w400-h266/ancon%20beach.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ancon Beach</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;">Some impressive waves</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCQNqpCYdUos_DFImuWkFFt0MaogH9ybnHvCsRsJ7ssMNBoi617Z46wY7iLPrpq-75-EeN9DkJPqYeGORtGglGtMYaH4IUPIFQmqTxWDCrY1mT6aLgHs6jHf6lD77ziBn8GWjXo4d5kttZU1KykChYSqRimn6oec0BC2e9nMl6UjiuZI6VVWeqgzgUQ7s/s8256/wave.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5504" data-original-width="8256" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCQNqpCYdUos_DFImuWkFFt0MaogH9ybnHvCsRsJ7ssMNBoi617Z46wY7iLPrpq-75-EeN9DkJPqYeGORtGglGtMYaH4IUPIFQmqTxWDCrY1mT6aLgHs6jHf6lD77ziBn8GWjXo4d5kttZU1KykChYSqRimn6oec0BC2e9nMl6UjiuZI6VVWeqgzgUQ7s/w400-h266/wave.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">We even saw a few surfers.</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">One (in)famous beach, the naturist Playa Patos, just below our house, had had its stairs eroded 9 years ago, then in 2023, they spent 30000 euros to replace them. On December 24, five days before we arrived the cliff failed and blocked the beach. The local city closed the access and put up a barricade fence. But intrepid souls climbed the fence and then went down the stairs and then in barefeet or flipflops crossed the fifty meter high pile of rocks.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFoj-LAzpFRimtLNd-WNBDL9gIk4OgKGbnG1ae78FHhs0ly146VwTXJlTTmrDGIE61Ppn3izUDzukrh1C9iOhiOJhKdMNdVohSKTc7mTiVOtk8DHh_lYtmTQjMb0Fr8t4Rm_fDuvyzUseIxRdjFU04Jf5ryq0BQGVoq5dyB0K3UFKoabNr8rJnR6SDJAk/s8256/canary7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5504" data-original-width="8256" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFoj-LAzpFRimtLNd-WNBDL9gIk4OgKGbnG1ae78FHhs0ly146VwTXJlTTmrDGIE61Ppn3izUDzukrh1C9iOhiOJhKdMNdVohSKTc7mTiVOtk8DHh_lYtmTQjMb0Fr8t4Rm_fDuvyzUseIxRdjFU04Jf5ryq0BQGVoq5dyB0K3UFKoabNr8rJnR6SDJAk/w400-h266/canary7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We had an eight course meal at new years (see previous blogs) and hiked and saw a few sights including Agatha Christi's famous steps</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZtjK6QL69NkXiQwvmy25nXkd4jon4kJGG_aZ9bgsmE_u9kHWRuhVdmlFDC2PM7Z_aRN4d2hXJCqiXEQX18265Y10i8sqPY9X3GvlNZBzVH70XyI0a91fiIpjuLUkrGLgODutFyIaQthqON6d-BdIOLyL4Eyo_Uzjsnse-3ayXmLiQrTCwl7hPtBHeVdc/s5408/canary6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="5408" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZtjK6QL69NkXiQwvmy25nXkd4jon4kJGG_aZ9bgsmE_u9kHWRuhVdmlFDC2PM7Z_aRN4d2hXJCqiXEQX18265Y10i8sqPY9X3GvlNZBzVH70XyI0a91fiIpjuLUkrGLgODutFyIaQthqON6d-BdIOLyL4Eyo_Uzjsnse-3ayXmLiQrTCwl7hPtBHeVdc/w400-h266/canary6.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0w0PK37ZjApyQgYZL7GMlj2prR8cQVoPBk-DlkdYV4CoZuAZDI_RqEWzOwHekBZRdLri07MvGR1TCjHwJeDtAUhvwYtdiMbP1oO9YsMnfV2ysPKYOJg6imacb4u5HiOH4vYgjzv1dMuNmDcfe1gaSmTQ44LP0o3jldzdDWxM0GYyrY-fkZiH-_7HMFjQ/s4032/canary9.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0w0PK37ZjApyQgYZL7GMlj2prR8cQVoPBk-DlkdYV4CoZuAZDI_RqEWzOwHekBZRdLri07MvGR1TCjHwJeDtAUhvwYtdiMbP1oO9YsMnfV2ysPKYOJg6imacb4u5HiOH4vYgjzv1dMuNmDcfe1gaSmTQ44LP0o3jldzdDWxM0GYyrY-fkZiH-_7HMFjQ/w400-h300/canary9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The port, just another place to take one's clothes off for sun</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgANnE43gaSdsy0kO83aCmYG9Vxf2paDfvyMeo0L0nFsArP3GuD_nskvno4dayvnU_wJTCyY5A0KAekhLxyaJ2mtiJIT8W7jojHHFSEFUB-JIUxLznHUwpC71-vHIxULNadI1pxdEZcUSeCh6E9e3cugeymjXoeHSiWuapNVJvbDFcsmWANSZ7NCC7QsJA/s5267/crab2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3636" data-original-width="5267" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgANnE43gaSdsy0kO83aCmYG9Vxf2paDfvyMeo0L0nFsArP3GuD_nskvno4dayvnU_wJTCyY5A0KAekhLxyaJ2mtiJIT8W7jojHHFSEFUB-JIUxLznHUwpC71-vHIxULNadI1pxdEZcUSeCh6E9e3cugeymjXoeHSiWuapNVJvbDFcsmWANSZ7NCC7QsJA/w400-h276/crab2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">red rock crab</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZK2g3hsCfLATjALTb8A1zWQdqSmSHjhebssJE6ZR_BwkfTBR20VLEiBvmdaLH8VVRoGzj_M2in7sDfwYXtyZXoxH98HUKmodRMM5MweFf_EQN5hu1nATn42H9xMP25YWVn17xQpkBdr3gzn5zWYumGF8X3YtxJfFc90rvnRV-glr22qWxizJCPSxKIV0/s4032/olaf.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZK2g3hsCfLATjALTb8A1zWQdqSmSHjhebssJE6ZR_BwkfTBR20VLEiBvmdaLH8VVRoGzj_M2in7sDfwYXtyZXoxH98HUKmodRMM5MweFf_EQN5hu1nATn42H9xMP25YWVn17xQpkBdr3gzn5zWYumGF8X3YtxJfFc90rvnRV-glr22qWxizJCPSxKIV0/w300-h400/olaf.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Of course I drank lifer beers</div> </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I saw nine lifer birds for my world list and photographed 8 of them, six of those pretty good. The Bolle's Pigeon went unphotographed, saw one and heard one. Birder Neil Hayward was on the island but he was a day ahead of me in seeing birds and we never met up despite me reaching out. Oh well.</span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivahIcWpdqXFUhffoL-OKBkeA7iGC_OhyWBEt3VY0T6mjsFuxyESjglhTPcSDSGsL0vpeN0MqgJzHu__EkdSxViuOZGqQfSi059zUX5rVm0jTwmdQX3_K9rAtTpStGsPysXDEuY_QHzu8Fe9hdhgyHd8kEgybKhP1bglWEN5kZPIdU3OGCIXbkilnIo1A/s2887/tenerife%20blue%20chaffinch.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2043" data-original-width="2887" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivahIcWpdqXFUhffoL-OKBkeA7iGC_OhyWBEt3VY0T6mjsFuxyESjglhTPcSDSGsL0vpeN0MqgJzHu__EkdSxViuOZGqQfSi059zUX5rVm0jTwmdQX3_K9rAtTpStGsPysXDEuY_QHzu8Fe9hdhgyHd8kEgybKhP1bglWEN5kZPIdU3OGCIXbkilnIo1A/w400-h283/tenerife%20blue%20chaffinch.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Tenerife Blue Chaffinch, maybe a population of 5000 birds on the one island</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizZylxdZJOMF2r3yq7zpg2utkxkfd5JXgqYYGbNfZQ3pg0CE-qL9axMWDusimfcj4bGhBEiBBplQaD400JMZW89IRysOIHMdYj39fNvriyMIT9fNE_M_ponzD2GDIV81_-si6Mvxpqib0s22Z2omTkiUQmIAo-gNzMWKFg5x9u7U2dkPL-yKPFqRaIeWM/s1536/lsurel3b2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1094" data-original-width="1536" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizZylxdZJOMF2r3yq7zpg2utkxkfd5JXgqYYGbNfZQ3pg0CE-qL9axMWDusimfcj4bGhBEiBBplQaD400JMZW89IRysOIHMdYj39fNvriyMIT9fNE_M_ponzD2GDIV81_-si6Mvxpqib0s22Z2omTkiUQmIAo-gNzMWKFg5x9u7U2dkPL-yKPFqRaIeWM/w400-h285/lsurel3b2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(White tailed) Laurel pigeon, maybe 5000 on three islands having been split from the Madeira Laurel Pigeon and is near threatened</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicOAxBnSJfQsUrk9rKqLAxU5exUvA8yVTaHk4bFq7voQTfT7DwHTBMmHIew095OF30yXvzCOmSfuUn8kteHCsyxSc2ZAphkDS081diF9T1WRImRPcChVmcGEJi50QNrNh6ZbufTI3TM4-kA2mWGowFue3lyV7a21hcbfS7LuHiFVtyUak6Z9h5YaHPHEs/s1628/islandscanary.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1197" data-original-width="1628" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicOAxBnSJfQsUrk9rKqLAxU5exUvA8yVTaHk4bFq7voQTfT7DwHTBMmHIew095OF30yXvzCOmSfuUn8kteHCsyxSc2ZAphkDS081diF9T1WRImRPcChVmcGEJi50QNrNh6ZbufTI3TM4-kA2mWGowFue3lyV7a21hcbfS7LuHiFVtyUak6Z9h5YaHPHEs/w400-h294/islandscanary.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Island canary</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZO-zcMXEzj2r55hS9NB1ZYj6SecPhWKdlOdFfkLFcxbn0w4KpHBca3Rzhl6HsZqjTpd-Sd1y1fnJnyXobh4TnGkz7ByzEO1FpABJSIO6186Gx2tdZkdI6ABLN5-_hvyFfkVw6aobGyXKiciXk0gzm1-DjSwTkQAe4gXjZDnmoy2h1Fqq2-d9gBabxZ4/s2159/canaryu%20island%20chiffchaff3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1826" data-original-width="2159" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZO-zcMXEzj2r55hS9NB1ZYj6SecPhWKdlOdFfkLFcxbn0w4KpHBca3Rzhl6HsZqjTpd-Sd1y1fnJnyXobh4TnGkz7ByzEO1FpABJSIO6186Gx2tdZkdI6ABLN5-_hvyFfkVw6aobGyXKiciXk0gzm1-DjSwTkQAe4gXjZDnmoy2h1Fqq2-d9gBabxZ4/w400-h339/canaryu%20island%20chiffchaff3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Canary Island Chiffchaff</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEat3Erh_XNWBdLo_2VwDPR5uqk8x6K1PIAtQi5mKT1cysU1EXQHuwZiK7Qka-pyZFh83xz-MYj_8Elm34JdekAs3M4mWBZVb3Pc9feuKp0EucnOT1CTUzhS1mBD-7Y84hqhnZ5dKrWREFVZ0C3UCNOJv6FnIkVp80lG2aKhStJMQEmtVYKjCBeLswmOw/s5149/canary%20islan%20chaffinch5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3892" data-original-width="5149" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEat3Erh_XNWBdLo_2VwDPR5uqk8x6K1PIAtQi5mKT1cysU1EXQHuwZiK7Qka-pyZFh83xz-MYj_8Elm34JdekAs3M4mWBZVb3Pc9feuKp0EucnOT1CTUzhS1mBD-7Y84hqhnZ5dKrWREFVZ0C3UCNOJv6FnIkVp80lG2aKhStJMQEmtVYKjCBeLswmOw/w400-h303/canary%20islan%20chaffinch5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Canary Island chaffinch</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDhOlfl-sBZL8kZBBYDaK7sLxcbeA_prXmFUzEkEKTXr-KDx9ZS5NChz4LHd8ZQCKcFJ5Bf_xKn-68lcA9VFKU7fDM6x9ykTvbjdFCKDPbaI-oISiW6DUVzoa8p1UIdwU-acwu9vrvSIAtpumuT2H3OBGYjFcU8PR9OT2zEXT6ugBg7fvrXELf4ytyOQw/s1842/bertholot's%20pipit2%20better.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1391" data-original-width="1842" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDhOlfl-sBZL8kZBBYDaK7sLxcbeA_prXmFUzEkEKTXr-KDx9ZS5NChz4LHd8ZQCKcFJ5Bf_xKn-68lcA9VFKU7fDM6x9ykTvbjdFCKDPbaI-oISiW6DUVzoa8p1UIdwU-acwu9vrvSIAtpumuT2H3OBGYjFcU8PR9OT2zEXT6ugBg7fvrXELf4ytyOQw/w400-h303/bertholot's%20pipit2%20better.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Berthelot's pipit </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNs7BFvlKL9BytMb9Mj8REmsQ0SdDHyX2mCuvk_Va2m722xV7B8T_bYqmShnbNWoI2LrBEYZvPiEYZnkHtborFT_qfUo5dC9eI4Eps3mj6-XAG9cUP7tnEj8zgE4knupltoE7ztZ8iSNuM6fe0ySD8OfbN0yReJUoMSV18o9CK64kLCDsmwrLlHYyRfqk/s4500/barbary%20partridge.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3341" data-original-width="4500" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNs7BFvlKL9BytMb9Mj8REmsQ0SdDHyX2mCuvk_Va2m722xV7B8T_bYqmShnbNWoI2LrBEYZvPiEYZnkHtborFT_qfUo5dC9eI4Eps3mj6-XAG9cUP7tnEj8zgE4knupltoE7ztZ8iSNuM6fe0ySD8OfbN0yReJUoMSV18o9CK64kLCDsmwrLlHYyRfqk/w400-h297/barbary%20partridge.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Barbary Partridge, here and North Africa</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYR2BTQe4DqRFZWgS9l7H4LpuS_rFJLnaklI2JcQdM6ZJHd3NfxpmtCNYg5Sy_R9lkrS2IaUCuLDoJ1mEj1g4PeAUG9EygaEKJ2tJpx5uWN-RiU6K49050LW-OK8jIricZGYucww74xT8KFTilRG6k41FM6zIeGfU7JnGKq22uY7LAukSOtxk2KrbRodo/s1943/african%20blue%20tit2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="1943" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYR2BTQe4DqRFZWgS9l7H4LpuS_rFJLnaklI2JcQdM6ZJHd3NfxpmtCNYg5Sy_R9lkrS2IaUCuLDoJ1mEj1g4PeAUG9EygaEKJ2tJpx5uWN-RiU6K49050LW-OK8jIricZGYucww74xT8KFTilRG6k41FM6zIeGfU7JnGKq22uY7LAukSOtxk2KrbRodo/w400-h311/african%20blue%20tit2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">African Blue tit</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Tenerife is not a birdy island. I also saw some avian creatures.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy3uptuVH3wIrbY3YCf2NYnHp-hC8y0Tv0LxGBlZ6Roo2ony89UDqKPqP1OQsuR-QNAOk7PT4vWZjPrVAIeXhirXiIlaenaOJdDdjgPuvW8fgJJFlsPbdoUXZTPD_EsmGMDc3f3IvfxZ3DWW9UThLsnx44ITzB85Jxjipw_9AYjzpZT9jWRy_mIucr34A/s1314/common%20buzzard.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1158" data-original-width="1314" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy3uptuVH3wIrbY3YCf2NYnHp-hC8y0Tv0LxGBlZ6Roo2ony89UDqKPqP1OQsuR-QNAOk7PT4vWZjPrVAIeXhirXiIlaenaOJdDdjgPuvW8fgJJFlsPbdoUXZTPD_EsmGMDc3f3IvfxZ3DWW9UThLsnx44ITzB85Jxjipw_9AYjzpZT9jWRy_mIucr34A/w400-h353/common%20buzzard.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">common buzzard</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrEaue2lTbYZV5Sn-6a-yT1OVH2ojfjK4jPfRYN0LuUKk-nmWIlTPw_AhQiC3mXt3Nqt3qkj0U3L7cNwhMSkpzxPd34Laa1gVNWg8Ab5xaDUBdjHVVL3NPKeOX7v-6Iw4FA01UiHdXO7d04cGyWrYLwRQsijgtyr0UuahVuCQ56-7Ok2HPi7NluV5bm0c/s1589/common%20sandpiper.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1315" data-original-width="1589" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrEaue2lTbYZV5Sn-6a-yT1OVH2ojfjK4jPfRYN0LuUKk-nmWIlTPw_AhQiC3mXt3Nqt3qkj0U3L7cNwhMSkpzxPd34Laa1gVNWg8Ab5xaDUBdjHVVL3NPKeOX7v-6Iw4FA01UiHdXO7d04cGyWrYLwRQsijgtyr0UuahVuCQ56-7Ok2HPi7NluV5bm0c/w400-h331/common%20sandpiper.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Common sandpiper</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUsEcK1iJC3Uc_Y4noIX9rK4gYAZGohbw_t5f5ZFZ6Ez0UGQcXVAfUdzwWIbGWfbtv516-RuZPjpNu1jVmDOGUvSsC0KLL9eOrZyZ29WZoogD60Nfry42bsDXLu0RGPxBSZh1gobs2cQghDDd7ivzjEY_OKwLazN1AGwqvaweKQJGVVcZ1NhKLC7XFRc/s2356/eurasian%20blackcap_2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1886" data-original-width="2356" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUsEcK1iJC3Uc_Y4noIX9rK4gYAZGohbw_t5f5ZFZ6Ez0UGQcXVAfUdzwWIbGWfbtv516-RuZPjpNu1jVmDOGUvSsC0KLL9eOrZyZ29WZoogD60Nfry42bsDXLu0RGPxBSZh1gobs2cQghDDd7ivzjEY_OKwLazN1AGwqvaweKQJGVVcZ1NhKLC7XFRc/w400-h320/eurasian%20blackcap_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Eurasian blackcap</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPYC-auR63HPpXP8MoSOAeO4mDjRKnNWJH9AazhN2zam_1wNnK31Jm6b6IFTWjbeRTcjhzPneaS22Eo9Vd0k9bdMDCb4NlMK60pNh1rRjvxblMkFY8uyBslCiNyIP4Ms4vLKN5Kl16Dd8J_onxSN36zgke1LZFv95jo5DkEWRwSwH7KZw-9oCXRb4pz1o/s2356/eurasian%20kestral4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1905" data-original-width="2356" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPYC-auR63HPpXP8MoSOAeO4mDjRKnNWJH9AazhN2zam_1wNnK31Jm6b6IFTWjbeRTcjhzPneaS22Eo9Vd0k9bdMDCb4NlMK60pNh1rRjvxblMkFY8uyBslCiNyIP4Ms4vLKN5Kl16Dd8J_onxSN36zgke1LZFv95jo5DkEWRwSwH7KZw-9oCXRb4pz1o/w400-h324/eurasian%20kestral4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Eurasian kestrel</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLWoDAqAV3b98_t-SV3yCBgpjOfWlnxGlwtgz3nMK2BDbR6aR5SPD6v2rjYUvBzhcRo1qusx_9mtlOmR-fVZwQ2kCz5JGDcgPVjJeI-HC-r9_ppvXeFaIoPFYcM1o2tdE8S1-GLuR_c0WFbL1lO7TTvmR-HN6HNHdKZL_d8clo6TILcbBbbd9soRzJhls/s4696/european%20robin_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3518" data-original-width="4696" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLWoDAqAV3b98_t-SV3yCBgpjOfWlnxGlwtgz3nMK2BDbR6aR5SPD6v2rjYUvBzhcRo1qusx_9mtlOmR-fVZwQ2kCz5JGDcgPVjJeI-HC-r9_ppvXeFaIoPFYcM1o2tdE8S1-GLuR_c0WFbL1lO7TTvmR-HN6HNHdKZL_d8clo6TILcbBbbd9soRzJhls/w400-h300/european%20robin_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">European robin</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjex0mi0vnNzx6ms1iMCs41NRQJttyQ9t9fkJaZyGkZs7KXpcCPWZSULTbPKNumyKtFgLV329CJMYfNbxy-uMnc-4hvMQuYaOiNiGvBuCppB0wQsada1Sk3QFLh70GQ6WDO4kTWdb9Ar_hyphenhyphenkCUypuhFGdiT_jbXHGpAYHnxpiJjlXDv53CZqTubfL_FPQc/s3123/gray%20wagtail4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2161" data-original-width="3123" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjex0mi0vnNzx6ms1iMCs41NRQJttyQ9t9fkJaZyGkZs7KXpcCPWZSULTbPKNumyKtFgLV329CJMYfNbxy-uMnc-4hvMQuYaOiNiGvBuCppB0wQsada1Sk3QFLh70GQ6WDO4kTWdb9Ar_hyphenhyphenkCUypuhFGdiT_jbXHGpAYHnxpiJjlXDv53CZqTubfL_FPQc/w400-h276/gray%20wagtail4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Gray wagtail</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoT5sZIbO5WWCpVuA7-LK0aPRseS9jy5mp3sHDCsx6Uh3Xkayms6meF7EE6XNdaOQwLD41xZFOmuDEfv4vCVM0_X1o67qlEL0beB6tdfG7XV7SFN6MU8VaPVbgP7SzV_B1A6XBTDCvQ7HH5xjtL0rjTIRw2lK1P8p6_gvLfp8BfnwB0EhOK6xI8rzFNA/s5326/little%20egret.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5326" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoT5sZIbO5WWCpVuA7-LK0aPRseS9jy5mp3sHDCsx6Uh3Xkayms6meF7EE6XNdaOQwLD41xZFOmuDEfv4vCVM0_X1o67qlEL0beB6tdfG7XV7SFN6MU8VaPVbgP7SzV_B1A6XBTDCvQ7HH5xjtL0rjTIRw2lK1P8p6_gvLfp8BfnwB0EhOK6xI8rzFNA/w400-h271/little%20egret.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Little egret</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTf_2SUfquUY847wzCJdPHfg6RHL3oFCof7o5TxCgBcc5O0XFxvoe7-l8bgqqQ98EVkoivT9NbvKEx54zV8P3ZOXMAIMpkBmpR9k9-3UzWfuN5HJEUBgZZPKl47QGW5TZIbgkl-AgqYjdgkEX7hV0F2lwc_xgkYnwhppaUxAGU_N_vPoVhYcyXc7HwuHw/s3615/sardinian%20warblerb.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2672" data-original-width="3615" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTf_2SUfquUY847wzCJdPHfg6RHL3oFCof7o5TxCgBcc5O0XFxvoe7-l8bgqqQ98EVkoivT9NbvKEx54zV8P3ZOXMAIMpkBmpR9k9-3UzWfuN5HJEUBgZZPKl47QGW5TZIbgkl-AgqYjdgkEX7hV0F2lwc_xgkYnwhppaUxAGU_N_vPoVhYcyXc7HwuHw/w400-h296/sardinian%20warblerb.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The super skulky Sardinian Warbler</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSmcGQJbHnuJBKavR8uKN5WosioD0aTh5ISpgDQ2yGgC1aHN_p3WPqYYZVTw3SePaOWGY5WT5PBQtC55ys8P2sYveIMITCeKePD8DKCYX50N2RXr3P8PqJI6DMnPYUVvS3LvjEV8wMnAe_Gikvj19JmYNVdCS1lWa1R5DBlOkD606q4E6Qf01r1AdTtY4/s2651/yellow%20legged%20gull.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1807" data-original-width="2651" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSmcGQJbHnuJBKavR8uKN5WosioD0aTh5ISpgDQ2yGgC1aHN_p3WPqYYZVTw3SePaOWGY5WT5PBQtC55ys8P2sYveIMITCeKePD8DKCYX50N2RXr3P8PqJI6DMnPYUVvS3LvjEV8wMnAe_Gikvj19JmYNVdCS1lWa1R5DBlOkD606q4E6Qf01r1AdTtY4/w400-h272/yellow%20legged%20gull.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Yellow Legged gull, despite being an island, saw a grand total of just four gulls all were this species</div><br /> <span style="font-size: medium;">It was really a nice vanilla trip and then...we started for home. We got notified of a strike so we headed to the airport extra early but there was nothing looking like a strike, just long lines at the food court and a crowded airport. We had a long wait.</span><p></p></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt3MdoDeK_aJsTwA7K1NySTpkbOPzOFG_rMWXPS_D_sbz9H0ya3GK83fWRjRnGTYJF3ja_Yqxn5zXWcKkGXMNV-UB10yr2pkrcwU7uhrXTaJDQz7YPNYqncsim-YKkmz7KjHnlwDIbnoYYvFGmh703N5GdsMs5fZftDm_RfCTl5P1kLDcFc8vOmZqNtVk/s2946/gates.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2946" data-original-width="2160" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt3MdoDeK_aJsTwA7K1NySTpkbOPzOFG_rMWXPS_D_sbz9H0ya3GK83fWRjRnGTYJF3ja_Yqxn5zXWcKkGXMNV-UB10yr2pkrcwU7uhrXTaJDQz7YPNYqncsim-YKkmz7KjHnlwDIbnoYYvFGmh703N5GdsMs5fZftDm_RfCTl5P1kLDcFc8vOmZqNtVk/w294-h400/gates.jpg" width="294" /></a>.</div><span style="font-size: medium;">Allwin's flight to Frankfurt and ours to Reykjavik were at adjoining gates, so we bid farewell and off we went to Iceland.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">The six hour flight ended and my suitcase never came off the carousel "Sir, your bag is safe and checked for Orlando." So we went to the hotel and slept. The Blue lagoon opened up that morning but many thought it was risky as another volcano eruption is imminent (has not erupted as of today) so we went to airport and I birded a little outside.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbm4irh8rrB95pqcktSQkHyMu9K4CeEqrptobgASapZitVjhRg3tQ4pw6Y1s5yDygbSGnXYF0DiWoGmIJHKBYfiWl5hrhN-dgzzDdaA7kPDy7l36T59ateQB6yPY_1_XEpWhKPfgwoF_wwtMxKBCasXtoqqK0LICNB3Cq5O_oL0c30kFKS4ohGcgdN1eM/s3674/redwing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2712" data-original-width="3674" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbm4irh8rrB95pqcktSQkHyMu9K4CeEqrptobgASapZitVjhRg3tQ4pw6Y1s5yDygbSGnXYF0DiWoGmIJHKBYfiWl5hrhN-dgzzDdaA7kPDy7l36T59ateQB6yPY_1_XEpWhKPfgwoF_wwtMxKBCasXtoqqK0LICNB3Cq5O_oL0c30kFKS4ohGcgdN1eM/w400-h295/redwing.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I picked up a nice redwing, have not seen one for a few years and after a hot dog we went through security. Everything was going fine and then, it did not....I broke a zipper on my favorite jacket that morning, I have had the jacket for at least 25 years. I love that jacket. decided to throw it away before security.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFKAkOdVRPCN6OLYWNPeD1pMmxeUogCNOCEAPT05XTldp5_sy2Ngab1UldCihy5znLJy5oHBbImsU5HSfHZjLaEElO7kq_BDQ5NvSG7dXaaQu4pa7Lmo1UtnxXavoDQGql76mn0-dwvSvRlHWSA8sJgbgSPvk3DAG9en3kvuixBPixugpiL2qgNtnwiI/s2016/jacket.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFKAkOdVRPCN6OLYWNPeD1pMmxeUogCNOCEAPT05XTldp5_sy2Ngab1UldCihy5znLJy5oHBbImsU5HSfHZjLaEElO7kq_BDQ5NvSG7dXaaQu4pa7Lmo1UtnxXavoDQGql76mn0-dwvSvRlHWSA8sJgbgSPvk3DAG9en3kvuixBPixugpiL2qgNtnwiI/s320/jacket.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKAlfO0C_SVAmaHTU3E3upx9_dhjUFyx0ccwZ_z6N40rcZABNUS7rPTppR9Xj_1p_hMy9ia1zcARFW-hqrt1EIg2ww_E5FGBiq_v5xzeuHOrzve-iID7QH50bj0lurTCOD8Cd9ZIhdKpgPRSltF5FBbz2Jrd-vC3OD7Ql3saM4bpZAfwef_iMfDEn_CJA/s2016/jacket2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKAlfO0C_SVAmaHTU3E3upx9_dhjUFyx0ccwZ_z6N40rcZABNUS7rPTppR9Xj_1p_hMy9ia1zcARFW-hqrt1EIg2ww_E5FGBiq_v5xzeuHOrzve-iID7QH50bj0lurTCOD8Cd9ZIhdKpgPRSltF5FBbz2Jrd-vC3OD7Ql3saM4bpZAfwef_iMfDEn_CJA/s320/jacket2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">It was very sad throwing away an old friend, </div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">So we went through customs and Silja got the random selection for extra screening.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Back at Christmas we have a newer tradition, we go to my uncle's place on Christmas eve to his gun range and shoot.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgE2otiEur9K5-f187JdsV7Lwbo5hOn_HfirizSrikm80ZHt9sNWi_A4WJ9diZj3fEmS_0xrs4rY1vsWBI7rfD-gxYnhewgRM7fCCB457LcqAFVOjOsn1tzV2jYyvBrdh4rvjvcbVLUST4lp-Zkq3JARE8zAoSvmjSmZffYnegi4iDEgFO8As7yyPn4hbI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="931" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgE2otiEur9K5-f187JdsV7Lwbo5hOn_HfirizSrikm80ZHt9sNWi_A4WJ9diZj3fEmS_0xrs4rY1vsWBI7rfD-gxYnhewgRM7fCCB457LcqAFVOjOsn1tzV2jYyvBrdh4rvjvcbVLUST4lp-Zkq3JARE8zAoSvmjSmZffYnegi4iDEgFO8As7yyPn4hbI=w400-h239" width="400" /></a></div>My daughter Lauren and Silja target shooting</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Afterwards we ate Swedish meatballs with Grandma Lucille's recipe! </span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGGsYcOne7qxQ4waYV7cNSyRSt_OuVQ3mGglxczcLzFU1JYNLUMCSm4h9bbN18GzaVMxlc0O6KLKfxZEGJgNrKQYPWtLy7N4lDoti-Q3hnIA-jl9a1rL-xflKZX2rWOoCDQ8DKkcvK7OpYdStgL8vAqSaeuhhMxOKPeNtMtbQ1PXcJtmOJSQmiCvLA9A/s4032/meatballs.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGGsYcOne7qxQ4waYV7cNSyRSt_OuVQ3mGglxczcLzFU1JYNLUMCSm4h9bbN18GzaVMxlc0O6KLKfxZEGJgNrKQYPWtLy7N4lDoti-Q3hnIA-jl9a1rL-xflKZX2rWOoCDQ8DKkcvK7OpYdStgL8vAqSaeuhhMxOKPeNtMtbQ1PXcJtmOJSQmiCvLA9A/w400-h300/meatballs.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Son Tyko with meatballs<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;">So back to Iceland, they swabbed that jacket of Silja's for explosives.....and forty minutes later as I was wondering if she had been kidnapped. She was finally released from her secret room. She was mad and upset and vowed that Iceland was never going to be in our future again. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">So after more lines we got on a plane and 8 hours later aboard a 727 Max 9 (with a plug) that would be grounded a day later, we arrived in Orlando.....my luggage however has never been seen again.......</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Iceland(air) again is on my S#$$t list </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">You know it was fun, it was nice, but was it real nice and fun.....? Silja picked up a bug on a plane, we have jet lag, my luggage is ....somewhere. I am out a tripod a teleconverter some Christmas gifts, a kilo of prized coffee and a favorite hat. I ruined a jacket and well, that is that.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Cheers</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Olaf<br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br /></span></div>Olaf Danielsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18427270873795437960noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-50036462149795527592024-01-03T11:21:00.007-06:002024-01-03T12:38:44.218-06:00What is in a Pipit's name<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwD8OcCCwm2Rn08AM08o2tPc9TvIf6Wa9K4YqeJ5LeacxsiMgHpXHgFfztLg_kJY7i1OeLlX8ZdHqri6Y3E3vckDAjIbS7Vd0U3SJ1JcjdR8ec3l7sdfR0WC97s1XZy-IGzJgc0PPvDx9sGeuO5ODkvOMRrjF4_KOn7FAqVMdhV6WeSiLOUIcHtNau_xk/s1514/bertholot's%20pipit2%20better2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1122" data-original-width="1514" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwD8OcCCwm2Rn08AM08o2tPc9TvIf6Wa9K4YqeJ5LeacxsiMgHpXHgFfztLg_kJY7i1OeLlX8ZdHqri6Y3E3vckDAjIbS7Vd0U3SJ1JcjdR8ec3l7sdfR0WC97s1XZy-IGzJgc0PPvDx9sGeuO5ODkvOMRrjF4_KOn7FAqVMdhV6WeSiLOUIcHtNau_xk/w400-h296/bertholot's%20pipit2%20better2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The Berthelot's pipit is a non-descript pipit with a short tail and a big head. The pipit, found only on the Canary and Madeira Islands, was named after Sabino Berthelot by his friend Carl Bolles. Why name it after the preeminent botanist in this archipelago? It just was.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Sabino Berthelot was
the son of a Marseille merchant. He joined the French Navy and
served as a midshipman during the Napoleonic Wars. After the war he joined
the merchant fleet, travelling between Marseilles and the West Indies. He
first visited the Canary Islands in 1820, where he taught at a school in Tenerife and
managed the botanical gardens at Orotava for the Marquis of Villanueva
del Prato. The are schools also named after Berthelot and Harvard has honored him in publications for his Botany work on the island. With his work as a midshipman during the French slave area, one wonders how long until someone will find that he was a crewman on some objectionable ship. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia;"> </span>In Madeira, people in rural areas used to call it “Our
Lady’s bird”, giving rise to the legend that the Berthelot’s pipit accompanied
the Holy Family in their journey from the Holy Land to Egypt, with the mission
of wiping out with its long tail their footprints in the sand to avoid being
followed by King Herod.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">On Tenerife, although seen by the sea on flat open fields,
most of which have been made into banana plantations. Luckily they are
also seen up on the dry arid plains around the volcano Teide. I did not
find them an easy bird to find. They seem to be parking lot birds.
Looking for them I struck out, dumb luck scored me three birds. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNlAYp8dRKOQ8KWpwlrbM6w-cqkLsNQywgc_-XrrAPEECngxbAB3JHucQ_qxpn2pTy_LgfKDxbcok5sj07S-kXZ-TzCE65JPwLTcQpSYsK86g6LsjZa-ucygCSaLFhZqbvCyx54XlYKIiT0mirN2hw5osXpFTU1R0uR4fMeoH0iDTSMOxdXYlgUZUqW5g/s1904/bertholot's%20pipit2%20better5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1414" data-original-width="1904" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNlAYp8dRKOQ8KWpwlrbM6w-cqkLsNQywgc_-XrrAPEECngxbAB3JHucQ_qxpn2pTy_LgfKDxbcok5sj07S-kXZ-TzCE65JPwLTcQpSYsK86g6LsjZa-ucygCSaLFhZqbvCyx54XlYKIiT0mirN2hw5osXpFTU1R0uR4fMeoH0iDTSMOxdXYlgUZUqW5g/w400-h297/bertholot's%20pipit2%20better5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">We saw the pipits on Teide Volcano, a huge 12, 288 foot, active volcano that dominates Tenerife.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFEHiEmLKjYCjH6zdSI8O3rQvmLkU-m5Ra4gwIgGoqd6cF48ea6XlReh0-qkIoaI1aHL24z2BEvMqiDnXQfHGSijGmpM9sOaV_0Iz1VMztbzO6WosEVqVzVgNpHBlpdYHRZrvJ4P9OzZ4TWEeB2w5RwR1nCdRR4xUdz1IBz0pVXk-0xGHFgzwR1oX-Ms/s5440/tiede.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFEHiEmLKjYCjH6zdSI8O3rQvmLkU-m5Ra4gwIgGoqd6cF48ea6XlReh0-qkIoaI1aHL24z2BEvMqiDnXQfHGSijGmpM9sOaV_0Iz1VMztbzO6WosEVqVzVgNpHBlpdYHRZrvJ4P9OzZ4TWEeB2w5RwR1nCdRR4xUdz1IBz0pVXk-0xGHFgzwR1oX-Ms/w400-h266/tiede.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><p class="MsoNormal">It last erupted in 1908 from the flank and was not a serious event, previously it erupted in 1798 and from 1704-6, and last from the summit in about 850 AD, some believe that it it erupts fully again, it could split the island and be a catastrophe causing a huge tsunami heading westward towards...you guessed it America.</p><p class="MsoNormal">The most numerous critter on the volcano is the Gallot's lizard, or Tenerife island lizard. Named after an armature naturalist D. Gallot who collected the first specimen of this endemic lizard. Found only here and on La Palma and a small island in between, the lizard is a good find for herpetologists, but was actually a pest where we were eating lunch as they tried to storm our lunch bags. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvzJrz11A_RqgyOe6sK7IUqv1NZsfYKoPowdHhdvPcenNLENVTH-6P_QmNsFa6a-HrIy6BFzAmptOzL-ZFbXCfp4ULkqXH1cARiNywzDM7hy7Mz19IXEDZvItrSPcT5fWAxxe3SulY9MCXzJbuYuxK4N7O8qNXtLJM2K7Mm2836lSv82jKamgdcu2Euog/s6132/gsllot's%20lizard.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4068" data-original-width="6132" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvzJrz11A_RqgyOe6sK7IUqv1NZsfYKoPowdHhdvPcenNLENVTH-6P_QmNsFa6a-HrIy6BFzAmptOzL-ZFbXCfp4ULkqXH1cARiNywzDM7hy7Mz19IXEDZvItrSPcT5fWAxxe3SulY9MCXzJbuYuxK4N7O8qNXtLJM2K7Mm2836lSv82jKamgdcu2Euog/w400-h265/gsllot's%20lizard.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">The big bird on Tenerife to find is the Tenerife Blue
Chaffinch. found only on Tenerife and with only 4-5,000 birds in existence, it
was the go to bird for the trip. Sadly, Tenerife had some serious forest
fires recently and as an obligate pine forest bird, much of its habitat went up
in smoke. Even without that, they are up elevation and in the pines and
there are not a lot of places to even stop to look for them. Since I
was a tag along to a group that I was the only birder with, it is amazing
that I even found one. I saw two. One in low light which I still
had the camera on auto focus and it focused out of the bird and it flew away
and then I got a second chance two hours later. That bird would NOT come
out of the pine tree.<o:p></o:p></p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1XRY5WY7MPJ7IbRtJrd077lbGz0-2J2cbDio0iuqBBhUH8wpr2NMkg7ZFc9bEdzqQHJgR101gwPm5KrxTFw4GS8xLqikLbhuLbUlRsannyz68obP8C4Hf0bj2nmF0HefWaonM_lYFeN5ms9EbuZaX4dpBZnn8ZwpjOaxKyv8GMFGjqJRjUEZ1KaFGiw/s2848/tenerife%20blue%20chaffinch_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2240" data-original-width="2848" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1XRY5WY7MPJ7IbRtJrd077lbGz0-2J2cbDio0iuqBBhUH8wpr2NMkg7ZFc9bEdzqQHJgR101gwPm5KrxTFw4GS8xLqikLbhuLbUlRsannyz68obP8C4Hf0bj2nmF0HefWaonM_lYFeN5ms9EbuZaX4dpBZnn8ZwpjOaxKyv8GMFGjqJRjUEZ1KaFGiw/w400-h315/tenerife%20blue%20chaffinch_1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><p class="MsoNormal">I got a good look at the male in my first sighting. This
female or immature male was not optimal but sometimes this is all you get.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This was the last of the Island endemics out here I had to
see, but hoping for photographs of a couple I never got on camera. I did
not go over to Grand Canaria to see its blue chaffinch, I will leave that for
another time. I still have two days to photograph rather elusive pigeons,
I see a fellow big year birder Neil Hayward saw a few hours after I did, but
that is tomorrow mornings project. I sent Neil an email, we will see if
he sends me a response. Who knows?<o:p></o:p></p></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Later</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Olaf</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>Olaf Danielsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18427270873795437960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-26636182842175968142024-01-01T04:27:00.000-06:002024-01-01T04:27:01.503-06:00Happy New Year<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo9hY6tDTcme2g_gfNykN-sDJ0Q5GEPwgxD2Wh86aYYLgpIuUrc7o_R3H5MmaoQhckMQmXAC4miJuOs5eIhTrw3bQ-TX8dWeyirMlcQYgf5JiOSYDsJBQiZ6PAfwrrL6MZfd7ne8CTCswU2Gs2s5KNi3p0fQKbb0rvkTIHb7IDo-ygxUNAryb3Iyctmz0/s3024/leroy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2811" data-original-width="3024" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo9hY6tDTcme2g_gfNykN-sDJ0Q5GEPwgxD2Wh86aYYLgpIuUrc7o_R3H5MmaoQhckMQmXAC4miJuOs5eIhTrw3bQ-TX8dWeyirMlcQYgf5JiOSYDsJBQiZ6PAfwrrL6MZfd7ne8CTCswU2Gs2s5KNi3p0fQKbb0rvkTIHb7IDo-ygxUNAryb3Iyctmz0/w400-h371/leroy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Happy New Year from Tenerife in the Canary Islands. All of us, including Leroy the "Redneck" Penguin were out celebrating last night. I am not sure how he can put away so much booze but he always does. We are not sure he ever stopped drinking yet.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We were out for a 8 course New Year's dinner and then we watched the fireworks at 0000 hour.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1OyLRuFPH8mTU8SuBaYP_RQaKFTphAH_V_ZgbXZa_u7vNWCZV_sVLetgsdAMUQv24NAgY9w5WDqFtZ8uJuuBT6PyqAPfM3zgjLLiZ_-DIk7R-mD9TB0_Tfy7bxgMvVfF4JaFhoBeDq-Ch0rC9EamtZjCO3fqFD3bRrD_XStOIwAA-DsWmT34S4EX1so/s4032/new%20years.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1OyLRuFPH8mTU8SuBaYP_RQaKFTphAH_V_ZgbXZa_u7vNWCZV_sVLetgsdAMUQv24NAgY9w5WDqFtZ8uJuuBT6PyqAPfM3zgjLLiZ_-DIk7R-mD9TB0_Tfy7bxgMvVfF4JaFhoBeDq-Ch0rC9EamtZjCO3fqFD3bRrD_XStOIwAA-DsWmT34S4EX1so/w300-h400/new%20years.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The food was great, the wine glass was never empty and the hangover lasts until January 2nd.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We have been learning to walk stairs here. The beaches are down cliffs</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitea39N7jg0k1A_RoVrxOUadk90bDt5cWXbdL2bpC6A1ysUVNNuXAPEPjxGXWM2qZ764wsut1AeENUz1elKnvWe43-qiZsBktII9nGFIYkR2U3ScEJPP2vkc6X1tqBL_QraqbjESrbCbzZwS0V2dvWEODwZa1DzW987QSlqnJz_u_wXdolYi9juhhc7Cg/s5440/ancon%20beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitea39N7jg0k1A_RoVrxOUadk90bDt5cWXbdL2bpC6A1ysUVNNuXAPEPjxGXWM2qZ764wsut1AeENUz1elKnvWe43-qiZsBktII9nGFIYkR2U3ScEJPP2vkc6X1tqBL_QraqbjESrbCbzZwS0V2dvWEODwZa1DzW987QSlqnJz_u_wXdolYi9juhhc7Cg/w400-h266/ancon%20beach.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">It is a tough island to have acrophobia on, the fear of heights where roads and sidewalks are perched on cliffs by steel plates or carved into rocks has left me with some quivering legs and intestines. Especially when we will be going to the volcano in the search of birds and views.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The trip has so far not involved being stuck on a rock, food poisoning, sudden cold snaps, nor finding out or room has been sublet to others. The streets are narrow, and parking is by dumb luck. Our friends from Sweden, Peter, Kajsa, and Camilla had their car towed within ten minutes of coming to the island. I always say a few mishaps lead to better blogs but just the same, new stories is also a good trip. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Bird wise, we have been slowly working on the island endemic (and near endemic) list, so far I have seen about half of the goal species</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRJiDj_GRaHi-w96R008vx_eLoMPxsRKhnnGTVpp2u_LGH5F_4AcwK4ACqTUlVXmN8WGSuPob_opshqR4jIxZRJaCu1naHJskXC-I5jdJsqGqHUj5VKJUrokHp-dspGmcxypRXc43nWxqaZdSNRpi_q7A8k3gay2DDiyUEpRSgt-3_uJUoM9oZg0TiuuU/s2002/african%20blue%20tit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2002" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRJiDj_GRaHi-w96R008vx_eLoMPxsRKhnnGTVpp2u_LGH5F_4AcwK4ACqTUlVXmN8WGSuPob_opshqR4jIxZRJaCu1naHJskXC-I5jdJsqGqHUj5VKJUrokHp-dspGmcxypRXc43nWxqaZdSNRpi_q7A8k3gay2DDiyUEpRSgt-3_uJUoM9oZg0TiuuU/w400-h303/african%20blue%20tit.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The African blue tit, not an endemic but a lifer bird. Sort of a great tit looking like a blue tit in size</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwyAFnzMt7i2GQ2mZPCv5xmP3vgt9Nm7OXXS2fMps0-W0mkdEYMZsMucxDg_No8j6PyrXTa-a7PWIb4ZdJplNTcH00ty3_BW3rmIWQ3cbxmuwulNqdSoWscanStHe_06Cjer7zEXdX7aSLYooJH1_QCEGIWgfa-V309Kk0Z3tzabT-pGZ0vmZUnkUACg/s3241/canary%20islands%20chaffinch%20male.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2633" data-original-width="3241" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwyAFnzMt7i2GQ2mZPCv5xmP3vgt9Nm7OXXS2fMps0-W0mkdEYMZsMucxDg_No8j6PyrXTa-a7PWIb4ZdJplNTcH00ty3_BW3rmIWQ3cbxmuwulNqdSoWscanStHe_06Cjer7zEXdX7aSLYooJH1_QCEGIWgfa-V309Kk0Z3tzabT-pGZ0vmZUnkUACg/w400-h325/canary%20islands%20chaffinch%20male.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A bit harder to find than anticipated, but the Canary Island Chaffinch (male)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7Lb9nBV8dP1sOdSa-WdDD9GWQ6FJt6J_kW9R0vWw5EEYDINmfGCWtGoyf4raMwqoy31NZufsHzsIhjATft0mGwtLg3MAJPmHGrmAEQBJB8r-oLkAGh20qO0AdtkEf73TLP_bSw91TPVJJG6Gn_Zf8GvZ45OKxsOdr9RpqyjVMu_ZR-PlH8IUxxceydU/s2376/canary%20islands%20chiffchaff5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2004" data-original-width="2376" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7Lb9nBV8dP1sOdSa-WdDD9GWQ6FJt6J_kW9R0vWw5EEYDINmfGCWtGoyf4raMwqoy31NZufsHzsIhjATft0mGwtLg3MAJPmHGrmAEQBJB8r-oLkAGh20qO0AdtkEf73TLP_bSw91TPVJJG6Gn_Zf8GvZ45OKxsOdr9RpqyjVMu_ZR-PlH8IUxxceydU/w400-h338/canary%20islands%20chiffchaff5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Canary Island chiffchaff, seen easily and everywhere</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6pFImI_EpMHwHKvFWLF-14A99-G31VYA6nq2HrzuzUBrmmEbY0NNrZOjST2JZpbiL-fpp_unq1TYn7xmxjvxjY1DZBjXbNvGPlMdL-0bEqPypM_56cqtigBhS7tHt7PaDd0WTv5LF7p4_8RK8TQO3XomLMIdAFPuanLsLXplngx9am8kRefPIqvhEYw/s2513/island%20canary7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2003" data-original-width="2513" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6pFImI_EpMHwHKvFWLF-14A99-G31VYA6nq2HrzuzUBrmmEbY0NNrZOjST2JZpbiL-fpp_unq1TYn7xmxjvxjY1DZBjXbNvGPlMdL-0bEqPypM_56cqtigBhS7tHt7PaDd0WTv5LF7p4_8RK8TQO3XomLMIdAFPuanLsLXplngx9am8kRefPIqvhEYw/w400-h319/island%20canary7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Island Canary, here and the Azores</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> I have seen the elusive Laurel Pigeon and barbary partridge but they have remained elusive to my camera but we still have four more days until we go back to Iceland and hopefully get to see the volcano. Just six lifers but heck, some of these are just here.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Will give a complete trip update, but just would like everyone to be wished a very Happy New Year from our temporary island retreat.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Olaf </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><br /><p></p>Olaf Danielsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18427270873795437960noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-66886115257522290992023-12-08T14:30:00.014-06:002023-12-08T15:32:56.065-06:00Three for Texas!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq79-FH5L0hE4qAX0I_nCu2YCuFUD5Ry2GW4qSVJbKAYF4OEf2B7_3HYdIobfq4XZYKE7Nqylb9RqjfuwWh-5AuxGYziN0Y58RIXEs50uQ-SB_rLsL3OUfjczep2g0tjZJGTEBlsCScbEF_QgcG2_Scokg7DedZytyHFXr8u0G02gqRpE9k7b7hdJr4Eo/s1392/roadside%20hawk%20better.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1105" data-original-width="1392" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq79-FH5L0hE4qAX0I_nCu2YCuFUD5Ry2GW4qSVJbKAYF4OEf2B7_3HYdIobfq4XZYKE7Nqylb9RqjfuwWh-5AuxGYziN0Y58RIXEs50uQ-SB_rLsL3OUfjczep2g0tjZJGTEBlsCScbEF_QgcG2_Scokg7DedZytyHFXr8u0G02gqRpE9k7b7hdJr4Eo/w400-h318/roadside%20hawk%20better.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In 1962, Dean Martin and Anita Ekburg (my favorite actress of the Sixties) signed on for the movie <i>Two for Texas. L</i>ater on, Frank Sinatra signed on and the title was changed to T<i>hree for Texas. Af</i>ter Sofia Loren turned down a cool million bucks to do the film, Ursula Andres agreed to do it and the movie title was changed a fourth time to <i>Four for Texas. </i>The movie is famous for just one anecdote, originally given a bit part, Peter Lawford was edited out after he was expelled from the Rat Pack in 1963 and does not appear in the movie despite having movie credits for it.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Much like the movie, my recent trip to Texas had its title changed a few times. and to be honest, this did NOT start out as a birding trip. I am building a garage/ shed in South Dakota and my gravel pad was screwed up and the project needed my immediate attention. On Monday morning I flew off into the tundra where on most years, I would not even be able to get to my cabin but snowfall has been absent generally and although the lake is long since frozen, it wasn't that bad out side. I signed a work order and mysteriously the problem abated and the new gravel showed up, apparently they did not like the way it had been done.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWoSShnd1dTqZ46VnHNEY0Bpxhu4miqUjfGOYm4chH9aKCDdsePJ-rdtG9Woq0uQzld83x1ehWA_6DrqO-23fusy8XZhb83X5ep5cQNDRPKF-qibo2W1-2Hm8QHrw3X5tGHlpJWn5rpBUsT6VI7_YebfH17NSM_l8-0KNCBM5K3q7L7RmS3UY2qRNvrEA/s5440/shed%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWoSShnd1dTqZ46VnHNEY0Bpxhu4miqUjfGOYm4chH9aKCDdsePJ-rdtG9Woq0uQzld83x1ehWA_6DrqO-23fusy8XZhb83X5ep5cQNDRPKF-qibo2W1-2Hm8QHrw3X5tGHlpJWn5rpBUsT6VI7_YebfH17NSM_l8-0KNCBM5K3q7L7RmS3UY2qRNvrEA/w400-h266/shed%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1SzgZI8gfCfxO7dDgTSLalwMcOGWpGju_fIskqwg4S_rdATtZfrQ4b11yvT8LwhGiXBgUPW63JE_1mWGVw4SrtL9Ftc-fR7NHsurIztdRUSIRFMuLHJLq6vRTyzTijzQFDIFMi3l_ht40lil5cCTlYyIKyV6asi8aVfYoZk37oZGEe-VgkuY5DVgWMS4/s5408/shed.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="5408" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1SzgZI8gfCfxO7dDgTSLalwMcOGWpGju_fIskqwg4S_rdATtZfrQ4b11yvT8LwhGiXBgUPW63JE_1mWGVw4SrtL9Ftc-fR7NHsurIztdRUSIRFMuLHJLq6vRTyzTijzQFDIFMi3l_ht40lil5cCTlYyIKyV6asi8aVfYoZk37oZGEe-VgkuY5DVgWMS4/w400-h266/shed.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The hoar frost was neat to see, </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fxatmh9qRaTMyh23_Fpyi_aJ7r-jIIwGuBz3-S-7x2dSqvttg_U7rnsVQY9b0MDwUqbR12SOj7SxmyJFq_cTk2LzTBG5Rv8SlZ_vRV6ftILSjjRViW6KppqYUy5a6XP7I3o2ujnoQf-MQffXV3Dn-IJ7d0adzP3BVUaJU8vabb80_dYT0oi1SGrSXRM/s5408/hoar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="5408" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fxatmh9qRaTMyh23_Fpyi_aJ7r-jIIwGuBz3-S-7x2dSqvttg_U7rnsVQY9b0MDwUqbR12SOj7SxmyJFq_cTk2LzTBG5Rv8SlZ_vRV6ftILSjjRViW6KppqYUy5a6XP7I3o2ujnoQf-MQffXV3Dn-IJ7d0adzP3BVUaJU8vabb80_dYT0oi1SGrSXRM/w400-h266/hoar.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">By the end of the day on Tuesday, the pad was done, and Dino, the Dinosaur and me watched the sunset on a productive day </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvlbe08ElzZW4O8lSbJWQu_k1kTU6fk89N6UZ0g-8jZAN80ceswrAPfz_Rmf-AGx5irZsGM-izNGyH9G4HXnHxOaakNiDpjR3Mh261pdfCmv5vMbtodecog3GU8XQgpOzf68gd10r_M5eyjrXrYFdOCkCcpR_ZjJd87lJKAv5eMQPLgLTohDREjUGqb3g/s5408/dinosaur.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="5408" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvlbe08ElzZW4O8lSbJWQu_k1kTU6fk89N6UZ0g-8jZAN80ceswrAPfz_Rmf-AGx5irZsGM-izNGyH9G4HXnHxOaakNiDpjR3Mh261pdfCmv5vMbtodecog3GU8XQgpOzf68gd10r_M5eyjrXrYFdOCkCcpR_ZjJd87lJKAv5eMQPLgLTohDREjUGqb3g/w400-h266/dinosaur.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Do I wait for the builders to come back? The last of the locals pulled out for the winter on Tuesday, and I did not want to get stuck out there, so I checked rare birds and there was not one but astonishingly six birds I needed in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, so I booked a ticket for San Antonio and at two in the morning I rewinterized the cabin and zipped off to Sioux Falls to fly south.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I made it to Corpus Christi at two PM and went right for the first bird, a Cattle tyrant, a bird from quite a bit south of Texas. I saw one on a cow in Uruguay. How did a bird like this, a never before seen bird, get here? Not only that, it has been handing out in front of a sushi bar in some palms. The belief is it caught a ride on a ship. The main shipping channel goes right in front and I saw a tanker heading to South America for crude and then a container ship coming in from the Panama Canal the edge of this bird's range. So who knows how it got there, but there is an avenue for one to hitch a ride.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5hkELVBkrYgBw7_T1KwFaXHi6Llg4jzorsT9oJXtjz-qiXCkUR-MT7i5tE35aiXFAe58FaYZ4qh4OXLWXYuvbCQTmXTJLO5PXVgTvCUW48UnlxnQAny6b57ro-uSFXIJjABtz3DNaD7w_c45h0_9hXyMC_6Y9euVCA-7McJP3z-aZRmljvp8BVf5Rb7c/s4147/cattle%20tyrant4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3229" data-original-width="4147" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5hkELVBkrYgBw7_T1KwFaXHi6Llg4jzorsT9oJXtjz-qiXCkUR-MT7i5tE35aiXFAe58FaYZ4qh4OXLWXYuvbCQTmXTJLO5PXVgTvCUW48UnlxnQAny6b57ro-uSFXIJjABtz3DNaD7w_c45h0_9hXyMC_6Y9euVCA-7McJP3z-aZRmljvp8BVf5Rb7c/w400-h311/cattle%20tyrant4.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">a cattle tyrant<br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> I walked across the street and was getting settled to look when a guy came running up to me worried that I would not see it. It was right over my head, ten feet away. The whole process took longer to get across the street than to find the bird. But there it was, bird to be lifer 826 (it is not on the list yet, I assume it will be). </span><span>I do not know about this tyrant. </span><span>It is hanging around in an odd area in downtown Corpus living in palms.</span><span> I guess there is enough to eat but if a Cooper's hawk is in the area, he is going to be dinner I fear. </span><span>It has been here for a while and I am lucky it is still here and the house sparrows survive. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I went to the marina to walk around and I needed a new hat, I had left a favorite on the plane. Downtown Corpus is non-existent for shopping. I hit paydirt in a tourist shop for a cool Bahama style hat. Then I walked to pay homage to Selena Quintilla-Perez, the local singing sensation who was killed in 1995 by her former manager. She was 24.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UNIz71P4d68s7gPn43gbkb6VwCAcPDWP1rcIvTUai6b6Mx93jLamcxge32y-0Zj3upNGOt0KPTIJbWGTbGzUX8URz2kTUPCMMtnmayOPIWpwhAVN46SWrxm4t2Q7EUOfnf6ewZBQxcfvj2PbaAbzEVcphrRzB2HZi1Xy3IOh-0Cc-Z87EoEytArSP6Q/s1244/perez.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1244" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UNIz71P4d68s7gPn43gbkb6VwCAcPDWP1rcIvTUai6b6Mx93jLamcxge32y-0Zj3upNGOt0KPTIJbWGTbGzUX8URz2kTUPCMMtnmayOPIWpwhAVN46SWrxm4t2Q7EUOfnf6ewZBQxcfvj2PbaAbzEVcphrRzB2HZi1Xy3IOh-0Cc-Z87EoEytArSP6Q/w400-h266/perez.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The statue is a bit slutty (sexy?), with her shirt open. I took her<br /> memorial from a more appropriate angle<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnGgL9H6xW-WF1b4qI7hJNAbQwPi85cVH0JcPX8UxWaKhqJgN3J2dpIw4OpS0DdpBbUvg_LGGTk0iGhMPUdrBXmBPIz4nqFU-h2oGaQ5K-HM4bATjq48ywrZVjHh-uTzYLzzeSdH9VbNrna_ZLY1Ef6zlBl5QYuPMpyCEkLJBe3owNWSPJ9cjhTOCePtg/s2048/selena.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnGgL9H6xW-WF1b4qI7hJNAbQwPi85cVH0JcPX8UxWaKhqJgN3J2dpIw4OpS0DdpBbUvg_LGGTk0iGhMPUdrBXmBPIz4nqFU-h2oGaQ5K-HM4bATjq48ywrZVjHh-uTzYLzzeSdH9VbNrna_ZLY1Ef6zlBl5QYuPMpyCEkLJBe3owNWSPJ9cjhTOCePtg/w250-h400/selena.jpg" width="250" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">but then I looked how she dressed and that is what she performed in</div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> While I was taking a nap at the pier, a long billed curlew flew in and looked me over.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqz5E03C6JjwvLLLx9dAtrzKZuwgpbaNrWKzmzFOXwlQc1NTB79N02bFSLoitcF-xePi7xZ9YE5Km4e8Xh738gyDD__HMrbiTt6Pu1Uy-YUSbjtfiPx6CqYK038U9LO4GwMDcDKMAYq_TYx6bOTD7tWU9wo-TFCfX98oOXLMVDiIwkAvMkf8tybzwGxB4/s4936/curlew.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3902" data-original-width="4936" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqz5E03C6JjwvLLLx9dAtrzKZuwgpbaNrWKzmzFOXwlQc1NTB79N02bFSLoitcF-xePi7xZ9YE5Km4e8Xh738gyDD__HMrbiTt6Pu1Uy-YUSbjtfiPx6CqYK038U9LO4GwMDcDKMAYq_TYx6bOTD7tWU9wo-TFCfX98oOXLMVDiIwkAvMkf8tybzwGxB4/w400-h316/curlew.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>A favorite bird and then </span><span>I had a beer with Craig Casper and old frat brother who works in the local government and then drove south for more birds (hopefully).</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The drive to Resaca de la Palma State Park north of Brownsville was an odd one. The clerk at the flea bitten motel in Riviera was taking a shower, so I had to wait to get in my room. I watched a BMW pull off the road towing two cars bound for Mexico, one of which was hardly worth the gas to pull it. The three way towing looked unsafe and would never fly in almost every state but here.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The lady finally came out in a towel and gave me a room. That ordeal was worn off when I saw my room. I think the bedbugs had moved out already and the A/C heater had broke, so it smelled of stale motel room. Dead, tired, I left everything in the car and just crashed at 730. I woke up at 430, washed the grime off me and then changed in the parking lot as the clerk had on less than me. It was just me and the garbage truck anyhow. I was heading south at 0500. Sunrise set for 0703. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">All driving south, I was having deja vu, like I was doing something over again. At Olmito, exit 10 north of Brownsville, I hit a favorite Stripes/ Laredo Taco for my birding breakfast, to breakfast tacos for 3 bucks and a large coffee. I was in line with 40 Hispanic workers of all sorts doing the same thing and buying the same things. The trouble with Resaca is that it is only three miles down there so I have to woof down the tacos and so I was in the parking lot before the coffee was cool enough and the second taco down. All the other birders were looking at me weirdly, like what was I eating as I was putting on my fine new hat and getting camera stuff on. I ate the second taco as I was hustling to where my intel said the bird was last seen. The intel on the really good Becard the local crowd there had was stale and despite there being thirty birders eventually, these guys did not know how a stakeout worked. This was sort of a deja vu moment from Portland ME when myself and another birder had to take it upon ourselves to go dig out the bird as everyone was standing around talking and no one was really birding. Oh they said well it was in the parking lot the last night but that was not what I read, and okay, they need to space out and look for it.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It ended up just two of us were by the feeding station where it seems to always be reported in the morning.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Advice on stakeouts, and I have some experience in this.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I have gleaned pointers form birding aces Larry Manfredi, Chris Feeney, Thor Monson and others</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">1) do your homework before you get there, </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">2) get there early. Yes, Texas state park birder spots open at 0800 BUT all of them have gates open before dawn. Tropical birds are active in first hour of light and then sporadically and a little towards evening. It had been hot the day before so sunrise in 0703 and I cruised into the parking lot at 0701. You got to be on stake out when you can see. Don't wait until eight! Sometimes I'll come to a place like this in the afternoon to scout for the morning attack, and that is okay, sometimes you get lucky and find the bird</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">3) look around and see a keen eyed and most persistent birder or a known alpha-birder (of course in Florida if you spot Larry Manfredi, I am never going to be too far away even if he is guiding someone. Usually pick a young guy if you do not know anyone, and if you think where he is looking makes sense, go with him. Be the next guy on his left or right as if you don't find it usually he will. During the course of the morning, you may need to swap guys. Looks do not always pan out. I saw the kid and we covered a corner</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">4) do not bunch up and stay away from the conversation circles.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">5) really work at it, for the first hour, and do NOT assume the others know more than you do. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The crowd at here was not a good one and it ended up 20 were bunched in the parking lot, and two of us were working the trees and then I spotted it. I called to the young guy, he zipped over and we both were on it. An old guy without a pair of bins and just a camera on a tripod was within visual range so I got him to come over. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This was no tripod bird. It was feeding a bouncing all over a think tree. I am not sure he ever got on the bird. We worked on photos for five maybe ten minutes, it came in and out and a couple came but by then it was deep in the trees and then gone.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt6BFp3pesED1goG0MuDj43pb8r8tc3vny4WaLSpuJwsMndT2hEnxIdubL4R8LzdDbDzKvBjDx32QRBSmBNfw2_U5SquS5fes5BNllC9tO9MiuPHkPxd-4SbcvgyqYcGi1Iv9zDgUHGvWfFhfGuOmCeO_zGhkvz5pNZ4syQVzE_WrPnnJZDnWtjacIdeY/s1828/grsy%20chested%20becard%20better.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1401" data-original-width="1828" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt6BFp3pesED1goG0MuDj43pb8r8tc3vny4WaLSpuJwsMndT2hEnxIdubL4R8LzdDbDzKvBjDx32QRBSmBNfw2_U5SquS5fes5BNllC9tO9MiuPHkPxd-4SbcvgyqYcGi1Iv9zDgUHGvWfFhfGuOmCeO_zGhkvz5pNZ4syQVzE_WrPnnJZDnWtjacIdeY/w400-h306/grsy%20chested%20becard%20better.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Gray collared becard, lifer 827 a really really rare bird. I have never seen one in Mexico either. two of 35 got great looks at it and photos the others...?</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">By the time the hoard arrived it was gone. fifteen minutes late it came out for a brief cameo for maybe 20 seconds. There was no way any one would get a photo and then...that was it. One guy seemed happy as he had been there for three days. I'm thinking missing it for three days means you need to change your plan of attack. He was the guy looking at me funny when I was eating on the walk and drinking coffee. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"I can eat with my eyes open watching" did not seem to change his odd look at me. Like I said the key is watching.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I always say I am a lucky birder. I can find this stuff pretty easily, not always but usually. Many give up and never get it when it does come by. Maybe I have some skill in this and I make my luck, </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I then walked out for the next bird, a roadside hawk, a bird seen every few years down here, but one I had never gotten in the USA, although I had seen a few in Brazil last month. It was a two hundred yard walk and then in the Resaca, there it was a hundred yards away and feeding, I then came back after a couple of birders left and waited for a better photo. It then decided to come closer and closer and finally right next to us, maybe 15 feet away.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiycmhhPR9bpQ6kn8igLRM_asEnxaNF0a3wEuJbaB56ko2kRI8RLHA02t-G6u6HMqr_2TJcPrfvVb6r602dXX7tK91A0PPPK7cuVzTqwE9XzX9vxLzRN397ow1AChEGVZZhnyfL_lkkbD5afsBu7FCHh2Hp5C-ShPEqDa_n3utTtPogFXOoR8l5Q2GTrJ0/s1825/roadside%20hawk%20better2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1395" data-original-width="1825" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiycmhhPR9bpQ6kn8igLRM_asEnxaNF0a3wEuJbaB56ko2kRI8RLHA02t-G6u6HMqr_2TJcPrfvVb6r602dXX7tK91A0PPPK7cuVzTqwE9XzX9vxLzRN397ow1AChEGVZZhnyfL_lkkbD5afsBu7FCHh2Hp5C-ShPEqDa_n3utTtPogFXOoR8l5Q2GTrJ0/w400-h306/roadside%20hawk%20better2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3QYufw9bo6mza5y2OdbcR2uSTlInQeBvNqnNUxB55jTQDg97xENRWaq-_kZGvSRCy23EWwJuKzTl0mKAPOgJ5IX5lC1T4bF601NxlK_dxxBrJht6sshxC6-AQ-Pur5FcVpfVvCkxxOKYopjDjP_OrtClcEmdft0BKF0_Jdl6AHUQUm9CmCze8VGrLoDo/s1392/roadside%20hawk%20better_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1105" data-original-width="1392" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3QYufw9bo6mza5y2OdbcR2uSTlInQeBvNqnNUxB55jTQDg97xENRWaq-_kZGvSRCy23EWwJuKzTl0mKAPOgJ5IX5lC1T4bF601NxlK_dxxBrJht6sshxC6-AQ-Pur5FcVpfVvCkxxOKYopjDjP_OrtClcEmdft0BKF0_Jdl6AHUQUm9CmCze8VGrLoDo/w400-h318/roadside%20hawk%20better_1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">The roadside hawk is ABA continental bird 828, a double 20 minutes apart, astonishing.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Then I went for lifer butterflies</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajC3VIsO8HqYmEpgp4k_AnITSbRhG87wvpaYigHaUX0crTYRQF9thwOlMw714pdBO3vaojVhyxA5eBKvO9MgfPimp6ugNFSBiBWO7leAWgBhTYBo2-1z4LvlYjkRAoU5N8inFZ5pXGcNUINeOe7NFAO2ZVmGqJQ4JUlJaQ6rLYr66oJctMx4itZAQStE/s1674/american%20snout.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1259" data-original-width="1674" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajC3VIsO8HqYmEpgp4k_AnITSbRhG87wvpaYigHaUX0crTYRQF9thwOlMw714pdBO3vaojVhyxA5eBKvO9MgfPimp6ugNFSBiBWO7leAWgBhTYBo2-1z4LvlYjkRAoU5N8inFZ5pXGcNUINeOe7NFAO2ZVmGqJQ4JUlJaQ6rLYr66oJctMx4itZAQStE/w400-h301/american%20snout.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">American snout</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx6_l4MFUjkpKW8IVWZpGkW5nRNzUVz_rvEJv1pEVFYLMtcgAffwhg2oszxV8Ff5yJC6cY0HnkbzbwSK6kQ6TOt5X-SxgWExNC6Z6UdHAfn5xirL7vAGmlFsdDNqMRmOHhqaRC3jiczlAklkfrCOHwIyNSj6QWPGtpVKqAPU_i8PKmypiAIVtfSEy6bQE/s2057/mexican%20bluewing%20better.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1720" data-original-width="2057" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx6_l4MFUjkpKW8IVWZpGkW5nRNzUVz_rvEJv1pEVFYLMtcgAffwhg2oszxV8Ff5yJC6cY0HnkbzbwSK6kQ6TOt5X-SxgWExNC6Z6UdHAfn5xirL7vAGmlFsdDNqMRmOHhqaRC3jiczlAklkfrCOHwIyNSj6QWPGtpVKqAPU_i8PKmypiAIVtfSEy6bQE/w400-h335/mexican%20bluewing%20better.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A really cool Mexican bluewing a lifer for me</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ5VtamhpxiEnkEqd4a4ewpOdN3YHt12Ebl7OxFvTf49iAcsjuMcMy593qRqwpfrGPKbpy71oiw-LSf2rog3Jgu0-jtTjlsFWxvCai6DFctWm1xls1decQtHTrV3KQCczAG0tdLlZ8a0wUt0zLl3qZj5hLrWWDvd2oEuBif_Eu7E4_iMPykT1BccBVSy0/s2313/northern%20scklewing2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="2313" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ5VtamhpxiEnkEqd4a4ewpOdN3YHt12Ebl7OxFvTf49iAcsjuMcMy593qRqwpfrGPKbpy71oiw-LSf2rog3Jgu0-jtTjlsFWxvCai6DFctWm1xls1decQtHTrV3KQCczAG0tdLlZ8a0wUt0zLl3qZj5hLrWWDvd2oEuBif_Eu7E4_iMPykT1BccBVSy0/w400-h318/northern%20scklewing2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">northern sicklewing another lifer</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjso8FFl9ZQFI-W73Hr2q3l5sWb6KOtGRFveTUSKf1qOQGTdacUhix8skQaTAnzWR3PUds4QRwnMKV4gZJ1_MW28yKLYuMRUnUNnn90Y8mhTEqzSnGlyAL4nAPPkN-XoMINtUdskW6gNHjnx_Vlg9x9E9xOJoojJmo03gT3USZj_WK2bTDbqwJO-iDBIG4/s2870/orange%20tip.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1906" data-original-width="2870" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjso8FFl9ZQFI-W73Hr2q3l5sWb6KOtGRFveTUSKf1qOQGTdacUhix8skQaTAnzWR3PUds4QRwnMKV4gZJ1_MW28yKLYuMRUnUNnn90Y8mhTEqzSnGlyAL4nAPPkN-XoMINtUdskW6gNHjnx_Vlg9x9E9xOJoojJmo03gT3USZj_WK2bTDbqwJO-iDBIG4/w400-h266/orange%20tip.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A common mestra, seen one of these before</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBH9uhfZSnqEe0p610sMnz4HkkQVOTzutVue77Pn5Bnr0hkHDCkRsHpUDrZhnDKJPsrvBItdoNYgPlmzQ3W26_NOlpdrvoywn-hzpz3VqV1P03Ccy1t-Olxm3HHQKz3kFNy4eG2k-LhnWLivMe7nSW4fxN_AGbCGPDP-R60w7E7qniiqbw8sazUDlwAM/s3404/queen.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2974" data-original-width="3404" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBH9uhfZSnqEe0p610sMnz4HkkQVOTzutVue77Pn5Bnr0hkHDCkRsHpUDrZhnDKJPsrvBItdoNYgPlmzQ3W26_NOlpdrvoywn-hzpz3VqV1P03Ccy1t-Olxm3HHQKz3kFNy4eG2k-LhnWLivMe7nSW4fxN_AGbCGPDP-R60w7E7qniiqbw8sazUDlwAM/w400-h350/queen.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">a really sharp Queen</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTBqwqR3YwsMZxx5xEIFgFOPKaDdi_z-jhOc7_IaqeSl3OBPABsO0Dv9gYC0qQsj2gSmGzVDEiIULlFUjbeNu2BZ0dyxdOloWvtEh0LUJRbRyNgBK7z1ROVlpM_vthb7lEsyVPIOhsPn4pjFy9TXO4oSoi52I48kHMO0-ELUoM84xX1i5yDb-2ioymTeo/s1964/skipper%201b.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1604" data-original-width="1964" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTBqwqR3YwsMZxx5xEIFgFOPKaDdi_z-jhOc7_IaqeSl3OBPABsO0Dv9gYC0qQsj2gSmGzVDEiIULlFUjbeNu2BZ0dyxdOloWvtEh0LUJRbRyNgBK7z1ROVlpM_vthb7lEsyVPIOhsPn4pjFy9TXO4oSoi52I48kHMO0-ELUoM84xX1i5yDb-2ioymTeo/w400-h326/skipper%201b.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">a fiery skipper, seen these guys everywhere</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdpYbwbFu_FDIm-IjxTFBr9FKHcwZFpfRBZleiF4Q-Hhecaq9L7Bz4JmvZjfVk6Z0xBe-MAS1H3kP91RcMFpUfO50U5KX7fXnp1F1VXwlqdYyHnR-f-5NCsTRZwrVBSamPO9MV8fZKmE2X3sNNsjWZ1h94hvOIR6OOZdNAPjn6zezCl14j2cJ80vpRGwI/s1797/skipper%202.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1480" data-original-width="1797" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdpYbwbFu_FDIm-IjxTFBr9FKHcwZFpfRBZleiF4Q-Hhecaq9L7Bz4JmvZjfVk6Z0xBe-MAS1H3kP91RcMFpUfO50U5KX7fXnp1F1VXwlqdYyHnR-f-5NCsTRZwrVBSamPO9MV8fZKmE2X3sNNsjWZ1h94hvOIR6OOZdNAPjn6zezCl14j2cJ80vpRGwI/w400-h330/skipper%202.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">a clouded skipper another lifer<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;">Then I called a friend and went to lunch, and then we toured SpaceX. Wow, what a crazy deal...Blowfeldt meets Edison. Tesla meets Ford. Gilligan meets the Professor. You cannot imagine what is going on down there on the US border. Right in the middle of a wildlife refuge</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLfThRXotrbdsDtmgLXd0IefbrfREhadyj9K7OZexAcImtdAlxf7TeFs4JyhSYTu0Nw2_AKbGF6Fu8tC9wSKN8GgArp07ydDwu8bZP_aaSEKgmjn6xe9qG8hLDf7m5o6zVUXtpmipFm0mODPb1wv6n7t9eDUvafJg6sNirC3HzJlFwb_ARpHdFtepIHaE/s5440/boca%20chica5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLfThRXotrbdsDtmgLXd0IefbrfREhadyj9K7OZexAcImtdAlxf7TeFs4JyhSYTu0Nw2_AKbGF6Fu8tC9wSKN8GgArp07ydDwu8bZP_aaSEKgmjn6xe9qG8hLDf7m5o6zVUXtpmipFm0mODPb1wv6n7t9eDUvafJg6sNirC3HzJlFwb_ARpHdFtepIHaE/w400-h266/boca%20chica5.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNeajuyrOgNmQb_QdhH3F3UGQ-Ux66PC-5EW8VpStF1SRpG8k-12ru9Vc1bW9ZyvlqBvxWuzNVSU4-DcfeYw92F9SAlpYgjpJO-xgu9hDzFufT2zTne60dZZ5EFnflbCgN0NTBZzeC1IQi1xJH7IQFs646xkSY8rh4NByM9viiVxYeFjPh-hMaE29NJSc/s5440/boca%20chica4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNeajuyrOgNmQb_QdhH3F3UGQ-Ux66PC-5EW8VpStF1SRpG8k-12ru9Vc1bW9ZyvlqBvxWuzNVSU4-DcfeYw92F9SAlpYgjpJO-xgu9hDzFufT2zTne60dZZ5EFnflbCgN0NTBZzeC1IQi1xJH7IQFs646xkSY8rh4NByM9viiVxYeFjPh-hMaE29NJSc/w400-h266/boca%20chica4.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">rocket factory under construction</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7tm7UaAJRmuft-KiHh4_MvU9drX3tzreAyqgm_8Jqcd4FAjaNcbK9ku515_LIpZJxGg_rWIDwNXpj8ARzAK0daHSLIBK6frxTYTAjj-ASXVPY-b3J7qWy2_w3pBHKazIqrsqlOBv3TNoCGIaIk0EEb78dJ5mLt00XWjN-J-g4Sm1jxldc_9O3fzuTWwU/s5440/boca%20chica3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7tm7UaAJRmuft-KiHh4_MvU9drX3tzreAyqgm_8Jqcd4FAjaNcbK9ku515_LIpZJxGg_rWIDwNXpj8ARzAK0daHSLIBK6frxTYTAjj-ASXVPY-b3J7qWy2_w3pBHKazIqrsqlOBv3TNoCGIaIk0EEb78dJ5mLt00XWjN-J-g4Sm1jxldc_9O3fzuTWwU/w400-h266/boca%20chica3.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlEb7vupRwvuKSURCmfZR0TJLWmsBd_Mp_mn_6ixHiYn2Fds9ZEMp3bLBA3aMBzp3_-hGNPnlRVrpuQ3m71FfilwTN8_Y6mTiNDw8gRD3Wt6lyzCptPNRTMGmNbjQatWqz2RBZIvXxWACSNA-Ae2YIPiK5XeLKzrPr4BAsH5GP5-AxOhLRm7HntFh0GZY/s5440/boca%20chica2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlEb7vupRwvuKSURCmfZR0TJLWmsBd_Mp_mn_6ixHiYn2Fds9ZEMp3bLBA3aMBzp3_-hGNPnlRVrpuQ3m71FfilwTN8_Y6mTiNDw8gRD3Wt6lyzCptPNRTMGmNbjQatWqz2RBZIvXxWACSNA-Ae2YIPiK5XeLKzrPr4BAsH5GP5-AxOhLRm7HntFh0GZY/w400-h266/boca%20chica2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Standing on a public beach and this is the view</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0SAJQkS1e3PbN0P9Jn3W_KDSlRXfUeVAWj-5zLdzAV6VCF4EF3P0QZYBeMBbcy4M8n4JbKAMZV3I8XxHr2luQ9OZV7QDDQWuVvEsUotgteFe2CgNImUsKVp6XyBhYsWe93zsB9JnF6Q5YKga-_JroS2FknvPjLicU0EWbrsdbe6NzQWSzrkRZ422rjuQ/s5440/boca%20chica1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0SAJQkS1e3PbN0P9Jn3W_KDSlRXfUeVAWj-5zLdzAV6VCF4EF3P0QZYBeMBbcy4M8n4JbKAMZV3I8XxHr2luQ9OZV7QDDQWuVvEsUotgteFe2CgNImUsKVp6XyBhYsWe93zsB9JnF6Q5YKga-_JroS2FknvPjLicU0EWbrsdbe6NzQWSzrkRZ422rjuQ/w400-h266/boca%20chica1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">they get 1000 a day for an RV spot to view a ricket blast from here, crazy. Yea Don't panic....Another guy I met was selling scrapped stainless rocket parts for big bucks or that was the plan, somewhere he stumbled upon the stuff in Mexico.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Billions spent and this is just the beginning. Rockets to Mars! Is the goal, but is it a boondoggle, well it is, but will it become something?</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">It reminds me of another movie, <i>Contact </i>They are also building million dollar cabins on the Rio Grande for SpaceX shareholders con watch 4 miles away. Huge rockets can sometime go boom! Will all of the employee houses a mile away survive? All of this down 30 miles on a little road that is taking a beating and absolutely NO services, no gas stations, stores, just a company mess hall. Guess it is mostly his money.....We will see if it happens or maybe Elon will find a new passion.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">The deja vu was answered when i noticed a dent on the rear quarter panel of the rental car, wait a minute. This is the very same car I rented in Tampa in September. The dent was exact. Back then I had to argue about the dent, and apparently someone had driven it one way to San Antonio. It still got crappy gas mileage.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>I decided to not go to the other side of the valley to see three more potential lifer birds, I needed to see my wife. Those others can wait, so we stopped at three in Texas. After yet another argument with Avis with photos, they let me go. "Like I just knew I'd get a similar car so I made a dent in the same spot on the same shape to sneak out of this. Look me up, to see if I did not rent this exact car three months ago." </span><span>I flew to Florida today, crazy flights, wing issues, a plane swap, a one minute connection, but safely home....it is good to be home</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">There is always another bird, and this time three of them, three for Texas!</span></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-size: large;">Olaf </span></b><p></p></div>Olaf Danielsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18427270873795437960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-65017919477722141672023-11-02T18:03:00.004-05:002023-11-03T09:55:31.006-05:00Flying COPA Cabana Airlines<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxezqUPeoMY7nPKY__yebyixuErGHvOdrx-HTe1NPLIcn5ij-cYoNERZcPgHjP_7cLaqZ2A2blmiOOoVkTbUb3Rs4Syhkwua_k1-PM0tlg53aARxeG8CyzbzOyTodlzc_6D6QooeGFxMugIsx49yof81TxU7rNc_dj1WLwh5tHASoNerilBHljqBNi_Fw/s2086/olive%20spotted%20hummingbird2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1700" data-original-width="2086" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxezqUPeoMY7nPKY__yebyixuErGHvOdrx-HTe1NPLIcn5ij-cYoNERZcPgHjP_7cLaqZ2A2blmiOOoVkTbUb3Rs4Syhkwua_k1-PM0tlg53aARxeG8CyzbzOyTodlzc_6D6QooeGFxMugIsx49yof81TxU7rNc_dj1WLwh5tHASoNerilBHljqBNi_Fw/w400-h326/olive%20spotted%20hummingbird2.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Part 5/5, The Pilot's name was Rico (really!) but he didn't wear a diamond and there was no Lola, she never came over...</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The story of COPA and how exactly Olaf got lifer 1896, the pretty good Olive-spotted hummingbird shown above. This was my last Brazilian bird, and it came in overtime on this trip and will come later.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The ends of trips are melancholy at best but sometimes just getting home is an adventure</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">An epic trip has four parts:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1) A noble purpose. Say my bucket list zero event of going to Trisdan da Cuhna, a Big year, a wedding in paradise, or something.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2) A beginning of course, the buildup, and as they say half the fun is getting there</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3) the actual event, of destination, going to Trisdan and not landing a boat would have been "tragic" and not "epic" </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">4) Getting home</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We have had EPic trips, South America-South Africa, Boating Lake Powell thirty years ago, RV camping in Sweden, a Glacier trip on our honeymoon, and Attu, nude birding are five of many that come to mind.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We have had some real Tragic trips, too, a Bermuda trip including near frost bite and a plane crash and milking a wounded new RV around California and back are two classic ones, but most trips are somewhere in the middle. A trip between shifts in Spearfish to Minnesota playoff baseball with the Yankees and back also comes to mind as the Twins got obliterated by Roger Clemens and I arrived to a disaster of the previous ER doctor's making upon my arrival at 7am when the cop tracked me down at the motel. The extra hour they refused to authorize payment for and this was the last time I ever worked there. There are also the boring trips that nothing really happens, which for us are few and far between as something ALWAYS happens.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This trip was in the middle but more on the tragic side of things. It will ALWAYS be remembered as that trip the boat ran aground and that terrible trip home, and not for all the nice people we met nor the 50 lifer birds I saw. Much like Thailand-Bhutan last year is remembered for the food poisoning I had and the awful end to our flight.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So what happened?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We were heading to Manaus aboard the<i> Premium </i>ship. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We came across a group of poachers on the National park, fishing and stealing turtle eggs, our guide Wolf gave them a wide berth as who knows if they were armed.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgSMa_ml_2icgS1QfRGO4Ho4unL4i1yhgqZ2z9UyFp4OthwNv_YgNiKPuytLVfChuFWg2fLXnGYkLIp8-MMQKyUbGf-mKQAc54w4v9Opbsk9at7GeLGb9ueDx-LDwzkad13YkdqlGZmAZihefnagdUJwwYuc5bHlKegCziU2GXHB0KgEEoDPLQzyicNRk/s8288/poacher1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5520" data-original-width="8288" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgSMa_ml_2icgS1QfRGO4Ho4unL4i1yhgqZ2z9UyFp4OthwNv_YgNiKPuytLVfChuFWg2fLXnGYkLIp8-MMQKyUbGf-mKQAc54w4v9Opbsk9at7GeLGb9ueDx-LDwzkad13YkdqlGZmAZihefnagdUJwwYuc5bHlKegCziU2GXHB0KgEEoDPLQzyicNRk/w400-h266/poacher1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We stopped at a more modern Native settlement. They had a new school, had electricity since 2017, a store, but eighty steps to get up the hill. Below is their sawmill.</span></p></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoeXT09k-IValogTwisYTqJn1V59DtahJ8CM5I2eYZqe3yTYf5Vit930XveKCWw2ULD72Rcd36eCIkpn7Gywq35ZayawTThbIyIpRlGD2Wk57Le-XCAbhwjaJugvrrxkm9L8t4wt-RGBpkgN-mrXBBzG23i1Yokq1hmOlCPmtbjA9oQSlc2fAT-r3p-hs/s5440/sawmill.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoeXT09k-IValogTwisYTqJn1V59DtahJ8CM5I2eYZqe3yTYf5Vit930XveKCWw2ULD72Rcd36eCIkpn7Gywq35ZayawTThbIyIpRlGD2Wk57Le-XCAbhwjaJugvrrxkm9L8t4wt-RGBpkgN-mrXBBzG23i1Yokq1hmOlCPmtbjA9oQSlc2fAT-r3p-hs/w400-h266/sawmill.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The village was a mecca for birds</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I saw our first variegated flycatcher there, on a power line they had just put in</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTzIyBBT9Lub1CXaP-e70amh63CbMuqeVHP8h72eNk0aH4hVttbOg-O5Tsu9XX9JuU3InwAYSWvQ9gpK9E6g0FBJsIT8ROtAR936qnL4bg8hcaxyRYy3zz9fjMaGrPw4FLIaAI0a1xyaF7aDd9L80gDvCmvF97mXkCJkuSDqiD2LAItXCnEnKv9R4ly4M/s1807/varigated%20flycatcher.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1305" data-original-width="1807" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTzIyBBT9Lub1CXaP-e70amh63CbMuqeVHP8h72eNk0aH4hVttbOg-O5Tsu9XX9JuU3InwAYSWvQ9gpK9E6g0FBJsIT8ROtAR936qnL4bg8hcaxyRYy3zz9fjMaGrPw4FLIaAI0a1xyaF7aDd9L80gDvCmvF97mXkCJkuSDqiD2LAItXCnEnKv9R4ly4M/w400-h289/varigated%20flycatcher.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I saw a Hauxwell's thrush in a tree, not well as we heard it mostly and tried to get the other birder on it and lost it and never got a photo. Then there was also this immature thrush</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUWtjOcO4LH_RnSgmlWrGk_thoP8h9kXGuOxtQfqtqkgvTb0p2Pqfs49SRiZGUYeQvKpy1fDCd4lPCUnQZ5yfUkucQUE1j3_3PzuDk_nYXxgMFMeWoHTVrGyxRRksVfL_gPpP27CRPX4B-qtmnoXxxlRQauQ_9jlUU_LOwe1ek1uqMd4qFSySXh9TP0U/s3547/pale%20vented%20thrush%20juvie.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2210" data-original-width="3547" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUWtjOcO4LH_RnSgmlWrGk_thoP8h9kXGuOxtQfqtqkgvTb0p2Pqfs49SRiZGUYeQvKpy1fDCd4lPCUnQZ5yfUkucQUE1j3_3PzuDk_nYXxgMFMeWoHTVrGyxRRksVfL_gPpP27CRPX4B-qtmnoXxxlRQauQ_9jlUU_LOwe1ek1uqMd4qFSySXh9TP0U/w400-h249/pale%20vented%20thrush%20juvie.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I was thinking it was a Pale breasted thrush due to it being more conspicuous and looking at me, but I am not sure.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The namesake of the Hauxwell's Thrush is a bit of a mystery, as it (and some other things) is probably named after John Hauxwell, a "collector of specimens," but whose affiliation and how he came to the Amazon and what he did is unclear. He died somewhere between 1886 and 1919, lived in Peru after maybe Manaus...(There is also a T. A. Hauxwell).</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So, with the trip winding down, we ended up trying to unsuccessfully catch a piranha, we fished off of a high and dry floating home.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKg-u_jKXaWaAdlnvK05VN0kEYRfltW29WAVuZbFLlv8XcnVL2gTC_OaY9rQLiAJqg1cQNBdFvkWu5x5SZcsuQ7QHx44-6inZjCQybKFtv9JUYRHZm-TD7IRIslaEKpoingUnyayKhMK44Ft8avnX610xqcljzivPni3R0AP51Apn2bQdsChoInEwrZsM/s5440/house%20boat.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKg-u_jKXaWaAdlnvK05VN0kEYRfltW29WAVuZbFLlv8XcnVL2gTC_OaY9rQLiAJqg1cQNBdFvkWu5x5SZcsuQ7QHx44-6inZjCQybKFtv9JUYRHZm-TD7IRIslaEKpoingUnyayKhMK44Ft8avnX610xqcljzivPni3R0AP51Apn2bQdsChoInEwrZsM/w400-h266/house%20boat.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Then it was back to Manaus, an obligate tourist activity seeing the Manaus Opera house built in 1897, it had been abandoned after the rubber boom ended in 1915 when British agents smuggled out rubber seeds and found they could be grown cheaper in Malaysia </span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8OgAdqrl1e9fNy_8RxxmT0mFd4LR9dTMH_Yan8BrVTvm8npONJ5SRFU6GandIqJc1Vyos1g-W2Sct_lQKGY6kApMSeOkYw8mBEUBsuJy_EaZ9ha97TFG1ukfy24RAQ_25ytv8bIowoI4jjhdeEG1n3dWzQ57RrIph0PHlAWjNW-QHkQFr72EJMYNeyg/s5440/opera%20house.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8OgAdqrl1e9fNy_8RxxmT0mFd4LR9dTMH_Yan8BrVTvm8npONJ5SRFU6GandIqJc1Vyos1g-W2Sct_lQKGY6kApMSeOkYw8mBEUBsuJy_EaZ9ha97TFG1ukfy24RAQ_25ytv8bIowoI4jjhdeEG1n3dWzQ57RrIph0PHlAWjNW-QHkQFr72EJMYNeyg/w400-h266/opera%20house.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We had an early night, just before dark, I was out birding behind the hotel and slipped in the mud and wiped out coating myself with sticky clay-mud. I had to scrape it off everything in the shower in the room. Luckily my camera was in my backpack.</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLd1xRh12NzXCtWRoBHf3WcwgtTmFv-tU0ZHTFjuoRPT1QdIdW-U4otmAgvUCpH-2wjFQMf3zziI3iHiDmoTxhueWcRq6gpNOPb6tUIY9rifXG5cAvBO8nvM3vRGO6Zr6Aq0ZCfqoUakv1IE72p_QAzo2aqLRJS_vDUivYkqNfHfItZQN_nYlENNDUAM0/s2805/chiri%20vireo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2303" data-original-width="2805" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLd1xRh12NzXCtWRoBHf3WcwgtTmFv-tU0ZHTFjuoRPT1QdIdW-U4otmAgvUCpH-2wjFQMf3zziI3iHiDmoTxhueWcRq6gpNOPb6tUIY9rifXG5cAvBO8nvM3vRGO6Zr6Aq0ZCfqoUakv1IE72p_QAzo2aqLRJS_vDUivYkqNfHfItZQN_nYlENNDUAM0/w400-h329/chiri%20vireo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">This Chiri vireo, not a lifer was what I thought was going to be the last bird for the trip ,</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We went to bed at 8 and were up at midnight for a 1245 departure in the morning, We loaded up, zipped through tickets, security, passport control and causally noted that the flight would be 30 minutes late. The plane came in, they took their time boarding and eventually everyone got on and we sat down but they never shut the doors and Rico the pilot looked like he was waiting for something, and we waited, and waited</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The announced something in Portuguese and then in English, "flight cancelled." That was it, nothing more and we all filed out and through customs, who had all gone home. It was 0430 at the airport. We tried to pump a few bilingual people about what was also said, but we got little. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">What had happened, the airport in Manaus closes from 4AM to Noon every day and despite a plane loaded and sitting on the tarmac, the Air traffic control people in the tower went home at 4AM and as such the plane could not take off and depart.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This also made the crew "time out" so their mandatory 12 hour break would not start until they got to the hotel and COPA was dithering about that and they did not depart the airport until 530 so, that was the rumor of the time of departure in the afternoon. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Everyone piled in front of COPA's one representatives, nothing was happening and here we were the 19 Americans who could not really understand what was said and we sat in a closed airport with no food and nothing. COPA "called" all of the hotels but they were full. Silja got on the telephone with the emergency number at Road Scholar and woke someone up named Steve. Calling a random relative of one of the fellow travelers would have been more helpful. My wife was then on hold for a while and then got nothing just advice to call the main office when they opened in 4 hours.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Then we decided to try to contact our guide Wolf, but how do you call Brazil in Brazil from a US cell phone? We could not do it and then my wife remembered she had him on Instagram and he answered. Wolf showed up like an angry German and walked into the COPA manager's office, soon we were on a bus back to our hotel and our old rooms, a free breakfast and then lunch.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I went back to the spot in the back of the hotel and watched them remove a caiman from a hole and then tried to identify honeycreepers with another birder.....</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJyZ5_2CC76CfoZnZSDSh-jXjS4QkBqpDxOg9DnTdhjgOBgVjaPlcwEI2lw_fcHJ6tW3BahLIQ_d9x0Dxc_ebwIYg7tYjEyDfFGdt7E4nbY_q8686HE3XZdH8_QzSRas7YNbwx9kCk2YREzbhrgTSJh6BbRlXduCDEn3fq6Zbku93PRuMPqwyDE4Xxl7E/s1714/olive%20spotted%20hummingbird3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1457" data-original-width="1714" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJyZ5_2CC76CfoZnZSDSh-jXjS4QkBqpDxOg9DnTdhjgOBgVjaPlcwEI2lw_fcHJ6tW3BahLIQ_d9x0Dxc_ebwIYg7tYjEyDfFGdt7E4nbY_q8686HE3XZdH8_QzSRas7YNbwx9kCk2YREzbhrgTSJh6BbRlXduCDEn3fq6Zbku93PRuMPqwyDE4Xxl7E/w400-h340/olive%20spotted%20hummingbird3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">olive potted hummingbird</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I saw my last lifer, an olive-spotted hummingbird, and after two showers and a nap, it was back to the airport for round two at 230</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Checking was still crazy and no officer was in immigration just a woman with a list of all of us that had "left the country" earlier that morning. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I read some comments on the airline while we waited.</span></p><p><span face=""Trip Sans VF", "Trip Sans", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">"COPA sucks!"</span></b></span><span face=""Trip Sans VF", "Trip Sans", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> Non stop delays. Not 15 min delays I’m talking HOURS. Horrible. Even worse than Spirit. I think this might be the worse airline in the world.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p>"<a class="Qwuub" href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g1-d8729055-r914459852-Copa_Airlines-World.html" rel="noopener" style="font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Reservation System does not work properly, very bad customer service.</span></a><span style="font-size: medium;">" </span><span color="var(--gray-20)" face=""Trip Sans VF", "Trip Sans", Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 16px;">COPA system for reservation is very bad. I tried to add a checked bag in advance and the system did not allow me, it ask me to wait until check in day. On check in day, the COPA system to collect the payment did not work. Now I need to pay at the counter a more expensive price, this is the only option I have. Then, when I call the call center, the poor service representative cannot do anything because the system is locked everywhere. This translated in a very bad customer service. There are many more things that I want to complain, but I do not have time to keep writing.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">COPA poked around and finally we got going to Panama City with Rico driving the plane, somehow it was uneventful, and then luckily our quick transfer to Miami was a gate away, but after going through the scanner, we walked up and noticed the flight was delayed two hours, even with the plane sitting around at the gate.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We finally left, I was stuck in a middle seat stuck between two bigger guys than me with a woman in front of me grabbing me on the top of the head while I slept. It was a relief to get out at Miami, we hustled through the airport found our car and drove the rest of the night and early morning home, the trip was over 16 hours later than expected. We were tired, furniture was arriving soon and in a day, my mother was coming and a day after that, Silja and her were both flying to Germany to check on our son, who was having surgery.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The trip was over, I logged 50 new bird species, 104 for the trip, which was a bit of work. I logged country number 59 to my Century Club total, met some nice people and brought home chiggers. We ran aground, had a crazy airplane delays and we rode COPA Cobana airlines for a first and maybe....last time.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">COPA is bad but Road Scholar should not have forced everyone to start in Miami, some, could have saved 6-14 hours or more in the air by meeting in Panama, we could have started in Tampa, half of the group could have flown into the west coast directly.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Road Scholar needs a better emergency response, and we need to figure out how to use our phones from an international country to that country.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Brazil, maybe another time, we'll see, maybe Peacock Bass fishing, it was not an "epic" trip but memorable none-the-less. COPA, I'd advise a pass. My cats were so lonely to see us, it was nice to be welcomed home.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Cheers</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Olaf</span></p><p><br /></p>Olaf Danielsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18427270873795437960noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-54779596073643860982023-10-29T18:21:00.003-05:002023-10-29T18:21:55.584-05:00Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty we are free at last<p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5U3jXKsYZEKsrhbtRJJF-E-0IPE3aB7bNbaes1d1A5j4ZLmf2dTnXq6tts29yupwv_OlkhiK7jl4Oa1WJ_UJxi1-meCjy0mytMMZ3F8K0dwe5At2ibSUzcaPA3OWybpKDalg4iCMxHHB0WgNY6WTyTmMyKRMo8Az3IvSgwSvAFQnhBPn2emUf6YETUZQ/s3431/blue%20and%20yellow%20macaw%20good2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2558" data-original-width="3431" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5U3jXKsYZEKsrhbtRJJF-E-0IPE3aB7bNbaes1d1A5j4ZLmf2dTnXq6tts29yupwv_OlkhiK7jl4Oa1WJ_UJxi1-meCjy0mytMMZ3F8K0dwe5At2ibSUzcaPA3OWybpKDalg4iCMxHHB0WgNY6WTyTmMyKRMo8Az3IvSgwSvAFQnhBPn2emUf6YETUZQ/w400-h299/blue%20and%20yellow%20macaw%20good2.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />PART 4 of 5: </span><span style="font-size: large;">When I last left you we were stuck on a rock in the middle of the Rio Negro River just over 2 degrees south latitude in Brazil. As rocks go, our was at least a comfortable one and the boat was only slightly perched askew with the rain accumulating aft</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We went out at night and mostly saw spectacled caiman, the above blue and yellow macaw came later....</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJSqN46I-U-FpsEEUnwXVselLnn6E9_kF7asjuCwCH0-NMjIQkBqCrAGPkA8EamzKEJYZsqL0WXOfFZX8pM1YoU6oZO-XrPRvdMtMaFrauzhNnANyc7dXEdG_ssztU7gDBBLd11eM9rjelwdfZNr6WLV8oyyAz-gTxyai7F_gwUE05jfmuof3Ch2PtH4I/s6748/caiman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5295" data-original-width="6748" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJSqN46I-U-FpsEEUnwXVselLnn6E9_kF7asjuCwCH0-NMjIQkBqCrAGPkA8EamzKEJYZsqL0WXOfFZX8pM1YoU6oZO-XrPRvdMtMaFrauzhNnANyc7dXEdG_ssztU7gDBBLd11eM9rjelwdfZNr6WLV8oyyAz-gTxyai7F_gwUE05jfmuof3Ch2PtH4I/w400-h314/caiman.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">During the
night the <i>Princesp Clariant</i>, a smaller motorized transport ship came to
rescue us and take us to a hotel on the mainland. I do not remember the town. Having nothing better to do, and with the
ship still stuck on a rock, we got up at 0530 and went to scout the shoreline
for something, anything. The morning air
was still cool and so I climbed in a back seat and off we went.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Something
else was also different, I had bug bites, all sorts of bugs bites on my
torso.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Were they mosquitoes, flies, or
bed bugs?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From the look of them, it
appeared that they were chiggers, a souvenir from the walk on shore yesterday.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As birding
explorations go it was just okay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
overcast and the only lifer bird for me was a velvet-fronted grackle, a black
bird not unlike many of the other grackles found around North and South
America. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhERtxICQi0RBBSAOTMNz5NIqkebuiE_p4amWntcrSXvO_Ii8o0z6wXzgqfZQOS9AZiN6OZgdaysRa0rdAEabxQa7ZgCKdXvN1sjylegkDupAJtokH_zrm-3YUZTryOg9naf8ow7Caw1CaCVmdCEK3rliUHrje39kCePRRvlq3QCytiXq_CVhiNiP3uC00/s1900/velvet%20fronted%20grackle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1561" data-original-width="1900" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhERtxICQi0RBBSAOTMNz5NIqkebuiE_p4amWntcrSXvO_Ii8o0z6wXzgqfZQOS9AZiN6OZgdaysRa0rdAEabxQa7ZgCKdXvN1sjylegkDupAJtokH_zrm-3YUZTryOg9naf8ow7Caw1CaCVmdCEK3rliUHrje39kCePRRvlq3QCytiXq_CVhiNiP3uC00/w400-h329/velvet%20fronted%20grackle.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not the stylish Amazon bird but a lifer none-the-less</td></tr></tbody></table></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">After a rain
scare we were heading back to the boat to eat breakfast and to pack when the
driver of our small boat stopped and grabbed for Silja’s bins.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">The boat had moved, THE BOAT HAD Moved!</span></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr69zDqJ4x7esI6k42xui_ZQmxIZfhzk-U64NSFkEjWi06KQCIjPSJbdQZibmAsGfMcrWAh2viHpKSvOGcTdn-N1UavGGKzK7s0YtAPgdckvjwDH5gS1co4JrORRxzHRgJ1Smr-B58KPSKaQhAfLjzNATct3py-_9Qcs71OnUidH86Qg6ScC2q0bNLg1E/s5404/free.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3580" data-original-width="5404" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr69zDqJ4x7esI6k42xui_ZQmxIZfhzk-U64NSFkEjWi06KQCIjPSJbdQZibmAsGfMcrWAh2viHpKSvOGcTdn-N1UavGGKzK7s0YtAPgdckvjwDH5gS1co4JrORRxzHRgJ1Smr-B58KPSKaQhAfLjzNATct3py-_9Qcs71OnUidH86Qg6ScC2q0bNLg1E/w400-h265/free.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 16px; text-align: left;"> </span><i style="font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">Princesp Clariant </i><span style="font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">tied up to the</span><i style="font-size: 16px; text-align: left;"> Premium </i><span style="font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">but the ship was three hundred yards from its last position</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-size: medium;">A phrase came to mind from Martin Luther King, maybe well out of context but it described my feeling, "Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty we are free at last."</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgElzCC3ymeAwFwgpGflqkgaBWcae27zmWpuAlYdQywhMYtl5AOZwhR1g1WzdzdHRQEba38YcaKCZq_2q9x22FxEkiF_j4zzlk7N_XBppdJ6rc5R_ITuMWU-LOrPkXMnCwsFnbFlIFFU8ZuDjK95BBO15W0b8APJfNxaFN85-1OCi56_JEePi3WWGWZ99E/s5440/free%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5440" data-original-width="3616" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgElzCC3ymeAwFwgpGflqkgaBWcae27zmWpuAlYdQywhMYtl5AOZwhR1g1WzdzdHRQEba38YcaKCZq_2q9x22FxEkiF_j4zzlk7N_XBppdJ6rc5R_ITuMWU-LOrPkXMnCwsFnbFlIFFU8ZuDjK95BBO15W0b8APJfNxaFN85-1OCi56_JEePi3WWGWZ99E/w266-h400/free%201.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">The crew reloading an air compressor. The owner came with the rescue boat. They dove under the boat and used floats and with 2 tons of people off the boat, they were able to bust it loose. Now we could proceed, but the program which I had never read was thrown out the window. The river was deemed too low to go much up river and so, they planned alternatives and they deployed Brazilian sonar to lead the boat as we poked along up the river.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLZT7G8N0wh38OJZvoTk0VyQ7MB_phPZafxnnHw5R1Tcxn7ed8gbc_AHv8NrzdMjAkSNLQF3oyk6rNHrxdx483AXA9F_Qwr-QeF5mNlDpwMZploAZkLGA7cniPbAZRsccPzUyOPOD87XkiYYFLXKug-CdT4ZiNgyysWq7kNnnQTuBQ-j7Bp48FTB0u3w/s5440/free2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLZT7G8N0wh38OJZvoTk0VyQ7MB_phPZafxnnHw5R1Tcxn7ed8gbc_AHv8NrzdMjAkSNLQF3oyk6rNHrxdx483AXA9F_Qwr-QeF5mNlDpwMZploAZkLGA7cniPbAZRsccPzUyOPOD87XkiYYFLXKug-CdT4ZiNgyysWq7kNnnQTuBQ-j7Bp48FTB0u3w/w400-h266/free2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">But then the water was deemed too low, so we went back and then went to the shore and hacked a trail through it, there were no birds nor snakes but two frogs...</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9DFv3iSJuxxAKxfiQzm1Q1XZv6gaMmdVkJu1DMl8btc1Vq4S5t1loI80q8wt8kdWkngetMjC06OJzOKJgyjrl85fyBWnmAmzdcF5-4UV-2GK-uoH1vTKb_DrZL0d4VfFjZ21Kvz5IcST13d71Z92s7k4pYVvhCNKKpeo-3s0aKPBb2y7pstRYvgWEjc/s3110/frog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2712" data-original-width="3110" height="349" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9DFv3iSJuxxAKxfiQzm1Q1XZv6gaMmdVkJu1DMl8btc1Vq4S5t1loI80q8wt8kdWkngetMjC06OJzOKJgyjrl85fyBWnmAmzdcF5-4UV-2GK-uoH1vTKb_DrZL0d4VfFjZ21Kvz5IcST13d71Z92s7k4pYVvhCNKKpeo-3s0aKPBb2y7pstRYvgWEjc/w400-h349/frog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a frog of the Hyla genius, "green tree frog"</td></tr></tbody></table>Find this 5 inch forest toad...</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPAe17i1ONuG-JA-iMR8PQYzKQeGJGLjcW6KHw-eg19uBv0cEUM-IizhjBcG-DeYMglFpUfJryuxBFnZN_mRsWBtb0NchUAJI4ZXFzCnXZHb2aLfp0Z9OUADEaR4Bb83iPea1Y8sPOjYBR_YYFPevPtTpnIJwPPZJeUdnsTvGEoobNadLq9Ks47TXAxtw/s4032/toad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPAe17i1ONuG-JA-iMR8PQYzKQeGJGLjcW6KHw-eg19uBv0cEUM-IizhjBcG-DeYMglFpUfJryuxBFnZN_mRsWBtb0NchUAJI4ZXFzCnXZHb2aLfp0Z9OUADEaR4Bb83iPea1Y8sPOjYBR_YYFPevPtTpnIJwPPZJeUdnsTvGEoobNadLq9Ks47TXAxtw/w400-h300/toad.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Later more birding in the boat, all lifers except the Crane Hawk</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA42HvHP0Le2xztUP9EG3j86OhryIbiLPodOP-AhvIO6_bxATQw1htmD-MqSc0t4-Xo7FluuIkWd2hh9bAdTNZdoThIqB_xoUrSUwyDlSUBvRPqYU5BHyb1ph1pw8uFqXQcMsrUlUk57buwdHh4rL7R7dDnmRtCSp05_oC_OH8PpKb-Kl4sjhUZMrp_Lc/s6122/brown%20chested%20martin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4252" data-original-width="6122" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA42HvHP0Le2xztUP9EG3j86OhryIbiLPodOP-AhvIO6_bxATQw1htmD-MqSc0t4-Xo7FluuIkWd2hh9bAdTNZdoThIqB_xoUrSUwyDlSUBvRPqYU5BHyb1ph1pw8uFqXQcMsrUlUk57buwdHh4rL7R7dDnmRtCSp05_oC_OH8PpKb-Kl4sjhUZMrp_Lc/w400-h278/brown%20chested%20martin.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brown chested martins</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRzOXwuwIVIxyAIejDnismYBOCOgAma5dAv6nTwKQxt06SPOnLDwCRn8NELmNG8EP4jFZIpTkElRsK-iWnE0DJARzemwzYK3YSOVQAvoUcbyL-8gKmJDpnqpdxyy6-DrPqJAZc01AIrneUaTnfrN-L0nFUQw65NIoyCPREhcvcjfvFvPpPKLjYm8dgrJo/s1850/crane%20hawk4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1479" data-original-width="1850" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRzOXwuwIVIxyAIejDnismYBOCOgAma5dAv6nTwKQxt06SPOnLDwCRn8NELmNG8EP4jFZIpTkElRsK-iWnE0DJARzemwzYK3YSOVQAvoUcbyL-8gKmJDpnqpdxyy6-DrPqJAZc01AIrneUaTnfrN-L0nFUQw65NIoyCPREhcvcjfvFvPpPKLjYm8dgrJo/w400-h320/crane%20hawk4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crane hawk</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH40GpqOCQvRoK66caQ53nl9SKX7jYuVz3OJsB6oh1ykOzxGQV2mNAasJKfSS0Y_FcTXXmylYy0jY8V2tkpz3IkpYhM8d7eL4lHFPUlS0L5T16nSqXukq32NmrCn5ki7zEZOdA2EifpmbQnyKx3NfHq-ZM-MIln-idXbHsXsc-5kTcktpYzxsn7AI82Zg/s1575/paradise%20jacamar2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1166" data-original-width="1575" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH40GpqOCQvRoK66caQ53nl9SKX7jYuVz3OJsB6oh1ykOzxGQV2mNAasJKfSS0Y_FcTXXmylYy0jY8V2tkpz3IkpYhM8d7eL4lHFPUlS0L5T16nSqXukq32NmrCn5ki7zEZOdA2EifpmbQnyKx3NfHq-ZM-MIln-idXbHsXsc-5kTcktpYzxsn7AI82Zg/s320/paradise%20jacamar2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PijIkIitsb9wnQyXT_bTP-01D4IMdsaEwvzXiEI-3lyNv1V7kxe5mjlZC9ELmiUlUCmnxSQ5morxS4U6VSG33_qgKc_hz8KObk7lpyI7hWP4jYJHIvGaVBFv_kfsCDQJKT60bRZEoVfMFI7KaSZrH_E3ivgA6nCj-D6fnSyI9y6p_SDNQKAz2OCjP-c/s2039/paradise%20jacamar3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1561" data-original-width="2039" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PijIkIitsb9wnQyXT_bTP-01D4IMdsaEwvzXiEI-3lyNv1V7kxe5mjlZC9ELmiUlUCmnxSQ5morxS4U6VSG33_qgKc_hz8KObk7lpyI7hWP4jYJHIvGaVBFv_kfsCDQJKT60bRZEoVfMFI7KaSZrH_E3ivgA6nCj-D6fnSyI9y6p_SDNQKAz2OCjP-c/w400-h306/paradise%20jacamar3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A shocking find of a paradise jacamar from the boat!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb0JpuXtXTL3zWy0xT9YYgf5eEE7tICVMbf6em0oelvUPoOfpxW_19FP9Yeejwd2mZ3pwZeOeKMDkeheV-UCVw0sd-KJrAimOi98dlQ9wnN8ePOZ4JIkSMpWK_SUdsiq8ueAb21ekGAKF6dDWCW975BxdOwdpwrJEvdi2SejF_PgGzHpBMv-b4vW4zdZo/s2341/rusty%20margined%20flycatcher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="2341" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb0JpuXtXTL3zWy0xT9YYgf5eEE7tICVMbf6em0oelvUPoOfpxW_19FP9Yeejwd2mZ3pwZeOeKMDkeheV-UCVw0sd-KJrAimOi98dlQ9wnN8ePOZ4JIkSMpWK_SUdsiq8ueAb21ekGAKF6dDWCW975BxdOwdpwrJEvdi2SejF_PgGzHpBMv-b4vW4zdZo/w400-h310/rusty%20margined%20flycatcher.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">rusty margined flycatcher</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-veKxZ9QZLif6Wxyl2dsF2k7JDeN9YeIOqOwnLtCJc-3vXuT0dAe5c3bHMIp-9iOF9Jx3C92E0cVqejeqnfXpQVELat3UlG3hYK2OEjOfiKjeN9J05ZbuDppoRYc8vfQNxgkSbdiFIwP-QV6ccNn_6kX4tbzhXAVV93Y9tvryBWuGfr_dCy8wc4-mOo/s2805/silver%20beaked%20tanager.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2025" data-original-width="2805" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-veKxZ9QZLif6Wxyl2dsF2k7JDeN9YeIOqOwnLtCJc-3vXuT0dAe5c3bHMIp-9iOF9Jx3C92E0cVqejeqnfXpQVELat3UlG3hYK2OEjOfiKjeN9J05ZbuDppoRYc8vfQNxgkSbdiFIwP-QV6ccNn_6kX4tbzhXAVV93Y9tvryBWuGfr_dCy8wc4-mOo/w400-h289/silver%20beaked%20tanager.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silver billed tanager</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPZdGyKiRJJ7SyAcdrmEIRHUB-yjimBP-VmDtD8mxZkLMHWRXHkvpdw6wPCPxwRChyphenhyphenimxgXsGlVQ64vn_LySTDymAQSE0DgPioe8_Pz0b_-dgBKxOwD24eYOpjnAlqXTaE-SLCdWcV2EcxpqQK3nSIvXTcuQwQuyUvyaBjQoP8B45QvoAsRVgvJmz8e3k/s2466/sungrebe5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1550" data-original-width="2466" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPZdGyKiRJJ7SyAcdrmEIRHUB-yjimBP-VmDtD8mxZkLMHWRXHkvpdw6wPCPxwRChyphenhyphenimxgXsGlVQ64vn_LySTDymAQSE0DgPioe8_Pz0b_-dgBKxOwD24eYOpjnAlqXTaE-SLCdWcV2EcxpqQK3nSIvXTcuQwQuyUvyaBjQoP8B45QvoAsRVgvJmz8e3k/w400-h251/sungrebe5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sungrebe</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8koKlUQcy_hX1rLqYpoR9OSXgaXIMl9bB4MHttGUMM4kbzyu_fPGlbvY0JPkLFw9cz6VoJKmH5tvBF2lt-etkQLWn3tY85-CkSDG0O4OEpIOxG40y58p2ASD1tsZUnhJK4EqPfvwnEQmKRa3uxQSb6DC3HpoZrvfBc5J8kBpSeozjagAAuuvxSV9Z-dk/s5124/toucan%20flight_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3579" data-original-width="5124" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8koKlUQcy_hX1rLqYpoR9OSXgaXIMl9bB4MHttGUMM4kbzyu_fPGlbvY0JPkLFw9cz6VoJKmH5tvBF2lt-etkQLWn3tY85-CkSDG0O4OEpIOxG40y58p2ASD1tsZUnhJK4EqPfvwnEQmKRa3uxQSb6DC3HpoZrvfBc5J8kBpSeozjagAAuuvxSV9Z-dk/w400-h280/toucan%20flight_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlBMe-ShMT8SvnMMS2OxKMzQswMdmWg_oQc5YsNeEWX1h4LN6Z5X40j-f-WUJfBJ_F40sO9E3FjjJZta94VJM3Ybr21DsCxOroQKbkdVkYmQ28LM7o5cPZPaV3PBwvS0CpwOZKM_aAur5lOKPmPJRdIgLR11lMMVNUf4vkj74yKlL1HPUxS-2yM_3FCeI/s1390/white%20throated%20toucan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1236" data-original-width="1390" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlBMe-ShMT8SvnMMS2OxKMzQswMdmWg_oQc5YsNeEWX1h4LN6Z5X40j-f-WUJfBJ_F40sO9E3FjjJZta94VJM3Ybr21DsCxOroQKbkdVkYmQ28LM7o5cPZPaV3PBwvS0CpwOZKM_aAur5lOKPmPJRdIgLR11lMMVNUf4vkj74yKlL1HPUxS-2yM_3FCeI/w400-h356/white%20throated%20toucan.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>white throated toucan, heard many seen a few, all were badly photographed, my fourth species of toucan the other in the area channel billed I have seen in Trinidad</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU2fPEmpaLaKavQDtxz7LlMDF4i0iCSEcjUqrMfxD5-sugWBGngqDYah979vBFCp5LinNO1Bh-PRG1RhMVX73gSsLOrCsxIngSL4LozecfbkMosDJ0veOsNr1-4GMuFIWRJHoS7GRvVRU2Ax1FT90WweZ5CL8WQAnluF5gPGUA7MBUpih4o8kKbnAXWnM/s3222/tui%20parakeet_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2326" data-original-width="3222" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU2fPEmpaLaKavQDtxz7LlMDF4i0iCSEcjUqrMfxD5-sugWBGngqDYah979vBFCp5LinNO1Bh-PRG1RhMVX73gSsLOrCsxIngSL4LozecfbkMosDJ0veOsNr1-4GMuFIWRJHoS7GRvVRU2Ax1FT90WweZ5CL8WQAnluF5gPGUA7MBUpih4o8kKbnAXWnM/w400-h289/tui%20parakeet_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">tui parakeet</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">If nothing else, I kept seeing birds and logging lifers </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">At the end of the day of freedom, Silja was made a princess, princess of the Amazon, queen of the after dinner drinking, or empress of the evening, I don't know but she looked good</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">but then that night she also got chiggers.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2HwV4ZnL1pjwHKGXFd71rAzQe7kp_GQ9khuTvnJXsuwbDY25ADfxXVjsTxkxWjDbEWybqVn9kDLRQczrhwOcKdN2ai6gh3Ggk4VsFbuLof2JJ5nnxix72nhCPvfvxnYhOW2TiphO5Ss8Swik6e9dreUtCIz4Fh5XgKK0yJRyHytZ3PLl_jUuAde_TyN8/s4032/silja%20queen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2HwV4ZnL1pjwHKGXFd71rAzQe7kp_GQ9khuTvnJXsuwbDY25ADfxXVjsTxkxWjDbEWybqVn9kDLRQczrhwOcKdN2ai6gh3Ggk4VsFbuLof2JJ5nnxix72nhCPvfvxnYhOW2TiphO5Ss8Swik6e9dreUtCIz4Fh5XgKK0yJRyHytZ3PLl_jUuAde_TyN8/w400-h300/silja%20queen.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">The trip, continued and where we go or what we would see, no one except maybe Wolf had an idea, what else could happen? Hopefully the birding gods and the vacation gods would give us a pass and let the bad luck go on to someone else, but when Olaf gets the weird going, it just keeps going.....</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Hey at least we got off the rock!</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Cheer </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Olaf</span></div>Olaf Danielsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18427270873795437960noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-19256895313492710472023-10-28T13:49:00.009-05:002023-10-29T13:01:20.230-05:00Aground on the Rio Negro<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfbUHCUBImLT8xt2Q3zij7vLTUbieoRdIzXbUWPPVy_L19g3_ernomkSaKFh_bVLGP9xnNUKIWsXrz-90Z5PfryzicdHgls5n9zWDb9Tfh6fDjBNQFvetxI_Gpz1DdkU1g6eOm-tmpGAeTuyfTAL79ONSStYDhUq10RNhAQs_OiEB1w1eVH-axq5eOj00/s2596/green%20backed%20trogon3.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="2234" data-original-width="2596" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfbUHCUBImLT8xt2Q3zij7vLTUbieoRdIzXbUWPPVy_L19g3_ernomkSaKFh_bVLGP9xnNUKIWsXrz-90Z5PfryzicdHgls5n9zWDb9Tfh6fDjBNQFvetxI_Gpz1DdkU1g6eOm-tmpGAeTuyfTAL79ONSStYDhUq10RNhAQs_OiEB1w1eVH-axq5eOj00/w400-h344/green%20backed%20trogon3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">It was the best of times, and then it was the worst of times. The title of this blog reads like a Hitchcockian novel, <i>Aground on the Rio Negro </i>and it was, sort of, save for the mysterious deaths or lack of them.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Day 3 started off lucky as Silja spotted a Burrowing owl on "her" beach in front of where the boat was parked for the night. I don't know how many of these guys are around nor extent of range in the Amazon basin but I thought this was a good bird.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgbswUSmfMpF1mP5uwTBY6rw7HgprlEBeRjsXiWDZT8p-tWUekrhBubXNNQI1DMSTwkv2TmTE6TVzq3oUB-uveU5de0e4tVvlqHHJ8HgitKszU0xIOlTJlhOKy0DCUo-SOb0E6-2FwGSkng2NRJHa8P5e1ASfmGImdpk_Fjaa5IEFk3bhB7IwMdHGjofY/s1622/burrowing%20owl.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1190" data-original-width="1622" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgbswUSmfMpF1mP5uwTBY6rw7HgprlEBeRjsXiWDZT8p-tWUekrhBubXNNQI1DMSTwkv2TmTE6TVzq3oUB-uveU5de0e4tVvlqHHJ8HgitKszU0xIOlTJlhOKy0DCUo-SOb0E6-2FwGSkng2NRJHa8P5e1ASfmGImdpk_Fjaa5IEFk3bhB7IwMdHGjofY/w400-h294/burrowing%20owl.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXptc7plyEw5bLIAguybP4G1_hw4TPSK1S8T3siiOstpR28CZB3GXtszFFnGh5LGDijSiX4qPaZjZOcRtRJkBhKQdGOKYuu1JpdMuWzySqsj17HP0YbGuxLsCTmuosZ3raRd6K9y0n-EgAbJw0acI4Q6i35Id05z4EfNlgQNYGTJlOeE0GS19ewHKVGF4/s8288/sarah%20sign.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5520" data-original-width="8288" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXptc7plyEw5bLIAguybP4G1_hw4TPSK1S8T3siiOstpR28CZB3GXtszFFnGh5LGDijSiX4qPaZjZOcRtRJkBhKQdGOKYuu1JpdMuWzySqsj17HP0YbGuxLsCTmuosZ3raRd6K9y0n-EgAbJw0acI4Q6i35Id05z4EfNlgQNYGTJlOeE0GS19ewHKVGF4/w400-h266/sarah%20sign.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A Burrowing owl on the "beach of Sarah," or as we (I) initially thought it was encouragement to "pray for Sarah" Portuguese is tricky! I pray for Silja every day</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />We went to a native village and saw the Dessana people. We bought a few trinkets </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> I realized how nice the people were on this boat as we got to know each other. Everyone had a story and interesting ones too. I tried to stay as low-key as I could even though it is hard. That evening </span><span>we went out on a magical boat ride for birding.</span></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibeRT5HPl1d_FADj5SUaiwNRrt5U32H_jDNDTTTsyTR9T-6dfbk_49zgp_P7gw8q8k3mmTslK1b6Alli_zk3CDpA7h3DwAUouNjyeOSQfOlBZT7jVGiDObJeuP47Pj4z1T1afchg4F2_Jw-wix6Sw_f98Ek76_ibGp23abVc0S8HH1MKxKDRfmOGiwmpM/s4428/agami%20heron.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3138" data-original-width="4428" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibeRT5HPl1d_FADj5SUaiwNRrt5U32H_jDNDTTTsyTR9T-6dfbk_49zgp_P7gw8q8k3mmTslK1b6Alli_zk3CDpA7h3DwAUouNjyeOSQfOlBZT7jVGiDObJeuP47Pj4z1T1afchg4F2_Jw-wix6Sw_f98Ek76_ibGp23abVc0S8HH1MKxKDRfmOGiwmpM/w400-h284/agami%20heron.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Scarce and an incredible colored male Agami heron, the "hummingbird heron" as named locally</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvkPwcssm-uiaPSZk_XMjkoim7RB2Nj5BmYZMWjVlXPYawOL636qi9EFWFL_I9yrCBZye6ggGxELR2NvEuZTKjsVeserixD139sEVB5fUTPWEkZqbVKTuZPhGmUlQ1fc7gmcfyHppKqHEL7u6I_tktqu2se3jzDl32GTsDoFKo1uAgbc6onAuBDFX0G8M/s2155/cocoi%20heron.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1839" data-original-width="2155" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvkPwcssm-uiaPSZk_XMjkoim7RB2Nj5BmYZMWjVlXPYawOL636qi9EFWFL_I9yrCBZye6ggGxELR2NvEuZTKjsVeserixD139sEVB5fUTPWEkZqbVKTuZPhGmUlQ1fc7gmcfyHppKqHEL7u6I_tktqu2se3jzDl32GTsDoFKo1uAgbc6onAuBDFX0G8M/w400-h341/cocoi%20heron.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cocoi herron</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0eQZZlUCOLTALbixLdpBc6Kzd6MKE4Z1ImXTtFBZtwZNa8FeRy9xWAUERbus63OohZRUqalWBS2Nj76tW7BnfoID4zF721Yo04_XVg3CI_X1PivSH_Yvx04M44lMMnF_Pu8lKTE151ClIX1LAXRnQsnMc56CsFD64B4x1QbM2pexFVj9PTaNmSnKeI3g/s3825/festive%20parrot%20better.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2674" data-original-width="3825" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0eQZZlUCOLTALbixLdpBc6Kzd6MKE4Z1ImXTtFBZtwZNa8FeRy9xWAUERbus63OohZRUqalWBS2Nj76tW7BnfoID4zF721Yo04_XVg3CI_X1PivSH_Yvx04M44lMMnF_Pu8lKTE151ClIX1LAXRnQsnMc56CsFD64B4x1QbM2pexFVj9PTaNmSnKeI3g/w400-h280/festive%20parrot%20better.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Festive parrots</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVafClarGETKGquhiaJqdmF7zMIcz3xlTG_Rxhn5m_vl1bXQnbdSxxsb0UMvT83MZej5IoEwJihmT3cmMRk5ri6u7yPWKP1palkFT_iFr8IO0HpMtqkeYQPyvFx4qy7yhMOHhnu5M7KGkNocC0G3a3N6nNlOS1lJaoF07r23chfvpuJs1O-QtoXuqwkc0/s1970/fulvous%20shrike%20tanagers.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1468" data-original-width="1970" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVafClarGETKGquhiaJqdmF7zMIcz3xlTG_Rxhn5m_vl1bXQnbdSxxsb0UMvT83MZej5IoEwJihmT3cmMRk5ri6u7yPWKP1palkFT_iFr8IO0HpMtqkeYQPyvFx4qy7yhMOHhnu5M7KGkNocC0G3a3N6nNlOS1lJaoF07r23chfvpuJs1O-QtoXuqwkc0/w400-h297/fulvous%20shrike%20tanagers.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Fulvous shrike tanager</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQT27ZcoLkKYoMNiE9dVLs6Fb66otFIErcwgcOTSXurqCSArWOXhZI3w0WEWHXgzejR2OebjvlXJfxbEKpzXiSZEdbR-j_D2oYdc1z_OUGvEMjx-8hkeDD82GCKHWkUzuhx1EoctT9SI2Qg9fru07x8sVS1FsR7IcQKQNkZhxR3-7mmyMvkOE_0Qbzrs/s3872/hoatzin.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3277" data-original-width="3872" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQT27ZcoLkKYoMNiE9dVLs6Fb66otFIErcwgcOTSXurqCSArWOXhZI3w0WEWHXgzejR2OebjvlXJfxbEKpzXiSZEdbR-j_D2oYdc1z_OUGvEMjx-8hkeDD82GCKHWkUzuhx1EoctT9SI2Qg9fru07x8sVS1FsR7IcQKQNkZhxR3-7mmyMvkOE_0Qbzrs/w400-h339/hoatzin.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Hoatzin, an odd bird with two stomachs</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh14HRDgA3vhwwfA6i32yAJtQ5qvFxvYgPTNTBGnU5Ub_WIoXBBXfmdCbq5VgP2f7sZGFJCIBGHturdF_XCEQtHSuWVITInB8gzywk8je4SsoPL-Rm9yi0yvmw_30ECYsrCzQNO1Lnl84OgQ3ndVgE0e75fSIpbLrE1X2IvyB68_9WyQXWoBoJHsuNul0U/s2109/orange%20fronted%20yellow%20finch_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1654" data-original-width="2109" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh14HRDgA3vhwwfA6i32yAJtQ5qvFxvYgPTNTBGnU5Ub_WIoXBBXfmdCbq5VgP2f7sZGFJCIBGHturdF_XCEQtHSuWVITInB8gzywk8je4SsoPL-Rm9yi0yvmw_30ECYsrCzQNO1Lnl84OgQ3ndVgE0e75fSIpbLrE1X2IvyB68_9WyQXWoBoJHsuNul0U/w400-h314/orange%20fronted%20yellow%20finch_1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Orange crowned yellow finch</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06UUt_64GYl-5IlX7Z23ibxOPBlv-Bnalnk96IEE7b278tSmG9pj2MpsTCoqt6Cp7eDbqGpUWQu79ceg-bjwyTwW8CHKrJLxznT8oVCtW4jdxJFuid4V6cO7bR7F_LxVqVbkX3Mm0cesGIwIM2V9IiSNFJzEpB0SDQRoUUcjMYLcsa3LBHMq1T5icrjk/s4359/refouscient%20tiger%20heron.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3301" data-original-width="4359" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06UUt_64GYl-5IlX7Z23ibxOPBlv-Bnalnk96IEE7b278tSmG9pj2MpsTCoqt6Cp7eDbqGpUWQu79ceg-bjwyTwW8CHKrJLxznT8oVCtW4jdxJFuid4V6cO7bR7F_LxVqVbkX3Mm0cesGIwIM2V9IiSNFJzEpB0SDQRoUUcjMYLcsa3LBHMq1T5icrjk/w400-h303/refouscient%20tiger%20heron.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Rufescent tiger heron, not a lifer but still a cool bird</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Things were going well, I even got two nightjars driving home which was a long trip as the channel we were on was blacked and the boat had moved.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">The next morning brought more luck, early morning with my spotting scope on the front deck of the <i>Premium</i> ship we drove past two huge birds that came out of the woods feeding, the crestless curassow, what luck! A drive-by miracle.....lifer birds were falling into place!</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu8GJlqu87GKvj7jt4p0GReY-6XXZRZPnfOZBo3Uu3GVQs8Uie9h_Dx_GOl-iSrPxhTrBFBbFh9o69YQL1SMvDXl3oc5Ifjq1MkOCMd1ydcauSFgyjykOYt1AHYSrp9PS_FgYWc3H4ONyfWZFuB1XLEi4ChrvAP5JSZVAji6JzGWrJzASMjeKJ83761xM/s928/crestless%20currasow_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="928" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu8GJlqu87GKvj7jt4p0GReY-6XXZRZPnfOZBo3Uu3GVQs8Uie9h_Dx_GOl-iSrPxhTrBFBbFh9o69YQL1SMvDXl3oc5Ifjq1MkOCMd1ydcauSFgyjykOYt1AHYSrp9PS_FgYWc3H4ONyfWZFuB1XLEi4ChrvAP5JSZVAji6JzGWrJzASMjeKJ83761xM/w400-h270/crestless%20currasow_1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">We went for a forest walk that morning, and mostly saw trees, but there was this trogon, in the distance, then up close but maybe 20 yards behind but the guides did not want to turn around the pack train, and I bit my tongue, remembering my pledge to keep my mouth shut but the trogon did not, it moved with us and then nearing the end of the planed walk was to our right and then forest guide Aldinei said "for those of you birders lets go find the trogon." I was right behind him.</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">It was high in tree but it is pictured as the lead photo to this blog. A lifer, but a lifer what, there are lots of trogons here. The bird pictured is a female and then back at the boat a friendly disagreement between the three birders ensued. White-tailed vs. Green backed trogon, it was obviously a green backed to me, it turned out we both meant <i>T. viridis</i> which had been split and used to be the White-tailed trogon but the <i>T viridis</i> subspecies had been split off to be the "Green backed trogon." It was worth a chuckle at using old books and old names. Birding is hard enough when just knowing it is a trogon is not good enough.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">We were sitting up in the air-conditioned lounge on the second deck, and I was fixing the first picture here when all of a sudden, the boat violently stopped, and you could here the sound of steel on rock. Glass at the bar could be heard breaking. There was suddenly a feeling that the front of the boat was higher than the back of the boat. I looked over the rail and saw crew doing the same. It was clear, we had run aground in the middle of the river. Yikes!</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Our intrepid leader did not look fazed by the ordeal he had his normal midday "Medicine" his Caipirinha, a drink of the local cachaca with lots of lime, sugar and ice. Here is Wolf with Eddy the barman.</span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7tP-36vD0hRs78_U6BbZZlxLVegml-JcUhdMGmfFPdDuRfebr1eTLUQEU4J30wux1cBJTqJLKF_jaHR20qQorofZXFgHaZ-aGLQIXVXUVZBx7VSOtqa6t22LHX68vhnFFKrzByb4QbK2ECTa7e2wGezgoT68wARfeWBc2ozP76xnJVSIMYPbrOulYc4/s5408/wolf%20and%20eddy.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="5408" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7tP-36vD0hRs78_U6BbZZlxLVegml-JcUhdMGmfFPdDuRfebr1eTLUQEU4J30wux1cBJTqJLKF_jaHR20qQorofZXFgHaZ-aGLQIXVXUVZBx7VSOtqa6t22LHX68vhnFFKrzByb4QbK2ECTa7e2wGezgoT68wARfeWBc2ozP76xnJVSIMYPbrOulYc4/w400-h266/wolf%20and%20eddy.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">You can see the reef by the waves dropping over it, the ripple tells of a ledge</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiPXi5-bpE5afVmlnrq261bz2EzUTTtIhLLVsRx3ipZzkkzLyErsB73lGJ1i0xMdT-S_Jao2kYvo-OLCEKJmaj2JkahAYsIxSziGJqbs1XIoH1UgOoBIf_JhEDWdE8niFv-nHlc7k_yrXVn-2vVoIfio-oTHpQP6RTx3sP4ldeUxlkdOpMWeD6M2xJGZY/s5440/aground3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiPXi5-bpE5afVmlnrq261bz2EzUTTtIhLLVsRx3ipZzkkzLyErsB73lGJ1i0xMdT-S_Jao2kYvo-OLCEKJmaj2JkahAYsIxSziGJqbs1XIoH1UgOoBIf_JhEDWdE8niFv-nHlc7k_yrXVn-2vVoIfio-oTHpQP6RTx3sP4ldeUxlkdOpMWeD6M2xJGZY/w400-h266/aground3.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">So plan A was to use the diesel engines to blast us back, and off the rock. So the engine roared to life and the boat shuttered and shook but it did not budge.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Then we added the two shore boats to the mix and they tried to loosen it sideways</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG0nZFpNfTipoz7vaZjFyUpUXmUyddS3R4IncSSv8UflLHGJH7X-2lOaLiKLOC8W3YO6GGmWw5X2Jne3abQlUVdJAj0RmzDbO3HmGbz3ZtCq24z-Xrk-tTXbxzneaIFQjYYSew7yY6ToCIAB2I3JrQ0QIg5YPqdtibLsAz3GQRAns1a0iLn5N_cNn8Iz4/s5440/aground2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG0nZFpNfTipoz7vaZjFyUpUXmUyddS3R4IncSSv8UflLHGJH7X-2lOaLiKLOC8W3YO6GGmWw5X2Jne3abQlUVdJAj0RmzDbO3HmGbz3ZtCq24z-Xrk-tTXbxzneaIFQjYYSew7yY6ToCIAB2I3JrQ0QIg5YPqdtibLsAz3GQRAns1a0iLn5N_cNn8Iz4/w400-h266/aground2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> That did not work either. We had lunch while it rained and then the ship tried it again, to no avail, and then they got out the "Brazilian Sonar" a man in a boat with a stick</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggI9zvh_tt2k12YEvopMQTctihP1Yz3XiyfogxHzMUI8_H5oYxh7odCkNNrEOZ0KDkEa6t1KvrE8ttBo14-X9R7_eCEKyNVDMkOeLaT0HLmqEXUeJKTkg4YQbw8YJ26E6vkTQp5NjDzcSk4jnrVmn4rxgYfVBjeFkbCJExlWkR2mmOTcG196MaU4Dfd_8/s5440/aground7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggI9zvh_tt2k12YEvopMQTctihP1Yz3XiyfogxHzMUI8_H5oYxh7odCkNNrEOZ0KDkEa6t1KvrE8ttBo14-X9R7_eCEKyNVDMkOeLaT0HLmqEXUeJKTkg4YQbw8YJ26E6vkTQp5NjDzcSk4jnrVmn4rxgYfVBjeFkbCJExlWkR2mmOTcG196MaU4Dfd_8/w400-h266/aground7.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />A passing ship the <i>Tucano </i>came to our rescue</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vUT2K37s2Y-dTY_9SBbJtdMdaoGkTXtigmwZJNWXCSDuFXHhdc5Era8f8EmiH2_0gS2TAwIyLS4cu7n3GSQrKt-IpeIMfBQMTVfcsyShAmL9IDkNt6cGgDfUjCuv1rOK-eg1Em3si_Zh34LxQ2VR3KlSrJziy08UWb_7UIo__3LoPSiwn6z1nMfODgc/s5440/aground%204.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vUT2K37s2Y-dTY_9SBbJtdMdaoGkTXtigmwZJNWXCSDuFXHhdc5Era8f8EmiH2_0gS2TAwIyLS4cu7n3GSQrKt-IpeIMfBQMTVfcsyShAmL9IDkNt6cGgDfUjCuv1rOK-eg1Em3si_Zh34LxQ2VR3KlSrJziy08UWb_7UIo__3LoPSiwn6z1nMfODgc/w400-h266/aground%204.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">We sent over a boat to get their experts onboard to assess the situation. They apparently had a better and more sophisticated sonar system and used it around the boat. This upgrade "Brazilian sonar" (Lidar?) had an extra blue stick attached to the end and extended the range apparently. Sometimes they even used two sticks. "Double mounted sonar?"</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9f-5zAc-hoCViGYOfQEvXDqOFD_H9GhR_p6UXe1Y38ATw_hDdYhXMIWKweB4c0zapTKsoSWoAFlWvOlh9URWIVlVHs1iNaxKepXwRSIZLO7liYykyHzNfaT6h5j1dFMqrfFWXYRXRXi5NhQGESqJA1fAhVQ50gN-lz8aWWjdZ8ZCM0u0KMaqNSOVWx78/s5440/aground6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9f-5zAc-hoCViGYOfQEvXDqOFD_H9GhR_p6UXe1Y38ATw_hDdYhXMIWKweB4c0zapTKsoSWoAFlWvOlh9URWIVlVHs1iNaxKepXwRSIZLO7liYykyHzNfaT6h5j1dFMqrfFWXYRXRXi5NhQGESqJA1fAhVQ50gN-lz8aWWjdZ8ZCM0u0KMaqNSOVWx78/w400-h266/aground6.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">They moved in the <i>Tucano </i>for an apparent big combined pull and attached a rope, tying it to something in front.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4YSfBNwDHkC2Gluh_Q1XolaWifeKyOdXKf5cWdcb8vdHvBsFisR7yRpXEhhmWBo-6synnnAgUClldaptTe3KuOj7AJCLbgB83wKk6GC_2ZCJa6m585PBNba7-1dIALdPBdGygnpgUl6OuQ_H5I47dlOcI4MzK3RMuLsZmb5uzG_rG0ZNYENi6U7Y_ik/s5440/aground9.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4YSfBNwDHkC2Gluh_Q1XolaWifeKyOdXKf5cWdcb8vdHvBsFisR7yRpXEhhmWBo-6synnnAgUClldaptTe3KuOj7AJCLbgB83wKk6GC_2ZCJa6m585PBNba7-1dIALdPBdGygnpgUl6OuQ_H5I47dlOcI4MzK3RMuLsZmb5uzG_rG0ZNYENi6U7Y_ik/w400-h266/aground9.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>As an objective reporter, the rope looked a bit substandard. They tied it on and then.....untied it. Men looked over the two boats and then....</span><span>Our captain in a small boat took a picture and....the </span><i>Tucano </i><span>turned and left us to our fate without even trying. We were stuck...</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrRo6RRGenIg7wWzSMF1ZJhrU0uEgW64k-SlzZbZvMeX8F-6utICovCC1HUqbgNxe4dFQ9Pz1k4wgP365JtJ5BVtPtwyJ-V114w2Nt2VTx-Y1-y7_RAY3DhHA04-yRT3eha7bUfXW10G6Q94bYUhumdjWD2UlXR0eWY2L90YTn7FJQO7FhykKOtp2MHE4/s5440/aground8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrRo6RRGenIg7wWzSMF1ZJhrU0uEgW64k-SlzZbZvMeX8F-6utICovCC1HUqbgNxe4dFQ9Pz1k4wgP365JtJ5BVtPtwyJ-V114w2Nt2VTx-Y1-y7_RAY3DhHA04-yRT3eha7bUfXW10G6Q94bYUhumdjWD2UlXR0eWY2L90YTn7FJQO7FhykKOtp2MHE4/w400-h266/aground8.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">There we sat perched on a rock like a cormorant. Plan C was not a plan at all, pink dolphins circled the boat and looked to attempt to get us off but they just moved on, too. A rumor circulated later that evening that we would be rescued by a "fast boat" from Manaus and taken to a hotel in some small village on the river...Plan D apparently but who was counting, the program would need to be adjusted, but again, I could say nothing. I was just along for the ride, and what happened, happened.....We went for a night boat ride and I looked for birds, there was nothing else left to do except watch the barges of sand pass us.</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho01SPxIzvEm1CqOYHQI06HLrngbQcIN6xnXFZZoYpc2MbGd4RW2ZdtIQrO-gbrkfKwKFj2zvajzmrEBUy1xsXhis-8aCoOvtWTva7EipkHvbjH5pP-qIPanr3dEt-HQcQf6NDgnYNA1_s5Ixw9LdUuZAWX8DPryCU95_4PGO6p86UKTK0Vxnud1Wut3M/s8256/boat%20billed%20heron.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5504" data-original-width="8256" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho01SPxIzvEm1CqOYHQI06HLrngbQcIN6xnXFZZoYpc2MbGd4RW2ZdtIQrO-gbrkfKwKFj2zvajzmrEBUy1xsXhis-8aCoOvtWTva7EipkHvbjH5pP-qIPanr3dEt-HQcQf6NDgnYNA1_s5Ixw9LdUuZAWX8DPryCU95_4PGO6p86UKTK0Vxnud1Wut3M/w400-h266/boat%20billed%20heron.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">We saw a few boat-billed herons and a few caiman. It was nothing stunning. Just our boat sitting stuck</span><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3mwkasVRtmndUhg41gw7xEVQS57Xycux-VKYpgwAZXgSGpGnvx6yRfgjkC_CH6PczSfziaTSpPQxrenGppipxumqpCMzqE8_zUf46VurYB-x1JeUdVL-_4v0skAstCiG6WR4Ax8mfeiAv1sLWUgSiEf5IcvxYjfw9IB6r_r1WG6oTIqZ4oCLFJor5zg/s5440/amazon%20clipper.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3mwkasVRtmndUhg41gw7xEVQS57Xycux-VKYpgwAZXgSGpGnvx6yRfgjkC_CH6PczSfziaTSpPQxrenGppipxumqpCMzqE8_zUf46VurYB-x1JeUdVL-_4v0skAstCiG6WR4Ax8mfeiAv1sLWUgSiEf5IcvxYjfw9IB6r_r1WG6oTIqZ4oCLFJor5zg/w400-h266/amazon%20clipper.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;">The Premium boat still sitting aground that first uneasy night.....</div></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Aground on the Rio Negro....nineteen passengers, 2 guides, and 10 crew. Around midnight I hoped this would be our rescue boat but alas...no. We were not that lucky, it just sped past.<br /></span><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_BTuXKK0bbYbbmzry6gJEAICfdvF-MnYGjZLiDHo2IBS4wPAxnZwOzKe_heAwUgsVUoiDwLWoJUCxcGaLcpSUNP_hpbLsiNSqHpx5vfgC5oAgZaO0zn5a0vrd99p6jtrmVfBbZUTBcV1pV8Vuk3T75lRqRmS37pyOlYsMnIDwbXZn8Bri0GDH8zBlqW4/s8288/ship2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5520" data-original-width="8288" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_BTuXKK0bbYbbmzry6gJEAICfdvF-MnYGjZLiDHo2IBS4wPAxnZwOzKe_heAwUgsVUoiDwLWoJUCxcGaLcpSUNP_hpbLsiNSqHpx5vfgC5oAgZaO0zn5a0vrd99p6jtrmVfBbZUTBcV1pV8Vuk3T75lRqRmS37pyOlYsMnIDwbXZn8Bri0GDH8zBlqW4/w400-h266/ship2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Stayed tuned, does Olaf and Silja get recued?</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Cheers.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Olaf<br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><br /></p></div></div></div></div>Olaf Danielsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18427270873795437960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-48329163168643259902023-10-27T15:48:00.004-05:002023-10-29T13:00:39.230-05:00Exploring the Amazon...or so we thought<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisatU4XgwEB_eLFGmdpjiNfA4fhMHx6DjWHagrmijOxJ46-ngMfwntd66udbG3QtfI5IBk_gxjhFgYYf0v7JENo08dJ8s28157UwpZXYOjSLyoo8H7ekfdJRUf20J6hRnRwitG_I0MgMjY6qPOigOQFwkqx0XXfe_AQTVjBspbQ7L2hV_3c9j0xEk3gVE/s3013/large%20billed%20tern3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2071" data-original-width="3013" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisatU4XgwEB_eLFGmdpjiNfA4fhMHx6DjWHagrmijOxJ46-ngMfwntd66udbG3QtfI5IBk_gxjhFgYYf0v7JENo08dJ8s28157UwpZXYOjSLyoo8H7ekfdJRUf20J6hRnRwitG_I0MgMjY6qPOigOQFwkqx0XXfe_AQTVjBspbQ7L2hV_3c9j0xEk3gVE/w400-h275/large%20billed%20tern3.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Large billed tern I dipped on at Naples Florida a month back, a world lifer here</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Part 2 of 5: I apologize for my "hanging post" as I have been lost in the jungle so to speak. So after some obligate cultural activities in Manaus Brazil we boarded the "Premium" ship of the Amazon Clipper, a flat-bottomed ship design quite common of the Amazon River system, most of these ships look like they were built in the 1950s but this one 2007. It was a comfortable room with 16 small cabins and only two with decks. There was a ten person crew, and two guides to show the Amazon to us. We were led by Wolfhard Wink, a plucky German ex-patriot who came to the Amazon looking for a new start in life sixteen years previous and except for two years of unemployment due to COVID forcing him to sell his house to keep his kids in a good school he had been prosperous as a local tour guide.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">His German English accent was almost imitatable after a while. He was knowledgeable and his local partner Aldinei was also pretty good and a better birder, so we tried to hang with him more on little boat excursions.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We took off after seeing the Governors Palace. Manaus sits a few miles upstream from the mouth of Rio Negro where it meets the Amazon, The Rio Negro a big river itself, which unlike the Amazon had clearer but tannin stained water. A few miles downriver we would head to the Amazon and take a right and do some serious exploring.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtannXL9S1fJo4x0QIHExzjkmTwjukjAeSl75t-L5yBtcgFPITsmtL8Ql0G43NGvqLHJV_j0uWdx65Q7GDBTdcJS_zGj_RCFgxlDDhECBEhB17Nxq83-P-BGiN_b9A7E6X-GKYlztxlaqNNpXsKvSvPqpyJFPbz4UsB4FJ76MgTPglUfAcpj_nKmOc8mM/s5440/premium%203.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtannXL9S1fJo4x0QIHExzjkmTwjukjAeSl75t-L5yBtcgFPITsmtL8Ql0G43NGvqLHJV_j0uWdx65Q7GDBTdcJS_zGj_RCFgxlDDhECBEhB17Nxq83-P-BGiN_b9A7E6X-GKYlztxlaqNNpXsKvSvPqpyJFPbz4UsB4FJ76MgTPglUfAcpj_nKmOc8mM/w400-h266/premium%203.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">First look at the Premium ship, the Rio Negro Bridge in the back, note how low the water is. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip56ND39y-WqYSDqSx1pG3UJ7i62hPMHTKydrRosHrkcBAAQamkFpiiTVxjR48k05f1xZmZZlTfR-XEDa6caOHKJF7TBcM9xaC39zUXDAM3PVXTG7RWrLoK5bs3lNgKW8GCMjYxBM_4Ee2xbGRxUT5x05qhZ-Kn0-Kt0TpLzTNPeS2cMupY4wZvPdb4OI/s5440/premium1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip56ND39y-WqYSDqSx1pG3UJ7i62hPMHTKydrRosHrkcBAAQamkFpiiTVxjR48k05f1xZmZZlTfR-XEDa6caOHKJF7TBcM9xaC39zUXDAM3PVXTG7RWrLoK5bs3lNgKW8GCMjYxBM_4Ee2xbGRxUT5x05qhZ-Kn0-Kt0TpLzTNPeS2cMupY4wZvPdb4OI/w400-h266/premium1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The advertised hot tub, which was not hot, and filled with brown Rio Negro water. No one gave it a try in the entire week, would you?</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">My first idea that something was up when Wolf pointed out the Rio Negro Bridge and stated we would be going under it twice but then we went the other way. It should also be known that the Amazon and Rio Negro are at their seasonal lows and this year the lowest in a century. The Rio Negro for one fluctuates a good 60-100 feet in depth, an amount that is somewhat unfathomable. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Truth should also be known that although the program had been sent out twice, I never read it, as I said earlier this was a trip I was going on and was keeping my mouth shut on it as I was going to make due with whatever came our way.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We reached the confluence with the great river in no time at all and we followed the dividing line for a while where the black and acidic Rio Negro does not mix well with the faster, lighter, and more basic Amazon. We saw gray dolphins and looked west at the great expanse that was the upper Amazon and then....turned around and headed back towards Manaus.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikxedYlZ8L8VMmX-T683o1COPTfl0YeZSW0qmkoLp2cnX6g_WbgUDTq1JoT57kB-DiOusnTs4YpgkSjvcIRgPvgV5qlpxNxLPWMTv0qV56EBpvfkKOyupP8McsWiG8go9Fpe_Y9QkfrCDApSFb80r2iefeLknOUHNZ3FTy6JeNkRRASXcAwNcBpsCu6KY/s5408/convergence%20amazon.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="5408" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikxedYlZ8L8VMmX-T683o1COPTfl0YeZSW0qmkoLp2cnX6g_WbgUDTq1JoT57kB-DiOusnTs4YpgkSjvcIRgPvgV5qlpxNxLPWMTv0qV56EBpvfkKOyupP8McsWiG8go9Fpe_Y9QkfrCDApSFb80r2iefeLknOUHNZ3FTy6JeNkRRASXcAwNcBpsCu6KY/w400-h266/convergence%20amazon.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Amazon right, Rio Negro Left</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So that was the Amazon for us, 1000 miles from the Atlantic and just a quick turn in the edge for ten minutes. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We parked for the evening and went Parana fishing. I caught a very small one which made me a rare lucky guy for the boat. We used no pole-it was basically a hand jig with a piece of meat dangled from a set line, they bit well but were hard to hook. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The next morning, we went for a walk in the trees to see where giant water lilies lived until the dry season came, BUT we saw a bird, a straight billed woodcreeper, another lifer, so it was not all bad. The walk was slow and snaky with 21 people and hard to see much, but we did what we could</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Then we went off to a River village, then a native settlement where they danced for us, we met the chief, they lived in thatch</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyshyDjzgLNu8KVKPbHc9IaYyM9Q4obCWJ8XWBhQRJhh3Eiok396ia0eKlwii1bwyxvHtEFyWo8TWMUnJfUiVGthvnpSE-06iVNh-bEfoPjmkEUZ03s79pQI36EjHZdsbHFpXj5FRdhcjlvU3GktoimjU1g67YeNhaJ0XDo0KOevDxSV8LgO7Ox2q5sZs/s8256/straight%20billed%20woodcreeper.jpg"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5504" data-original-width="8256" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyshyDjzgLNu8KVKPbHc9IaYyM9Q4obCWJ8XWBhQRJhh3Eiok396ia0eKlwii1bwyxvHtEFyWo8TWMUnJfUiVGthvnpSE-06iVNh-bEfoPjmkEUZ03s79pQI36EjHZdsbHFpXj5FRdhcjlvU3GktoimjU1g67YeNhaJ0XDo0KOevDxSV8LgO7Ox2q5sZs/w400-h266/straight%20billed%20woodcreeper.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Straight billed woodcreeper</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_EnTSWgVZO8G0XPbMkRK23FwfCHPjeR8QXYOTEOtd7D7Zd9IDKKRujvyJS8L25TemVUox0-han9KljBM7cyTgadaxuIA63wEl2Tapae1ySvSZHRWq4lhJDrz3KfD9cQYejDMM-SF1D0GzgxxeL6eV2Zch5emZrpTZkpo0dXgSKYLmprohnWq2JIIjYWE/s5440/rio%20negro%20bridge.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_EnTSWgVZO8G0XPbMkRK23FwfCHPjeR8QXYOTEOtd7D7Zd9IDKKRujvyJS8L25TemVUox0-han9KljBM7cyTgadaxuIA63wEl2Tapae1ySvSZHRWq4lhJDrz3KfD9cQYejDMM-SF1D0GzgxxeL6eV2Zch5emZrpTZkpo0dXgSKYLmprohnWq2JIIjYWE/w400-h266/rio%20negro%20bridge.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We tipped our hats for the mighty bridge going under it for the first time.<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidweZETqZK8GdUArRF5th58sh1VEUt8ObT4Eda7YvpvRwtN5Iqhxey3BfBeNotzr4AczOI1XPKUNqeDigBmZW2yny7SefsRqShuO30_nVcS6bFhCeh6DNiUcApW0pm2n1jLd6RTXda9zlg520MRcWTM8Lq_i0z4idoGQXmAzOjNNZwktgBJZkxfoqX4Yk/s5440/dolphin4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidweZETqZK8GdUArRF5th58sh1VEUt8ObT4Eda7YvpvRwtN5Iqhxey3BfBeNotzr4AczOI1XPKUNqeDigBmZW2yny7SefsRqShuO30_nVcS6bFhCeh6DNiUcApW0pm2n1jLd6RTXda9zlg520MRcWTM8Lq_i0z4idoGQXmAzOjNNZwktgBJZkxfoqX4Yk/w400-h266/dolphin4.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Silja and her sister swam with wild pink dolphins and we even saw jack fruit below, such an ugly odd fruit of the tropics<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH6on7obXEHo_6vr0uaIb2iZFkq5wpwfjY_YIqvIVjnxPcgwz5L1qwc_36uSiSmYsore1dlKPQR_1x0_Ee1jsgv3dl02_ii2OJcMGJfNWnb4jO4CQHXlGj-WxmqKBMUSV9Tk3ZPqfFiJ-XKhJRqaiuGAlCECGan0ijtxok-ac3SFmPdEZfuGf3GOWgcTQ/s8288/jack%20fruit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5520" data-original-width="8288" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH6on7obXEHo_6vr0uaIb2iZFkq5wpwfjY_YIqvIVjnxPcgwz5L1qwc_36uSiSmYsore1dlKPQR_1x0_Ee1jsgv3dl02_ii2OJcMGJfNWnb4jO4CQHXlGj-WxmqKBMUSV9Tk3ZPqfFiJ-XKhJRqaiuGAlCECGan0ijtxok-ac3SFmPdEZfuGf3GOWgcTQ/w400-h266/jack%20fruit.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I had seen a few birds, the trip was a pretty good tourist trip, the food fine, the ship okay, and the company of the other nice people excellent BUT day three ended with storm clouds on the horizon, and it was not the weather, something odd was a bout to happen and I just could not figure it out. We went to bed thinking of a morning jungle walk and well, of better birds to come. It was a restless night, and luck was turning.</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">We were not on an Amazon adventure but on a Rio Negro adventure, but what could go wrong?</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">To be continued....</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Olaf<br /></span><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Olaf Danielsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18427270873795437960noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-19953916172384005132023-10-18T21:22:00.003-05:002023-10-19T05:41:33.543-05:00Viva Brazil!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMzo-heI3A_rcI1hEfSVF5qXonpdc1ZRzlPCKfFmAqXoI1frZXo4a8cq7IFQc3yDK5KoqjBdvuPbjUdCWKTXSRbFpJvnW1Dxa8vGzKEnV9_3SIvf6E94rl6OVO0Dy2_MAejLO7aQmrPkF6EBJr_h5u3G0P1kitJ_F7hStipvirlqf18EAjb1zzQ8h1eTs/s8256/sqirrel%20monkey.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5504" data-original-width="8256" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMzo-heI3A_rcI1hEfSVF5qXonpdc1ZRzlPCKfFmAqXoI1frZXo4a8cq7IFQc3yDK5KoqjBdvuPbjUdCWKTXSRbFpJvnW1Dxa8vGzKEnV9_3SIvf6E94rl6OVO0Dy2_MAejLO7aQmrPkF6EBJr_h5u3G0P1kitJ_F7hStipvirlqf18EAjb1zzQ8h1eTs/w400-h266/sqirrel%20monkey.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Where has the summer gone? Better put, where has Olaf and Silja gone? I guess between selling and buying houses, properties, building sheds, stolen cars, wrecked cars, book events, and even new RV Tires, it went away in a sea of busy-ness like every other year.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So we took off with our new tires south a week ago. I had a book event in Wabasha Minnesota and talked about the Wabasha Nelson bridge which was a chapter in my "Expensive crossings" book to about 40 people. It was a good show, a fun crowd, and then came the uneventful drive in the RV to Florida</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1P-3WVPkezJPtrv-ELsZ2aMiAXyevWhP3hfHFMqn9jGx0ErzHnDla5LwtX0FfeNSEeDb6yW8MB41CsJVV2buNTcQGRV7DhtRhcgLLjDcy33HKSPhmE6a4yYd8b-3kYG01cWd3GDTfmfg9j8UYPiNFypSqKhGiVEl6H_OaGLADUpVBsTWqZK-MrsCtp_4/s4032/wabasha%20sign.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1P-3WVPkezJPtrv-ELsZ2aMiAXyevWhP3hfHFMqn9jGx0ErzHnDla5LwtX0FfeNSEeDb6yW8MB41CsJVV2buNTcQGRV7DhtRhcgLLjDcy33HKSPhmE6a4yYd8b-3kYG01cWd3GDTfmfg9j8UYPiNFypSqKhGiVEl6H_OaGLADUpVBsTWqZK-MrsCtp_4/w400-h300/wabasha%20sign.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">is this the treasure chest of the Mississippi?</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The last speaker on a book that was loosely based locally was the author of "Grumpy old Men" he may have out drew mw but I was a close second. We did tour "Slippery's" the restaurant in the movie.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgYfbJu3DHEa03fkFQpTlBMhFlNDa1ptUCM83R4i1ZMBOqJTMt-IsvX6xDALNMOa0NKWpBa9xpqCZGdqgeo_pjoCkiw-gofAru_b-dwDEbkceWtCqcuI5THQuBMhTb9lru_sfTQUgcIVZSfLZ_9lVgY0E1LwUxkJS6pNM6HPBSpqXNiLdo8Vsekd8rsoU/s4032/slipperies.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgYfbJu3DHEa03fkFQpTlBMhFlNDa1ptUCM83R4i1ZMBOqJTMt-IsvX6xDALNMOa0NKWpBa9xpqCZGdqgeo_pjoCkiw-gofAru_b-dwDEbkceWtCqcuI5THQuBMhTb9lru_sfTQUgcIVZSfLZ_9lVgY0E1LwUxkJS6pNM6HPBSpqXNiLdo8Vsekd8rsoU/w300-h400/slipperies.jpg" width="300" /></a><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Yesterday, we drove to Miami and flew through Panama City to Manaus Brazil. This is not really a birding trip. It is a wife hanging out with her sister trip. I was given three options</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1) Go with and keep my mouth shut and entertain myself</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2) Stay home and watch the cats</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3) go somewhere else by myself</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Life is lonely alone so, well, and as I have never really been to Brazil so...I took door #1, and plan on making do.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This is a Road Scholar trip which used to be called "Elder Hostel". and well, the only person younger then me is Silja. I have never felt so young. I am four years younger than even the German born guide, who tries hard but he was misidentifying birds today so if I need to ID anything I see, I have to do it myself. He got some correct but parrots and parakeets....yikes.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There was a really negative and sensationalized article on the rain forest in the NY Times on Sunday and well, it spooked two people who actually cancelled the trip since the Amazon is now "gone." It seems so odd, but it is true. People believe everything and well let me say, the Amazon is still here. yes the water is low, but a year or two and it will be at record heights, the Mississippi was record low last year and again one of these years it will have an epic flood because everything is sensationalized. The guide had to bring 131 years of river data to show us that the two were wrong in not coming, and said, if it was so bad then maybe they should "come faster." As Culture Club states, <i>the shole world is stupid.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The fourth youngest person on this trip is my sister in law at 66, My mother would be middle of the pack on age, i think. But, at least so far I have logged country #59 for my Century Club project, 41 to go. Today I added five lifers too</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpQ-d4itxOPnsP-hx7ES9ucarL-q6SqDuMtlo_CBDWARLVPLBQcrkoPTyYRwvNebgrdkKu1vXi0r5dimwDbJbKQVUiCSgK20p-OfvfvFFzs4bk2OckEEaAXc1DHkBYvZ58AeGcphgLevqr9ARprrZ7EnIgks9H8uRwR-4mdF_KG9EDNcCWTMVPCMtTzuE/s5728/red%20bellied%20macaw3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4414" data-original-width="5728" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpQ-d4itxOPnsP-hx7ES9ucarL-q6SqDuMtlo_CBDWARLVPLBQcrkoPTyYRwvNebgrdkKu1vXi0r5dimwDbJbKQVUiCSgK20p-OfvfvFFzs4bk2OckEEaAXc1DHkBYvZ58AeGcphgLevqr9ARprrZ7EnIgks9H8uRwR-4mdF_KG9EDNcCWTMVPCMtTzuE/w400-h309/red%20bellied%20macaw3.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Two Red bellied macaws, misidentified by my guide as "orange winged parrots"</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFVBFH59kuCMQldffRimAETfF3n7msh328RbaGzeC-H1K0NvTFpSK80G9E71IC-Acc4AyU9HMZ2m3y50CjEuK353bwvMLXCsycUEGG9gnXWXzDYj2DD6ZE1jyv26t6H-zHqHY0VmLZ2tqo7l_pcDeixEorpYthGI-2GEfQvZtehTC4ZrTp1lqdPbAsFw/s2202/striated%20heron_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1654" data-original-width="2202" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFVBFH59kuCMQldffRimAETfF3n7msh328RbaGzeC-H1K0NvTFpSK80G9E71IC-Acc4AyU9HMZ2m3y50CjEuK353bwvMLXCsycUEGG9gnXWXzDYj2DD6ZE1jyv26t6H-zHqHY0VmLZ2tqo7l_pcDeixEorpYthGI-2GEfQvZtehTC4ZrTp1lqdPbAsFw/w400-h300/striated%20heron_1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">He got the Striated heron correct but this is not a lifer bird.<br /></span><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></blockquote></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;">I missed photo shots of things and the lighting was generally bad but heck, it beats playing with the cats!</span><div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">How bad could Manaus and the Amazon be with these people?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'll see some birds...and I need most Brazilian birds</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQJstVLQ_oaQtlzwkKz07Yhwka2i99fi3Beiq-XmJ15c18_kb2Hy3q_lYdy-0HVx7Z6zOET8oYUZOZqDDaUQWczDSmx07ELnP7yC142geABIIJRwTQNdNZLfiuHKy3WTccHHmRxZgEDs1I40wVOlzAXJmxJ0MygcYq8UUTvWss9XmNMCffXWqcQKr80k/s5408/manaus2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="5408" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQJstVLQ_oaQtlzwkKz07Yhwka2i99fi3Beiq-XmJ15c18_kb2Hy3q_lYdy-0HVx7Z6zOET8oYUZOZqDDaUQWczDSmx07ELnP7yC142geABIIJRwTQNdNZLfiuHKy3WTccHHmRxZgEDs1I40wVOlzAXJmxJ0MygcYq8UUTvWss9XmNMCffXWqcQKr80k/w400-h266/manaus2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Manaus Brazil a city of 2.5 million</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We arrived at 4 AM to our hotel and Wolf our guide gave a little grandfatherly (his) advice. When you have a short night, you need to "sleep a little faster" and we did but tired tonight so time to go to bed</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So a lifer Brahma beer for five, I wished I had photographed the red and green macaw pair that flew overhead but you cannot have it all, </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBzdWkGFHGrkMCNksrBgElOvB3IWDL2fyzQNeMCIteUvh3rYp945FxOBniXYnZOO3K5lKv8oOuOK_soW8AWE8gD8-AH-O_WUfYJqtqqf4Ff8JZPTQGBpKtVu7NAiZHtSQW_787O14FJjnFnAI5kI_jbU1HlAQyehvTRCoNtwLnLagVaN0iddROeFPnN0/s4032/lifer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBzdWkGFHGrkMCNksrBgElOvB3IWDL2fyzQNeMCIteUvh3rYp945FxOBniXYnZOO3K5lKv8oOuOK_soW8AWE8gD8-AH-O_WUfYJqtqqf4Ff8JZPTQGBpKtVu7NAiZHtSQW_787O14FJjnFnAI5kI_jbU1HlAQyehvTRCoNtwLnLagVaN0iddROeFPnN0/w300-h400/lifer.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Cheers! More soon on this trip with the Elders</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Olaf</span></p><br /></div>Olaf Danielsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18427270873795437960noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-23766466184876899222023-09-07T09:04:00.001-05:002023-09-07T09:18:07.518-05:00A Flamboyance of Flamingoes<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUj8KccXCkZFdHDL8hLhYlrtTwwevuy75YJRwrwtE0a7T2htKbLsoXl7oeORugOnd3DlI-mCpZrAPp-DBvVAtV8MF-GQgWhSm1pCRjz6Pmjw4K1kBu_N2UAe5jGL46lAyihdgogaS-Mp0uG4z9wvukDC6xTT3J2XHPlgwNktg3S0HzsLXxVKa2TEi56hY/s1552/flamingo2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1213" data-original-width="1552" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUj8KccXCkZFdHDL8hLhYlrtTwwevuy75YJRwrwtE0a7T2htKbLsoXl7oeORugOnd3DlI-mCpZrAPp-DBvVAtV8MF-GQgWhSm1pCRjz6Pmjw4K1kBu_N2UAe5jGL46lAyihdgogaS-Mp0uG4z9wvukDC6xTT3J2XHPlgwNktg3S0HzsLXxVKa2TEi56hY/w400-h313/flamingo2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><p><span style="font-size: medium;">IT has been a long and busy summer filled with selling houses, buying houses, buying land, and digging holes. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaeHEEoujVzwltmJ36x1cLmcSUUO7AUXKtYceSzG2we0uoYlH_v8GtJjJ7puLBvoY8MYhyOmg-DhdIZpir6vsRqeZkKHLD8EyUY43SyUvzeC31vtt3cI-qb3kLX9YE92yYZ_BG5BumkzG-Xn__4HH--ZArBfjfxfAaAtpRokNURZaL2kq8oPJM6F1rkj8/s1257/a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1257" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaeHEEoujVzwltmJ36x1cLmcSUUO7AUXKtYceSzG2we0uoYlH_v8GtJjJ7puLBvoY8MYhyOmg-DhdIZpir6vsRqeZkKHLD8EyUY43SyUvzeC31vtt3cI-qb3kLX9YE92yYZ_BG5BumkzG-Xn__4HH--ZArBfjfxfAaAtpRokNURZaL2kq8oPJM6F1rkj8/w400-h239/a.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The start of building my shed on property I don't own quite yet<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Typically, doing anything except birding. Along the way, I came across a body in my field which turned out to be alive, I have had two book events in Hudson WI, and Taylors Falls MN, and I even went back in time into the untouched office of a country music legend Dave Dudley in his former home.<p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSG8vdtn9Rwl-HrqKjgbjpzE6Ab_wF5bbT7DEn1y5dXxE9wP_uBtE5WxuvtRtDtLKBhbeuxjYn3-fuO3vZ4_ZsG30cYJ_5r_5mf5pztgVe9B2Elo_ZusmY_960640DfRGz7HCUFCCjI_M-p5W28oOJIjE5tfJjP7Yc3uIAwd-YVg5LnnkQCWstkwTjISo/s5440/aaa.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSG8vdtn9Rwl-HrqKjgbjpzE6Ab_wF5bbT7DEn1y5dXxE9wP_uBtE5WxuvtRtDtLKBhbeuxjYn3-fuO3vZ4_ZsG30cYJ_5r_5mf5pztgVe9B2Elo_ZusmY_960640DfRGz7HCUFCCjI_M-p5W28oOJIjE5tfJjP7Yc3uIAwd-YVg5LnnkQCWstkwTjISo/w400-h266/aaa.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dave Dudley's office b1925-d2003, Burnett County WI</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>I had to award the Stan Peer Trophy I won in 2022, to both Drs Jeff Rapp and Jerry McCullough after they had caught the largest walleyes up in Canada</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN5IhiFpGq_H2Sx0Q6535j4gZ8d0RAPp32k2pK82en84KSCfhSDUODFqUIiV0gXVbp0d-zYDK7_nwHdsjmmw6GQ1woKbsMtg5lzXz3LJ03aDDRSs17IWkSGXbKET0ZXR6WkRAt3eID7_vwQzFO_CXy398cJpKHiuuid3fHjqt3XCDvFREBD1zBbIxMoMQ/s5440/aa.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN5IhiFpGq_H2Sx0Q6535j4gZ8d0RAPp32k2pK82en84KSCfhSDUODFqUIiV0gXVbp0d-zYDK7_nwHdsjmmw6GQ1woKbsMtg5lzXz3LJ03aDDRSs17IWkSGXbKET0ZXR6WkRAt3eID7_vwQzFO_CXy398cJpKHiuuid3fHjqt3XCDvFREBD1zBbIxMoMQ/w400-h266/aa.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>So then came Hurricane Idalia, and at first it looked as though we might have damage to a third house by a hurricane, which coincidentally happened 6 years ago today when Irma stormed through St Martin and our future dreams took a beating, but life moves on and dreams change, and you can make them happen.</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Luckily, Idalia turned late and made a mess of Perry, destroying a favorite truck stop but leaving our place in Lutz alone. Idalia, however moved something else.</span></p>The American Flamingo was largely extirpated in Florida a hundred years ago and then 70 years ago a bunch escaped Hialeah Park and bred and flew around Florida and occasionally a few from the Bahamas, Cuba, or even the Yucatan showed up. I chased some of these birds and until my big year in 2016, I always missed them. This species became my nemesis. This changed in 2016 when I nabbed one in Fort Myers. I then observed a whole flock of them in Curacao in 2019, and saw their cousins, Chilean Flamingoes in Uruguay, Lesser Flamingoes in South Africa, Greater Flamingoes in Corsica finishing a quadfecta of Flamingoes, just missing two of the various species.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I have not, however, seen one since. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">After Idalia, deciding we wanted to see our new house in Florida before the next hurricane got it, off we went to Florida</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Somewhere between Yucatan and Cuba, Idalia pushed or picked some groups of Flamingoes and deposited them all over the Gulf coast of Florida, the Carolinas, Alabama, and even points north. With all of these birds around, it seemed terrible and a missed opportunity if I had not come and seen a couple of them so noticing some were being seen at a favorite beach on the bike trail along the Courtney Cambell Expressway on Tampa Bay. We arrived this morning and were not disappointed. There were three there in the mangroves at high tide. They were out at a bit of distance seen with my scope.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu8NsiH_kNI8laVVeqWyRdb1vmUBLoWqcikshX8BNHCH-XA4EbwR08Ovnk5-3J58yXQV27CpH6AkaFBNay_sKsf3t40-Lrinv0XaqidreEpekviwIhhVmcBLlUcy-AjbTZ1kaV8MNx7YT5FjkoMFoSlS4469P7IrsGPSSOGa6qQUgwlk6agLRIwgmSxhI/s1860/flamingo3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1596" data-original-width="1860" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu8NsiH_kNI8laVVeqWyRdb1vmUBLoWqcikshX8BNHCH-XA4EbwR08Ovnk5-3J58yXQV27CpH6AkaFBNay_sKsf3t40-Lrinv0XaqidreEpekviwIhhVmcBLlUcy-AjbTZ1kaV8MNx7YT5FjkoMFoSlS4469P7IrsGPSSOGa6qQUgwlk6agLRIwgmSxhI/w400-h344/flamingo3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I decided to not to wade any closer even though a couple of birders had. Always fun birds, flamingoes, it was a nice addition to our Florida trip, </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Now I need to focus on buying furniture.....btw, what is all of this fascination with gray painted furniture? In terms of furniture, I appear to be a dinosaur. That is yet another story for another time. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">A group of flamingoes? A flamboyance! And yes they were FLAMBOYANT!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">cheers,</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Olaf</span></p>Olaf Danielsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18427270873795437960noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-58102495896863117832023-04-19T20:30:00.005-05:002023-04-20T07:55:09.493-05:00Hail-ing Nebraska<p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmdhu-o7niOyoD_tn9vp25KjDMK0W2JS6uBAJRUr1XDEZCpB-X9E3gxKwMzg_nlKKrOAkz0d4Hzke-GFBzQiyFlqYxpbJr2FGqgp71ey6T7x5gjmknU7rGZp-SLB6RKH_9wRXDWuTabvcPqAqHvr3DB-VjbLUDe2YVUAwhdu9I9xn1vrcFpE0V8c1H/s2310/checkered%20skipper.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1718" data-original-width="2310" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmdhu-o7niOyoD_tn9vp25KjDMK0W2JS6uBAJRUr1XDEZCpB-X9E3gxKwMzg_nlKKrOAkz0d4Hzke-GFBzQiyFlqYxpbJr2FGqgp71ey6T7x5gjmknU7rGZp-SLB6RKH_9wRXDWuTabvcPqAqHvr3DB-VjbLUDe2YVUAwhdu9I9xn1vrcFpE0V8c1H/w400-h297/checkered%20skipper.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> </span><span style="font-size: medium;">I mentioned to someone the other day that we were still south of the "freeze line." which is not really a meteorological term. In waterfowl it involves where the lakes are frozen or not, and it can be good to watch ducks. In the Great Plains during the spring, the line where the cold air meets the warm air is another freeze line and that is how I like to use the term. Being east or south of that line requires some other watching, watching for tornadoes and hail.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Almost every year since about 2007, I have taken a trip to Oklahoma, sometimes in the fall, but the other half of the time in the spring. I have seen the effects of some powerful storms over the years. On the other hand, a few of the train like sounding storms turned out to indeed be just trains</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We turned north in Texas and spent five nights in Oklahoma. We ended up at a campground which was having a "Prom party." The statement "off like a prom dress," was the theme. We had fun dancing. You kind of had to be there. We also ran into some other campers we knew from Minneapolis and as such we had some campground cookouts and shared trucking stories since two were retired truckers. The butterflies were out, the weather warm, and we hiked around and had a great few days</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Today, the storm I was watching finally moved over the Rockies and since we had a tail wind to get home, we made a break for it. I saw the next big snowstorm looking like it would be in North Dakota and the effects of the mountains looked like they would prevent big Tstorms until Iowa. We could sneak into SE Nebraska and then in the morning get north before the storms reformed, everything would work out. It was a bit ominous when the Univ of Kansas storm chasing van flew past us north of Topeka driving hard to the north. I still had hope to miss it, but unfortunately, we were literally three miles off. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Gt_ckJ-8Bc_zjufsUt94tnYTyfsdr54-5dP3csiW28c1OGD9tK2TXaXN5C_pWxYsH-3dE0ylXaH8xtupqhtUOGPmmmIehJwRbsm61bQHsMV3Z_83WY2OX_WN6TPS0g-IBBPZHXcWcTdBXYKVOK5QiiFJwUGd3iuRUwyL6q2D7sKn3E2fDuV2L0Oo/s5440/hail4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Gt_ckJ-8Bc_zjufsUt94tnYTyfsdr54-5dP3csiW28c1OGD9tK2TXaXN5C_pWxYsH-3dE0ylXaH8xtupqhtUOGPmmmIehJwRbsm61bQHsMV3Z_83WY2OX_WN6TPS0g-IBBPZHXcWcTdBXYKVOK5QiiFJwUGd3iuRUwyL6q2D7sKn3E2fDuV2L0Oo/w400-h266/hail4.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">The storms popped up out of nowhere at 5PM an hour after we had set up the RV in Nebraska City. The first three of the "training" thunderstorms missed up mainly with only glancing blows a little hail but just enough to take a big sigh of relief. It would not last.</span><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwjj5aT_9lVQ0JDj8XpXNdAED0rU5ZHdjEfOTH8sTTLXQDTrusNxFJX_F9Loj9bqytjlP8yVZ0ORLZSRtdI4HKk6SMiW4bEp9KpyZ6YWjlyNJMMaSalLS1zuP-hHs7IV6VbKhrsHGfoq0na8WZagRa68ISKTUyBHps_emQ2lFXU-54wu7v6NLvsKS/s4032/hail.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwjj5aT_9lVQ0JDj8XpXNdAED0rU5ZHdjEfOTH8sTTLXQDTrusNxFJX_F9Loj9bqytjlP8yVZ0ORLZSRtdI4HKk6SMiW4bEp9KpyZ6YWjlyNJMMaSalLS1zuP-hHs7IV6VbKhrsHGfoq0na8WZagRa68ISKTUyBHps_emQ2lFXU-54wu7v6NLvsKS/w300-h400/hail.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Quarter sized hail</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;">It was the 4th storm that hit hard or should I say the roof and the glass.</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji-eQpHF9EcPOKzRJqIjpN8I9YaJ_rukYMmNlxyDBmdTWIQ_VQcEXKfgTYyknHHWD2Rd-pIIiNFZXSIxoI1kf5SS25Vh1hjakv4-HWUMRx6sc_X3EQfOlWQpg6hadADuMy8gQNuu6uHLS9o3I0fenb0qrWj4QUutTvSfnlrlHQqRgFGGDyt4I7c44A/s5440/hail%20three.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji-eQpHF9EcPOKzRJqIjpN8I9YaJ_rukYMmNlxyDBmdTWIQ_VQcEXKfgTYyknHHWD2Rd-pIIiNFZXSIxoI1kf5SS25Vh1hjakv4-HWUMRx6sc_X3EQfOlWQpg6hadADuMy8gQNuu6uHLS9o3I0fenb0qrWj4QUutTvSfnlrlHQqRgFGGDyt4I7c44A/w400-h266/hail%20three.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here comes the hail</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9TrMU8UwAyGp_NBQ3c650nhc_k5nwtOoKVa5D3OA8P42qrTaORRY6tpdT2Sufg08mawjFeSw2sJ3wqMns5aM9_8OBMGsUIaiNVTtNc8ToVsbNHXp3IcjpTq4Lxit9CLeIg6leKSEbv363HLgnCYYx8bv1O0NYgedHcKNSBYlT9gCO8uyk__YnucWJ/s5440/hail5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9TrMU8UwAyGp_NBQ3c650nhc_k5nwtOoKVa5D3OA8P42qrTaORRY6tpdT2Sufg08mawjFeSw2sJ3wqMns5aM9_8OBMGsUIaiNVTtNc8ToVsbNHXp3IcjpTq4Lxit9CLeIg6leKSEbv363HLgnCYYx8bv1O0NYgedHcKNSBYlT9gCO8uyk__YnucWJ/w400-h266/hail5.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbawNBAp_oUTUGBgbdeQAIXyQfMZF2Ny4aBYUE8WexBCSq_h3DRY_Wa7dMCNfwDM12_O58U-Z5zJHoCNM0ODgXFcDG9p2tpXy6vbfTv541UWUXA8KJch2HjemB7-Z0jscdT10ZDTZEBtmuCzJ4DE_5bLQZjeluM1zZ1Ys1sWcgr3A4Ahv2ThnscI5l/s4032/hail2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbawNBAp_oUTUGBgbdeQAIXyQfMZF2Ny4aBYUE8WexBCSq_h3DRY_Wa7dMCNfwDM12_O58U-Z5zJHoCNM0ODgXFcDG9p2tpXy6vbfTv541UWUXA8KJch2HjemB7-Z0jscdT10ZDTZEBtmuCzJ4DE_5bLQZjeluM1zZ1Ys1sWcgr3A4Ahv2ThnscI5l/w300-h400/hail2.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Going through my change, half-dollar sized hail</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><span>The fifth storm lasted for twenty minutes and the stones were even bigger</span></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0gAC8xo_K-Yx-zP7DOA_xt7rNAXrBxdEWCflmXgq605HCF2BWm8X8NuiPRB1PkhzR89xuojmxdFTwenV8oN1CSUn4qOgWWaifE32MdSczY9llNys-ehH9BMzvYBXR4MVXy9eL30WjF48gPLHhT5X6JdQNhWTq24XrQvR5RRQG1QZQh-jfaTxZ4pwz/s4032/hail6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0gAC8xo_K-Yx-zP7DOA_xt7rNAXrBxdEWCflmXgq605HCF2BWm8X8NuiPRB1PkhzR89xuojmxdFTwenV8oN1CSUn4qOgWWaifE32MdSczY9llNys-ehH9BMzvYBXR4MVXy9eL30WjF48gPLHhT5X6JdQNhWTq24XrQvR5RRQG1QZQh-jfaTxZ4pwz/w300-h400/hail6.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Silver dollar sized?<br /><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;">The tornado warning was issued at 7:51, with the tornado 3.1 miles south of us, heading our way. We are tucked a little in a hole and it is a good 200 yard run to the storm shelter. It passed over us, with just a green hue to the sky, silent but scary. We survived that just as cell number six formed southwest of us. It looks like it will be a long night.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">It turned out that real tornadoes and damage came close to where we were camped last night in Oklahoma so it was good we left but we just chose our route home poorly as it would end up.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Sheez, I'll look outside when the sun comes up, and survey damage. Who does RV body work? I got a feeling more storms will follow. The sounds of hail on the roof of an RV is just awful.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Olaf<br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><br /></p><br /><p><br /></p></div></div></div>Olaf Danielsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18427270873795437960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-25530514024816761232023-04-12T18:37:00.008-05:002023-04-13T08:58:43.002-05:00The Colima Warbler Revisted<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwWmREhpy96mgK-oYmBWPVsSqWaLv5irES70KmA9NyMQ_ZtukVwG64A8DGieazna3h-Z_305Jx-2NIhbqKVFmdL_bz7Stdsy38rdyTPb6NBe_8czaTVe99KokLeb1Szpk_hjA3Ce2F9LyO7CsSHc8vabxFWFZct2nIJqxAlTDJQpfYJUyIae0R6Y5i/s3286/colima3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2508" data-original-width="3286" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwWmREhpy96mgK-oYmBWPVsSqWaLv5irES70KmA9NyMQ_ZtukVwG64A8DGieazna3h-Z_305Jx-2NIhbqKVFmdL_bz7Stdsy38rdyTPb6NBe_8czaTVe99KokLeb1Szpk_hjA3Ce2F9LyO7CsSHc8vabxFWFZct2nIJqxAlTDJQpfYJUyIae0R6Y5i/w400-h305/colima3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <span style="font-size: medium;">I could almost write a book about some of the clueless, snarky, and sometimes downright strange comments I have received while doing my periodic hikes up the Chisos Mountains in the middle of Big Bend National Park for the locally endemic Colima Warbler. If you want to ever see this bird in the USA you have to come here. There is no way around it, none.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This is my 5th ascent to this monument to birding. The holy birding mecca of west Texas. The trips roll of my tongue. 1994, 2013, 2016, 2018, and now 2023. Despite just 5 trips up and back, I am 5 for five for the goal bird but I have become somewhat outspoken on giving advice about how best to do it, (maybe too outspoken?) but the few who have followed my route have thanked me and the others well, sometimes it has not gone so well. Yes, you need to hit the trail 2 hours before sunrise, yes, you have to carry a flashlight, and yes, bears and cougars can be encountered. We were followed by a cat in 2018, and you could smell the scent of cat urine at one spot we were taking a break. It was unmistakable to all that we were being watched. But going early also means Mexican whippoorwills calling and sightings. So it is a trade off. Owls are rarely if ever heard.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Nobody we pass ever seems to have the right shoes (today someone was hiking in shower sandals and was past the saddle and getting towards the rim, I hate to be his feet tonight). Nobody takes enough water despite the signs of taking 2 liters (no yelling at the NPS about this). I have had people maybe a half mile in and not even to the initial crest of the hill look exasperated when I told them they had barely begun the ascent. Others come by at 10 maybe 2-3 miles in with the plan of doing the whole brutal 12-mile loop. My large camera or binoculars have always created a stir. One college girl in 2016 even asked me if my camera was overcompensating for something. "My wife would think it was the other way around." I replied. Then giggling, she offered me $50 bucks if I could impress her. Her girlfriend gave her a push, "That is my money in your pocket, I'd rather have lunch when we get back down, I don't want to lose it seeing his junk."</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Another guy quipped today, so what are you looking at with those binoculars, naked people? A birder who had caught up to us (Donna) and who I was helping find the bird, retorted, "you first." to the gentleman. I looked at my wife who was biting her lip. Sometimes too much information on the trail is not a good thing, but yes, Olaf has an infamous story about that, too. I guess buy the book, "A chapter in my Boobies, peckers, and tits" happened here, on this trail and over this very spot.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Yet another woman seeing my bins "or camera" asked me what looked to her like the question she had been thinking about all the way up the hill. "Does Texas have its own blue bird?" I looked at her, she was holding proudly her binoculars.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">"Well, no, the same one as the entire region, why?"</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">"We just saw one down the trail."</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">"oh, Mexican jays." I replied understanding.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">"Yes the Mexican blue bird." But she did not see to look satisfied with that revelation.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Today we also met some Indian tourists. They looked all professional, with high end hiking sticks, new packs and they were displaying some serious use of those sticks, like that was the goal not a by product. I got out of her way. She said something to me that I had no idea what it was (it almost sounded like "help me please!") Maybe was her look but it was like they had watched a Youtube of how to use hiking sticks. The wife, however, decked in pink, because...I guess everyone hikes in pink was using so much force with the sticks she was wearing herself out and was carrying a full pack, and yet they were only a half mile up the trail. She also had on bad shoes (okay too much shoe watching), but had on an orange UT Longhorns hat on (pink clothing, orange hat?? Quite the clash) farther up the trail they stopped and one could hear arguing in Hindi.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Then there is everyone with enough water carrying gallon jugs by the handle. Ouch that looks painful! Today we saw some water stashed by someone for the trip down. I have to confess I have done that at Glacier back in the day. Some of it may still be there. All yuccas, pine trees, rocks look the same on the way down. I almost lost a stashed mountain bike once, but I digress.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I have also had some odd events, some I have been a casual witness for and a couple caused solely by "strange old Olaf" (naked birding for one), I'll just leave you with two and not that one.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Let me see.... </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1) I had to go up alone once because the person who started with me, had as it would turn out either a mild heart attack or some serious dyspnea just past the water tank. Doing a big year and on a tight schedule I had to go get the bird and get back, so I told him to go down the hill, I would fly up get the bird at dawn and come back. He lived but when I was returning, I was able to put my spotting scope on our vehicle in the parking lot from way up and it was at some distance but his head was clearly falling out the window and it sure looked like his tongue was hanging out. We called that the "Q sign" in my surgery residency. A rare "Dotted Q sign" meant a person was out with tongue hanging out with a fly on it. That was a terrible prognosis, but a Q sign was not much better. I ran down the hill. My friend (a non-birder by the way) was just asleep. His chest discomfort had abated. I diagnosed him with an MI and called 911 in Florida in 2019. I was not taking anymore chances them and he got stented in the ER.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2) My friend Jim Brown and I invented a religion up this trail with the sacred Ocotillo and involving Lucifer hummingbirds, ritual bathing, and sacramental wine, pretty much all one needs for a good religion. Now Ordained for the Church of St, Ocotillo, I look forward to performing more weddings, saying prayers, or just observing the sacred. I do funerals but those are less fun. We travel with an Ocotillo, who born in Texas in 2018 and has returned home this week. He (named Occy) has 40,000 miles on him.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIbqR6T7hiTdqB8kfvt5_CbKM0Qk-jb--eNaGc6gfPbqQFWHkVLC9jAVwbmaA0icX5nTom7S38PIhyNK6Luj_5cOXisEeTJglgQaQk864Wg6Ev_xMmBqv3hPmIzLhwGy3UA18grCxu29yddU5SbZUbQOiGNS1bIIvbi9cO5H8hIBqNofCcK4ahUVMx/s4032/occitillo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIbqR6T7hiTdqB8kfvt5_CbKM0Qk-jb--eNaGc6gfPbqQFWHkVLC9jAVwbmaA0icX5nTom7S38PIhyNK6Luj_5cOXisEeTJglgQaQk864Wg6Ev_xMmBqv3hPmIzLhwGy3UA18grCxu29yddU5SbZUbQOiGNS1bIIvbi9cO5H8hIBqNofCcK4ahUVMx/w300-h400/occitillo.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>I might ask Carolyn who owns the Christmas Mountain Oasis to join, but she may ban me from her Lucifer hummingbird spot and that would be tragic.</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7gMRP489ktkRAou8AiWMVbDCkc0jfYG62XU8CcYtS_m2qIRbwOGfw9LX4nvFtG56OEO1PTqmCsXYarxcqu1Q5kBISfpgMUAgcoJr2TjL0_TuBc7morQMYEU5M6y8gRIVvbqOYJaY5F7aW8JZ1jvtgeYlrob9uyBj8Ccls2rDebqKH38ZvKRFitNC/s2101/lucifer%20hummingbird4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1695" data-original-width="2101" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7gMRP489ktkRAou8AiWMVbDCkc0jfYG62XU8CcYtS_m2qIRbwOGfw9LX4nvFtG56OEO1PTqmCsXYarxcqu1Q5kBISfpgMUAgcoJr2TjL0_TuBc7morQMYEU5M6y8gRIVvbqOYJaY5F7aW8JZ1jvtgeYlrob9uyBj8Ccls2rDebqKH38ZvKRFitNC/w400-h323/lucifer%20hummingbird4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5t8yiQF1GZC2jWiTBzE0tN64OYo1ZbDO9nmAnOhep41DEoXRaaft8ntXG60MoOWB6SfxpdwGUZq-QgH5i73ohI4r9WN1sQTWpxibeiFQi_iJw2CA9Ln4zTP9rjmhQQg0_-gspxuqnSccvIER5beQ8Y5q_JuMzvjjevSJk0rd3nxgXv_0cJo3L6mSL/s2566/lucifer%20hummingbird.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2044" data-original-width="2566" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5t8yiQF1GZC2jWiTBzE0tN64OYo1ZbDO9nmAnOhep41DEoXRaaft8ntXG60MoOWB6SfxpdwGUZq-QgH5i73ohI4r9WN1sQTWpxibeiFQi_iJw2CA9Ln4zTP9rjmhQQg0_-gspxuqnSccvIER5beQ8Y5q_JuMzvjjevSJk0rd3nxgXv_0cJo3L6mSL/w400-h319/lucifer%20hummingbird.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Lucifer Hummingbird yesterday, with the Ocotillo in bloom they are feeding on them and not feeder birds although this male had taken up a territory and was not giving it up.<br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I have run into many birders up on the trail, nobody it seems or few do their homework. The Lucifer spot? Never heard of it, where to see Colimas? None, or little knowledge. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">They leave too late up the trail or waste their time looking way too low, even in the parking lot. <span style="text-align: center;">One person swore she saw it at the parking lot. Even showed me a picture. It was a Say's phoebe. Mexican whippoorwills......here? Everyone just looks at me but again, you need to be on the trail at dark.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Even last night owling, I was not sure the other three looking for Elf Owls got the plan. I would have showed it to them, but they were out standing at where the road loops at Dug Out Wells. We just left. So we bring chairs, park them by a tree, 30 minutes to full darkness, the bird obviously calls from the tree and I have my light out. I don't know. Maybe they came to hear the Western Screech owls? It was not rocket science but no one came to see what we had. Sometimes you got to do a little skua birding. There are only a few cottonwoods left in there thanks to the NPS, cutting them out. Poor owls, what will they do? </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvc2wSEWTVzWjynXgUYzRrICDs74kOMLPGWa7eJ4yyU-kf-xKycX1_xtMwExHDTV2RE3QUv_FCRV0ReiitPdr3zh2QEWwUAi9tG73scAnH_-lG9LOx011OS6XzhZOl6mnAlfoIZJvoApwOm3Uxm9hTa63rfJAaD6JBEnRAUb1S30xIYzTUXEuSySAl/s387/elf%20owl%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="271" data-original-width="387" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvc2wSEWTVzWjynXgUYzRrICDs74kOMLPGWa7eJ4yyU-kf-xKycX1_xtMwExHDTV2RE3QUv_FCRV0ReiitPdr3zh2QEWwUAi9tG73scAnH_-lG9LOx011OS6XzhZOl6mnAlfoIZJvoApwOm3Uxm9hTa63rfJAaD6JBEnRAUb1S30xIYzTUXEuSySAl/w400-h280/elf%20owl%202.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So today, after owling last night, we took off at 0530 on the Pinnacles trail for the top. Big Bend is my favorite National Park and I have vowed that if I can't get up to the rim at least, I am checking into a nursing home and throwing away my bins. When I feel old and fat, depressed and mortal, off I want to go to see the Chisos and "buy myself" a couple more years from the inevitable. I needed Big Bend this year, I really did.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Park service has redone the trail taking out the route near the water tanks and added some distance to it. It may be less steep, but I am not sure that helps. I also felt lost until we made it to the first campsite where it levels a bit. I also met the first person ever on the trail at night and he was coming down the hill. We heard some close whippoorwills but I did not try to find them. I had one almost land on my daughter once. There were no bears, no cougars, and not a mammal of any sorts. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6BwW-joZhmuleHUknQylvrMP4kDOMN4Js5JexERuUyCLh0s7-ZOEfzkmySumwpO3jqBeZwwzIxMNxYSfvgj5yaM8G7ZdxjHu5eylmRF1f7elNwHOddkkWvCZtBZKTZ-YC6ZRloRnEcgYh34vgF_LsgbZPrKtb9rFsvSffU3hes9_5fMocINkRdsM/s1600/daybreak.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6BwW-joZhmuleHUknQylvrMP4kDOMN4Js5JexERuUyCLh0s7-ZOEfzkmySumwpO3jqBeZwwzIxMNxYSfvgj5yaM8G7ZdxjHu5eylmRF1f7elNwHOddkkWvCZtBZKTZ-YC6ZRloRnEcgYh34vgF_LsgbZPrKtb9rFsvSffU3hes9_5fMocINkRdsM/w400-h300/daybreak.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We took a break at the Saddle and I took out my camera as the light was coming up. I walked up to the usual spot on heard one and then saw one in terrible light but then after ten minutes, all was quiet. We worked our way to the rim where a group of Louisiana kids were making a racket. It was great to see them out there even if they were too loud. They were all waiting for the turn at the pit toilet there...priorities in the backcountry. I assumed they would leave and go down but they were there when we came back around. It was too noisy up there and ever since the forest fire, it is not a good birding space and it was cold on the top of the basin so we went down to get better photos.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I have had some bad camera experiences with this bird...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">1994--"so what does this bird look like?" I am sitting pooped with my pack on.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"brown cap, yellowish orange behind, eye ring on a drab warbler" I reply</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"If I show it too you, can we go back to the car?" I nodded. "There right in front of you."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It was a perfect shot on film. That photo was lost. It was my lifer bird then and I have never again seen that photo</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">2013-- I had to make choices, bird in tree, camera in backpack 30 feet down the slope and two woman (by voice) descending from the Rim and were a switchback above me. I was not wearing clothing. A pareo was 10 feet the wrong way where my birding buddy Jim was standing. I had the bird....choices</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">2016--actually the exact same place, again even tougher choices. Bird in tree, and then flitted off, heard and seen, tick for the big year. Friend possibly dying in the parking lot. Look for another to photograph or get my a$$ down the mountain and see if he is okay.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">2018--taking Mexican whippoorwill photos during the darkness when I notice battery is almost empty, I was certain I had packed a spare. Sun comes up, see the bird, ready to snap photo and nothing....power goes off, dig for a spare battery..."what" spare battery</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">2023....no excuses, and I did not want to die trying. It is tough enough getting up the mountain</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0rK5M7NrvL1oIkDcD5lRsDC-6I8pJj5r_dVL5wK4DLm9xhtM16DgcucC1BVe0jioUZTAx0pfOHkYzAvgYb2bhIKsJG-iwhiF6_C4AcmpLpC5AB72852H2qw2I6xK4sWXR8wePfDP_sw-SurmJV4_XYA0np_R2RDmFEEqoI1jhmzcOvacshPJccLxa/s3030/colima7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2415" data-original-width="3030" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0rK5M7NrvL1oIkDcD5lRsDC-6I8pJj5r_dVL5wK4DLm9xhtM16DgcucC1BVe0jioUZTAx0pfOHkYzAvgYb2bhIKsJG-iwhiF6_C4AcmpLpC5AB72852H2qw2I6xK4sWXR8wePfDP_sw-SurmJV4_XYA0np_R2RDmFEEqoI1jhmzcOvacshPJccLxa/w400-h319/colima7.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4yR5pASb14UmHR-GdxHUBOdbNaBLuNMSvCDsbAJNmg6FLyhwtKGZ5tQe83Pfig1oalLrozd1Mz0WGxzONgBLM3NIeZgTwSp6o0yovI6x-OirZ8ztaHiHRuSLpNEbutFSLmQy5jHgPtrEHdlNemt6XahQrzBXMN0vkiYuFzzDU8XfZI6dALmBQr61R/s2891/colima8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2021" data-original-width="2891" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4yR5pASb14UmHR-GdxHUBOdbNaBLuNMSvCDsbAJNmg6FLyhwtKGZ5tQe83Pfig1oalLrozd1Mz0WGxzONgBLM3NIeZgTwSp6o0yovI6x-OirZ8ztaHiHRuSLpNEbutFSLmQy5jHgPtrEHdlNemt6XahQrzBXMN0vkiYuFzzDU8XfZI6dALmBQr61R/w400-h280/colima8.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzz2PA1-mpAop_a_XkV3kAAwFyWOEAr6u7x5qAC2CRkszRx5a7abXk84SARGQkNU0sEI8pTsvWFZtpWoeP1yThLsu8Ne_rEpN4p1vK_tJsWjBML2UNIRsudsLDJqiejMLoOK81JzUpwDajLfDNBlON2yIdCiNItK2lrGvvn3oeAQj6lZhEOAfBX-WQ/s2960/colima%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2438" data-original-width="2960" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzz2PA1-mpAop_a_XkV3kAAwFyWOEAr6u7x5qAC2CRkszRx5a7abXk84SARGQkNU0sEI8pTsvWFZtpWoeP1yThLsu8Ne_rEpN4p1vK_tJsWjBML2UNIRsudsLDJqiejMLoOK81JzUpwDajLfDNBlON2yIdCiNItK2lrGvvn3oeAQj6lZhEOAfBX-WQ/w400-h330/colima%201.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Not National Geographic but good enough, this bird never comes out well for me and horribly harsh lighting. The only reason I got these three was because a "Donna" from Massachusetts stopped us and looked like she needed some help getting a lifer bird. I took a bit but another showed (or the same one I had seen a few minutes before she came). She saw it and her trip up the mountain was made.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Heard 9, saw 4 photographed 3. A good morning on this bird. Colima photograph--TICK!!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSqpQhmqOdlcaxcc7MWi-rw69dG2Yu9_7kizaShcEN2k01yXpmz-GUDA6cYcYZsWDNWfkLQ7-S2btlzkrrrmAqVBwK2HO_lflB2CziQE-Kf9H2czACiXU6vBtUAJaIf716cque9qENKHoKxir0QmeHDFNXKVd592Pjr9IKng-EzFMqJn95zZOatC_P/s640/chisos.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSqpQhmqOdlcaxcc7MWi-rw69dG2Yu9_7kizaShcEN2k01yXpmz-GUDA6cYcYZsWDNWfkLQ7-S2btlzkrrrmAqVBwK2HO_lflB2CziQE-Kf9H2czACiXU6vBtUAJaIf716cque9qENKHoKxir0QmeHDFNXKVd592Pjr9IKng-EzFMqJn95zZOatC_P/w400-h300/chisos.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2iaaL3-ISAXp-L-cWNBLvGio7kVQZglvmMV-thaxO9-hWT02Blbt1dhMrmg1glZVVz6iyLL741LsBAY2_6splRfaS4Up3raFuiPwo-xrn_pqoNS5PDaS5lz5URkWRd9nnmKiLS6jcrsfaV38jjSA4_Jq2vnbuXGYeOflZGl5inHnsObSpnj2Bc_D/s4032/olaf%20abd%20silja.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2iaaL3-ISAXp-L-cWNBLvGio7kVQZglvmMV-thaxO9-hWT02Blbt1dhMrmg1glZVVz6iyLL741LsBAY2_6splRfaS4Up3raFuiPwo-xrn_pqoNS5PDaS5lz5URkWRd9nnmKiLS6jcrsfaV38jjSA4_Jq2vnbuXGYeOflZGl5inHnsObSpnj2Bc_D/w400-h300/olaf%20abd%20silja.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">It was Silja's third trip to the Rim, my fifth. The first was a backpack trip, 1994 BYOW, bring your own water</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It was a hot trip down the mountain as it was later than we wanted but it was good to help another birder. We got to the bottom, saw some butterflies I need to identify and then ate lunch and bugged out to the RV.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">They say they are redoing the Chisos Lodge next year. Aramark gets a new hotel to make money from for free. They own the Big Bend Adventures Resort and RV park in Terlingua (our rig is too big for the park). It has the worst toilet I have ever seen, one has brown ooze like a bucket's worth running down the side. The rust, $2 showers, toilet paper everywhere was bad enough. It will be a mess up at the Basin so we were glad to come this year, BUI DO NOT STAY IN TERLINQUA AT THE Aramark lodge here! So in 2024 I do not know what to recommend, maybe call your congressman to get rid of Aramark.....if they cannot do toilets at an RV park, how can they clean your scrubs? What a TFSDD%%# company. all imho.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">anyhow, the Colima warbler, revisited again, and they were spectacular.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Olaf</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>Olaf Danielsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18427270873795437960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-49775213691098260722023-04-07T20:13:00.004-05:002023-04-07T22:46:14.750-05:00A Good Friday Bulbul<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-CmpUrFOKSpNEzTYy028xR5sDIZAs6Bx0Nnd-GNoik4yifxcKuza1ld3tDNhgEB6k_oYSAhmHfrCMi5am7C3LEG80ObAcO1CN6xgEjP1sfCS6bFjZei1EGYnJvsACc3I_kwivMuNU-EnUsqrkdNjioc6H5943cF9ObPtDzfoW05UfkwccbQAms_j/s4032/cross.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-CmpUrFOKSpNEzTYy028xR5sDIZAs6Bx0Nnd-GNoik4yifxcKuza1ld3tDNhgEB6k_oYSAhmHfrCMi5am7C3LEG80ObAcO1CN6xgEjP1sfCS6bFjZei1EGYnJvsACc3I_kwivMuNU-EnUsqrkdNjioc6H5943cF9ObPtDzfoW05UfkwccbQAms_j/w400-h300/cross.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"> The end of the road south of High Island Texas made one realize what day was today, but I did not go birding today looking for anything in particular in High Island. We stopped in East Texas to see a bird, a bird I have seen at least 132 of previously and even 14 in Hawaii, but never any in the Classical ABA. Birding for me is a game of lists and at times, the list must be kept up. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The Red-vented bulbul is a very common bird in the Indian subcontinent of Asia, and Bhutan for that matter but it was not considered countable in North America until the population in an around Houston Texas had been considered self-sustaining long enough to qualify for the rules and someone to make a motion to add it. How they came to Houston is unknown but suspicious they arrived by ship or the pet trade although one would not suspect this bird would be popular. The first bird recorded was in 1958, The birds started breeding in the Heights area north of Houston and in 2010, they were included on the ebird list for the area starting around 2010, and in 2016 when Hawaii was added to the ABA which included red-vented bulbuls, since the population in Houston was both sustaining, established, and been around for quite some time it eventually became countable by being added to the "list."</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">My life list for the "classic" or continental ABA is sitting at 823 after not really chasing anything for a while. Oddly, I have three birds that I could count around, a Whooper swan in Newfoundland (which I can't fit in my schedule), a brown jay in South Texas which is on private land and even though I will drive close by to it, I do not think I know any way to get, both really good birds, tough rarities to see, and then there is these silly bulbuls in Houston, so what ends up on my quest? Houston....</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I have been though Houston in an airplane 8 times since the bird was countable and I have yet to stop, but 2023 was different.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSDW2_6zfIqpptxRo6tp8Wf1fhLa1Gpy6QC-diucdu3stk_6lm4CSXN5BMVeVni330wp3x-DZc9gOr1-2sIgkJChT3Ai_CtTjJvfcpF-bBbfQiYRjCm3XkX7Zb0Q715DkhgAGdLgAWfRVecuzklwSFr72A36KNlseOuyfyJjiJGQju_7Gq-zmMBIJD/s5408/rv%20go.dng" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="5408" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSDW2_6zfIqpptxRo6tp8Wf1fhLa1Gpy6QC-diucdu3stk_6lm4CSXN5BMVeVni330wp3x-DZc9gOr1-2sIgkJChT3Ai_CtTjJvfcpF-bBbfQiYRjCm3XkX7Zb0Q715DkhgAGdLgAWfRVecuzklwSFr72A36KNlseOuyfyJjiJGQju_7Gq-zmMBIJD/w400-h266/rv%20go.dng" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We left Paradise in Florida on Wednesday in "Big Bird" packed up for a lazy trip north awaiting the snowmelt. We are going north by going west. So, we headed west towards Texas. First night camping was at a RV campground east of Pensacola and the second night we arrived last night in Beaumont, Texas after seeing Tony the Truckstop Tiger in Louisiana. We have camped twice now in Beaumont, both times it has rained hard and stormed all night that it makes one wonder if that is all that it does in East Texas.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The rain paused enough this morning to drive the car over to Houston on our day off to look for the bulbul. We went to Woodland Park, it was cool and dreary but no bulbuls showed. We walked down to the White Oak Park green belt and walked around some more as it started to rain and then as we were heading back to the car something with a white butt flew out of a tree. It was like we were back in Bhutan, and instantly recognized. "There we go." I said and Silja looked and then went to the car to get out of the rain while I pulled out my camera from the backpack for a couple of bad photos.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqOeFoHklG9PDVShhnrdnG4G84sxdeJMD_RtPEfy8S8_o2mk_GvOqIahfMvzIfv9r4vEWMS8MkZLutBKvMlLrMDy6w6OrX9pTNqc6bR2BueVFNtrCoRzptyU58FTgdyt5rhNtQWtg6lLKnB4domH1XBXx91BkrFmLg2jsYM0wpYKzS_PSgXl6nTTx_/s903/bulbul5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="903" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqOeFoHklG9PDVShhnrdnG4G84sxdeJMD_RtPEfy8S8_o2mk_GvOqIahfMvzIfv9r4vEWMS8MkZLutBKvMlLrMDy6w6OrX9pTNqc6bR2BueVFNtrCoRzptyU58FTgdyt5rhNtQWtg6lLKnB4domH1XBXx91BkrFmLg2jsYM0wpYKzS_PSgXl6nTTx_/w400-h306/bulbul5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGq6GeA03p5NQvUxMC7O4DeABMSKkiDO1_xWcBusQdiTt0uEbkjmZKFw9EV-rpdHyZnqAuG24YC8XvSoya95q09F2hr_o_TbFBrIDhfYixtxnqIJB3ijd5Kzi24xKHKzzb8VYuiEFyaOmGLwzTSI7Y4tEZL_ThimUPSwVdpHdDjIEhQCnnlMSBrldg/s897/bulbul6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="897" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGq6GeA03p5NQvUxMC7O4DeABMSKkiDO1_xWcBusQdiTt0uEbkjmZKFw9EV-rpdHyZnqAuG24YC8XvSoya95q09F2hr_o_TbFBrIDhfYixtxnqIJB3ijd5Kzi24xKHKzzb8VYuiEFyaOmGLwzTSI7Y4tEZL_ThimUPSwVdpHdDjIEhQCnnlMSBrldg/w400-h300/bulbul6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Vented Bulbul<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;">It was the bird and it was countable. Yeah!! I guess? I was just happy to be able to get out of the rain. To celebrate, we then had lunch at a nearby café, the Belgium Café and I had my lifer beer which here was a St Barnardus beer. </span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMhswf7pj-QCKbZENZ8KYAo5hB29zk4D5XODucNc6gfK1r-2cAsQ79GRS1eIUvkR9AilyoEeJ-a5V46MYhBc3hWmYgFC3Zo5HY8UmzI62ntvDX2FlDKqluwQMuTmzLSou-w7LEMCbau_5SIODSjs8kvlmVZDpaFdO5U5bdZB7lMkmKMTrK5LKCcHkU/s4032/beer%20houston.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMhswf7pj-QCKbZENZ8KYAo5hB29zk4D5XODucNc6gfK1r-2cAsQ79GRS1eIUvkR9AilyoEeJ-a5V46MYhBc3hWmYgFC3Zo5HY8UmzI62ntvDX2FlDKqluwQMuTmzLSou-w7LEMCbau_5SIODSjs8kvlmVZDpaFdO5U5bdZB7lMkmKMTrK5LKCcHkU/w300-h400/beer%20houston.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">It was a Belgian beer some consider the best in the world (or so they claim on their website). It was good, maybe too good and a beer I should have saved for a brown jay or a whooper swan, I guess next time I'll try something else. The food was also great, so if you come to Houston and whether you see the bulbul or not, stop by and have a glass on tap, try it with the curried chicken salad, the lobster bisque or the mussels, it is all good and you'll be reminded of Brussels.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">We then drove to High Island. A birding "Holy Grail" spot I have never been to before. We walked around. There were some warblers flitting about including some worm eating warblers, and a hooded warbler like this one.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkQr-5D0ixGySxQ0QcVjDC_56Os9kGBdRQe9Cs8UCcAewHZIrWMUzdvd5KlNjVsCJrRq0wWKSVLRfOSkI8ZoAv3vokgyp30zw15PBdEbTUB9AWfFY2Ji8gPTazK_NUTJN2zxiHo09Y9g5BAPUJumcvOEADhu-gxvIAiKbfaOxbuR8adpkCWgRLyx97/s2589/hooded%20warbler.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1951" data-original-width="2589" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkQr-5D0ixGySxQ0QcVjDC_56Os9kGBdRQe9Cs8UCcAewHZIrWMUzdvd5KlNjVsCJrRq0wWKSVLRfOSkI8ZoAv3vokgyp30zw15PBdEbTUB9AWfFY2Ji8gPTazK_NUTJN2zxiHo09Y9g5BAPUJumcvOEADhu-gxvIAiKbfaOxbuR8adpkCWgRLyx97/w400-h301/hooded%20warbler.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;">With the big storm finally going through, there could be some good fallout tomorrow or possibly Sunday, but we have to get going towards Big Bend National Park. Beaumont is just a wayside on the trip. But I have bird number #824 in USA/ Canada ex Hawaii and I guess that is something. Tomorrow, westward ho!</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Happy Easter</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I hope your Passover was special</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Olaf</span></p><p><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>Olaf Danielsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18427270873795437960noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-59289684007558774912023-03-03T09:43:00.002-06:002023-03-03T14:08:53.800-06:00Ooh Mexico<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0QOlnmIvIzWDe7_ie-_SoH0KlIu9xTxTHsqGMqi-LVb-AMgGLahgN36RqhUNnfSxCldsoZ9Y6t70Xe_QGvWzBeBhT6jdEb0PTtQ48eUzf9zWeVztHmfzJq92eL53PuM0OZtEgok6s7Tf6JEqwNbP7gQGrdcJhPDAqxijJj4pikZQPkmB2QvNSpHl/s1024/mexico2j.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0QOlnmIvIzWDe7_ie-_SoH0KlIu9xTxTHsqGMqi-LVb-AMgGLahgN36RqhUNnfSxCldsoZ9Y6t70Xe_QGvWzBeBhT6jdEb0PTtQ48eUzf9zWeVztHmfzJq92eL53PuM0OZtEgok6s7Tf6JEqwNbP7gQGrdcJhPDAqxijJj4pikZQPkmB2QvNSpHl/w400-h266/mexico2j.jpeg" width="400" /></a></p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Jimmy Buffett sang a cover on his 1995 album from a James Taylor song, "Feeling Blue running your stateside game, loose your load leave your mind behind.....Ooooooh Mexico" and that about summed it up...too much thinking....</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I have not written a blog for a while, I lost a computer due to '''cat fur in the fan." Famous words from the Tech at Best Buy opening up my laptop..."What is the name of your white cat?" Luckily the $1000 repair was under a Geek Squad warranty...it took over a month to get it back, and it has taken a while for me to get it going again. <br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Now, it was time for another trip, a trip scheduled to Mazatlan, Mexico. The plan was to visit my wife's Brother and sister-in-law with her sister they have been at sea in their sailboat. So would you actually go on a trip with the following warnings? </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">"The State Department issued a Level
4: Do Not Travel advisory for the state of Sinaloa due to crime
and kidnapping. This means that the U.S. government may not be able to help you
if you are in a sticky situation while in Mazatlán. The travel advisory is so
high in this state because of high crime rates." <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">This is the same alert level for places like North Korea, South Sudan, and Libya. The only places worse...the Donbas of Ukraine and Iran</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">You know just being next to the border in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California I have felt unsafe. Sometimes even from the Border Patrol meant to keep us safe. I have been shot at in Texas. (I think I was on USFW land being used to grow weed).</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I did not want to go on this trip, but found it impossible to not go, since if my wife was going anyhow, I would never live with myself if I stayed and she went and ...Mexico got her. I lost sleep for weeks. I spent days organizing our personal effects. Saving passwords, I even cried as I wrote final letters each to our three children encouraging them and shared my most intimate thoughts, reflecting on the highlights, final thoughts, and apologizing for my failings as a father. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">My wife's sister's reservations got cancelled and I hoped it was an omen but they rebooked them at a different hotel. I was finally forced to book the air flights. I slept the last night 24 hours before we were scheduled to go and got up and knew I would rather die with my wife then live alone. So frustrated and nervous we went. I was an emotional wreck by the time we got in the Tampa airport.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">You can guess that by writing this, we did not get killed by Narco traffickers or by drinking the water. We got home. What if you ignore travel warnings and still nothing happens? Was the US State Department paranoid, or were we (as in I) just crazy?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I gave a packet to my neighbors to "give to my daughter, when we go missing." Not if but when...It was odd for them to hear. They asked questions. I just said we are going to Sinaloa, look it up. They soon understood.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">On a good note, we got upgraded from Houston to Mazatlan, when I get upgraded on United, something is really wrong. It was bad good news.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Initially, I despised the drug addicts for giving rise to the cartels, then the cartels for being cartels, then the Mexicans for putting up with the bullsh%t. We got there, the most scary things in the Mazatlan airport were the people trying to sell us time shares. Slick pushy con artists....free meal, fee boat trip, free...yea nothing is ever free. Okay, imho, buying a timeshare in Mexico, means maybe you deserve to get fleeced. Then I was mad at the timeshare people, and now, I am most mad at the tourists who buy that crap, and I still am. Since a US person cannot legally own property in Mexico, buying a timeshare means what...? I began to look at the rubes being duped in the lobby of our hotel.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">There was a comment online that people should avoid Mexico because they are enabling all of this....I think things like this need to be heeded. There were tourists asking the people at the front desk if it was safe to even leave the lobby or to even get in a cab.....so a few were also worried. Most looked clueless that Mexico was not Texas.....but it is Mexico!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Mexico....I have not stayed at the west coast of Mexico since 1997 when we went to a medical conference in Ixtapa for a week and stayed in a nearby city. Some two years later, we went to Cozumel, and I have stopped there twice on Cruise ships. I have written before I hate Cozumel. In the 26 years since Ixtapa and now to Mazatlan, Mexico is still the same. Maybe the roads have a fewer potholes but the vehicles are beat, the buildings done on the cheap, some unfinished, the hotels are over the top in size next to uneven sidewalks, garbage in vacant lots, and with slums a few blocks or even a few feet away. The inside of these hotels look cheap and like the Nineties are calling and want their walls back. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Mexicans with money seem to be a problem, some obviously were kept watch by guards on the drug payroll. They act like everything is fine and normal, and yet it all looks like if the big fault moves just offshore (and there is a big fault offshore), it all will come tumbling down and Mazatlan would look like Turkey. (There is a BIG fault just offshore BTW). The place is a mix of trophy wives, girlfriends, spoiled Mexican children intermixed all the while overweight Canadian and American tourists (including me), typically retirees also acting like this is all normal with their ill fitting shirts, strange hats, and looking and acting like they are marks for all sorts of scams. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">If the US government warned us all to be careful...being drunk, dressing and acting like Americans and flashing money in the lobby and taking loudly at meals about their assets....maybe they deserve to be sold timeshares or worse? We got called for the special "welcome packet." We snuck through the lobby to avoid the timeshare sales squad each time separating and using the old oh I need to ask my spuse if we were intercepted, and found ourselves at overpriced restaurants....in one somehow I think by paying cash, the waiter even got all of the money. I tried to keep out a watchful eye, but </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">1) the weather was cold and windy and the beaches at Mazatlan had water that looked scarier for disease than the men watching the drug captain's trophy women and children. Mazatlan has a sewage problem</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">2) My wife's family wanted to go do some things....walk the area, they bought concert tickets, wanted to check the restaurant scene...although I had hoped we could just sit and enjoy the resort and never leave....alas you just could not.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">3) the resort we had was sort of under construction, painting next door, building a seawall, and piles of material just outside our building. Noise and more noise. There were no flowers, few birds, and well, I was not thinking of showing off my big camera for a seawatch...</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">4) So even I was getting bored.... after a while, at least getting kidnapped was something interesting, and there was little interesting that I had seen there. I guess I'd die birding...</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">You know, Mazatlan look as though it was a fine idea in 1990, but it looked tired in 2023, even without the dangers...people who "loved" it had not been any other place, because of they had....they would have went there. You could wade into the beach in Cozumel, here...? Too rough, too cold, too toxic.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">We went to see the in-laws boat and ate dinner in here, Brave people sailing in such a small craft with just two people, Portland Oregon to Mazatlan....</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLVn-eyYfrOYsgDqZAqLxt8WCK7tHIyb_4rJTUsiXMwn4Cqcwvom2Uvlj5kDlay0wcBwgPuheiih-pArAlFoLuBMsm4LCdTTx0glrCdtHNEI1Pysl-CR_KCXX-fJj8Twl8YiIyEUrH5elK7Y_9ELR2CGtJxWYXSh5pIXnpYE1RlhbtG8Q5gV0Ai0jU/s1024/gypsy2j.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLVn-eyYfrOYsgDqZAqLxt8WCK7tHIyb_4rJTUsiXMwn4Cqcwvom2Uvlj5kDlay0wcBwgPuheiih-pArAlFoLuBMsm4LCdTTx0glrCdtHNEI1Pysl-CR_KCXX-fJj8Twl8YiIyEUrH5elK7Y_9ELR2CGtJxWYXSh5pIXnpYE1RlhbtG8Q5gV0Ai0jU/w400-h266/gypsy2j.jpeg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /> They risk death everyday at sea, Mazatlan must seem like crossing the street to them. The 36 foot <i>Gypsy.</i></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrAF8to5EqoMmaAcwxro-LRAAPHWMp9BwC--_0SOFL5xNUnRvCa-KzehKAkjOAsDkohXz9T93l1cB0N7YZhGUUFuvmVw8WgFANLAJGyeASqAws76yIlzTTxIL9fKwqpX8fuZtRT0GIaKZYaQNcC6Q4PSpRTrIlcKsSadp-z0YRcUQtihVs70UL8xH1/s1024/hoteljj.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrAF8to5EqoMmaAcwxro-LRAAPHWMp9BwC--_0SOFL5xNUnRvCa-KzehKAkjOAsDkohXz9T93l1cB0N7YZhGUUFuvmVw8WgFANLAJGyeASqAws76yIlzTTxIL9fKwqpX8fuZtRT0GIaKZYaQNcC6Q4PSpRTrIlcKsSadp-z0YRcUQtihVs70UL8xH1/w400-h266/hoteljj.jpeg" width="400" /></span></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The view from the hotel. It was not inclusive. The drinks so heavily watered down you could not even taste the alcohol. We ate a couple of passable breakfasts. They were short of pool lounges. They had little beach. You could take a trip to the island but I was unsure what the attraction was....Pelican nests ...thirst?</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigKOw86zsrfvXk6jm4stOGYaPfgP2nVPLmJZBvGbuJDHFMk6_IHyTpSyDWQz7Do6imuPqeSfBRO-pG-FYIOFRIYCSSzyHDTQ7b48Y1epwbTxoaqeCBQ6G2wBrTzjLqoYFUqCKLX7jPWAur2HeXrkUsyxf5K3SJBCKLZTXaWBKVyvc2mAG5v8oFKEvq/s5440/hotel1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigKOw86zsrfvXk6jm4stOGYaPfgP2nVPLmJZBvGbuJDHFMk6_IHyTpSyDWQz7Do6imuPqeSfBRO-pG-FYIOFRIYCSSzyHDTQ7b48Y1epwbTxoaqeCBQ6G2wBrTzjLqoYFUqCKLX7jPWAur2HeXrkUsyxf5K3SJBCKLZTXaWBKVyvc2mAG5v8oFKEvq/w400-h266/hotel1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Functional spartan room with twin full-sized beds, hard mattress, rodents in the airducts, lost of traffic noise and you could here bingo calls from the hotel next to you, but it had a nice breeze. FOX and CNN only English TV. $200/ night<br /></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">So I got to #4 and throwing caution to the wind, I made contact with a friend of a friend who had a friend who knew someone that would take us birding. They "guaranteed" our safety, for $150 each. A day before it turns out, the guide named Jose, was up at the tufted jay place, where even my "friend" was certain it would never be safe to go.....luckily, we went some place else. It was still out there in the middle of nowhere</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Mazatlan melts into desert scrub almost immediately. When you are out of town, you are out of town and nowhere. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX5OzgK-NsxhI2RyguXucptKpZ3mUg5HOXJHvxHgpd3GNGfbjOFAj6lmGoiEsjgmJbXSnK0wHgTM15evFbcF7ejVf6rOMDiKAK0ymJRmGbCFBzy_q9rgTvL436mDLrihidJ41E2XJmQ5YNO3T51nqBR_GRf_jLUFvC9dA24m9GYl2wd-0ZkHNyl_g8/s1024/mexicoj.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX5OzgK-NsxhI2RyguXucptKpZ3mUg5HOXJHvxHgpd3GNGfbjOFAj6lmGoiEsjgmJbXSnK0wHgTM15evFbcF7ejVf6rOMDiKAK0ymJRmGbCFBzy_q9rgTvL436mDLrihidJ41E2XJmQ5YNO3T51nqBR_GRf_jLUFvC9dA24m9GYl2wd-0ZkHNyl_g8/w400-h266/mexicoj.jpeg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">We went to a preserve mostly noted for jaguars and hiked 5 miles, locking ourselves in. The key under a hidden rock Most likely the dangers there were big cats and heat. I was uneasy as we trudge looking for some birds. I found a few lifers, and saw many Arizona birds. We missed a couple that I did not see, the guide did, and we ate some food cook over the woodstove when two new stoves stood a few feet away. Possibly they did not have electricity nor propane. </span></div><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgNmHK5cvWNLFG-6t-J6phh_N2Bm3fRFEbOdN9rmcITiaR_VxqFy0U-thJLXolByjAgqbUkMZ88D9lGMsqldVGqcJuZalSORs_fgsirZGVRjSxoYof3eghb3n_iuYU05HqtnarV1d_Hl3aP6tULZeDhM7uy4mQ7U3Xwd2R5XId8i7NWIQArcWB4fmR/s1024/purplish%20backed%20jay.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="1024" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgNmHK5cvWNLFG-6t-J6phh_N2Bm3fRFEbOdN9rmcITiaR_VxqFy0U-thJLXolByjAgqbUkMZ88D9lGMsqldVGqcJuZalSORs_fgsirZGVRjSxoYof3eghb3n_iuYU05HqtnarV1d_Hl3aP6tULZeDhM7uy4mQ7U3Xwd2R5XId8i7NWIQArcWB4fmR/w400-h283/purplish%20backed%20jay.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Purplish backed jay</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lJOMesywVRi2LmEbmVSjYt2RB54a00Q9uGbo_qV949BBjk-BgCLxS7NGFtJuOvR4eRFsqJTYlY5-S0hOf46EaXLMcOPzxUuhAbNam0dxsQ-UjNAuYaKOa1iI3J0UoAXzGLlqEv6ZrymNrBiPq4D69wCxDdDpWkz5m5jpnRKP-ToaqU24OBHxsi38/s1024/golden%20cheeked%20woodpecker.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="894" data-original-width="1024" height="349" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lJOMesywVRi2LmEbmVSjYt2RB54a00Q9uGbo_qV949BBjk-BgCLxS7NGFtJuOvR4eRFsqJTYlY5-S0hOf46EaXLMcOPzxUuhAbNam0dxsQ-UjNAuYaKOa1iI3J0UoAXzGLlqEv6ZrymNrBiPq4D69wCxDdDpWkz5m5jpnRKP-ToaqU24OBHxsi38/w400-h349/golden%20cheeked%20woodpecker.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden cheeked woodpecker</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiADI1ABklhU_2MU75-2DdLfW-OLpqhLNMHUvLHHDy_uo1A1b1FwQuwaPIOeJYCrLL6bkfwlTd2JKMmFej_oMLiyR0KfYFmkYedwIFBYkZdr471orv4IkBtEeim2pJUjwpZMyDgGHnk4QZjHgQfMhcm48oHx-O-nomki_V_k1aDKsf7-lJspgu7XwvP/s1024/elegant%20quail_1j.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="735" data-original-width="1024" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiADI1ABklhU_2MU75-2DdLfW-OLpqhLNMHUvLHHDy_uo1A1b1FwQuwaPIOeJYCrLL6bkfwlTd2JKMmFej_oMLiyR0KfYFmkYedwIFBYkZdr471orv4IkBtEeim2pJUjwpZMyDgGHnk4QZjHgQfMhcm48oHx-O-nomki_V_k1aDKsf7-lJspgu7XwvP/w400-h288/elegant%20quail_1j.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elegant quail</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgde75TT3VXURh9IOpDhilAfb5qdKsV1zB_q8mvu61O-KdVfXMlU7DUVfeZbigXx3BLeXs12fdpcZCy6V7u4S5W3J1Yfeijb52LBA8blzbSgO6Oeu8Wf0v6U90FGdgUzDnl7jDP2nHIP1d01Sak-1aiLLvfe6AMpCB1bZZ1LcIYYZa2bRH6naaJO1kP/s1024/black%20throated%20magpie%20jay_1j.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="688" data-original-width="1024" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgde75TT3VXURh9IOpDhilAfb5qdKsV1zB_q8mvu61O-KdVfXMlU7DUVfeZbigXx3BLeXs12fdpcZCy6V7u4S5W3J1Yfeijb52LBA8blzbSgO6Oeu8Wf0v6U90FGdgUzDnl7jDP2nHIP1d01Sak-1aiLLvfe6AMpCB1bZZ1LcIYYZa2bRH6naaJO1kP/w400-h269/black%20throated%20magpie%20jay_1j.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">black throated magpie jay</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwCPdCNjxSji1d_FUwpNyNPiytxZBW8anwhi45iepaLhg7xlRX_arwjdCPJekG1Wb43XfP8m0ahzp2p4YDa4C1cjMVASs290B_bPH00N6IiDBvriBDTPiqz0-btepYhW9wMnu_m7sjc9QHYDZ6yCb4gGI3YSW5BVvjN-_q0xXAABA8fd4eKIAjLs8S/s1024/rufoud%20bellied%20chachalaca.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="826" data-original-width="1024" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwCPdCNjxSji1d_FUwpNyNPiytxZBW8anwhi45iepaLhg7xlRX_arwjdCPJekG1Wb43XfP8m0ahzp2p4YDa4C1cjMVASs290B_bPH00N6IiDBvriBDTPiqz0-btepYhW9wMnu_m7sjc9QHYDZ6yCb4gGI3YSW5BVvjN-_q0xXAABA8fd4eKIAjLs8S/w400-h323/rufoud%20bellied%20chachalaca.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">rufous bellied chachalaca<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;">I added nine lifer birds, which considering the paucity of my Mexican bird list the haul here was rather light, but how many birds is a bullet worth? We did not bird at a second location.</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">We drove to see a set of odd petroglyphs on boulders by the sea. We like these things and my wife was more impressed with them than the birds.</span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggYJ1NEI4Y-fHCTr0RZFhadNrxcClSKAxSd-z7VVQQ61XUIujB1124gysnivP_N9NKIEQDK-tQl_aGK69jZ4oLuHVHvIMAdc6jOJnJ7VUZ86Woy4LOBET8rWF_zJrAmIuBPP3jntuMGk8wxcjn39fpyU1WArxOhUR5xJXmWaiFxldegATmwjKMbo1v/s5408/rock%20art2.dng" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="5408" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggYJ1NEI4Y-fHCTr0RZFhadNrxcClSKAxSd-z7VVQQ61XUIujB1124gysnivP_N9NKIEQDK-tQl_aGK69jZ4oLuHVHvIMAdc6jOJnJ7VUZ86Woy4LOBET8rWF_zJrAmIuBPP3jntuMGk8wxcjn39fpyU1WArxOhUR5xJXmWaiFxldegATmwjKMbo1v/w400-h266/rock%20art2.dng" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Possibly a frightened Olaf</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicjUFcehUP8QIV2Q1fp4KlFvHcCJqFSKgSMkVuYYrvD7Nd3ticXODQAkrtHEz-UXlisxBlZXEiVvUj7QaWqWXYIClXBpQKQtaNyCcaaHLQPum7qFuS6ahAGb01_DcWpsu1PBy_umSCmVmkzDwSnsi4Se6NAAW7syoRW2tg0biUAtWEPhNsogcfaLxD/s5408/rock%20art3.dng" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="5408" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicjUFcehUP8QIV2Q1fp4KlFvHcCJqFSKgSMkVuYYrvD7Nd3ticXODQAkrtHEz-UXlisxBlZXEiVvUj7QaWqWXYIClXBpQKQtaNyCcaaHLQPum7qFuS6ahAGb01_DcWpsu1PBy_umSCmVmkzDwSnsi4Se6NAAW7syoRW2tg0biUAtWEPhNsogcfaLxD/w400-h266/rock%20art3.dng" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8l6g0WfceA5AUu6x7PaUUdGH8GnlRdCIMpzTjRKEn4R2sykNWahr3qzgBqerwOfFuugnjO8MgKimM6rzMZkeeZqKw5LEOkxA78ElVy0Fzv4GINtV0WBppA8uVJpjYNuOqWx6cuooqzVUUb9-3t4RwFIts5qY2SiXyyzNZESCxwaR432TMEE9dkXDK/s1024/rock%20art7.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8l6g0WfceA5AUu6x7PaUUdGH8GnlRdCIMpzTjRKEn4R2sykNWahr3qzgBqerwOfFuugnjO8MgKimM6rzMZkeeZqKw5LEOkxA78ElVy0Fzv4GINtV0WBppA8uVJpjYNuOqWx6cuooqzVUUb9-3t4RwFIts5qY2SiXyyzNZESCxwaR432TMEE9dkXDK/w400-h266/rock%20art7.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pelican</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We passed a man hiding a rifle under his shirt on a motorcycle coming out. Luckily it was not pointed at us. Generally, there were no police outside of the city and few in it. Not sure if all of the shooting in Mazatlan in January has given way to a truce or everyone was tired after Carnival. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">We went back to the rather small dumpy looking airport, not the airport you would expect of a high end tourist place, the plane came, a woman in 1st Class got interviewed and was kicked off the plane and left without incident. The random inspections at the gate were mothers of small children. We were a little poorer, we had successfully avoided the time sales team and the kidnappers with equal success. We left Silja's sister behind with our water and coffee and well wishes and flew home.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">No shootings, no signs of the army, and no burnt out cars, well.....On the way back to our RV from the Tampa Airport we came across this..</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5AutN4rpwy5yxyGWpHWwdTqevNZLlg0WEN40gbQ4Q5Cou7SnbvaLLOXqob0fu-gHZYXntHSYPho43cDEJnqpxDDEmEACBHioT-0yZOcehIq9H0qh9hJPKElWHJmRzDZx-eeDujIMubqwuapywGWVITRFwnr87sSL-dE0ykEkLICmRDKqLEZSYDyf-/s3754/fire.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2558" data-original-width="3754" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5AutN4rpwy5yxyGWpHWwdTqevNZLlg0WEN40gbQ4Q5Cou7SnbvaLLOXqob0fu-gHZYXntHSYPho43cDEJnqpxDDEmEACBHioT-0yZOcehIq9H0qh9hJPKElWHJmRzDZx-eeDujIMubqwuapywGWVITRFwnr87sSL-dE0ykEkLICmRDKqLEZSYDyf-/w400-h272/fire.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">A burning car on the Veterans Expressway, it was just an accident but still it made me think. Life in the USA is dangerous too. I have been to dangerous places, South Africa for one, but I have been to Latin Countries that I have felt totally safe, Costa Rica, Uruguay, and Argentina to name some and Mexico...well Mexico is Mexico and it should be better, but alas it will never change IMHO. I guess it is all of our faults.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">We survived and I got a few birds, and I will renew my vow to stay away from life South of the Border...</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Be safe wherever you go</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Olaf</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p></div></div>Olaf Danielsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18427270873795437960noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-66897121849621986912022-12-25T09:06:00.010-06:002022-12-25T10:22:22.513-06:00Merry Christmas 2022<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjwn3kKAKffXu9Y8UzNCmOjcgY3JfG1hCHEl7ozWG3UrbYmhKDjOGcAgxN95pXtj0dmYERayUUb_Giz-eX68q1frl1ekHhQkMOxSqhbTrxK26RWXUGUS7AELjpfO9OsA_COjYPR8xPUHbjaT0T8i_0_HcOLRj4M6CowQo5MU0l0ceAtxGX1BzRRc_/s3586/grad.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2874" data-original-width="3586" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjwn3kKAKffXu9Y8UzNCmOjcgY3JfG1hCHEl7ozWG3UrbYmhKDjOGcAgxN95pXtj0dmYERayUUb_Giz-eX68q1frl1ekHhQkMOxSqhbTrxK26RWXUGUS7AELjpfO9OsA_COjYPR8xPUHbjaT0T8i_0_HcOLRj4M6CowQo5MU0l0ceAtxGX1BzRRc_/w400-h320/grad.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Although I still have a second Bhutan installment to add, we had to drive into the frozen tundra of northern Wisconsin, here is our Christmas "letter" to everyone</span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Christmas letters are like children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They take a while to nurture, grow, and evolve into something…something that hopefully benefit society or at least
amuse the reader. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether one went
everywhere and did everything OR went no where and did nothing, a good letter
is on the presentation and not the substance. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Letters are also all about the annual rite,
the tradition and expectation of getting the latter in the mail and the process
of doing them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I, for one, have been
neglectful in recent years as life has tended to make me busy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For this I do apologize. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I always start the gathering
of material for my Christmas letters slowly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>First, we plan a trip shortly after Christmas the previous year which if
it ends in a fiasco, can be conveniently excluded for the next Christmas
letter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Take last year for example, we
planned a trip to Tucson, a computer glitch occurred, and our flights were
cancelled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We split up the next day in a
second attempt to make it to warmer confines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some of us made it and well, some of us did NOT.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then it rained in Tucson and some of us got
COVID, but one thing good did come out of that trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being stranded in Chicago brought a welcome
bonus. Silja found her missing binoculars lost from the post-Christmas trip the
year before in Tyko’s car. Unfortunately, I had bought her a replacement pair
for a Christmas gift.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Another tip to a good Christmas letter is to keep it
light.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Avoid illness and other maladies
that may have plagued you during the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We went to two funerals, but no one wants to hear that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily, in 2022, was generally healthy for
the five of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also think it is
prudent if one has spent the bulk of the winter in the south to not brag about
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of our friends and family live
up north where it is cold and snowy, especially when they will see this
letter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reminding them that we spent the
winter in Florida is just bad form and possibly causing them discomfort.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">The adolescence of 2022 began for us in April, we drove
north, and went to Scotland and returned in May with just enough time to get to
Lauren’s College graduation from Hamline University in St Paul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were smiles and shouts all around when
she crossed the stage to get her diploma.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sadly, after three and a half years at Hamline, her cat, Annie did not
get her diploma.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently, she was a
whisker away, having failed her class on mousing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lauren started Dental School at the
University of Minnesota this fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At
one point we had to transport pulled South Dakota teeth to her for
practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The things one has to do for
children.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">It was a glorious summer—long, and filled with family and
visiting friends, even Camilla from Sweden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We went to Canada three times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Silja
caught the largest fish, 40 ¾ inch northern pike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Allwin painted the most on our house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tyko drove the farthest to visit from Chicago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lauren made the largest sculpture, a ten-foot
green dinosaur/ Pokémon now in the front yard of the cabin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a lot of creativity during the
year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wrote books and magazine
articles, Silja weaved, and Lauren sculpted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Allwin made novel enzymes at his PhD program and Tyko, in his 3/4<sup>th</sup>
year medical school in Chicago made diagnoses for many of the patients he was seeing
with illness he’d never seen before.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">It was a big year for Allwin, too, he graduated from
University of Wisconsin with his PhD in Chemistry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just because he could, Allwin took a
post-doctoral fellowship at the Max Planck Institute in Jena Germany.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He started this fall and will be overseas for
two years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Possibly his inspiration was
to avoid painting any more of the house.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">It is not like Tyko has not been doing crazy things in the
style that seems to be us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Medical
School is a busy time not conducive to whims and fancies (autocorrect wanted
for me to write “shims and pansies” but don’t let me get started on autocorrect
nor pansies).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His life is like ours was
back in the day, lack of sleep, overwhelming material, and a feeling of being
so low on the totem pole, you were superfluous, except he is in Chicago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">It is a vicious rumor that we plan adventures just to have things
to be included in our Christmas letters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These “mock ordeals” of spending a year of “living biblically” by the
Jewish rules, dressing up as a dog for the entire year, or eating just
McDonald’s food are for others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why
would someone do a “big year” birding, or go to someplace like Bhutan to see as
many phallic paintings and sculptures as they could?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, we went to Bhutan last month and never
saw anyone doing that. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">The year matured into old age for us in Thailand and Bhutan
in November.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was an epic four-week
trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the best of times, and the
worst of times, but what was best or worst depended on how you looked at it and
when.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a trip of learning Buddhist
culture, Thai and Bhutanese culture, spicy food, seeing cool birds, and having
a nice idyl at a resort in Thailand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This compared to a near plane crash (well it seemed near at the time), salmonella,
a suicide hike to a mountain temple, and 21,000 miles in the air. The memories
of salmonella will always be there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily,
the suspicious package we were sitting next to in Tokyo did not do anything but
remain suspicious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw a sign at the
Calcutta airport along the way that said, “travel like you mean it.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why would you travel like you did NOT mean
it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did not mean to get salmonella,
but well, I ate the eggs, and stuff happens.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">We came back to Florida, fought jetlag and then, possibly
somewhat full of impulsivity, or maybe an illness, we had an offer accepted on
a house last week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The house is a mile
from our campsite in Florida, both are north of Tampa in a rather interesting
community not unlike the RV park we are in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>NO, we are not selling the RV, nor the lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone asks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are still going to Big Bend this spring
and parking it north of Minneapolis for the summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will also need to build a shed at Enemy Swim Lake this summer, and maybe eventually work on selling our Milbank house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tyko graduates from medical school this
spring in Chicago as well. There are many things to do next year hopefully providing
much to write about next year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">We are driving north this week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m chasing a bird in Iowa if it is still
around (it wasn't).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have books to pick up in
Indiana, and we are going to South Dakota before the great family Christmas shuffle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Enjoying the holidays is always a process in
logistics, weather forecasting, and sleeping in strange beds and cold
rooms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We left the cats behind with
Lauren this fall, and we need to get them back to the RV. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It may make a story for a country song…a Volvo
full of beef, cats, Christmas presents, and stuff we forgot to take with the RV—title:
“Lost in Louisville” or maybe “Crazy in Chattanooga.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Vomiting in Vidalia” is the most likely song
title as the trip will be full of vomit and gnashing of teeth, hopefully mostly
Tiger the cat’s.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">I might add, Allwin dedicated his PhD thesis to his great grandmother Lucille Danielson, and this will be the fourth Christmas we are having without her. We have her meatballs but not her, and it just does not feel right.....a toast to her from me as well with a tear in my eye. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">So, there it is, another Christmas letter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Merry Christmas from the Clan of Daniel, Olaf, Silja
(Sarah), Allwin, Tyko (Seth), and Lauren.<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Olaf Danielsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18427270873795437960noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-66446467247173639942022-11-30T10:29:00.005-06:002022-11-30T19:01:02.006-06:00The Ultimate Bhutan Adventure Synopsis: Part I <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtThlQY36_A0i-JNcZE-plkL24itLevhDpGRYVh8xVMgomOPqkB-Xdq6EDcopabDa7hhLPgankRjmEX77sSW7EBLzcd-21LKGJCrqH9lAz4d1tg2kcpKNaUVjL8Hanca3Oy1G0Y_k3jjj2KaygZS7DuNnJgh_wbfkC25cEtTCrvIkAXbBRpES-5Hw/s5408/tigers%20den.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="5408" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtThlQY36_A0i-JNcZE-plkL24itLevhDpGRYVh8xVMgomOPqkB-Xdq6EDcopabDa7hhLPgankRjmEX77sSW7EBLzcd-21LKGJCrqH9lAz4d1tg2kcpKNaUVjL8Hanca3Oy1G0Y_k3jjj2KaygZS7DuNnJgh_wbfkC25cEtTCrvIkAXbBRpES-5Hw/w400-h266/tigers%20den.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I have just spent 18 days in Bhutan. We flew out of Paro Airport this morning. I took 15,500 photos, some of which I still have yet to process. Along the way, I lost 300 do to a camera mishap. I lost a $500 teleconverter I've had for a decade. My legs hurt from Friday's 2000 foot accent to the Tiger's Nest, which also included an extra 760 step decent plus 200 step ascent which had to be repeated coming out. Along the way my wife ran out of gas and we had to help he amble down the hill on worn out knees. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I bought a few souvenirs, a local guide to birds and butterflies literally delivered to us through an open window driving past a wide spot on the road to the capital, Thimphu, a rock taken from the mountain yesterday, a book on the Bhutan obsession of the phallus, and a refrigerator magnet with a phallus on it, because, I had to buy something.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXt42P8ToaKhyKmrHdlHXq5hkJbT0VLc_ww0RO2atLf1UpYa3TfLyY69488XQ894XR_JRWC6oYDpTOr8CtjLKpT1YaYOPflfDlowN3wmXwCOxuHdk3lYdrlSG9qvouV6sHMxjKzU8sEKjAh5HDl1K-a9U4WcGyuYI1tnEZQAlBDdR3SjB1r0qljzKo/s5440/penis3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXt42P8ToaKhyKmrHdlHXq5hkJbT0VLc_ww0RO2atLf1UpYa3TfLyY69488XQ894XR_JRWC6oYDpTOr8CtjLKpT1YaYOPflfDlowN3wmXwCOxuHdk3lYdrlSG9qvouV6sHMxjKzU8sEKjAh5HDl1K-a9U4WcGyuYI1tnEZQAlBDdR3SjB1r0qljzKo/w400-h266/penis3.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The ubiquitous penises of Bhutan </span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLeGv223mgmNZuZm_W_BQXkvjNo31BeF2lsto6BsRWV8ifDH7gU4qpX8QhmEyMXNUxpXfZzGCStH4SRcfjy8kubnvVvHGMgJD9G4Or93OoVrrHYodL3oVghX47ZqEZuTCmJqX87hGCxtJLCOL7d1eR_qwCPSE2aMAT12DmTcyJqcMmE6NrKyzdWit/s5440/prnis%209.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLeGv223mgmNZuZm_W_BQXkvjNo31BeF2lsto6BsRWV8ifDH7gU4qpX8QhmEyMXNUxpXfZzGCStH4SRcfjy8kubnvVvHGMgJD9G4Or93OoVrrHYodL3oVghX47ZqEZuTCmJqX87hGCxtJLCOL7d1eR_qwCPSE2aMAT12DmTcyJqcMmE6NrKyzdWit/w400-h266/prnis%209.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A penis with teeth and hairy scrotum on the side of a house, have they gone...too far?<br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;">There are thousands of photos of them, but I will spare you more</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">The Divine Madman has an interesting history. The legendary saint, Drupka Kunley, came to Bhutan 500 years
ago to expel a demon from Dochula, the same mountain pass we just crossed on
the road from Thimphu. The demon took the form of a dog which Kunley trapped in
the stupa atop a mound in the form of a woman’s breast, which is now his
sacred site of the fertility temple. He struck the demon with his Thunderbolt
of Flaming Wisdom, his penis, and it fell down dead. As he did so he spoke the
words Chi Mi, or no dog, and there we have the origin of the name of the
temple. The site was blessed by Kunley and in 1499 C.E. the monastery was built
in his honor by his cousin Ngawang Choegyel, the 14th Drukpa.</span><div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Too be honest, saying anything about Bhutan in between 1000 and 1500 words is impossible. The place is both glorious and a little sad because of expected "paradise lost" which ALWAYS occurs at such places. We saw it happen at Grenada 30 years ago and once something it is found, it gets destroyed Mind you they claim it to be the center of happiness. The people do seem content, yet with everyone with cellphones, the outside world is just a google search away and with it, the temptation of desire....which is talked about in their Buddhist beliefs as leading to Greed and then Ignorance....but the lure is still there.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I took a picture for a Turkish woman yesterday who had been everywhere and criticized Bhutan for not being "authentic." Much of the souvenirs offered claim to be authentically Bhutanese, but our bus driver admitted it is all made in Nepal or India, and none of it was authentic but I am not sure that is what the Turkish woman was saying.....maybe it was the new slavish devotion to the tourism trade both helping the country and one leading to its downfall, but alas, she did not explain, nor did I ask her to.<br /><br />First, let us discuss the bathrooms. As I mentioned earlier, this was not a trip for sissies.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We had two types of bathrooms. Impromptu outhouses, a hole dug, a kind of portable sitting device inside a rather small tent (zipper malfunctioned right away) and what I called the "hole and hope room." The room had a hole, you squatted, hoped you hit the hole and a bucket was nearby for cleaning misses. Some people did not clean up, and there was never enough water.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIr7p815sYqLtZzb-xFfdQtAWOybuJpzE0dBbEtpJserfeCLRBidK67RIyhlhRFeEXt3QMBaq1h5V83hTcn-9inp5DuCiu88ts42vx3OL8rOSCLt6VeuF3iNkNrJyE8ZMNAzgpMZ16de9iFErUH0yOA0qg3DRQIOoitckcw5yfEbsiBGk-NtlwEFo4/s4491/hole%20and%20hope.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3092" data-original-width="4491" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIr7p815sYqLtZzb-xFfdQtAWOybuJpzE0dBbEtpJserfeCLRBidK67RIyhlhRFeEXt3QMBaq1h5V83hTcn-9inp5DuCiu88ts42vx3OL8rOSCLt6VeuF3iNkNrJyE8ZMNAzgpMZ16de9iFErUH0yOA0qg3DRQIOoitckcw5yfEbsiBGk-NtlwEFo4/w400-h275/hole%20and%20hope.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Some of the many scenic outhouse locations...........</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhia7P3ScuPouXVBzEi2oYKVy_CeEL6wAzYTtD5eqEMB1YwpIJTBZEBe_Zd2smO1TfRrcKROcH6KHqC6-IrpZsNYWwXk1gXT6fli4r40YoXs7jbbRzCMuECqtz9BdtLYKl4AoZb3ekjUwB9QXEAzeARbcTszx-KCCk0wT4LV80Ntpl9KGAdKS5O0UEg/s4979/outhouse2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3204" data-original-width="4979" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhia7P3ScuPouXVBzEi2oYKVy_CeEL6wAzYTtD5eqEMB1YwpIJTBZEBe_Zd2smO1TfRrcKROcH6KHqC6-IrpZsNYWwXk1gXT6fli4r40YoXs7jbbRzCMuECqtz9BdtLYKl4AoZb3ekjUwB9QXEAzeARbcTszx-KCCk0wT4LV80Ntpl9KGAdKS5O0UEg/w400-h258/outhouse2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjEkmzp9570yKXSyPFI2DbSvZZ9Xj7QE7pNb9_kRNgL8taKzVn_Q9QmWcAXQDUa8twLeqyUMyTnq9fJxP1BNTw4f1OLfHXftLjqtuu2Jr3Gt2_a3Oo3Ay921YeW-aD4XzYPFGfgINUPjaVUw7uIbqg7gUS_WicFLNl9BQFv-BmnRNqqGqH21c1V2dy/s5440/outhouse.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjEkmzp9570yKXSyPFI2DbSvZZ9Xj7QE7pNb9_kRNgL8taKzVn_Q9QmWcAXQDUa8twLeqyUMyTnq9fJxP1BNTw4f1OLfHXftLjqtuu2Jr3Gt2_a3Oo3Ay921YeW-aD4XzYPFGfgINUPjaVUw7uIbqg7gUS_WicFLNl9BQFv-BmnRNqqGqH21c1V2dy/w400-h266/outhouse.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">One location was in the garden in the back yard of Camp Cement discussed earlier.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Bhutan is overrun by dogs, they sleep all day, usually in the road, or come to beg for food, and then bark all night. Some even have interesting houses.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRXF4s_BseYlyUnpTIKb7cdbKt43cCveJ7J9mT0-YHRhtYgHyNgKMmb05Fc9jYpJj1W3y2cFvwLYOWKlfXVt5MxbF8qBu9k0QcZXCzLSt9f_DJ_9CQO4K1EQ2ipoN5vC-fSCndJKp2bmoyPGwmhnLUv_8W5IlAcfdSNMPMb517HmrU3i9SppD1hV5/s5440/dog2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRXF4s_BseYlyUnpTIKb7cdbKt43cCveJ7J9mT0-YHRhtYgHyNgKMmb05Fc9jYpJj1W3y2cFvwLYOWKlfXVt5MxbF8qBu9k0QcZXCzLSt9f_DJ_9CQO4K1EQ2ipoN5vC-fSCndJKp2bmoyPGwmhnLUv_8W5IlAcfdSNMPMb517HmrU3i9SppD1hV5/w400-h266/dog2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> At the heart, t</span><span>his was a birding trip, we saw some of the sights</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Punakha Dzong, a five hundred year old fort and the Temple of a Thousand Buddhas</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLH_ljX_s1OnLO4wUxgY0T6YjsZNnud30N2rby7_XFQxXMu_pP_Bw4fh4SJjCMwaQfNcaZQOfuwNM7gkYz0KvnHsj19eU2J0egSuMb3oSTsPORNs5UZJoL25zwKH8SJgRHRrqqoFAxDUpwOOeSqr6CWVUsGzApmdoKPqQqKXZ8ASR94xgCNtnp4Xfy/s5408/punakha%20dzong2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="5408" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLH_ljX_s1OnLO4wUxgY0T6YjsZNnud30N2rby7_XFQxXMu_pP_Bw4fh4SJjCMwaQfNcaZQOfuwNM7gkYz0KvnHsj19eU2J0egSuMb3oSTsPORNs5UZJoL25zwKH8SJgRHRrqqoFAxDUpwOOeSqr6CWVUsGzApmdoKPqQqKXZ8ASR94xgCNtnp4Xfy/w400-h266/punakha%20dzong2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1y8NOpT6VlUTzbhArwHNbvj3Ry5u0GJxkhHM0gCIHeewJpwF1YS4ZC7NukkUBEgNsujTDzswoy9g-8a18YXvoezp8ATLFGUyFVJA3bGZvjfYKXSaknnRWRJqW-g0XoVtkMhQeHDkcWOfiSdaGK6qh9oeUymFbqI6XULFmQR4yHZcn0tSkEQMTsiB/s3462/punakha%20dzong.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="3462" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1y8NOpT6VlUTzbhArwHNbvj3Ry5u0GJxkhHM0gCIHeewJpwF1YS4ZC7NukkUBEgNsujTDzswoy9g-8a18YXvoezp8ATLFGUyFVJA3bGZvjfYKXSaknnRWRJqW-g0XoVtkMhQeHDkcWOfiSdaGK6qh9oeUymFbqI6XULFmQR4yHZcn0tSkEQMTsiB/w400-h243/punakha%20dzong.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG0829mw919omy-LBinBT90qqewjaRxNOTD8TIzcgmwKdHSiuvoQYVpfB-7WYWniPu45BzUvmOBxzQhOXKN_nvsEv9DsVI7eNPXoQNyCaTRvdr4DUINCEjS5NAbwglv7fofG0NvMASqVJ8hYI-WIaXvvgMtPcv38Ed_T4S7vFpmrDPUc_vnGSaKIZ4/s5408/punakha%20dzong%203.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="5408" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG0829mw919omy-LBinBT90qqewjaRxNOTD8TIzcgmwKdHSiuvoQYVpfB-7WYWniPu45BzUvmOBxzQhOXKN_nvsEv9DsVI7eNPXoQNyCaTRvdr4DUINCEjS5NAbwglv7fofG0NvMASqVJ8hYI-WIaXvvgMtPcv38Ed_T4S7vFpmrDPUc_vnGSaKIZ4/w400-h266/punakha%20dzong%203.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKdArixBnFT6GGkHg7-zDgFzEkwoTy5ZSxWtAg_VptHOEn63A1Hx4SgmGuYLMU7U-LvRIcb0zeLSJtDvIVdHPK7lvKENdfJBHWoPJd7ecdlSbrU8oWeJ7HcFS8MBRvKaBIfPtAcOpJ4XknkRMaY-CiEs1Hobd5OMkKmuS615YuPgYv4PRyQBwm_c4-/s5408/punakha%20dzong%204.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="5408" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKdArixBnFT6GGkHg7-zDgFzEkwoTy5ZSxWtAg_VptHOEn63A1Hx4SgmGuYLMU7U-LvRIcb0zeLSJtDvIVdHPK7lvKENdfJBHWoPJd7ecdlSbrU8oWeJ7HcFS8MBRvKaBIfPtAcOpJ4XknkRMaY-CiEs1Hobd5OMkKmuS615YuPgYv4PRyQBwm_c4-/w400-h266/punakha%20dzong%204.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1sCYAtwLZbO2a3QowF9bZO54_2o1OSHnY3DnAkyMD8lGeO8iCKgJGMiv9r__4f-JPE6t8RU12wMXydg-crTfXiBVkePl4-sIjkIdUontzKoSGFCb9Qb4PMGltAXHyijjhTcvc_d0vO8qAGCBwJBeP31QULtmseF1Imd7WkHHhLoyRpHLxn6m0_whr/s5408/punakha%20dzong%205.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="5408" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1sCYAtwLZbO2a3QowF9bZO54_2o1OSHnY3DnAkyMD8lGeO8iCKgJGMiv9r__4f-JPE6t8RU12wMXydg-crTfXiBVkePl4-sIjkIdUontzKoSGFCb9Qb4PMGltAXHyijjhTcvc_d0vO8qAGCBwJBeP31QULtmseF1Imd7WkHHhLoyRpHLxn6m0_whr/w400-h266/punakha%20dzong%205.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOfqODdMIQi5m2Nowd2cQGvj4K2vyFF14580OsLOE-FZzZIk-PqFr_SfLxlZt6sb7OJ9btBPv4HiGko20Ghkg2OFP0BoBiBaxwZR83YScv6Gw5yDfBzcxZ5qapq6WjNnfAFwqE8_wIx1wBIJYD43kfMFsp9wX8rh9tGD2ZeOQ06gBVnwlGsDpBdLPd/s5408/punakha%20dzong%206.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="5408" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOfqODdMIQi5m2Nowd2cQGvj4K2vyFF14580OsLOE-FZzZIk-PqFr_SfLxlZt6sb7OJ9btBPv4HiGko20Ghkg2OFP0BoBiBaxwZR83YScv6Gw5yDfBzcxZ5qapq6WjNnfAFwqE8_wIx1wBIJYD43kfMFsp9wX8rh9tGD2ZeOQ06gBVnwlGsDpBdLPd/w400-h266/punakha%20dzong%206.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">We weren't allowed to photograph in the temple</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">More pictures from the Tiger's Nest. The group that made it halfway up to the Tea House. Five of us made it to the overlook on the left, four of us (me included) made it to the Holy sight.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhraSoqs51Wm5dLMN1nlYolUtvu2Q6JSlg4QWCOjV5xchS3yysQ4aJLuXPiy3_GFfO_eBNu1vQcuF910eSxYqqrkF-DT75el88qW-wttpVQcbSl-Xp7YyD6V17b_GpVO3-40Mc90am7zGY8w6KAtZl22VjrNyria_tAvlSLJdjRhOPJX10yk666pppG/s5440/tea%20house.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhraSoqs51Wm5dLMN1nlYolUtvu2Q6JSlg4QWCOjV5xchS3yysQ4aJLuXPiy3_GFfO_eBNu1vQcuF910eSxYqqrkF-DT75el88qW-wttpVQcbSl-Xp7YyD6V17b_GpVO3-40Mc90am7zGY8w6KAtZl22VjrNyria_tAvlSLJdjRhOPJX10yk666pppG/w400-h266/tea%20house.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxVSVFhgt1Gmplu1O2f3dyhal0n5VBWV0E7l88sePf648Eaqn5DtyEQhZRYNpW4j-oFKTfBjdvvqEuXprYhNM7QLbVeZpIpn6Rr9bbmnfIBn70mpFGMaQh-rniIkSJlRETJeXNsW2a3OGwKtV7hSwuBddMUKtd2YtxV7rQSgIQVbKXIokaJp3dUUoh/s5440/olaf1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxVSVFhgt1Gmplu1O2f3dyhal0n5VBWV0E7l88sePf648Eaqn5DtyEQhZRYNpW4j-oFKTfBjdvvqEuXprYhNM7QLbVeZpIpn6Rr9bbmnfIBn70mpFGMaQh-rniIkSJlRETJeXNsW2a3OGwKtV7hSwuBddMUKtd2YtxV7rQSgIQVbKXIokaJp3dUUoh/w400-h266/olaf1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj18c6FlvYsh_jDpQoAIoGbKunmiR2F0oaIA8xldzL1TOjmfVY1ZUF0dax7QUi4ZHMkc51LQzwzUwEt0FFQW9TTG-jfFvy6DmNtMT6nInYzMccZRjBva1Px5VuVfk8mYi2XFkF7PooQi3mSbnwQRN292gB7gwGploFUFwofd7lC_iiBgn7HzaJLqEGk/s5408/tigers%20den.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="5408" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj18c6FlvYsh_jDpQoAIoGbKunmiR2F0oaIA8xldzL1TOjmfVY1ZUF0dax7QUi4ZHMkc51LQzwzUwEt0FFQW9TTG-jfFvy6DmNtMT6nInYzMccZRjBva1Px5VuVfk8mYi2XFkF7PooQi3mSbnwQRN292gB7gwGploFUFwofd7lC_iiBgn7HzaJLqEGk/w400-h266/tigers%20den.JPG" width="400" /></a><br /><p><span style="font-size: large;">We saw lots of fabulous birds....unfortunately not the best one, the white bellied heron, a bird that will undoubtedly go extinct before I get a second chance. Why? Well probably the development of the rivers of source for power which ironically, is sadly sent to India. If not the damming of the rivers, it is the powerlines. They have exposed 10 miles of river bed here totally diverting a major river at one place. Be it the loss of water or the electrical lines connecting to it, the heron is in peril.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We did see Ward's Trogan, my bad picture</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Q7yqtDyjnxSUSMCQP8d6WAwAx8irkbbcxGiokmivhS8YOpM3uN2SSmqlD0ZDV7XYbULF6b8lfncy8TtEe5DfgdkRzPCUeeXUsMPW4RV2lIpKxgGZVLubl5LqWccYv-otb2pCWIKUZeNXLzMZH2v5Dfi_LFJkhhTIJnGSg5Jgzrl3T_Ov8EFsot7r/s1922/ward's%20trogan2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1467" data-original-width="1922" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Q7yqtDyjnxSUSMCQP8d6WAwAx8irkbbcxGiokmivhS8YOpM3uN2SSmqlD0ZDV7XYbULF6b8lfncy8TtEe5DfgdkRzPCUeeXUsMPW4RV2lIpKxgGZVLubl5LqWccYv-otb2pCWIKUZeNXLzMZH2v5Dfi_LFJkhhTIJnGSg5Jgzrl3T_Ov8EFsot7r/w400-h305/ward's%20trogan2.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9DWlaO0EjqNH3o0dki_1SvxivPDb47Gb9rOFuL9CQJfpDTKdwUPLcL1jZH20lVgeGgyxbZvkyBrrBhvebN1otO3xoK8Q2QpEAydw7hamZvGAAfZlKqd2ZDSLI3VwmYXJU5tLJZIo-tSOMH_tkNcCg9aC_2fF_wRUm1UrUff32Z7x-n_FT2k9zbJ00/s5616/wards%20trogon%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3744" data-original-width="5616" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9DWlaO0EjqNH3o0dki_1SvxivPDb47Gb9rOFuL9CQJfpDTKdwUPLcL1jZH20lVgeGgyxbZvkyBrrBhvebN1otO3xoK8Q2QpEAydw7hamZvGAAfZlKqd2ZDSLI3VwmYXJU5tLJZIo-tSOMH_tkNcCg9aC_2fF_wRUm1UrUff32Z7x-n_FT2k9zbJ00/w400-h266/wards%20trogon%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">our guide Dorgi, got better pictures</div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><div>My picture bad but at least we saw one.</div></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3CNGBk5_6ESAGqDv2KtSpjz-CAQRVkcsyhgmCB6l5UkP8N72eVXqFOe4e5R2luj-G5_UZlTcuCngY7ftW0hsbec1OZCHIUTk1kmxlB1ds-xkdxqa9LyQBk-JLmbc3RpxB2JmvtcXL_oLn5a4EuD1tzZkQU2yrIK7MKUxIEWD0AHk0saBt1tS4NZJW/s1960/yellow%20billed%20blue%20magpie2.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1454" data-original-width="1960" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3CNGBk5_6ESAGqDv2KtSpjz-CAQRVkcsyhgmCB6l5UkP8N72eVXqFOe4e5R2luj-G5_UZlTcuCngY7ftW0hsbec1OZCHIUTk1kmxlB1ds-xkdxqa9LyQBk-JLmbc3RpxB2JmvtcXL_oLn5a4EuD1tzZkQU2yrIK7MKUxIEWD0AHk0saBt1tS4NZJW/w400-h296/yellow%20billed%20blue%20magpie2.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellow billed blue magpie<br /><br />We had a slew of warblers, quick and hard to identify.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XZH7pnBs1hXgZC6rZ-GKstsV5bOVIYZTSvC_vusA8b9BAWB_BfW3X37AmUGMXe3WLd02fM0bxlnFrj3YlC3uG-124zl3E99yAcR469ahGZjYb3xL_D6fNeyJWFFbMtNA5pinfc1rwya2MNp8VTUg8jzumgfvn2t7_-0EvGBdpkV8vG8wWLMVUnD1/s1429/ashy%20throated%20warbler_1.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1107" data-original-width="1429" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XZH7pnBs1hXgZC6rZ-GKstsV5bOVIYZTSvC_vusA8b9BAWB_BfW3X37AmUGMXe3WLd02fM0bxlnFrj3YlC3uG-124zl3E99yAcR469ahGZjYb3xL_D6fNeyJWFFbMtNA5pinfc1rwya2MNp8VTUg8jzumgfvn2t7_-0EvGBdpkV8vG8wWLMVUnD1/w400-h310/ashy%20throated%20warbler_1.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ash throated warbler<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9_PrTXe3z_4_XJmy7sEC1xseA_qfa1yXTc_yt71yVkh7b7BaZMFjSn-DWbEiHP8HEedzfLUhPAQc4ZQfma6P417cViZUTFXdeSyy1FUGEyM58I9oE84IU7WnB_Xaj7HTTILylrFMlI5Haa9qA_09dBt2w3s8JOOTPl-LZ3WQRwRrA4JnNqaLmLD2/s1429/gray%20hooded%20warbler.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1429" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9_PrTXe3z_4_XJmy7sEC1xseA_qfa1yXTc_yt71yVkh7b7BaZMFjSn-DWbEiHP8HEedzfLUhPAQc4ZQfma6P417cViZUTFXdeSyy1FUGEyM58I9oE84IU7WnB_Xaj7HTTILylrFMlI5Haa9qA_09dBt2w3s8JOOTPl-LZ3WQRwRrA4JnNqaLmLD2/w400-h294/gray%20hooded%20warbler.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gray hooded warbler</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGJa006EJGcLrMK_QH22bGXQ2uPUxN81-SQ8WziZoBS2_Nq12dTB6D9WRD3In1Ff8Wtasdj6IaefJN1VzXXWNv1Sx74_Xnd5NqJW5lzrMfMGhtEFq2BI2FhDROUcZ95Ob17p-WWwghOJGDVow0UAJCXIc0IE8H7r-Qz6wPBW9AalNc4EzBvYM6guFn/s3457/black%20rumped%20magpie.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2377" data-original-width="3457" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGJa006EJGcLrMK_QH22bGXQ2uPUxN81-SQ8WziZoBS2_Nq12dTB6D9WRD3In1Ff8Wtasdj6IaefJN1VzXXWNv1Sx74_Xnd5NqJW5lzrMfMGhtEFq2BI2FhDROUcZ95Ob17p-WWwghOJGDVow0UAJCXIc0IE8H7r-Qz6wPBW9AalNc4EzBvYM6guFn/w400-h275/black%20rumped%20magpie.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black rumped magpie arecent split from the Eurasian magpie</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguBdJey8YZ3GTqsVhjyrdYJaj8a_cuuYD-1TT9KXC94nK5fWcGkIGjdM7jqTIrJBo6LdO5q152_KOmIznhqr---u-qoo_fMm7JKtkg7CYip765CBTI4Zogn5FWdXPJ3KiFe7JTlV3n3vVuo-wBsb_t-YLv6ZRfSlSAF6uUcMWV9TLn_ObQrmqUGRMr/s3647/blood%20pheasant1.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="3647" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguBdJey8YZ3GTqsVhjyrdYJaj8a_cuuYD-1TT9KXC94nK5fWcGkIGjdM7jqTIrJBo6LdO5q152_KOmIznhqr---u-qoo_fMm7JKtkg7CYip765CBTI4Zogn5FWdXPJ3KiFe7JTlV3n3vVuo-wBsb_t-YLv6ZRfSlSAF6uUcMWV9TLn_ObQrmqUGRMr/w400-h285/blood%20pheasant1.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">blood pheasant</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtIXxZzjPeBm2iD_Nk0C5oYU5aGzJgkAfDW51FRquXHrGV9srGhM25w-0PmKRiZFCu-c0UAntRw52B4LwybfLatjCxvLDLlE5uvNPVaW8tSooqIL3rmslQ7gvq24zoew0USS2NMo9GK7tsbKl223QcWegUk67ABT4Plg19PIp-JzcHk6BxIWdtnI8q/s1581/chestnut%20tailed%20minla.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1372" data-original-width="1581" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtIXxZzjPeBm2iD_Nk0C5oYU5aGzJgkAfDW51FRquXHrGV9srGhM25w-0PmKRiZFCu-c0UAntRw52B4LwybfLatjCxvLDLlE5uvNPVaW8tSooqIL3rmslQ7gvq24zoew0USS2NMo9GK7tsbKl223QcWegUk67ABT4Plg19PIp-JzcHk6BxIWdtnI8q/w400-h348/chestnut%20tailed%20minla.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chestnut tailed minla</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This is just a taste of the many birds, we will post another blog shortly with more birds, more sights of our Epic trip to Bhutan</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Olaf</span></div><br /></div></div></div>Olaf Danielsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18427270873795437960noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-88171736940625836952022-11-28T12:22:00.004-06:002022-11-28T16:26:50.387-06:00The Journey Home<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKlkfSYQyE_9i0xo4wqVQoz9D7THjnKyvV8z0IkeCB6HFSQRoNylnykO8dfI_iklgrmmMQg0qYVFh8ByYeWUCux0DZsc4WTNGGFZfPfajHAQT5mOdwgdc0950LfsMz8FBu3qnf58_WmPYMxuSF9OqWnFCK1AiRUiL9oyFZiQXM_DNcHPkeuCfnH2eb/s5440/bhutan11.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKlkfSYQyE_9i0xo4wqVQoz9D7THjnKyvV8z0IkeCB6HFSQRoNylnykO8dfI_iklgrmmMQg0qYVFh8ByYeWUCux0DZsc4WTNGGFZfPfajHAQT5mOdwgdc0950LfsMz8FBu3qnf58_WmPYMxuSF9OqWnFCK1AiRUiL9oyFZiQXM_DNcHPkeuCfnH2eb/w400-h266/bhutan11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The road to Bhutan, the diminutive Buddhist country in the
eastern Himalayas is a long one. For us,
it was flights from Tampa to Houston to Narita-Tokyo and one to Bangkok. From Bangkok we flew to Bagdogra, India and
then to Paro. We stayed in Bhutan for 18
days. We saw birds, animals, and say
Buddhism in its most living form in my humble opinion. The trip home was even more brutal. We left our hotel in Paro at 4AM after a
night of obligate cultural immersion at a private home. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-oQN6BCBxcC-lkKXjc_-aDiOEU2-opchhzlzwKibfjv-XDQ5sm-yycz_Pvx6rpPpWBkxJmRFzakoCetuFo51MKglCdQJxwb6mvvqEb2Wci6_bZyHSUgxn9Ffv2qJQi1gaApeiAxWksNS4GiY_eTygdX_Sno3rW3zfuwViRHjXg0IIQ6FelfKXClF/s5440/birding1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-oQN6BCBxcC-lkKXjc_-aDiOEU2-opchhzlzwKibfjv-XDQ5sm-yycz_Pvx6rpPpWBkxJmRFzakoCetuFo51MKglCdQJxwb6mvvqEb2Wci6_bZyHSUgxn9Ffv2qJQi1gaApeiAxWksNS4GiY_eTygdX_Sno3rW3zfuwViRHjXg0IIQ6FelfKXClF/w400-h266/birding1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This was a birding trip</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We flew to Kalikat (Calcutta), that incredibly smog infested
city in India. We did not deplane, but I
did take a picture of an interesting slogan on another plane. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MyVv7Qy2v8eCZEPBAol5z-UWBlUJrlLr3yQ4fMfxQ4Hm6rfWZ4_vfsG9CSfcWAV0gsIWfTRFhWgjGkYRK6m0uPDweC0JgxGYrG5sqDhwiy3PHFtZlICq16ZlaIceQWH2Uu_WI-aZGAMW-El1F6IUEU83rgv0nXtWxjR7tYnqRlIHAlqUoUIC9zut/s877/2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="877" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MyVv7Qy2v8eCZEPBAol5z-UWBlUJrlLr3yQ4fMfxQ4Hm6rfWZ4_vfsG9CSfcWAV0gsIWfTRFhWgjGkYRK6m0uPDweC0JgxGYrG5sqDhwiy3PHFtZlICq16ZlaIceQWH2Uu_WI-aZGAMW-El1F6IUEU83rgv0nXtWxjR7tYnqRlIHAlqUoUIC9zut/w400-h279/2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Which is more interesting, the note on the stairs, "Lets get high together" or the name of the airline, "Ease my Trip"?</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Our Bhutan Air Airbus flew on to Bangkok. We landed at noon and we spent much time in
immigration and then found our hotel room at the airport. Silja and I spent a spa day there, ironing
out nearly worthless muscles from our 1600 foot ascent to the Tiger’s Nest, witch
was actually a 2000 foot ascent and then a 750 step decent, and 210 step ascent
to this important religious and cultural landmark in Bhutan.</span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">We wasted our Thai baht on food and drink, massages, and only spent
time with one other member of our tour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We slept in soft beds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Thai
Buddhists unlike the Bhutan Buddhists believe that a rock does not make a good pillow nor a board a good
bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our flight to Narita Tokyo left at
7 and took five hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We flew over the
hills of Vietnam, where to many Americans died for nothing 50 years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We flew over Taiwan, and then Okinawa, places
possibly of wars future and of wars past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was hard to picture Okinawa as almost totally a city save for a
mountain and a military base.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">I saw Yonaguchi by air, the mysterious island with so much
underwater archeology no one wants to think about it is almost scary to me and
educational malpractice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In another life
I would be there as a young man, finding answers to question no one wants to
ask. In two days I had seen Mt Everest and Fugi.<br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">We arrived happily at Narita full of hope….not of life but
of Udon Soup. But things then would take
a little diversion. We did get the soup
and it was superb but we were the first to come to our gate and we sat next to
an abandoned backpack. Similar abandoned backpacks in the Tokyo underground subway have killed many
people. To say that this was a
suspicious backpack is an understatement. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">I whispered to Silja.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“That could be a bomb. Let’s move.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Did I warn anyone?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We just moved and actually went to eat our
soup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpM5-2xsIT3Cs8Ycx_OG3Ge4Yy9dR108OkiHYfPjEoa2w7RwIw39NAHjhKo_VYs84JjgYOTdDMqUahapyKlSH3A7l_79PO0rylsGhEyYjcreboCRHoRXMQWYSzO-uf3f3j3xyBcnKlvepzeuO8vYDupyDtkHi5c0x_Iq7Hc_KwzQbez5uNGjKahZRj/s4032/sarah%20udon.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpM5-2xsIT3Cs8Ycx_OG3Ge4Yy9dR108OkiHYfPjEoa2w7RwIw39NAHjhKo_VYs84JjgYOTdDMqUahapyKlSH3A7l_79PO0rylsGhEyYjcreboCRHoRXMQWYSzO-uf3f3j3xyBcnKlvepzeuO8vYDupyDtkHi5c0x_Iq7Hc_KwzQbez5uNGjKahZRj/w400-h300/sarah%20udon.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">By the time we were boarding,
we were in a huge line to board fully 60% of the flight was zone 1, we were zone 2
and the plane was late for reasons unclear.
We found ourselves standing next to the cursed backpack, first with one
security guard, then a second, pretty soon they were testing it for explosive
residue. It reminded me of Keystone Cops
in action. I was pretty sure that
eventually either 1) it would blow or 2) they would evacuate the terminal. They did 3) board the flight slowly, while
security guard number 1 looked in fear. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">The 12 hour flight to Newark was quiet at least.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our meals were served hurriedly, and we only had one beverage cart due to
warnings of turbulence which did not seem that severe. We were forced to fly
lower and faster to make up time which I was thinking would burn up fuel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The range on a 777 is massive, somewhere near
8000 miles if I remember correctly. One of the reasons the Malaysian plane
disappeared was that it can fly forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our flight was at somewhere
in the mid 6500 mile range, and at times our ground speed was pushing 700 mph
with the tailwind, but still…..As it looked like we had made up the hour delay
we started something odd, we began to circle Albany NY, once twice, thrice and
then we darted dead south, then west a little.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You may not know geography but, Newark is NOT that direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Well, we are down to our fuel reserves and
due to traffic at Newark we are being diverted to…Philadelphia.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> The pilot said. It was also weird that we never heard the same pilot. There was also a rumor this was a training flight for new pilots. </span>Over Trenton, I told my wife….<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">“We are going to Philly.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She gave me the look like I was insane. I was not.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">I watched the descent thinking we were coming in a little hot, but I
am just the passenger in 22B, but one with a million odd miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have
done Philly before, swing around Camden, go over the river and land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I generally hate Philly airport, but tonight I would
possibly hate it more since it was NOT a United hub and stranded in Philly? OMG!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">The wheels hit like a car hits a big and deep pot hole,
jarring and with a bounce, our wing tipped quite a bit down, we bounced harder a second time and then, I felt the pilot floor it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Shit!” I muttered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had been on
a previous aborted landing. From my too many flights here I knew we were at about
50-60% of the runway length by now and Philly has a long runway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My stomach would soon be in my throat as I
pondered if we had enough space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw
the end lights about thirty feet below us as the huge plane struggled to gain
altitude. I sighed relief, but there were things going on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">We began the circle of shame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The circle of shame we did at Midway once
when a plane decided to sneak across the runway while my plane was landing was
fast and tight, almost something from a stunt show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> It was nuts. This one</span> was leisurely, and around the entire
city, like we were sight seeing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The voice from the cockpit was
mumbled and vague, what had happened?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“We did not like our approach” was the only thing said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did we have enough gas for another 40 mile
joyride?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> What if we failed that? </span>What was really wrong?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">So, we came in for it again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At 3000 feet when I knew we were going committed, I said "I love you" to Silja
and told her "it had been a fun ride."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
did not want to die on a United plane, but it seemed a possibility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At the office I had written “When in doubt do NOT fly United” as a
rule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I had ignored the rule here. </span>Was this bad Karma?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We held hands, I tucked my head into hers and
waited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Covered my face with my pillow and prayed. </span>Would it be a crash or life?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Going to Bhutan was somewhat of a spiritual journey, but my spirit was not ready for a journey. Well, the plane landed quite calmly, actually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one clapped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Midway, everyone clapped and those of us
who stayed were given free drinks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Here, w</span>e
got some chips (I think) with writing in Japanese.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We went to the end of the runway and the plane sat for 2 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They fueled her and waited, we would be
leaving in ten minutes for 10 times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was happy to be on the ground, though, anywhere even in Philly. I meant we had not died<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">We eventually flew off to Newark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our connection was long gone due to us being
4 hours late, when we arrived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The plane somehow thought
we were Flight 1 from Frankfurt on that leg, we were not on the luggage board, and we meandered our way to a hotel
and crashed, to sleep not the bus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
son in Germany woke us from a text to check if we were still alive at 2am which was 9 his
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>4AM today brought us up, back to
the airport and on a flight to Tampa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This flight seemed mundane, well until we landed and the plane braked hard like none of us needed to know what had laid ahead of us. As we taxied to the runway, shaking a little Silja got a text that one or more of her luggage was enroute on a different plane. Despite this, all three pieces came off the carousel. Our friend Ric picked us up and got us to the RV, and the RV never felt so good.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Somewhere along the way we saw and ad about travel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Travel….because you don’t have to.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found that a funny slogan and now it almost
seems to be a proverb, maybe we have traveled too much, at least we are alive.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">The trip was 23000 air miles at 8 different airports. As I said, we should have gone east instead of west but well, it was an epic journey few get to do, and maybe, just maybe few should do. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">I will post an extensive trip summary tomorrow as I have
thousands of pictures to process, and some to hopefully find.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yes, WE ARE ALIVE!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Olaf <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></p>Olaf Danielsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18427270873795437960noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-59433968734682291652022-11-19T18:03:00.001-06:002022-11-20T06:07:23.967-06:00CAMP CEMENT<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1rVLU6kBI0E-LQwrwZQtuvBc7j_QyowlyxdvcNVGIM7WKBYwynBMbLON_0gKDwRW3jqP7QEdf4aXQoH4mU_mQTCYaZEhSQiBJLeFG_tlXqftPu2BVtqQxz7E5YDKplqsPRDI5kwfnZxtRoi6A1N3ZjWzRAk0VrYovBshI8NlNFUYajT9hpLAGZSA/s2604/tawny%20fish%20owl4.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1922" data-original-width="2604" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1rVLU6kBI0E-LQwrwZQtuvBc7j_QyowlyxdvcNVGIM7WKBYwynBMbLON_0gKDwRW3jqP7QEdf4aXQoH4mU_mQTCYaZEhSQiBJLeFG_tlXqftPu2BVtqQxz7E5YDKplqsPRDI5kwfnZxtRoi6A1N3ZjWzRAk0VrYovBshI8NlNFUYajT9hpLAGZSA/w400-h295/tawny%20fish%20owl4.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>This is not a bird trip organized for sissies. Seeing the King aside, this almost seems like work. The typical day is up at 0530, load up out birding by 6am, and we bird until nightfall. The days are long and tiring, but we've seen a lot of birds. After a few days moving around from hotel to hotel, all rather simple affairs, we went camping, as where we went, there were barely roads and even fewer hotels.<p></p><p>After two nights in a tent out in a dry rice field, we moved to the Indian border and stayed in more secure tent on a platform.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69eFjb-N1QchPwbjkYbCPgL5_GmOysaJGuv4YBOl_GfMPMC1ELCmuPs3zF1Tnrc58627NleDxyMkZozLwLOCzrAN57q5OTR7mS3iBluuyVfMNaEN81Tj5XSZCPi1MCZbAMcljE5mhvPxZLJV2JhuSwFWPQ45iDPKWPk9-4HPGmaQh6wW7emIrM6fm/s5440/camp2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69eFjb-N1QchPwbjkYbCPgL5_GmOysaJGuv4YBOl_GfMPMC1ELCmuPs3zF1Tnrc58627NleDxyMkZozLwLOCzrAN57q5OTR7mS3iBluuyVfMNaEN81Tj5XSZCPi1MCZbAMcljE5mhvPxZLJV2JhuSwFWPQ45iDPKWPk9-4HPGmaQh6wW7emIrM6fm/s5440/camp2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6XlmqmeDMBKy1eD6BqVuTFJ6G_E9evpCUYet-mdXoshYnPEBMuJmzwd4XKVdWgcy4ZolBoAGh50STGjstF49C5jfZC20omZlZOrUAeXQPnWoNiv3V29kD2Xt1FRibOlAM_0XqFkY2V0867lhQUsJFDbsFfKeFymlMPlqmiQwX68pM2VzWws0U29hA/s5440/camp.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6XlmqmeDMBKy1eD6BqVuTFJ6G_E9evpCUYet-mdXoshYnPEBMuJmzwd4XKVdWgcy4ZolBoAGh50STGjstF49C5jfZC20omZlZOrUAeXQPnWoNiv3V29kD2Xt1FRibOlAM_0XqFkY2V0867lhQUsJFDbsFfKeFymlMPlqmiQwX68pM2VzWws0U29hA/w400-h266/camp.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69eFjb-N1QchPwbjkYbCPgL5_GmOysaJGuv4YBOl_GfMPMC1ELCmuPs3zF1Tnrc58627NleDxyMkZozLwLOCzrAN57q5OTR7mS3iBluuyVfMNaEN81Tj5XSZCPi1MCZbAMcljE5mhvPxZLJV2JhuSwFWPQ45iDPKWPk9-4HPGmaQh6wW7emIrM6fm/w400-h266/camp2.jpg" width="400" /></div><br />As we birded at the second site, the support crew went ahead of us to scout for a place to camp, unfortunately in Nganglam, there were little flat areas, and the place they had used before was used for construction, as we ate lunch that day, we still did not know where we would be staying. We ate lunch in the parking lot of a Buddhist Crematorium of all places. There was fresh wood, but it was not currently being used.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpZblAbRUoemZUbby_KxT7bAfypIgF5YopHJcXLu9ktXtgL8MACmAAeEkWcvJJHvTO8T8SbVt23km4eGt92Cro9gXMD-k0aITeZCuVcXX_QTTPlfMgE1g3gvQmGKlbeFf2ETFysXxf-poGQs4eCMiS722YhUC6ps5J7_IbuoejLjXUNT1u02kiIsS/s5440/cream2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpZblAbRUoemZUbby_KxT7bAfypIgF5YopHJcXLu9ktXtgL8MACmAAeEkWcvJJHvTO8T8SbVt23km4eGt92Cro9gXMD-k0aITeZCuVcXX_QTTPlfMgE1g3gvQmGKlbeFf2ETFysXxf-poGQs4eCMiS722YhUC6ps5J7_IbuoejLjXUNT1u02kiIsS/w400-h266/cream2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNlfyc1r3dAmwzdLRo_epIOxpdPXbwPtd7P4JvenTbN4vTkKdBL_7uS-bxmvSnjGLi9Hdn2_gM_yjJSi2O5-lT6NEAkZYeOqabidiwg9Y4QgSOleOBXgTjUsrUXXVy5I3W5p-5k8uUkhhSi7DTLhOb8vO3IVgf4tDf-TXuRia5Uw3l8zwG-tuz8bl/s5440/cream.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNlfyc1r3dAmwzdLRo_epIOxpdPXbwPtd7P4JvenTbN4vTkKdBL_7uS-bxmvSnjGLi9Hdn2_gM_yjJSi2O5-lT6NEAkZYeOqabidiwg9Y4QgSOleOBXgTjUsrUXXVy5I3W5p-5k8uUkhhSi7DTLhOb8vO3IVgf4tDf-TXuRia5Uw3l8zwG-tuz8bl/w400-h266/cream.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not sure what was in the box in the prayer room nor what the nearly or naked women meant, and frankly we were afraid to ask too much.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> Our lunches are impromptu affairs done in the middle of the road sometimes, the food excellent, the locations...unique.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Oa6BxkDIzIP2Ml9L4F7IAfSmssUgNuiP-FOFhoPcWhnaQces1XwhBRsuOrYvE0euM9t1dxIcsV_p4IZekZdr8f6kXW5Z-1O5ONbtwpkviAhFdfddeLFDDJuy5RKdQmWM2TRswDwzwS71Q43D0fG5RAbQaWRxO1Uys6O5KLzUfcU18bwbmUieXgxN/s5440/sarah%20lunch.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Oa6BxkDIzIP2Ml9L4F7IAfSmssUgNuiP-FOFhoPcWhnaQces1XwhBRsuOrYvE0euM9t1dxIcsV_p4IZekZdr8f6kXW5Z-1O5ONbtwpkviAhFdfddeLFDDJuy5RKdQmWM2TRswDwzwS71Q43D0fG5RAbQaWRxO1Uys6O5KLzUfcU18bwbmUieXgxN/w400-h266/sarah%20lunch.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The Bathrooms, well, ? primative?<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tuKoBf5Kuz4RmbEcGOiCjAQrJd-ZBnRulDv2gM9CN0Oq2RPlIbPO4mjlQnS410vx-1LdBuxmGU26cTknSCIMU9ukrvBXsSwxr4_8ZkdJyBbVkdMfp1TjZp9Kdc84EtfuJwxebdYc5dWJt3OKKTJ0tbbKkFhDX-hXn9zV7osS_hKCG0NqhynEepP1/s5440/outhouse.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tuKoBf5Kuz4RmbEcGOiCjAQrJd-ZBnRulDv2gM9CN0Oq2RPlIbPO4mjlQnS410vx-1LdBuxmGU26cTknSCIMU9ukrvBXsSwxr4_8ZkdJyBbVkdMfp1TjZp9Kdc84EtfuJwxebdYc5dWJt3OKKTJ0tbbKkFhDX-hXn9zV7osS_hKCG0NqhynEepP1/w400-h266/outhouse.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><div><br /></div><div>We drove through Nganglam without truly sure what we would expect to spend the night. This is a small city on the border filled with trucks from the cement plan. I bought a coke.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN8TWCcCiMg6qwg6indig_zoBb18Y8bDOC16dBtAMvRv_Ef4g7aSRaYyL5O0PtlxBHMelfA6BBqHfOu9rh1gwui-0wheSv4AMrFm45EWAoIQ0o3j9BbAwJbL2s218UDJd8ZiH0DGz-DOPs3nvLt-62TGPTsgasEiwso_OtaTbhOiiMEFe_0XTqGowi/s5439/nganglam.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3615" data-original-width="5439" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN8TWCcCiMg6qwg6indig_zoBb18Y8bDOC16dBtAMvRv_Ef4g7aSRaYyL5O0PtlxBHMelfA6BBqHfOu9rh1gwui-0wheSv4AMrFm45EWAoIQ0o3j9BbAwJbL2s218UDJd8ZiH0DGz-DOPs3nvLt-62TGPTsgasEiwso_OtaTbhOiiMEFe_0XTqGowi/w400-h266/nganglam.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzmEV_J2YpTOgIJKDTtvSQveoIvHr3Gv_uRC_d0yhQ17-zay_4j2f47SwXseRtGdhb7wPjErU7egZGwIrRa0pBJpM6omJhQ23gecS5HvqoMa8myuHDf0W-VRgiiZodkk-g-MLiFbAKiZ8-URX875vyRtt4uLkj0nOuuZySkqPk5w5bKO9NYLqlw-tG/s5440/nganglam2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzmEV_J2YpTOgIJKDTtvSQveoIvHr3Gv_uRC_d0yhQ17-zay_4j2f47SwXseRtGdhb7wPjErU7egZGwIrRa0pBJpM6omJhQ23gecS5HvqoMa8myuHDf0W-VRgiiZodkk-g-MLiFbAKiZ8-URX875vyRtt4uLkj0nOuuZySkqPk5w5bKO9NYLqlw-tG/w400-h266/nganglam2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />North of town we saw our cook standing on the side of the road and we turned into someone's house. So using ingenuity, the support crew had spied a location flat enough to camp in, but it turned out to be the backyard of the CEO of the local plastic bag manufacturer, for the huge cement plant across the street. He was the interim CEO of that 600 person plant.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>Somehow he said yes, and we set up tents and camped out in his backyard. The support crew even dug portable outhouses in his garden<br /><br />But the location had issues, besides the backyard being small</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogCi8LcCX1UFCOWwqKrEYEqKT3OfInDH7wgrdcTZcuMOj_YohP10azqjqA8AxuUZXImZYCfUrkTOvmmFAvIRXK29r4rEMG4GFYkXEBosckFKabcM0fO8oN46-MKnZqbpVqX1D5UzXgrta_45Tcgt9iFBNNYG5rjRvWwZ8dg21n44BXD01syhf4iRR/s5440/camp3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogCi8LcCX1UFCOWwqKrEYEqKT3OfInDH7wgrdcTZcuMOj_YohP10azqjqA8AxuUZXImZYCfUrkTOvmmFAvIRXK29r4rEMG4GFYkXEBosckFKabcM0fO8oN46-MKnZqbpVqX1D5UzXgrta_45Tcgt9iFBNNYG5rjRvWwZ8dg21n44BXD01syhf4iRR/w400-h266/camp3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We had to eat on their porch</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlEQ0jgQP28euydeHi7MYDb0h2ojpfSXV1HhvMbxOZS14SiXA5E4HH1WXvj3A0VJiQQ2Kjw8FXGF2B_CQqxgLNWiDVZ_tEtzt1am8RxeCXGJK5NfAWWRzwmNaqwp85-c5BpssJScSFaRdT6rnsqfaFaAOeuGRvjA5mqajDab8SorooF8azp7LB6YEn/s5440/camp4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlEQ0jgQP28euydeHi7MYDb0h2ojpfSXV1HhvMbxOZS14SiXA5E4HH1WXvj3A0VJiQQ2Kjw8FXGF2B_CQqxgLNWiDVZ_tEtzt1am8RxeCXGJK5NfAWWRzwmNaqwp85-c5BpssJScSFaRdT6rnsqfaFaAOeuGRvjA5mqajDab8SorooF8azp7LB6YEn/w400-h266/camp4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The View from the backyard was the cement factory going 24/7, particulate ash fell on our tents and the large Indian trucks carrying the cement away grinded up the incline below us.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPvsGZO-N5QhTHlwImamtW4OvT3dkvQmmCz44kJFK3KrTuL0WJlqHfqywx_roWeig8GlvOTbt9yKVWg3iIvFp56waEFbfNxOfUcmXxJ0qvfbun5D3kL0pAmK0spoeE2VFhEDHnyRJPzJMa19-iWOBrbYZx2MUyuhtaqlxKACa6dWklZKG225lIeBCR/s5440/cement.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPvsGZO-N5QhTHlwImamtW4OvT3dkvQmmCz44kJFK3KrTuL0WJlqHfqywx_roWeig8GlvOTbt9yKVWg3iIvFp56waEFbfNxOfUcmXxJ0qvfbun5D3kL0pAmK0spoeE2VFhEDHnyRJPzJMa19-iWOBrbYZx2MUyuhtaqlxKACa6dWklZKG225lIeBCR/w400-h266/cement.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Then the owners showed up and it did not appear as though the wife and the two children had got the message that the birding group had taken over their backyard, but they made us drinks and ate with us and told us their stories. Wife center, husband center right next to the two children.<br /><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnTQp8BW0_DC6CcOKWgtnHpQINjcnvBTfiFjzTt7lJIwsa8hsdVo1JCbyN-C-FhnkdGy4QjO5UDP7n2jsWSsb-jmsOX3JlydziJhicj3oe7RzrdepjlT-GWmvRnoLFomyPVPlEEP0JdEtf1C6Y1iQ9z_nWmEZCMcVpXIwtbcjPWxmNU9S78Tik8DC/s987/ceo.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="684" data-original-width="987" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnTQp8BW0_DC6CcOKWgtnHpQINjcnvBTfiFjzTt7lJIwsa8hsdVo1JCbyN-C-FhnkdGy4QjO5UDP7n2jsWSsb-jmsOX3JlydziJhicj3oe7RzrdepjlT-GWmvRnoLFomyPVPlEEP0JdEtf1C6Y1iQ9z_nWmEZCMcVpXIwtbcjPWxmNU9S78Tik8DC/w400-h278/ceo.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out group, local birding expert Dodji (far left), and the host family (front center right)</td></tr></tbody></table><p>And....the stray dogs living on the street below barked, all night. The only thing louder than the cement factory, were the dogs. Oh, and the owners now had only one dog... as a leopard had taken their second dog a few weeks back...from their back yard. The owner decided it was best to leave the yard light on, and put in a new bulb before bedtime.</p><p>There were birds in this backyard....</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDA-wUPhKjH7hIWY9uKDzjvvd0aO3FU8EZlXpoUZL7lDCw1Ze5NzSN9oBLdCKLAGMigOv4j2kDx9Qq6s-3dVocfiu0U_iUZm5Am36JDYOTPAA4G6WqSEnTQyOPk0nU_Og1fqhW517jsyCw1QnX-OmqX67jh6R76mI_SySqDETjSG5mnau-cN1jcORD/s1296/red%20headed%20trogon3.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="993" data-original-width="1296" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDA-wUPhKjH7hIWY9uKDzjvvd0aO3FU8EZlXpoUZL7lDCw1Ze5NzSN9oBLdCKLAGMigOv4j2kDx9Qq6s-3dVocfiu0U_iUZm5Am36JDYOTPAA4G6WqSEnTQyOPk0nU_Og1fqhW517jsyCw1QnX-OmqX67jh6R76mI_SySqDETjSG5mnau-cN1jcORD/w400-h306/red%20headed%20trogon3.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best look at Red Headed trogan</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCvPdnOl-CI9s3qnpcfRe_r8Xod0cS5dzOxDYVD_o4alZzNbAWQ_nLRpGUFUZnFZB4SQ-lpyEuMbrnAvK2M620_u7YKny9_HxzG72O1D5g2jOgxML0RWeA7fvTkXsZErufb6PPZlPDodZNVni13OIgF0xQntc4eiYIWHTABDWanQM20b5pzb9WY7Qf/s1486/white%20throated%20kingfisher.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1107" data-original-width="1486" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCvPdnOl-CI9s3qnpcfRe_r8Xod0cS5dzOxDYVD_o4alZzNbAWQ_nLRpGUFUZnFZB4SQ-lpyEuMbrnAvK2M620_u7YKny9_HxzG72O1D5g2jOgxML0RWeA7fvTkXsZErufb6PPZlPDodZNVni13OIgF0xQntc4eiYIWHTABDWanQM20b5pzb9WY7Qf/w400-h297/white%20throated%20kingfisher.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">white throated kingfisher<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>We survived the night. There were no leopard attacks but no one got a good sleep, and by morning my mouth tasted like it had burnt metal in it. The hosts were nice but Nganglam needed some environmental help. We named the place Camp Cement.<p>We soon forgot about Camp Cement as we drove on a new road carved into the cliff of the mountains and in many places had had rock slides from the monsoon blocking it and now the debris flattened to drive over the top of. I was afraid to look over. Even the bridge between sections of thecrazy road was scary. We we met trucks I had to close my eyes and hope. We survived and I guess it was all in great fun....</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU80EIECIFQwERvDb0o-l2nDXBupb9zqHEWoA321YvVRxPlAihi28yberWo8btfUL_NKvVSC9VsvsxtZMpEJg89zAvLYi7-7Aa5zJ9NyvIUdJknNZs9XBNZMGl37VkfMZuMUb4V1GCB4CORsMjOtVQkhqtGjChJCusW1yk2l9Jhth5WCfyYpmBbNPO/s867/bridge2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="867" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU80EIECIFQwERvDb0o-l2nDXBupb9zqHEWoA321YvVRxPlAihi28yberWo8btfUL_NKvVSC9VsvsxtZMpEJg89zAvLYi7-7Aa5zJ9NyvIUdJknNZs9XBNZMGl37VkfMZuMUb4V1GCB4CORsMjOtVQkhqtGjChJCusW1yk2l9Jhth5WCfyYpmBbNPO/w400-h291/bridge2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE2qPzU8na3Vkmo0CJWkYKQdJ6c1a7amgSvHMg-sxyszjG3guwulJI6jBgvIE2H0m8qaCDY-DQwaDpGxZbzJhzZ_Rwhy_ip8K_ZkRbm88bsFNKHu0bOxkpUsDL9iLEFvN_LUF9iQ3h1SgnHo93D0tZnkcTt7K-1LWp9irE4XBCLWoirfZtCKs_g9wa/s5440/road5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE2qPzU8na3Vkmo0CJWkYKQdJ6c1a7amgSvHMg-sxyszjG3guwulJI6jBgvIE2H0m8qaCDY-DQwaDpGxZbzJhzZ_Rwhy_ip8K_ZkRbm88bsFNKHu0bOxkpUsDL9iLEFvN_LUF9iQ3h1SgnHo93D0tZnkcTt7K-1LWp9irE4XBCLWoirfZtCKs_g9wa/w400-h266/road5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4EjJKeuSEHcBk3eaAqG3QP-z5OM_0O1QLA1XA0SlG6rreobsFw0To07wMCCILkTzGG8iuqNgcdW7bAmyBJihOxq-ZOQ8hOKEpGcwVNHGlMWaKvFLDL4PA2l3q61-FuQbCfsbXBq34l1kP7JfdDNe8FbQjmjCHGgjoauQtg7XhtSI6wt1AdC8UA2ys/s5440/road7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5440" data-original-width="3616" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4EjJKeuSEHcBk3eaAqG3QP-z5OM_0O1QLA1XA0SlG6rreobsFw0To07wMCCILkTzGG8iuqNgcdW7bAmyBJihOxq-ZOQ8hOKEpGcwVNHGlMWaKvFLDL4PA2l3q61-FuQbCfsbXBq34l1kP7JfdDNe8FbQjmjCHGgjoauQtg7XhtSI6wt1AdC8UA2ys/w266-h400/road7.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>So we did see some birds</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhapjd6M3NJ4zyg3wUr4cww7Ui6vldQQbY2cDDy71pvog6Dhkptb89gvg15AZOcPaRx0AcxmHfXpBgENJN-YMc134tGOJXiwSQSJKWawbJylaPDs9qfkSkW5zlYFu4upV8GKg9Dcykxfy7fAjHHlav626y2Es5TGQwNrcb5YdKpETqAy8TyCThM25S/s2918/common%20hawk-cockoo.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1926" data-original-width="2918" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhapjd6M3NJ4zyg3wUr4cww7Ui6vldQQbY2cDDy71pvog6Dhkptb89gvg15AZOcPaRx0AcxmHfXpBgENJN-YMc134tGOJXiwSQSJKWawbJylaPDs9qfkSkW5zlYFu4upV8GKg9Dcykxfy7fAjHHlav626y2Es5TGQwNrcb5YdKpETqAy8TyCThM25S/w400-h264/common%20hawk-cockoo.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Common hawk cuckoo</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUuL2MIhTFrp3v2WSIKFtRzHkBNIHkqhUV-TFAYWELnKNihPl8TolKevGdKwHT7elPnqx8v88_YBZnOTTz536oNXBwRRt-QIL2SiHD--VrZxCT1yHSlppyNK4dC7Ln2V8TZ49sGLhLXILu-e8pU5A7cxKIVxkIjSGQPWZMYSsBrncJixmpWt6XZSb0/s2073/creasted%20kingfisher.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1561" data-original-width="2073" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUuL2MIhTFrp3v2WSIKFtRzHkBNIHkqhUV-TFAYWELnKNihPl8TolKevGdKwHT7elPnqx8v88_YBZnOTTz536oNXBwRRt-QIL2SiHD--VrZxCT1yHSlppyNK4dC7Ln2V8TZ49sGLhLXILu-e8pU5A7cxKIVxkIjSGQPWZMYSsBrncJixmpWt6XZSb0/w400-h301/creasted%20kingfisher.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crested kingfisher</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHK27OrQKDwPMHiptFnXQWbVj3hLKi4_mOc3nBx7LzC2xZ9M-i3UXNbMavoYFqigAzej3bOpKVoDx9DT42S59knV1vmiHiUKB8FEUtgILxI0zGOBBLx4XHqokGgW20q7HUuz30YQk9bF-2IUA_kMppzbnHC2b5JFKvVU5OPPQBMWvKmy1BzrWrpfjx/s3170/Himalayan%20Prinia2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1952" data-original-width="3170" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHK27OrQKDwPMHiptFnXQWbVj3hLKi4_mOc3nBx7LzC2xZ9M-i3UXNbMavoYFqigAzej3bOpKVoDx9DT42S59knV1vmiHiUKB8FEUtgILxI0zGOBBLx4XHqokGgW20q7HUuz30YQk9bF-2IUA_kMppzbnHC2b5JFKvVU5OPPQBMWvKmy1BzrWrpfjx/w400-h246/Himalayan%20Prinia2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Himalayan prinia</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCkLJ5l6ApR7GXz0hZ0iGZ5Q3TbArLT0EqL6Tb41jcmSXOa3CYRsUFmwfPetTZ5qxEYcPGUknbv2p05xLeWl_Hos4tkX2icFPJRqHMRqO_0sbd7rxkiCwx1PLEX5vrcZ4o9sRMKv6bKwmijX_PCe6edvul0X4odbTY_LXNwZueLm2Xmf6iv0uDdFsE/s1788/ibisbill.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1282" data-original-width="1788" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCkLJ5l6ApR7GXz0hZ0iGZ5Q3TbArLT0EqL6Tb41jcmSXOa3CYRsUFmwfPetTZ5qxEYcPGUknbv2p05xLeWl_Hos4tkX2icFPJRqHMRqO_0sbd7rxkiCwx1PLEX5vrcZ4o9sRMKv6bKwmijX_PCe6edvul0X4odbTY_LXNwZueLm2Xmf6iv0uDdFsE/w400-h286/ibisbill.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ibisbill</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb_VcGjGjDxYF1xgFqrQGjXRyzSd2DEEsE9iHargVpHcREbuNxG5W7-wAID_s_oOlZqheZTitG2h1rhrpGQ6tW_g3ugrjP98xEaXPZljPlWMKlNRUgRcSoA81Gin0IZZo1g83F--TwKJHN4HhIMZZReOSUv7qVMQr4Tf_MZWcH9z7-TbiHZeEa1OfU/s1827/sberian%20stonechat.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1277" data-original-width="1827" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb_VcGjGjDxYF1xgFqrQGjXRyzSd2DEEsE9iHargVpHcREbuNxG5W7-wAID_s_oOlZqheZTitG2h1rhrpGQ6tW_g3ugrjP98xEaXPZljPlWMKlNRUgRcSoA81Gin0IZZo1g83F--TwKJHN4HhIMZZReOSUv7qVMQr4Tf_MZWcH9z7-TbiHZeEa1OfU/w400-h280/sberian%20stonechat.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">siberian stonechat</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHG4NzqnbpWyqyJIqNzEVKYytukRelGFpm7wNHZunwy-R2TWtHZfIJHUSf8ULmglwuv33K_4RZFx7QC6ti4qRlOu76WaXhv7hb7_qzaLyCUInHys5GrC1zz0lgiRyKT3RAwlk0JBPjKBj1nZWRfvGVn-Tth75tgP2UQg-uR5rXFZzXCfz1UWB1SOR/s3741/slender%20billed%20scimitar%20babbler.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2433" data-original-width="3741" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHG4NzqnbpWyqyJIqNzEVKYytukRelGFpm7wNHZunwy-R2TWtHZfIJHUSf8ULmglwuv33K_4RZFx7QC6ti4qRlOu76WaXhv7hb7_qzaLyCUInHys5GrC1zz0lgiRyKT3RAwlk0JBPjKBj1nZWRfvGVn-Tth75tgP2UQg-uR5rXFZzXCfz1UWB1SOR/w400-h260/slender%20billed%20scimitar%20babbler.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ultra hard to see Slender billed scimitar-babbler</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhghEaDRISq6GwY6hy1IEWyphBmxzwSxP1D7UcPGa7QIHnteJBQrSUrz72QbuxQsRqBjxyRPP3v1s_7aQgWmbElbR41ty8EPsZJCwbA0_zvMIeMtL7LVnVksUMb1Sqejqwk93s25H2gY1Wu93bmZEsxMBiOymqtEgzNjWrAAltMkwGBAZ2Dh6q5esuI/s1960/yellow%20billed%20blue%20magpie2.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1454" data-original-width="1960" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhghEaDRISq6GwY6hy1IEWyphBmxzwSxP1D7UcPGa7QIHnteJBQrSUrz72QbuxQsRqBjxyRPP3v1s_7aQgWmbElbR41ty8EPsZJCwbA0_zvMIeMtL7LVnVksUMb1Sqejqwk93s25H2gY1Wu93bmZEsxMBiOymqtEgzNjWrAAltMkwGBAZ2Dh6q5esuI/w400-h296/yellow%20billed%20blue%20magpie2.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellow billed blue magpie<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>This is just some of the birds, more to come and even more adventure to come, Bhutan.....interesting place, Kings, CEOs and luckily no leopards.</div><div><br /></div><div>Olaf<br /><div><br /><p><br /><br /></p></div></div></div></div>Olaf Danielsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18427270873795437960noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-19839728094869531512022-11-18T05:55:00.009-06:002022-11-18T08:59:23.193-06:00The King and I<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrz6J4viS6Yh1pf4Hw-gl-iPIzS-o8mRdHoJ4eQQXQ7qIEQE7btmOdybCO7GsOuAHffXR8yNlTarZAhRP1ldkTIjG0QKeA43Tpa3LeK6Dm-ehPfsXjNX6sFQQrBIq2cnBteEbyEAjp3ybIyWQBmoQ8nULBY2xDu-ZNFiuNMTrGSFq3762qpiGANBrZ/s1789/common%20green%20magpie.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1429" data-original-width="1789" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrz6J4viS6Yh1pf4Hw-gl-iPIzS-o8mRdHoJ4eQQXQ7qIEQE7btmOdybCO7GsOuAHffXR8yNlTarZAhRP1ldkTIjG0QKeA43Tpa3LeK6Dm-ehPfsXjNX6sFQQrBIq2cnBteEbyEAjp3ybIyWQBmoQ8nULBY2xDu-ZNFiuNMTrGSFq3762qpiGANBrZ/w400-h320/common%20green%20magpie.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>A lot of odd things happen to me on adventures big and small. Uncommon things happen, and even things named like the common green magpie (above) are hardly common and even seeing them is uncommon as they hide in the forest. Take this 19 day trip to Bhutan, a small country on the northeastern edge of India on the southern flank of the Himalayas.</span><span> It is a birding trip and what could possibly go weird on a birding trip? </span><span>Who
would have thought I’d possibly insult the king…let a lone meet him</span></span><p></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There
are just a few things to remember when meeting His Highness, the King of
Bhutan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, don’t take a
picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Secondly, remove ones hat, and
well, I guess there are others, but I was not told of any more. I was never going to meet the king, so why would it matter?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So
here we are birding one fine morning in Manas Royal Bhutanese Park, along the
Indian border when who should come heading down the forlorn road we were
birding on, but the King of Bhutan and his entourage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What does Olaf instinctively do, snap a picture.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPYVILOKevHXOoFHsMl47Zht68DeuHvzglJKmgosQp4CbJTOJbufRP08YSdqmThaQukPjEh9CJhEeVT6V93iAeb4vJR19pp7EoZVFYzgU5ucc4qeSwkkhWINQkrs2CV_DoGepN1n-W2ZPN1sIzpYhPV05ILM6lOqmuB9l4GmoOLvotohWdSdRFvexO/s2274/king2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1697" data-original-width="2274" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPYVILOKevHXOoFHsMl47Zht68DeuHvzglJKmgosQp4CbJTOJbufRP08YSdqmThaQukPjEh9CJhEeVT6V93iAeb4vJR19pp7EoZVFYzgU5ucc4qeSwkkhWINQkrs2CV_DoGepN1n-W2ZPN1sIzpYhPV05ILM6lOqmuB9l4GmoOLvotohWdSdRFvexO/w400-h299/king2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">note the kings license plate is just "Bhutan"<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;">We
kind of figured we'd see then parade of cars on the way back since they had taken over the reserve lodge and kept us from crossing the river and the King had a function at the Buddhist temple in the little town near us.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">So we kept birding and it was getting hot so we moved in the bus for a moment, to cool down and then the pilot car came around the corner, and the bus stopped and out bounded Olaf to bird and get a better view of the King's Jeep, the only American made car I have seen on this trip so far.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;">So,
around the bend comes the king’s car and it stops! The driver rolls down the window (they drive
on the left here and the king is in the other side passenger side of the Jeep). He leans over and asks me. “Seen any good birds?” The King talking to ...me!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;">At
that moment, I had nothing to say, yes, Olaf was totally speechless. I pulled out of it quickly. I literally forced out, “We’ve seen Scarlet
minivets…..” Scarlet minivets I think to myself, where did that come from? I also
force out, “and lots of hornbills.” I
then add, “but luckily, no tigers.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;">“There
was one on the other side of the park.”
The king responds to my addition.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;">“They
can keep it over there.” I snark. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;">“What
do you think of Bhutan?” He asks.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;">“Wonderful
country.” I say. What could I say?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;">“Thanks
for visiting us.” He concludes and the
window goes up, and I see the foot go back in the car from the backseat of who
I suppose now was a security guard ready to pounce should I do anything odd.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">He drives off and I turn around to the pack of the other birders, including lead birder, Aaron Lang. "You didn't take your hat off Olaf!" I did not even turn back around to see the queen go by and the two princes. I smacked myself on the head for being ...an idiot.</span><p></p><div><span style="font-size: medium;">And minivets......smart looking birds but...that was the best bird?</span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieRqM2oeSH5HqTxfkFEQDT-RRDAIH39Sb7t9fRcEqLe_LnKhAR4bFQF-tlHtp13zDivslsAMRB3sAmwe_Xf4cfttCIHpybeyMKTGWQRr5UWIdOmpObtQL8wJvHcrK94_iI-Tw86DifbpnzdjlfDJae2D8xWv5wIXwGJ7OcQzlwVm7kORt056Rv6Hlu/s3116/scarlet%20minivet%20female%20good.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2472" data-original-width="3116" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieRqM2oeSH5HqTxfkFEQDT-RRDAIH39Sb7t9fRcEqLe_LnKhAR4bFQF-tlHtp13zDivslsAMRB3sAmwe_Xf4cfttCIHpybeyMKTGWQRr5UWIdOmpObtQL8wJvHcrK94_iI-Tw86DifbpnzdjlfDJae2D8xWv5wIXwGJ7OcQzlwVm7kORt056Rv6Hlu/w400-h318/scarlet%20minivet%20female%20good.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Female scarlet minivet</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisykyHZQONynq7XsSWMmBnPlYgIyel5ao5I_x92izy-QCFPklH_i8SSYqJHZ011SIqlXUhoa4TlP_p_JUChNgBQsQLWX4M1eJafh7cAL0T3W94LmoQqUbpXkn82tT820EmIUOFAypz2G2mHKq-_8qB-n775tiTLDheS8sp6VsuMLH8astWQK4v2jV0/s3684/scarlet%20minivet%20male%20good.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2888" data-original-width="3684" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisykyHZQONynq7XsSWMmBnPlYgIyel5ao5I_x92izy-QCFPklH_i8SSYqJHZ011SIqlXUhoa4TlP_p_JUChNgBQsQLWX4M1eJafh7cAL0T3W94LmoQqUbpXkn82tT820EmIUOFAypz2G2mHKq-_8qB-n775tiTLDheS8sp6VsuMLH8astWQK4v2jV0/w400-h314/scarlet%20minivet%20male%20good.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">male scarlet minivet<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The hornbills are more regal birds, we have seen three species...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTm6eX03K-bfEx_Yz2I-DC7nwZ-KmBTmiaj5W5rNRhHZWQgIx323ZEHnjwcX2owb_jq3KKplHC0yFZVi2dpWzRAT2wGwaDOcnx4R4Sc2R-kqj3IUUj77JArtE9CQNPU7WI08c2O5jM1bh3nqgDXxku7lP4c4emMzhQQh9qFOEjhKQd1iTL5frvRbcV/s3552/great%20hornbillbetter.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2453" data-original-width="3552" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTm6eX03K-bfEx_Yz2I-DC7nwZ-KmBTmiaj5W5rNRhHZWQgIx323ZEHnjwcX2owb_jq3KKplHC0yFZVi2dpWzRAT2wGwaDOcnx4R4Sc2R-kqj3IUUj77JArtE9CQNPU7WI08c2O5jM1bh3nqgDXxku7lP4c4emMzhQQh9qFOEjhKQd1iTL5frvRbcV/w400-h276/great%20hornbillbetter.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The great hornbill (above) is a heck of a bird, and we had seen two that day but well, </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">the story was a bit lost from all of the excitement</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We have seen some sights and to be honest part of Bhutan, few see. We are the second birding group in by three days to have been in the country in three years due to COVID. The locals are waving, and one guy stopped the bus and gave us a basket of oranges.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf7CFw0i-dVlvIuE1oyqj5Jp0n7jyppsms55O9jq3bXLS6MLCdAEKT2kCAR7zvqSd4gZ4gN30eR1EmG6jcfRfYy3YjMFz4Lrvsf1cWsUMAmlx4YPjDrvc5LDB1BzZRgueFiwGSrTMO8Jlk4lycchj6A-bZLSD7BKwpO-lZz6iW-yz6TqQI8rx_lf0F/s1525/collared%20owlet.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1054" data-original-width="1525" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf7CFw0i-dVlvIuE1oyqj5Jp0n7jyppsms55O9jq3bXLS6MLCdAEKT2kCAR7zvqSd4gZ4gN30eR1EmG6jcfRfYy3YjMFz4Lrvsf1cWsUMAmlx4YPjDrvc5LDB1BzZRgueFiwGSrTMO8Jlk4lycchj6A-bZLSD7BKwpO-lZz6iW-yz6TqQI8rx_lf0F/w400-h276/collared%20owlet.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The collared owlet was even being showy.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As of this moment, an update, I have seen 256 lifers on this trip and more to go.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I am still getting razzed about my King story and I am unsure how I got to be the spokesman of the group, but Olaf being Olaf, Johnny on the spot that I sometimes am, who else would it be?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I think I will do 5x7s of the two birds I mentioned and send a note of apology to the King, we'll see how that goes. Tomorrow I hope to report from "Camp Cement" a tale that well, involves a corporate CEO, his back yard, making an outhouse in his garden, and a cement plant, but food is soon ready and the bird list must be discussed and I have a frogmouth to find tonight...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Rest assure Olaf and Silja are alive and well in Asia, and the King has hopefully forgotten about my breach of etiquette </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Olaf</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>Olaf Danielsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18427270873795437960noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-25317631180514915732022-11-04T10:30:00.009-05:002022-11-04T10:57:02.900-05:00One Night in Bangkok....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghoTGTQpaJuoTJGQNsEeD6u4xL9bJq6DC1bYh5KTqAbYbGNBjEo5xMGyBZQiUPJDyqH5hE-KRSdwvVbPdY5pPrs5z0AJQ-NfpbKz5Lzul01oKzYhq4ErnyLStT_4xebtXeWNznmuYEXqkMna9o-UxlAUx7JzpJh0hZs748DINETxcqJjVG7IU1VqQO/s5440/flag.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghoTGTQpaJuoTJGQNsEeD6u4xL9bJq6DC1bYh5KTqAbYbGNBjEo5xMGyBZQiUPJDyqH5hE-KRSdwvVbPdY5pPrs5z0AJQ-NfpbKz5Lzul01oKzYhq4ErnyLStT_4xebtXeWNznmuYEXqkMna9o-UxlAUx7JzpJh0hZs748DINETxcqJjVG7IU1VqQO/w400-h266/flag.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium; text-align: left;">Two hours to Houston, 14 to Tokyo, just under 8 hours more to Bangkok, plus associated transit times, ground delays, the International Dateline, a cab ride and we were there. We left at 4AM Sunday from our RV north of Tampa. We arrived in our hotel room at 0115 on Tuesday. But where was there? A hotel called the Novatell. In it all I made two mistakes. First, after a string of surprisingly good movies, I got my sleep well, and was entertained so that was not it. The first mistake, it turned out was I (well we), went west, we should have gone east. I was doing the math in My head. Tampa to London, London to Bangkok.....I went 13 time zones west, that leaves 11 east.....crap</span></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The other mistake, was worse, I ate the United Air egg thing for breakfast......the last United Air egg thing I ate on our way to St. Thomas in 2002, led to Salmonella, and 2 decades of funny stories, and me spending a night on a beach hoping for a tidal wave, or a lucky meteor strike...anything....this one.....</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Well, Salmonella takes a while....I had that one night in Bangkok, then we were off to Pattaya area 60 miles south to get over the jet lag in a place that was sort of maybe is where 1985 Orient Beach St Martin FWI meets, well an Icelandic spa, not the tourist ones near Keflavik, no the ones tourists rarely find, with the lady shower monitor in the showers making sure everything that is supposed to be washed is, and where they skimped on dressing and locker rooms. (as why would you have two?) because then you plunge into great designed baths. Here at Dragonfly, it is a great place just carved out of a swamp......</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">But as you are trying to find the correct and even better description you realize that nothing is making sense as you now have a fever of 103, are sitting out in 95 degree weather, and suddenly The Revenge of United Airlines hits you like a rock......</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Yea, there is Montezuma's Revenge, but there is something worse, much worse, I call it United's Revenge....sigh. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It was bad, I moaned, I threw everything we had with at it, the badger that was gnawing its way out of me in three directions was not a full size one, but big enough to leave lasting scars. I had dreams of being attacked by a hawk on some island well past New Zealand, who was somehow mad at me for saving a dog. It was a Yorkshire terrier and I do not even like them. Then there was some car ride, left and right right and left, and OMG, I woke up but I was still moving...I even dreamed I was having abdominal pain, but when I woke up, the real pain was worse! I might have even converted to a different religion, but well, does that count during desperate times? I also gave up beer. Through it all, I survived. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">They could not make Thai food bland enough for my destroyed taste buds. I ate a smoothie the first day and the banana flavor tasted like a pine tree. Day two involved a quest for something that tasted correct, I ate a sausage that tasted like a moth ball, and grain, can I get some grain? They offered my some pork infused porridge.....today, I gave up and drank beer (more on that later). I am happy to report, beer, tastes like beer.....it is not good beer, but it is beer, good ole beer.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I birded from the deck of a pool with naked people sauntering past me while I randomly called out works like flowerpecker, Milky stork, ashy drongos, Germain swiftlets, and bee-eaters to people, who did not understand me and it was not always a language barrier. I have called out worse bird names when I was more lucid, but they do not know that. So calling a guy a flowerpecker...I'll skip that.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Today, We walked off the reservation and got a few photos</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGabb8uZu7_i8ITeXDelP9ZM3pAnIaelu33redIAR7E0HQnbyV8EJKvzNkK7iqLpPsz7fsQlw5jIcqWeOkdmmiepMQLVGNN7hrB4TdKoceOeRP47pgyPs3lkOmdjyq0igLniGLzPsAfPVyOOuEvGX2lyLusbr9Y0-T8X8vg-XyekINKrOxL2DMVz48/s5440/_DSC9913%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGabb8uZu7_i8ITeXDelP9ZM3pAnIaelu33redIAR7E0HQnbyV8EJKvzNkK7iqLpPsz7fsQlw5jIcqWeOkdmmiepMQLVGNN7hrB4TdKoceOeRP47pgyPs3lkOmdjyq0igLniGLzPsAfPVyOOuEvGX2lyLusbr9Y0-T8X8vg-XyekINKrOxL2DMVz48/w400-h266/_DSC9913%20(2).jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The road into this nice little village, built 2 years ago, and open to adventurous souls willing to enjoy something not that common in Asia, unfortunately cameras are verboten, but I will probably write a travel article on it for a magazine so the marketing guy will share some stuff later</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4h2xlqRtOeZuKXjtKLFrnaS32flpdFyI4QtDRa6XFPT6XqIZbYTpR4jGFcMU92HPMp4KBZCoW_sS_p7LKe9SjlKx3UnEi4P0xpujS_Z4RmUzlPBHXJ6lzPJ2Vesm_he7SuW3ZP0wi1UeRg4MbJSbkOCnxDuEzmlPsPnBAJyuH-FKFqaCqaLLjc-t/s1644/crimson%20backed%20flowerpecker2.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1254" data-original-width="1644" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4h2xlqRtOeZuKXjtKLFrnaS32flpdFyI4QtDRa6XFPT6XqIZbYTpR4jGFcMU92HPMp4KBZCoW_sS_p7LKe9SjlKx3UnEi4P0xpujS_Z4RmUzlPBHXJ6lzPJ2Vesm_he7SuW3ZP0wi1UeRg4MbJSbkOCnxDuEzmlPsPnBAJyuH-FKFqaCqaLLjc-t/w400-h305/crimson%20backed%20flowerpecker2.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Scarlet backed flowerpecker, not a slur!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm50z4_Op2h7IguyfRWIwZjmzIu6LfWNUUvpBupMmKXukZnP8vILT6vH1NJslvvz3MHshNA_MByM9yyGHZecHfMNUaq1b8Vg_r4_utg_drdMLaIrt-DVNHzBKzc46h7fwyr_l2cn9dow_VTiAYneGNA4BFHTlwcnWjc-4Nt8lG8GpLoulIePnywnwJ/s2611/great%20myna.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2049" data-original-width="2611" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm50z4_Op2h7IguyfRWIwZjmzIu6LfWNUUvpBupMmKXukZnP8vILT6vH1NJslvvz3MHshNA_MByM9yyGHZecHfMNUaq1b8Vg_r4_utg_drdMLaIrt-DVNHzBKzc46h7fwyr_l2cn9dow_VTiAYneGNA4BFHTlwcnWjc-4Nt8lG8GpLoulIePnywnwJ/w400-h314/great%20myna.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great myna</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5_zgK1GbowkMoCWmUnWKc01EAx6WjbTxW7s2TA5Dve_qc11c8FucoBvivwKI0wDjb_4rcJijZawU85bOowRHMsXp9sMs7TDIM10lrE9dyix4eHQ00AhUIJzzdAX7huq3OYbSnU3S26pqvs3l7O7JlGI8JdwtZ1-5xOpB_2C5Y_Q_A2zBINrYA92aG/s567/green%20beeeater3.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="459" data-original-width="567" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5_zgK1GbowkMoCWmUnWKc01EAx6WjbTxW7s2TA5Dve_qc11c8FucoBvivwKI0wDjb_4rcJijZawU85bOowRHMsXp9sMs7TDIM10lrE9dyix4eHQ00AhUIJzzdAX7huq3OYbSnU3S26pqvs3l7O7JlGI8JdwtZ1-5xOpB_2C5Y_Q_A2zBINrYA92aG/w400-h324/green%20beeeater3.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Asian green bee-eater</td></tr></tbody></table><br />We have kind of been a menace birding here. Stirring up dogs. Stopping traffic, today, one guy either said, "Welcome to Thailand" or "Get the F#^k off my land" honestly, I was just 10 feet off the road and Don H and me argued about exactly which he said. I think he was not so welcoming. Don says he was being king and friendly...</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We did end up on another guy's property, who invited us for cocktails, as long as we told hockey stories. His name was Brad. He assured me, that any pledge made while febrile about alcohol is non-binding, so he handed me a beer. All is apparently right with the world on that front, but like I said, we may have new holidays to celebrate.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There is some snake with poison and venom. Dengue fever, all kinds of crap and well, all that lying near death by the pool thing now means the Scarlet backed flowerpecker and me got something in common and let just say it is the color of red.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> I say we are in Pattaya, we are only close to Pattaya, Pattaya is a weird place, I cannot handle Pattaya. The innuendo in the movie "Hangover" is closer more to Pattaya than Bangkok. Today we had to go into the city to replenish our reserves of anti-e coli, and Salmonella medications, God, Allah, or Buddha knows what is in store for us in Bhutan, and the other couple we are traveling with needed a tweezers. We pack light and have simple needs. What can I say? </span></p><p><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: inherit;">An article in the British </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabloid_(newspaper_format)" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0645ad; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Tabloid (newspaper format)">tabloid</a><span style="color: #202122; font-family: inherit;"> the </span><span style="color: #202122; font-family: inherit;">Daily Mirror once </span><span style="color: #202122; font-family: inherit;">described Pattaya as "the world's sex capital", a "modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah". This provoked anger from government officials as high up as Prime Minister,</span><span style="color: #202122; font-family: inherit;"> and the Pattaya police superintendent, who both denied that Pattaya is a sex trade paradise. Upset about the British media's stories, he insisted they were fabricated. "There is no such thing as prostitution in Pattaya," said Col Apichai. "Where did they get the figure of 27,000 sex workers in Pattaya? Anyone can make up this information....Thai ladies having sex with foreigners is their personal issue. If they like each other, I don't see anything wrong with what they do behind closed doors."</span><span style="color: #202122; font-family: inherit;"> In response, Pattaya social worker Surang Janyam, the director of Service Workers IN Group Foundation, said that estimated number of Pattaya prostitutes published in the </span><span style="color: #202122; font-family: inherit;">Daily Mirror</span><span style="color: #202122; font-family: inherit;"><span> is inaccurate: "27,000 sex workers in Pattaya is way <u>too low.</u> We have a lot more sex workers than that."</span><span style="white-space: nowrap;"> </span></span><span style="color: #202122; font-family: inherit;">In June 2019, over twenty high ranking Police, Army and Local government officers toured Pattaya and reported the central streets safe and free from illegal activities.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; color: #202122; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Pattaya is a Minneapolis sized city on a big flat beach, (which has been closed due to raw sewage being leaked on it a few times, oh and then there was the Monkey riot of 2020...</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebBSrCFs11a5N_3Y_z-LfaX0mrjSXI-4734CkcntMpZicG6nLcKAGlk1cvbZYzKtAVGDPP1CI1va95T-a_x2G6PWf8vne6chZx3Ro-Z4Pt5Y_Zt2A5mlCNFdP3ZwlfbB7wHd4yRJCNBTAJwQZjKpJdKOPXQ5byt5NMvRys8JSDNHbSMz-eLIW9H8B/s5440/_DSC9975%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebBSrCFs11a5N_3Y_z-LfaX0mrjSXI-4734CkcntMpZicG6nLcKAGlk1cvbZYzKtAVGDPP1CI1va95T-a_x2G6PWf8vne6chZx3Ro-Z4Pt5Y_Zt2A5mlCNFdP3ZwlfbB7wHd4yRJCNBTAJwQZjKpJdKOPXQ5byt5NMvRys8JSDNHbSMz-eLIW9H8B/w400-h266/_DSC9975%20(2).jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We walked past money exchanging madness, brothel shops filled with 30 or 40 prostitutes, prostitutes on scooters, prostitutes hanging with school kids and it was not even 5 PM yet, apparently the crazies really gets going at 7PM. We got picked up at 530, you could loose a body part down there, or them monkeys. We got two boxes of antibiotics and a tweezers, and were safely out of town. We lead a sheltered life, (well okay). At 7PM I was safely in the confines of our little "village" having my single gin and tonic for the night, Silja was out cold by 8, and I am typing this listening for nightjars.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I did leave Pattaya with a question. Mucalinda, a 9 headed serpent thing (Naga) came to protect Buddha after his enlightenment. I am not sure why he would need protection after enlightenment but that is another question for another day. But you offer Mucalinda, Red Fanta flavored soda?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Not Coke, not Grape Nehi, even the Fanta Orange.....just this really crappy red stuff, and not just here, the only soda I saw offered to the being at any temple was Red Fanta....</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_eNIvQtNr1dUkBFLjaCENXsdmjVbpIlT_WLt3KThafmi4K5LgQWEIjshlHxy7_aCCrBhpGMeH7wS-LzUT7Q2-FoaKHp_rqeEDKtMaePMCP7Se5ShNUl2teqFGoM0LaOYpV5-Lsb_5AcE81r8fePrbTO6QvDtQzoOQkVLbH0dzVFmzl7x85PzfXdm/s5440/pattaya.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_eNIvQtNr1dUkBFLjaCENXsdmjVbpIlT_WLt3KThafmi4K5LgQWEIjshlHxy7_aCCrBhpGMeH7wS-LzUT7Q2-FoaKHp_rqeEDKtMaePMCP7Se5ShNUl2teqFGoM0LaOYpV5-Lsb_5AcE81r8fePrbTO6QvDtQzoOQkVLbH0dzVFmzl7x85PzfXdm/w400-h266/pattaya.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABJP4olwCxTImcxXq-gCHeO0OL_xGnB03r5MmCBalqo2qoWmAbvJuMqn5fchL-zn55yIQh8cBrujNzJlMtfE9qt5Q6-Z0YETbwe0GRCnmsGz_2KAd3QIeX6080z8DrAw_DL7igLOmPbZlpy5Yl7cRLvpZW2LlcxzZhkaFHQpuzjnmwPHWEHdqHrlH/s2239/neda.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2088" data-original-width="2239" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABJP4olwCxTImcxXq-gCHeO0OL_xGnB03r5MmCBalqo2qoWmAbvJuMqn5fchL-zn55yIQh8cBrujNzJlMtfE9qt5Q6-Z0YETbwe0GRCnmsGz_2KAd3QIeX6080z8DrAw_DL7igLOmPbZlpy5Yl7cRLvpZW2LlcxzZhkaFHQpuzjnmwPHWEHdqHrlH/w400-h373/neda.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We are staying put with the blissful tranquil spot interrupted with the squeal of a newly slaughtered pig (a hog butchering facility is next door). Or the organic delivery scooter.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQb7Ind6WlwN-laks95QcN9aYOLlcGkm9PcJokhOWVEbm_gWvA6bnVYDvZzL1qeZS_lxON5tq0cy3-hNb1-a7Miwb-q9lFHjgq3nlgpB2Dsy6kOfySAXAuRe1pnhe1oY6eVleKDva4txTWzv2-ZZSpuIq04m7gBaE-BblV-5RLMKbtBBqinL7-0sc/s5440/11.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQb7Ind6WlwN-laks95QcN9aYOLlcGkm9PcJokhOWVEbm_gWvA6bnVYDvZzL1qeZS_lxON5tq0cy3-hNb1-a7Miwb-q9lFHjgq3nlgpB2Dsy6kOfySAXAuRe1pnhe1oY6eVleKDva4txTWzv2-ZZSpuIq04m7gBaE-BblV-5RLMKbtBBqinL7-0sc/w400-h266/11.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Look at that, locally grown, organic, and individually wrapped in plastic.....got to love it<br /> </span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">So, a bit disjointed and weird, but I have been ill.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">31 lifers for both of my lists (you know what lists), should get some more, then off to Bhutan next week</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Olaf<br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>Olaf Danielsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18427270873795437960noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-90943230648928372712022-10-25T16:09:00.010-05:002022-10-25T16:34:39.036-05:00Go with Godwit<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv8UlaVNyrfOGUoWvw-iYTTORa-uqw1MDiD71E8mPn7LQj_y4dXYsA9yxmJgL23R3OcmcvHaC80rc_ZGwiBx1ZCv6L9GBm_NBFINfSFWg27OvF02I_IkkJisXwlBn5dIxlaYO99C_XHdom-9AO2XVHhZ8CHmnhrbWDl-F41Pwju4_uPDi09av1VVuo/s1975/bar%20tailed%20godwit3.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1559" data-original-width="1975" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv8UlaVNyrfOGUoWvw-iYTTORa-uqw1MDiD71E8mPn7LQj_y4dXYsA9yxmJgL23R3OcmcvHaC80rc_ZGwiBx1ZCv6L9GBm_NBFINfSFWg27OvF02I_IkkJisXwlBn5dIxlaYO99C_XHdom-9AO2XVHhZ8CHmnhrbWDl-F41Pwju4_uPDi09av1VVuo/w400-h316/bar%20tailed%20godwit3.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Chasing birds in addictive. I have a funeral at the end of the week, half a continent away, and we are going to Asia birding on Sunday for a month, and I don't know why, but I went birding today. Why? I guess because I have never seen a bar-tailed godwit in the lower 48 states. Why else why? because it is plover madness down at Ft DeSoto this time of year, and why else why? My wife went with me, since what else do I (we) have to do? I guess I do have things to do, I am literally writing 3 books right now, and well....I guess I went because I could.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">What is a bar-tailed Godwit, a bird I see in and around Nome, doing in western Florida? On their way to migration points....no.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4PczAFey4VPRWU1bz618OKU7teBYxXnOiUaZ9A9YWh1ogkxOLQVJqWAKsK-h0zMrDkSf-h_6tAs4OBoCC4JZbQC81LK2vWyaqoZNTaFcB863m8EjuwwSkOyYkIn2nNsbkGKcyoHzfhx_IRc7BJWn__GldarjUnkau1yKKNHuh0QytlFTtW7RC1i_J/s583/R.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="404" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4PczAFey4VPRWU1bz618OKU7teBYxXnOiUaZ9A9YWh1ogkxOLQVJqWAKsK-h0zMrDkSf-h_6tAs4OBoCC4JZbQC81LK2vWyaqoZNTaFcB863m8EjuwwSkOyYkIn2nNsbkGKcyoHzfhx_IRc7BJWn__GldarjUnkau1yKKNHuh0QytlFTtW7RC1i_J/w278-h400/R.jpg" width="278" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Those Nome birds winter in New Zealand.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimlNwLD160-tEk7reqNkBpi4RDaq89SVcHw85gHnqsny0yhbLw2yaCIZNLEIdmQDvTTEOXv3FvoxEmYX1Zrahuv2AvXKtUMLnQMvzXHDPvBqhat876enQ4bKjjY34tKPcgHVRvVivkKwh0LG8JxDoX4XFPQYlF2k7n1LUZzFmuDZvKfFULgSHfHkjw/s1630/bar%20tailed%20godwit.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1161" data-original-width="1630" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimlNwLD160-tEk7reqNkBpi4RDaq89SVcHw85gHnqsny0yhbLw2yaCIZNLEIdmQDvTTEOXv3FvoxEmYX1Zrahuv2AvXKtUMLnQMvzXHDPvBqhat876enQ4bKjjY34tKPcgHVRvVivkKwh0LG8JxDoX4XFPQYlF2k7n1LUZzFmuDZvKfFULgSHfHkjw/w400-h285/bar%20tailed%20godwit.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Today's bar-tailed godwit seemed to have fleas, was doing some serious preening and scratching<br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">The Godwits we see in Florida this time of year are Marbled Godwits, which are bigger and are the ones from my back yard in South Dakota. They head south to the coast, really any coast, Baja, Texas, South Carolina, Here.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8hHyICqeIFnMJBYED2w2JUVHH7IhmBt2CIb59ChL7dMXXsucrWXWxB1TseJTQgGHyU9WN4M1YKK8-hR0TME3JUCGe-hjUz-WpSNBgEDhMea5daSyp6ieeS9YT6GHcpYAMgqGaEvQw2Mj5gwq-GbHyA4qZvkYx3Zse2PbgHoCD-lVj7jgJ9Kli1J1/s2717/marbled%20godwit.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1956" data-original-width="2717" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8hHyICqeIFnMJBYED2w2JUVHH7IhmBt2CIb59ChL7dMXXsucrWXWxB1TseJTQgGHyU9WN4M1YKK8-hR0TME3JUCGe-hjUz-WpSNBgEDhMea5daSyp6ieeS9YT6GHcpYAMgqGaEvQw2Mj5gwq-GbHyA4qZvkYx3Zse2PbgHoCD-lVj7jgJ9Kli1J1/w400-h288/marbled%20godwit.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Marbled godwit Ft DeSoto</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But for a Bar-tailed godwit down here is a good bird, not a super rare thing, they see one or two it seems every year but I just have not chased one. Today, chase I did. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2PZuRmsFu1oCGFFhlgBKbarBfJwLa61Chq7C99imrv4DsGw99plOtX9E0u8xB3n4r3nu2XwtS8zJlmJ7_QV4QWPLPPnaC7su0mOpjWSRxdX8cdR37FhPjYOCm88If9pAFfPje4jl1t5X1ShZVJMPynaQcAiGgqSCdlnuOuMpokah9OajgtgKAjL-S/s1471/bar%20tailed%204.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1148" data-original-width="1471" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2PZuRmsFu1oCGFFhlgBKbarBfJwLa61Chq7C99imrv4DsGw99plOtX9E0u8xB3n4r3nu2XwtS8zJlmJ7_QV4QWPLPPnaC7su0mOpjWSRxdX8cdR37FhPjYOCm88If9pAFfPje4jl1t5X1ShZVJMPynaQcAiGgqSCdlnuOuMpokah9OajgtgKAjL-S/w400-h313/bar%20tailed%204.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">It was easy to find, very near where I always bird and where we typically park the car, and unload the bikes. Today, I drove my bike up to the lagoon, shot photos and....GOT YELLED AT FOR DRIVING MY BIKE ON THE BEACH. Okay, rules at DeSoto. No...dogs, no covered license plates, BBQs, vendors, picnic tables, nudity, and apparently bikes on the beach, only two of which had signs to that matter...I'd say I should read the signs but I did not see any signs.</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Well, I went plover watching, plover madness was evident.....five plover species and none were even killdeers. All were easily seen. It is always a good tutorial down there and almost always I see too many Piping Plovers for eBird. I get emails, snide remarks, and questions, too many questions. All of which I ignore, Ft DeSoto does not always bring out the best in me. Rules....yea....</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Winter plovers are not always easy....So let the review begin....Olaf's bad tutorial for plover madness month.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvsCuLcB_nznK8JrtCT19ZjZpcBcyIqEH3Vcg7O0L7ir33Adhg1wigUP_0xA4Le5sJrddPJesRPbUsCo5WtqLEcWKEkxoExScD67OmxnFah7FJNrdGKJldD9c6L8gV2YN1rAeZQzvalFnNTDIs2gWZ0pR1ATLUDQxOuRpSvMsLZpwzDF3NcO63bIWS/s2518/black%20bellied%20plover2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1930" data-original-width="2518" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvsCuLcB_nznK8JrtCT19ZjZpcBcyIqEH3Vcg7O0L7ir33Adhg1wigUP_0xA4Le5sJrddPJesRPbUsCo5WtqLEcWKEkxoExScD67OmxnFah7FJNrdGKJldD9c6L8gV2YN1rAeZQzvalFnNTDIs2gWZ0pR1ATLUDQxOuRpSvMsLZpwzDF3NcO63bIWS/w400-h306/black%20bellied%20plover2.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Black bellied plovers, big, like willet big, thick bill, no black belly this time of year, more of a beach shore bird, but this one was at the lagoon </span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXc0a60R4uYp93wejedy4LhOBUV_8_flJYMUQWF5VXfJkW6tLX1P1GnzW1XbOzYrNdvavcpa2iwAeTbBPS-Lfldz1EmGfOYajK3YzP6u5gk5xD7j20FfPch0J_EbF3dWudrV1bmldkAb-fFvL71tGc9EZcwb-R6jginn_aMRHxvYi97N0uai77bczx/s2731/piping%20plover.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1997" data-original-width="2731" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXc0a60R4uYp93wejedy4LhOBUV_8_flJYMUQWF5VXfJkW6tLX1P1GnzW1XbOzYrNdvavcpa2iwAeTbBPS-Lfldz1EmGfOYajK3YzP6u5gk5xD7j20FfPch0J_EbF3dWudrV1bmldkAb-fFvL71tGc9EZcwb-R6jginn_aMRHxvYi97N0uai77bczx/w400-h293/piping%20plover.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Piping plover, small, very light plover, almost color of sand, black bill, orange-yellowish legs, band on front of neck does NOT meet.</span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgESXXOLrRE6oF3-tJgUQrNZhYekPEFB7cdY5zRIQ7e0IqwWPCo5uClSKVH4ISx_Ueq6GDV8pXbiR_Uof3jlJGoHD1xNGY9rcMy7aQT9OokuiVjib1U6w009fGIxAwhk_UJdNRRpZY-kGM3VeoRoCvJsTnYv5sojiJUiUM2UZ3m-b3icfzV3it7Dl3G/s1723/semipalm%20plover.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1254" data-original-width="1723" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgESXXOLrRE6oF3-tJgUQrNZhYekPEFB7cdY5zRIQ7e0IqwWPCo5uClSKVH4ISx_Ueq6GDV8pXbiR_Uof3jlJGoHD1xNGY9rcMy7aQT9OokuiVjib1U6w009fGIxAwhk_UJdNRRpZY-kGM3VeoRoCvJsTnYv5sojiJUiUM2UZ3m-b3icfzV3it7Dl3G/w400-h291/semipalm%20plover.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Semipalmated plover, band meets on neck, a little orange usually on base of bill, but the piping bill and semipalms bill look almost identical from shape and size, yellowish legs, typically darker than pipings, but not always </span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy5d2U7qHDzrQIPeZwkD1HlIaBYl8KOpzwdmWxkHO0qGErWUlKa8H1GYaOhd6Gi8IUqFmfrv2r8pqfsc8VedAx8fUqk8iVegHF2nZPGHzE33GUDhTVjYuMuHUiScGDZ5CAjbBFJ4oAw16KLyEwOCa3Obj5dIocOi1YXVKQb12BGy06RBS0qPTlknAi/s2134/snowy%20plover.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1784" data-original-width="2134" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy5d2U7qHDzrQIPeZwkD1HlIaBYl8KOpzwdmWxkHO0qGErWUlKa8H1GYaOhd6Gi8IUqFmfrv2r8pqfsc8VedAx8fUqk8iVegHF2nZPGHzE33GUDhTVjYuMuHUiScGDZ5CAjbBFJ4oAw16KLyEwOCa3Obj5dIocOi1YXVKQb12BGy06RBS0qPTlknAi/w400-h335/snowy%20plover.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Snowy plover. This bird seems to always be more upright in posture. Bill longer and thinner than a piping and semipalm, legs are gray to dark, no band in front, like piping. White forehead, which looks different to me from piping but basically the same, </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZmBjUC-QVb02BPzorZoNXK34Urj96wy84y10LgjWdbVSbD2PpbG9ltRAXFCoEuURooY0dCQt1vbsr2ECig0s8WR8Pq3SAmIOp688v_zLvqj1DPgudToXZT3gdAKakvCpFJkAwa0DOOQSzOkcLO9VLNe_NTNqneZLe_CzOd5-H2sf8MLHDN6iphh9/s1683/snowy%20plover2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1174" data-original-width="1683" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZmBjUC-QVb02BPzorZoNXK34Urj96wy84y10LgjWdbVSbD2PpbG9ltRAXFCoEuURooY0dCQt1vbsr2ECig0s8WR8Pq3SAmIOp688v_zLvqj1DPgudToXZT3gdAKakvCpFJkAwa0DOOQSzOkcLO9VLNe_NTNqneZLe_CzOd5-H2sf8MLHDN6iphh9/w400-h279/snowy%20plover2.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Where other plovers will chase the waves, it seems I see snowy's up higher on the beach and not infrequently in a little bowl they have made or found, like this one today. Almost missed this one.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKEWsK2lZbNMfSoiAdeBh13y57iunerC0Vkzvg1yrWFps_rQiO_qYO7Rt7DFQFe3TXdZ6jaDLjQl2vF-2Zl2MZU8EkK9gvzy2LZRz_mjG1ptWzA3KnAgu05lkn3_UHZOA2rP8JqNpaTdE-Ml6X_iVu1wIwAHRJkwkQ3Pq0gMovU-hkle_3ICFq_bQg/s2134/wilson's%20plover.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1705" data-original-width="2134" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKEWsK2lZbNMfSoiAdeBh13y57iunerC0Vkzvg1yrWFps_rQiO_qYO7Rt7DFQFe3TXdZ6jaDLjQl2vF-2Zl2MZU8EkK9gvzy2LZRz_mjG1ptWzA3KnAgu05lkn3_UHZOA2rP8JqNpaTdE-Ml6X_iVu1wIwAHRJkwkQ3Pq0gMovU-hkle_3ICFq_bQg/w400-h320/wilson's%20plover.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Wilson's plover has a T. Rex look about them, they just look angry and mean, while pipings and semipalms look nervous.. They have a huge bill, dark legs, usually a complete band in front, darker like semipalms</span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I saw 150 plovers today. They guess there are 12-13000 piping plovers in the world, 30-35K snowy plovers, and maybe just 10,000 Wilson's plovers. I've seen over 100 of both Wilson's and Piping plovers on this stretch of beach or in two small tidal ponds. It is the place to go, and whether eBird likes my counts or not, I do not care.....I'm just a bad birder down here.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">There are over a million bar-tailed godwits on this planet and 1/10 of that number of marbled godwits for comparison, and although these 3 plovers are much more scarce as they say....location location location....but if you bird and come to Florida, stop by here and see the little guys, and may, just maybe, a bar-tailed godwit or something else strange may be around. Ft DeSoto is a nice beach to just soak up the sun and some cool birds.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Olaf</span></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /><p><br /></p></div></div>Olaf Danielsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18427270873795437960noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-9629689608443260672022-10-23T21:33:00.002-05:002022-10-23T21:37:32.747-05:00Honeycreeper Madness<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK6iAXtGEv9iGESnkbwNDIQxDzQ9DwdHDxcuTmutHwXAbIG4NZXdpp5mSwNCGgNhpIM1KCVMPOqivrLZSFLdizh4SlAaAHLkeCI_MZ3ScnsKWmHsCaDp3lHe7jsZ_Q6XU3XFLINYOBf3hOCDpK1JtouV0dmNWCUmgRHBb2h5DMhLs1DRx5Q0h-90_u/s1023/honeycreeper3b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="1023" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK6iAXtGEv9iGESnkbwNDIQxDzQ9DwdHDxcuTmutHwXAbIG4NZXdpp5mSwNCGgNhpIM1KCVMPOqivrLZSFLdizh4SlAaAHLkeCI_MZ3ScnsKWmHsCaDp3lHe7jsZ_Q6XU3XFLINYOBf3hOCDpK1JtouV0dmNWCUmgRHBb2h5DMhLs1DRx5Q0h-90_u/w400-h279/honeycreeper3b.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I will just write a brief note. I am drinking my lifer beer for bird number 820, wow, 820 birds....who'd have ever thunk? Even with a bit of a rash of exotics, some of which I still have to tally, but it is still something good. Today's addition was the red-legged honeycreeper</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">After Ian blew through, luckily sparing our camping site in Land O Lakes Florida, honeycreepers began to show up in the Keys, Miami, the Everglades, Sabine Woods in Texas, Grand Isle LA, and most recently in Jupiter and Delray Beach Florida. A friend of mine called it Honeycreeper madness.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I saw these reports and as we cruised into Tampa last weekend, I figured I'd head south right away, but the Key West honeycreepers moved north, then north again and finally I just decided to go this morning after Brunch at the local Buddhist temple. I had no more excuses, I had to go over and see one. One may never have an opportunity like this again.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It was an uneventful four hour trek to the Atlantic side of Florida. Orchard Park was full of families and then as I was putting on my camera, the only birder there put me on a glimpse of the target. It took me another hour and a half to get photos.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgouHpecNdJi1Ak1MenyCpvkD5MhXwvKgAw7g6Y83WMpA-mEsc9E3Sic6IGZPFdJ4aLHs3JaXrM_cKk_70SoI1r--zlLh4AoxDr13_f5H7f096pvI9AF4hR_g4CeLXgb1olPkafURBvrJP3niXHQ-pz9lsKT-vkzl-_BJ0vXc-26lBFqs3_p7wn7mph/s1485/honetcreeper7.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1175" data-original-width="1485" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgouHpecNdJi1Ak1MenyCpvkD5MhXwvKgAw7g6Y83WMpA-mEsc9E3Sic6IGZPFdJ4aLHs3JaXrM_cKk_70SoI1r--zlLh4AoxDr13_f5H7f096pvI9AF4hR_g4CeLXgb1olPkafURBvrJP3niXHQ-pz9lsKT-vkzl-_BJ0vXc-26lBFqs3_p7wn7mph/w400-h316/honetcreeper7.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">One could hope for gorgeous blue males in breeding plumage but I never figured on seeing honeycreepers in the USA, so I'll take green ones, immature males and females all day long.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I settled for a male black-throated blue warbler to give me that blue color for the afternoon in Delray Beach <br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLafgJI8dNYRJib3e8zcnjoBrkRoYrnNZmLP8jR2Bn6wjYiV_9GnSPR-cvzbznA_FEvGmr7B29nd18Xu3uGE0YBOaICau_evT9uX4nMXoDVKJanfD_o-3DYQFKAHHa2yUsSMdNrZUUEHFGbUe-ESCoA_pIHxADJaG827UxwFmlnMxQuVo2vks4bYHZ/s1538/black%20throated%20blue%20warbler.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1108" data-original-width="1538" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLafgJI8dNYRJib3e8zcnjoBrkRoYrnNZmLP8jR2Bn6wjYiV_9GnSPR-cvzbznA_FEvGmr7B29nd18Xu3uGE0YBOaICau_evT9uX4nMXoDVKJanfD_o-3DYQFKAHHa2yUsSMdNrZUUEHFGbUe-ESCoA_pIHxADJaG827UxwFmlnMxQuVo2vks4bYHZ/w400-h289/black%20throated%20blue%20warbler.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So I got my bird, I'm drinking my lifer Grain Belt I had in the refrigerator and getting ready for a big birding trek to Asia next weekend</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Cheers!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Olaf</span></p><br />Olaf Danielsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18427270873795437960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-82343889245348319022022-10-15T19:58:00.004-05:002022-10-15T21:06:17.877-05:00Not evil, it is just a weevil<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqKmgapkxlNewJtmPMPa2k4cCCJsBHmtJXKTKvwOjfS6dj0kBXXjFRCzDwsoZdGZPZ3buATYt1A0zLBxoka5xa_e42deW3ti9Fr3Zk5oUVP0UO_UWUaCX_Zac_eIeLPmItW_NGwE0vcSewAQyvM0WppYhFMBDr5hYfn2JZUqtX9frAGI3MTr0qoXq/s5440/boll.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqKmgapkxlNewJtmPMPa2k4cCCJsBHmtJXKTKvwOjfS6dj0kBXXjFRCzDwsoZdGZPZ3buATYt1A0zLBxoka5xa_e42deW3ti9Fr3Zk5oUVP0UO_UWUaCX_Zac_eIeLPmItW_NGwE0vcSewAQyvM0WppYhFMBDr5hYfn2JZUqtX9frAGI3MTr0qoXq/w400-h266/boll.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Boll Weevil decimated the cotton crops of the South over a century ago. In most places the economy collapsed and withered, just like the cotton balls out in the field, but not Enterprise Alabama. Here, the insect brought prosperity, as inadvertently as it did. Elsewhere, the bug transplanted from Mexico caused a total estimate of 23 billion in damages and led to massive social upheaval and mass migration, in Enterprise, realizing what was ahead, they switched to growing peanuts, and the town prospered.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Today was the Boll Weevil Fall Festival in Enterprise Alabama, and yes, Olaf was there, well my wife was there too. We came late looked on a bit and went and saw some of the statues to the local bug hero.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQIOXZXB5Z6Ob-4uzvV54LhW9ApxUeyhqQ81tPLjJTO1HwPIwHedoX-j8EU0gtMDpZidvg1tAw-HhI35eUpfFfu7RuTDRF3_Rx6Ru6U2CVtEVY5h3n6ncUhWGP8q0OPWp_tuXvVMToH_-nHLpsJ8ATUB3q3vFmL5wEw-EmBdaIKxae3kx0Gp07fhEI/s5440/weevil.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQIOXZXB5Z6Ob-4uzvV54LhW9ApxUeyhqQ81tPLjJTO1HwPIwHedoX-j8EU0gtMDpZidvg1tAw-HhI35eUpfFfu7RuTDRF3_Rx6Ru6U2CVtEVY5h3n6ncUhWGP8q0OPWp_tuXvVMToH_-nHLpsJ8ATUB3q3vFmL5wEw-EmBdaIKxae3kx0Gp07fhEI/w400-h266/weevil.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAAarTQ5-58Jqj3LEcjWwfjWV83QpLw_-xD228x5cIwTZud-MgtcFDA9RV4lyxl-YXzDlTMkhPt_bB74OAswcK3OqpiPZ4D14V_J8_YRcFWQLcYL1L9WUvJmnaaLcsE0-7i3yJ_69mK3CWNlsViXrgAScOTmGxYnMVWNCAHIOs1OcgiuQtPmjTy9p/s3437/_DSC9476%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2758" data-original-width="3437" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAAarTQ5-58Jqj3LEcjWwfjWV83QpLw_-xD228x5cIwTZud-MgtcFDA9RV4lyxl-YXzDlTMkhPt_bB74OAswcK3OqpiPZ4D14V_J8_YRcFWQLcYL1L9WUvJmnaaLcsE0-7i3yJ_69mK3CWNlsViXrgAScOTmGxYnMVWNCAHIOs1OcgiuQtPmjTy9p/w400-h321/_DSC9476%20(2).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pharmacist weevil</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5tyOXnktaGAwDXlCl02Q4duUlWM3dd_eRTmmmcrjO0CBvTOMZO5wygJG5WQIKfuTBGREEMEWwKBQNjfNWYPSq6geBCKIKK0CGAnfJQXuM3sL9wSFNYZEVDLwGu3zckh2-kCbhwDPqrqr2_-Ls-0J2wRWjNcVIrfyNYEKkgkXHnkuq64ktv8Wa6_2/s3807/weevil5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3057" data-original-width="3807" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5tyOXnktaGAwDXlCl02Q4duUlWM3dd_eRTmmmcrjO0CBvTOMZO5wygJG5WQIKfuTBGREEMEWwKBQNjfNWYPSq6geBCKIKK0CGAnfJQXuM3sL9wSFNYZEVDLwGu3zckh2-kCbhwDPqrqr2_-Ls-0J2wRWjNcVIrfyNYEKkgkXHnkuq64ktv8Wa6_2/w400-h321/weevil5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Power company employee weevil</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmGYGpSkMQKU5_FN2B7UJN-uaPFRXtXi7iXMPgcSYZrXVkp5ykiLGgBITBwhyDmS0qXQa3CjOMm7AMpIBzHqWdB2Eye0JxkD1qy6WlB8qd5NFe4bmKzKVcpgk-hSjprK-qfOR1oH7OrZM6GDtuVi57nPCseIp7IKp7X6kp8JeG8LCFGTyvDBKxe4bF/s4257/weevil%20dentist.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3041" data-original-width="4257" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmGYGpSkMQKU5_FN2B7UJN-uaPFRXtXi7iXMPgcSYZrXVkp5ykiLGgBITBwhyDmS0qXQa3CjOMm7AMpIBzHqWdB2Eye0JxkD1qy6WlB8qd5NFe4bmKzKVcpgk-hSjprK-qfOR1oH7OrZM6GDtuVi57nPCseIp7IKp7X6kp8JeG8LCFGTyvDBKxe4bF/w400-h286/weevil%20dentist.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This weevil was waiting for a dental exam, Silja was in need of a cleaning so she got in line</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4dL_I5uO3tAd3lsiJOXdjt0u18gG_trSGKmItyvW1hNQ0DWbauF05PU56N0_iBqPn0kqYTrPSslVcTqZVVmksfkmRoyYiRJi_PZisx8i9Fc8_ixRLPKCs3eXGBNG78UILxfFwMnjMQvzOhR95M6jYs8dYbjGxHTKPrBlffKxUGU4R52RE2eoeIFld/s5440/weevil8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4dL_I5uO3tAd3lsiJOXdjt0u18gG_trSGKmItyvW1hNQ0DWbauF05PU56N0_iBqPn0kqYTrPSslVcTqZVVmksfkmRoyYiRJi_PZisx8i9Fc8_ixRLPKCs3eXGBNG78UILxfFwMnjMQvzOhR95M6jYs8dYbjGxHTKPrBlffKxUGU4R52RE2eoeIFld/w400-h266/weevil8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">farmers market weevil</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVNvL4b5AuZ577jnTG1eNt50K5YsdCRDpPstk8RHcfobVioFzMfweRwGOEUnLM44qOpw2sNnCFEndxxKm4x3f7XMiVnKGhcUsb520jYHgO6jFAfO0eAm5hBuivuH0AQDsT0PjRCyy8a-FY9Lw4hvhc1akbBpgn7DB1k07bhLDfBKNCC5OXeytlEkHD/s5440/weevil6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVNvL4b5AuZ577jnTG1eNt50K5YsdCRDpPstk8RHcfobVioFzMfweRwGOEUnLM44qOpw2sNnCFEndxxKm4x3f7XMiVnKGhcUsb520jYHgO6jFAfO0eAm5hBuivuH0AQDsT0PjRCyy8a-FY9Lw4hvhc1akbBpgn7DB1k07bhLDfBKNCC5OXeytlEkHD/w400-h266/weevil6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There was also AC and heating repairman Weevil</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Silja was touched by an angel in downtown Enterprise today, literally. This older woman asked me to send her a photo of the iconic Athena holding the Weevil statue (it is named the Harald of Prosperity erected in 1917), instead Silja volunteered to take her photo. Why was she an angel, you ask? Well we told her we were from up north and South Dakota. The woman proudly exclaimed, she was from heaven. <u>The</u> Heaven? Well, there is no "Heaven" in Alabama, in fact, although there are two places called Hell (one in Norway and one in Michigan) there is no city or village named Heaven anywhere in America, so therefore she must be an angel, as there is no other Heaven. Why is an angel taking a selfie on an Iphone 11? Maybe the shipment of I-14s have been delayed up there too?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic7aw7SGEoHwb_ShC9O509ty62TnsJE0J2ko5vTlz5TzM9sZCKeczxK8H0AVI97nYihWiR0-A2XGZzjsYlD5yvJ9ulK9e8syXsv3KSrQ6WORYLk0b8bAjH4beaHjhYq2f_-w4e_1jlYf4CVEOzvd51DhZhgmyrfYs_yO24JLNbgIobdeJbV4SQRbWJ/s5440/angel.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic7aw7SGEoHwb_ShC9O509ty62TnsJE0J2ko5vTlz5TzM9sZCKeczxK8H0AVI97nYihWiR0-A2XGZzjsYlD5yvJ9ulK9e8syXsv3KSrQ6WORYLk0b8bAjH4beaHjhYq2f_-w4e_1jlYf4CVEOzvd51DhZhgmyrfYs_yO24JLNbgIobdeJbV4SQRbWJ/w400-h266/angel.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Silja taking a photo of an angel in front of the Harald of Prosperity</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It was not our only stop with unusual monuments, We swung through Memphis to see the Great Pyramid of Memphis. I was tired of three days of heavy wind so I needed a stop.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM_h4pgNhUsLy9Pc5pMYebbEE6v29BxhF-oMcdGbN5sKYXbP94cSSLeDPA1PnQOQw18zTI5UCJ4OpvYAtCC0nqZfwFkTHVdhkJym9Xbqc33NQgBJMql7oBmoGJNXPsmXPfZCboPl4ZDCQ6zKJYJFp2pD4Z5ZAMeclyXdlNJ9dv8wlJYirTlYyJMB7b/s5440/pyramid.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM_h4pgNhUsLy9Pc5pMYebbEE6v29BxhF-oMcdGbN5sKYXbP94cSSLeDPA1PnQOQw18zTI5UCJ4OpvYAtCC0nqZfwFkTHVdhkJym9Xbqc33NQgBJMql7oBmoGJNXPsmXPfZCboPl4ZDCQ6zKJYJFp2pD4Z5ZAMeclyXdlNJ9dv8wlJYirTlYyJMB7b/w400-h266/pyramid.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Great Pyramid, once a odd basketball stadium (Memphis Grizzlies) is now a Bass Pro Shop and a hotel. I needed gloves and a belt and lunch sounded like fun. It was brave to drive the big rig in downtown Memphis at the Riverfront. I checked the online community. "Sure, you can camp in the bug lot. Well, luckily I also read to just park at the Tennessee Welcome visitor center, which we sort of bailed out in when I saw the low arched sign over the road and the ominous warnings, </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ91MOHFfJbl6N_cq_pWQGl3BbWj0bQ1f9BRcWevavBPxS1PErjnQO_Pjpcrfz2Fcfv2yqezz6os2UWn6rHzYAx67q5_oLxaa7OmEERA-vM_df1EGtdSl-5GsfVJxvaoIyx8Hw-ZW9rmCfUuj-YLiyQxdqxyOppHVoEtgT8tNBNM5AJvpeAZMnlGFw/s5408/pyramid.dng" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="5408" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ91MOHFfJbl6N_cq_pWQGl3BbWj0bQ1f9BRcWevavBPxS1PErjnQO_Pjpcrfz2Fcfv2yqezz6os2UWn6rHzYAx67q5_oLxaa7OmEERA-vM_df1EGtdSl-5GsfVJxvaoIyx8Hw-ZW9rmCfUuj-YLiyQxdqxyOppHVoEtgT8tNBNM5AJvpeAZMnlGFw/w400-h266/pyramid.dng" width="400" /></a>=</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFfbL6Gvtkc2w3I91guK9nq7DigbG70wc7hwg3_wzXzzTwLoAgv9UZzZ2uXZ6fAMbVjhF1P0VNhG1zMYoLO2sq1Jj-sRtMAf_wyYRO-qr2KkjSPrUgvED3Bk-AxPWXcgezQpLvFnJc9SAC1hKZ2A5696HxgfV_IgJbOUeMvkGEcQW3doJ6X6OmlRb/s578/sign.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="578" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFfbL6Gvtkc2w3I91guK9nq7DigbG70wc7hwg3_wzXzzTwLoAgv9UZzZ2uXZ6fAMbVjhF1P0VNhG1zMYoLO2sq1Jj-sRtMAf_wyYRO-qr2KkjSPrUgvED3Bk-AxPWXcgezQpLvFnJc9SAC1hKZ2A5696HxgfV_IgJbOUeMvkGEcQW3doJ6X6OmlRb/w400-h301/sign.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Morale: do not believe the internet!</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">We had our visit and got out in one piece, no problem. Like Enterprise, we came we saw and we weeviled</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">We are 350 miles from Land O Lakes Florida and our winter campsite, seeing everything in Enterprise and since our campground is a little lo-cal, we will make it tomorrow. Snowing at home and here, in the land of the cherished weevil, 85 today. What a difference 1400 miles makes.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">So far an uneventful trip and an angel, good day all in all</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Olaf<br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div> <p></p></div>Olaf Danielsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18427270873795437960noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-10018910914880686382022-10-10T18:01:00.001-05:002022-10-10T18:01:34.628-05:00The dang old Zugunruhe.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoVgp2hijLGAbzrQemmJxo-THs9POHrQsjDXGpVg03_BI6BS1m_QBAQVl8EtChCTw-WUG17STe_UrCJNQcJhGpsihXKnQ_xMLx09ohL_vqL9NYCf9nrhEiBjsU49l8t6tNNygPNk29G-JPrj91I6M_q2xW5fco1PRBXt3i_WYAUDk7HoeAxSYB7XCb/s5440/leaving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="5440" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoVgp2hijLGAbzrQemmJxo-THs9POHrQsjDXGpVg03_BI6BS1m_QBAQVl8EtChCTw-WUG17STe_UrCJNQcJhGpsihXKnQ_xMLx09ohL_vqL9NYCf9nrhEiBjsU49l8t6tNNygPNk29G-JPrj91I6M_q2xW5fco1PRBXt3i_WYAUDk7HoeAxSYB7XCb/w400-h266/leaving.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Summer is over, the better (best?) part of fall is also past and well, like a migratory bird we are getting that antsiness to head south. In German, Zugunruhe, that migratory-anxiety, which I guess is appropriate since son, Allwin is now safely in Jena Germany, waiting his job at the Max Planck Institute. He is now blogging about his experiences so like father like son, send me a note and I'll give the link. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Zugunruhe is a terrible feeling, one of the worst, for me at least....what to pack, what to leave, where is what.....panic, anxiety, and just the feel of dread.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We have packed the RV, loaded up the Volvo and the bikes behind, and plan on a Wednesday departure. We have to go to St. Paul to drop off the furry children tomorrow since we are soon off to Thailand, and then Bhutan, Tiger and Snowball will be at daughter Laurens "Cathouse" for the rest of fall. The kiddos do not travel well and it seems better to just leave them safe and sound until we retrieve them near Christmas.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Our trip south is routine, not much added save two days in Enterprise Alabama to....see Boll Weevil statues. The whole city is littered with them. Okay, the strange and true. Maybe throw in some other chance stop like the Memphis Pyramid, and it will be a quick and to the point trip.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">What have we spent our last few days doing?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We went to see the author William Kent Kruger in Milbank at the public library. He inspires and entertains, at least me, also an author and writer (although much less famous). </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rnmBkOtGbEHhfw3izd3Kw3ta3-Gt3ZpQbbfvSvy54pwF-VR_uiMd-AkgxKKwgMuNgcST3kO0c16M-OVsvgvFmTcPfDZxkNbKWE12l3PZmIvjsAdD7znCXZKfwxp_QHmUSlzfdccjM3vi-fv5LNNyB4ybQ5Yf3YOo1npH7-aQMFSN31LJwJ4hXGQb/s640/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rnmBkOtGbEHhfw3izd3Kw3ta3-Gt3ZpQbbfvSvy54pwF-VR_uiMd-AkgxKKwgMuNgcST3kO0c16M-OVsvgvFmTcPfDZxkNbKWE12l3PZmIvjsAdD7znCXZKfwxp_QHmUSlzfdccjM3vi-fv5LNNyB4ybQ5Yf3YOo1npH7-aQMFSN31LJwJ4hXGQb/w400-h300/2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Then we went to make sure the cabin was put to bed. Our dinosaur stood watch, stately in the wind on Enemy Swim Lake.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw8YpkUqvTRfGQKOwW6S7JJaYA57i9yjtu9VKz3CZtUlaXgRnHav5sSLYwFROFhALhbuE7RPY5QYbu0FHQGpHelon84ByAPbu5GFT-lOyAtJf7TPisrsRbZl2s2PePsdvs31h_8_IOJ_5Vo7b8uFq2698DeSkqLwot2GoLhYTOWvbP_MfwO_mRtcvD/s640/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw8YpkUqvTRfGQKOwW6S7JJaYA57i9yjtu9VKz3CZtUlaXgRnHav5sSLYwFROFhALhbuE7RPY5QYbu0FHQGpHelon84ByAPbu5GFT-lOyAtJf7TPisrsRbZl2s2PePsdvs31h_8_IOJ_5Vo7b8uFq2698DeSkqLwot2GoLhYTOWvbP_MfwO_mRtcvD/w400-h300/1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Everything looks so brown, but it has been a nice fall so far. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We painted our house, it has been a 4 week project.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I started a new book, not reading, writing, "Burnett County, Revisited" and another anthology of history of my home county in Wisconsin. Not many more years to do projects with my mother and this may be the last, who knows. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So anyhow, on the road again as they say, and you will hear an update in a few days. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Olaf Danielsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18427270873795437960noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759991183598568178.post-66281556564243126502022-09-20T22:01:00.008-05:002022-09-21T14:08:08.372-05:00A unique family adventure to North Dakota<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0HPBgHkT4m_PVJbeLEg2hjlB7ob7HOiClfUL41QeLxCJLams8UXyoJfzdx4rYDhM8ESotbZUxy4WzUIIKM9B3k8R8qCjeV_ZLMFox6hZJfuL6W_s-U9eLxjSmEbxvxdSbA4VN4dVuODzoIV4yQu7xCeaepvFrHT2HmR0mK3rcSGe2P4iRtm1mVTXT/s5408/waterfall.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="5408" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0HPBgHkT4m_PVJbeLEg2hjlB7ob7HOiClfUL41QeLxCJLams8UXyoJfzdx4rYDhM8ESotbZUxy4WzUIIKM9B3k8R8qCjeV_ZLMFox6hZJfuL6W_s-U9eLxjSmEbxvxdSbA4VN4dVuODzoIV4yQu7xCeaepvFrHT2HmR0mK3rcSGe2P4iRtm1mVTXT/w400-h266/waterfall.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We went on a little explore into North Dakota today, sort of a family outing with our two sons before they head back home. We saw a little of America few see, one was a rather diminutive waterfall. Mineral Springs Waterfall as it turns out, <b>IS</b> the largest within the State of North Dakota. To be fair, it does not look like much, but the two and a half mile walk into it was pleasant and worth the adventure. Who knew? <p></p><p>The Sheyenne River valley is a cool place. The look of fall is in the air...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVN75PvBYrM32ii91f5XJf8lKfutguCJp_HUE3I8HU-5-_3GS4MIo9duYgNTUiC2yj_zwqnF7GsVJAlCSYsgN0x92_-exFxq6ZCqcRIkQyZ_53cdK8XMLUv3bdNlBaXEezsAePuFBW5cchyruKRE_LJCavr1IMt3e7Y54KW9tValimIKthrEFndgkX/s3999/sumac.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2559" data-original-width="3999" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVN75PvBYrM32ii91f5XJf8lKfutguCJp_HUE3I8HU-5-_3GS4MIo9duYgNTUiC2yj_zwqnF7GsVJAlCSYsgN0x92_-exFxq6ZCqcRIkQyZ_53cdK8XMLUv3bdNlBaXEezsAePuFBW5cchyruKRE_LJCavr1IMt3e7Y54KW9tValimIKthrEFndgkX/w400-h256/sumac.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We then went to Ft Ransom, and looked for the many archeology oddities found nearby. Pyramid Hill, a mound of conflicting origin, overlooking the Sheyenne River, much like Pilot Mound overlooks the end of the Pembina River to the rest almost straight north in Manitoba. I have my theories but that is beyond this blog.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh52MLsCsr0iOBEZX1A7GiimWgBcYDz68ZLSYvw4FNqK40Q-RzCOyWh2Pk7XnlbiyOUoroM1GvMUZGAkrvcQhfy9ODMlnvXYhUA3gCZWkqgDrqDbKJlyEa8FUAB0qetHnI58L1n7BuzRXhSeMm2Htm_2bSO-Y2yvYjBBChqfL48bKjrRiydxcymzX0d/s4405/pyranmid%20hill.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2876" data-original-width="4405" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh52MLsCsr0iOBEZX1A7GiimWgBcYDz68ZLSYvw4FNqK40Q-RzCOyWh2Pk7XnlbiyOUoroM1GvMUZGAkrvcQhfy9ODMlnvXYhUA3gCZWkqgDrqDbKJlyEa8FUAB0qetHnI58L1n7BuzRXhSeMm2Htm_2bSO-Y2yvYjBBChqfL48bKjrRiydxcymzX0d/w400-h261/pyranmid%20hill.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Black Viking sits on top, a rather recent addition to an ancient mound. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">It all
started when Snorri and Bjarne--Snorri Thorfinnson and Bjarne Ness, two old
cronies in Fort Ransom--decided they would put their little town on the map
with a Viking monument. They were inspired both by Snorri’s discovery of Norse
mooring stones along the Sheyenne River and by the example of Elmer Peterson of
Jamestown College, whose World’s Largest Buffalo not only put Jimtown on the
map but also lured Republican hopeful Nelson A. Rockefeller out for the dedication
in 1960. Snorri and Bjarne started sculpting classes with Professor Peterson,
the master of concrete, and planned to fashion the great Viking themselves.
They wanted to place it atop the conical hill overlooking town from the south,
an elevation Snorri thought surely was an Indian burial mound. That was when
the dream began to unravel, for Bjarne got cancer, and died, and
Snorri’s enthusiasm flagged.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Somehow,
then, as the story goes, a Vietnam veteran named Bill Woell, down and out and living in a tipi, made connections with
Snorri and other men of the Fort Ransom Commercial Club, and he offered to
sculpt them a Viking. He did the work in a farm building down by Leonard,
fashioning the figure of pipe, steel mesh, and a sort of burlap-mache.
One afternoon in the early 1970s, a helicopter lowered the Black Viking into
place.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">It was not
exactly what the Nordic stalwarts of Fort Ransom had in mind. The Black
Viking was downright demonic. He was, of course, black, and way too slender to
be stolid. His spear was like a trident, his horned helmet like horns, and his
eyes, they glared vacantly. “We wanted a Viking,” a local woman observed, “but
not that kind.” The subsequent physical deterioration of the Black Viking
testifies to the not-so-benign neglect by the community for a stunning piece of
outsider art. They now have a turn out and a sign below him.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">We could not locate the mooring stone or the Writing Rock, sigh, a missed opportunity</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMGwNe1b1YL9qH0AbveGBt4D4Laq2236U3U9m31i5HHgKpZFIMPDh3A5b0rp_x1XbCjeEDifRpSut6tNMdikH4KNSJbIBMKmfOu0-u5ER86sCPaZALCqkNQjNGXNccT41OT0wIrkiT1BDdMQhXG6dcp6ng-uKMKA54q2TFfVKncgtSFl2xdvD4ERJs/s5408/black%20viking.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="5408" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMGwNe1b1YL9qH0AbveGBt4D4Laq2236U3U9m31i5HHgKpZFIMPDh3A5b0rp_x1XbCjeEDifRpSut6tNMdikH4KNSJbIBMKmfOu0-u5ER86sCPaZALCqkNQjNGXNccT41OT0wIrkiT1BDdMQhXG6dcp6ng-uKMKA54q2TFfVKncgtSFl2xdvD4ERJs/w400-h266/black%20viking.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">We also went past the Scenic Theater in Lisbon ND, the oldest continuously operated movie theater in the United States. It began operating in 1911. "Where the Crawdads sing" is currently playing, should anyone get up this way. It is a one of a kind place worth visiting.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Y5M3GMu_CbmCXURwrAoyuXyaO_pY6DKxEpTfbJKkmBBC888teTnGSMJ2pq3fFq4OIHGqCVmvz-CdTsXkB3e30sz5jjqvSY4tJwQ5fNMS1rz4FCqpMzZZ46mhWg325VoaPLYYG-852YJVuuldfXzJY5tsua6J4E52uWhYM2-SIoN4ab8uQUwywP3p/s5408/scenic%20theater2i.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="5408" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Y5M3GMu_CbmCXURwrAoyuXyaO_pY6DKxEpTfbJKkmBBC888teTnGSMJ2pq3fFq4OIHGqCVmvz-CdTsXkB3e30sz5jjqvSY4tJwQ5fNMS1rz4FCqpMzZZ46mhWg325VoaPLYYG-852YJVuuldfXzJY5tsua6J4E52uWhYM2-SIoN4ab8uQUwywP3p/w400-h266/scenic%20theater2i.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Standing Rock is a rather odd deal. What a piece of obsidianish stone is doing on this high overlook is not natural. There is a lot of money placed on it, for reasons I can only guess. It is at an extensive 15000 year old burial mound complex (a mound is behind my son), this is about 8 miles north of the Pyramid Mound. Who was here 15,000 years ago? Nobody really knows. Some speculate but they do not know. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcFlLm6-2S65d4_tQ2H4foUTVNQzcmMVU619eBhWjtJw3lENOj3PwNvnSm-PVnI0cm7XoMm7ibVSwSS13AvSD0nubmE6ToNLau7ybrZxUBHPxscdJMJGyxb3d7psR6mOg0_pr99B2y3-sidrb-02tvWx7iFPiWhwslhtvDGbSbuebyinM_KmTW7J5/s3475/syanding%20stone.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3302" data-original-width="3475" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcFlLm6-2S65d4_tQ2H4foUTVNQzcmMVU619eBhWjtJw3lENOj3PwNvnSm-PVnI0cm7XoMm7ibVSwSS13AvSD0nubmE6ToNLau7ybrZxUBHPxscdJMJGyxb3d7psR6mOg0_pr99B2y3-sidrb-02tvWx7iFPiWhwslhtvDGbSbuebyinM_KmTW7J5/w400-h380/syanding%20stone.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We saw the 1910 built Sargeant County courthouse in Forman, ND, to add to me nascent collection of County Courthouse photos. The maroon trim is quite nice and considering this sits in a town of 450 people, and in a small county, its upkeep is good to see.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3041" data-original-width="4403" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJImOZzQbnJOMTsEt4DsJmGP3z8y0ald-T5GCIgNqQ-hL4j89VLH3o9g3uMNyC6TeiwleJhAgNEJ24TzIqPiU8MRjH9mPJvgr5J7VYYkiN_dYHnAz1MXzT_uv7b9KtZ_pc9dB0aaGakFfSDKeGYd_5taosXW-cRHGY6NK3uNbYgJXrkOV03eUcgJib/w400-h276/Sargeant%20County%20ND%20Forman.jpg" width="400" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">Plus a more recent one in Lisbon, for Ransom County, This one looks very much 1930s and upon looking it up, I was not surprised to see the building date at 1937.</span></div><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="5408" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUOQqVsZKrnZbqZE1iVZWVi7OEjPWv5box9r2nJIqZzkOaBusgJlPzcYbxTWInT-dkmQmOhaOmnQZAJdGzfsmeZpHXkl0SQ9SWF_IBWtLReF6q-TLlRfS7oa96f5YT_1YdQUhM-mf3MMGUrpIJx6oviyCXSKte0uvujIxf7ww6ECKw2uSnOjV01Rcz/w400-h266/Ransom%20County%20ND%20Lisbom2.jpg" width="400" /></div><br />I decided to not photograph birds today. I watched but somehow felt I was intruding and could not press the shutter, the same held true for butterflies but I snapped a couple of photos anyways. There were a few Gray Hairstreaks about.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis4DC_JA3Wzr1qCGzt97RLYMnQJD-jTRSagEUAXJuw9ySmrHGYedngSKqwzdyNszTBFoNlRfQwTZPN9H_GCeM97ZfhImQN5lFNiLdeqc4YsRVK4uMaBgW9KXCuIFjuF3lGy0iOr0jeuevQDqxX6wIi8PsYK2CIH_-ymjFzEHL2aFkOAyaO7L9rgAFd/s2006/Gray%20hairsteaks.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1493" data-original-width="2006" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis4DC_JA3Wzr1qCGzt97RLYMnQJD-jTRSagEUAXJuw9ySmrHGYedngSKqwzdyNszTBFoNlRfQwTZPN9H_GCeM97ZfhImQN5lFNiLdeqc4YsRVK4uMaBgW9KXCuIFjuF3lGy0iOr0jeuevQDqxX6wIi8PsYK2CIH_-ymjFzEHL2aFkOAyaO7L9rgAFd/w400-h297/Gray%20hairsteaks.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>and so diminutive Dainty Yellow butterflies hanging on in the rapidly browning of fall</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXEuLBFEMElvh9bIJYNc9l3fIVb-WhPzWqrdZXoFvVeVVsj6cIJk0Vz7r2mXlqdtQbJ7sQeAvCiorumwbcTZEJmJvuUlWKik0CKqYrQx53wJadeTJki8j3GQdFvOe-1NN6IbpqOMYavu-lgraofF4XZdj-6BBkzneDlVii98eJfmKGTsWF1yf4D9-r/s1536/dainty%20yellow.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1150" data-original-width="1536" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXEuLBFEMElvh9bIJYNc9l3fIVb-WhPzWqrdZXoFvVeVVsj6cIJk0Vz7r2mXlqdtQbJ7sQeAvCiorumwbcTZEJmJvuUlWKik0CKqYrQx53wJadeTJki8j3GQdFvOe-1NN6IbpqOMYavu-lgraofF4XZdj-6BBkzneDlVii98eJfmKGTsWF1yf4D9-r/w400-h300/dainty%20yellow.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Saw some western plains garter snake subspecies of the common garter snake, many were out on the roads</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLaITYcFeLYgJQcB8R7Zz8IOunv4WD2_25LbYthuC0ZbaVmsyU7a3mZVO4CBdWl3f4bIjgXZoT01EMXXvm7_Y1asOEJkcYILelOCi48r3ac3UcGzeuLHdo0QneBx82krZ3pXkKX9PqdpSzlXX07lm1jVxsnXOXXsXQddR-T0If2zq86WrqDNVUknTV/s3986/garter%20snake.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3232" data-original-width="3986" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLaITYcFeLYgJQcB8R7Zz8IOunv4WD2_25LbYthuC0ZbaVmsyU7a3mZVO4CBdWl3f4bIjgXZoT01EMXXvm7_Y1asOEJkcYILelOCi48r3ac3UcGzeuLHdo0QneBx82krZ3pXkKX9PqdpSzlXX07lm1jVxsnXOXXsXQddR-T0If2zq86WrqDNVUknTV/w400-h324/garter%20snake.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I also saw a smooth green snake as well, but could not get it photographed</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHkM72o_09YMasltnwEBy8y6TBgzQ06GkVL_WS8sLYS_bCyAbrYWUhya67Nxrx251RxuWQu_kLzIxcCo1PDIRf9_GeZJF6Pw15C0YVZ5RbFVoCIUhbTplJ-2Y89sGdHXWVLKxG7R0jHF99zEgUf_cO4gOzAaCOOfkNOPblCSKufX_YU03h5I3dVxxd/s5408/family.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="5408" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHkM72o_09YMasltnwEBy8y6TBgzQ06GkVL_WS8sLYS_bCyAbrYWUhya67Nxrx251RxuWQu_kLzIxcCo1PDIRf9_GeZJF6Pw15C0YVZ5RbFVoCIUhbTplJ-2Y89sGdHXWVLKxG7R0jHF99zEgUf_cO4gOzAaCOOfkNOPblCSKufX_YU03h5I3dVxxd/w400-h266/family.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our picnic would have been better had not someone forgot to pack the bread</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>It was a good outing to the north, might be the last for a while, Allwin middle is leaving for the Max Planck Institute in Germany in two weeks and Tyko, is heading back in a couple of days to Chicago to complete his medical studies. It has been a wonderful idyll home with our boys.Olaf Danielsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18427270873795437960noreply@blogger.com0