Sunday, March 30, 2008
Big Bear to Washinton
Hi everyone...did you miss us? Since my lecture in Big Bear, a big success, we have been on the road and camping most every night with no internet(!) and below freezing temps on some nights in our little tent. But you know what? It's fabulous! Tonight we finally checked into a Motel6 with real beds and showers and I'm dashing off a quick post with some photos. We have made it to the Washington border after 6 leisurely days in CA and OR and met wonderful folks, seen fabulous scenery and lots of new birds. Sandra has fallen in love with the redwoods and I am enamored with all the little seaside towns, especially Jenner near Tomales Bay CA. There we met a young couple (aren't they all?) who told us where to see Ospreys. Well, we did. By the dozen. See the attached photo. We also came across hundreds of elephant seals "resting" on a secluded beach and I was able to get a great close-up. And courtesy of my friends at Grand Canyon, Ron and Pat Brown, we found out about Elkhorn Slough. A great place for shorebirds and Miner's lettuce, (a great wild plant for salds and just plain munching) as big as your palm. See attached of Sandra munching. Gotta run now and get ready for the next leg. Sandra will be adding more as time and internet allow. Life is good when you don't sweat the small stuff...Erv
Thursday, March 20, 2008
On the Road Again
We have been fortunate with weather driving from Nebraska to spend a lovely evening with my sister Janis, her daughter, Michelle (who continues to host to my right kidney in good health)and son-in-law, Bill (snowboard instructor and all around good guy)in the Rocky Mountains near Vail, CO. Sunlight, blue skies and snow-covered mountains - beautiful combination!
Next day we completed our east-west crossing of Colorado, turned south through Utah skirting it’s unique sandstone sculptures, monuments and arches (one mountain had the colors and patterns of Navajo weaving) following the Colorado River into Arizona and crossing a corner of the Navajo Nation on to the Grand Canyon. We had our first experience of the canyon in snowfall - dicey driving - which later cleared to a glorious sunny day with breathtaking views. Also saw CA Condor courtship! Pictures far better than words...
On then to Big Bear, California, Erv’s home town where he is taking care of personal business while I have the opportunity to write. This is another lovely ski town which I am enjoying but I remain eager for the next segment of our trip along the California coast. It’s been a place of first’s for me, meeting his friends, attending a Sierra Club meeting and appearing on local radio and TV programs to talk about the life of retired “working” naturalist volunteers and about the program on California Condors ( Erv developed this while working in the Grand Canyon last summer) he will present In Big Bear tomorrow night.
We have been fortunate with weather driving from Nebraska to spend a lovely evening with my sister Janis, her daughter, Michelle (who continues to host to my right kidney in good health)and son-in-law, Bill (snowboard instructor and all around good guy)in the Rocky Mountains near Vail, CO. Sunlight, blue skies and snow-covered mountains - beautiful combination!
Next day we completed our east-west crossing of Colorado, turned south through Utah skirting it’s unique sandstone sculptures, monuments and arches (one mountain had the colors and patterns of Navajo weaving) following the Colorado River into Arizona and crossing a corner of the Navajo Nation on to the Grand Canyon. We had our first experience of the canyon in snowfall - dicey driving - which later cleared to a glorious sunny day with breathtaking views. Also saw CA Condor courtship! Pictures far better than words...
On then to Big Bear, California, Erv’s home town where he is taking care of personal business while I have the opportunity to write. This is another lovely ski town which I am enjoying but I remain eager for the next segment of our trip along the California coast. It’s been a place of first’s for me, meeting his friends, attending a Sierra Club meeting and appearing on local radio and TV programs to talk about the life of retired “working” naturalist volunteers and about the program on California Condors ( Erv developed this while working in the Grand Canyon last summer) he will present In Big Bear tomorrow night.
Leaving Nebraska Soapbox
Leaving Nebraska
Our journey’s first chapter is ending as we prepare to leave Nebraska.... Erv and I arrived at Rowe Sanctuary Valentines Day and now, a month later, depart on the Ides of March. Our arrival coincided with the first of the migrating Sandhill cranes and we leave as their numbers have reached 2-300,000. Before their migration ends, more than a half million Sandhills will pass through, resting and fortifying themselves for the arduous journey and biophysical demands of egg laying. During their 3-4 week stay in this staging area along the river, each crane will have gained about 20% of their total body weight eating scrap corn from farm fields and a variety of crustaceans, frogs, worms, plant tubers, etc. in the nearby wetlands. Their numbers will dwindle in April and then silence returns to the Platte River as all move on to their nesting grounds in northern Canada, Alaska and across the Bering Straight into Siberia. Some will journey 6,ooo miles! It has been a remarkable four weeks for us, learning/ honing skills as an interpretive guides, seeing and hearing the flocks of millions of ducks and geese as well as cranes, and meeting a variety of interesting people. Some acquaintances have developed into friendships and the “witnessing” of these magnificent birds, whose history as a species far predates our own, has developed into awe. I must admit to feeling a bit nostalgic upon leaving.
Our last night was spent guiding a group of 28 to observe the cranes as they returned to the river to roost after a day of foraging. The group included several Nebraskans who well represent the hospitality of their state, a family from Germany, four international students participating in an indigenous people’s writing seminar including two in native dress from Colombia and a poetry professor from New York, plus a delightful woman who is a US expatriate living in Costa Rica and, as he described himself, a “recovering lawyer” who also works for the State Department on environmental issues and pursues his passion of photography. He just returned from photographing mammals in Yellowstone and will travel to both Africa and Alaska later this year. And these are just a sampling! As guides for the group, we first provided a brief overview of “blind” etiquette and of the Sandhill Cranes, their migration, how this area provides ideal habitat for their migratory “staging” and how Audubon’s Rowe Sanctuary works to procure, manage and protect habitat and to provide education to support and preserve this ancient species. We then led them about 1/4 mile to Stevie’s blind and got everyone settled in with cameras an binoculars, etc. at the numerous windows. We chat, answer questions and savor the few ducks and geese and deer in sight along the far river bank, then everyone quiets as the flocks of birds begin to drift up and down the river and fill the sky, thousands silhouetted against the glowing sunset which has also turned the river into molten gold. Faces reflect awe and rapture taking in the return to roost which is millions of years old. To some it is like witnessing creation, to others it is an awakening of the senses as the cold evening air is filled with the subtle river smells and the sights and sounds of thousands of cranes and geese. In another “blind,” a man who is literally blind has come to savor the amazing auditory experience. It is impossible to describe it fully. We felt so grateful for this last opportunity and the cranes rewarded us with their roosting closer to the blind than any previous night. We were given front row seats for their courtship dancing and pair bonding (cranes live an average of 25 years and mate for life!) The “colts” - offspring from last year’s nesting - add their whistling and cracking voices and spontaneous leaps mimicking their elders. This, and the migratory path to nesting areas, is the last lesson in the family group as they will be progressively on their own as their parents respond to the biological urge to reproduce. The breed’s communication skills and family bonds (know of any other birds who keep their young with them for a year plus?) has contributed to their centuries of adaptation and survival.
Enough - you can tell these birds have captured both my curiosity and my heart! As we leave, however, I also want to remark on two events that provided bookends for this experience. The first was a program by author/speaker Louve (Last Child in the Woods) who reminded us of our childhood links with nature in our neighborhoods and detailed the critical psychological and physiological benefits of children spending time in nature, plus the importance to our planet of having children, it’s future stewards, living in connection with it. The last was the keynote program of the Rivers and Wildlife Conf. our last night. B , Canadian artist, author (Think Like A Mountain), and speaker who delineated the urgent need for a shift in personal and public philosophy from consumerism and increasing industrialization of farming, forestry and fishing, to valuing of our interdependency with the environment and meaningful work for individuals. He, as well, spoke of the necessity of reconnecting children with nature. Food for thought.
Our journey’s first chapter is ending as we prepare to leave Nebraska.... Erv and I arrived at Rowe Sanctuary Valentines Day and now, a month later, depart on the Ides of March. Our arrival coincided with the first of the migrating Sandhill cranes and we leave as their numbers have reached 2-300,000. Before their migration ends, more than a half million Sandhills will pass through, resting and fortifying themselves for the arduous journey and biophysical demands of egg laying. During their 3-4 week stay in this staging area along the river, each crane will have gained about 20% of their total body weight eating scrap corn from farm fields and a variety of crustaceans, frogs, worms, plant tubers, etc. in the nearby wetlands. Their numbers will dwindle in April and then silence returns to the Platte River as all move on to their nesting grounds in northern Canada, Alaska and across the Bering Straight into Siberia. Some will journey 6,ooo miles! It has been a remarkable four weeks for us, learning/ honing skills as an interpretive guides, seeing and hearing the flocks of millions of ducks and geese as well as cranes, and meeting a variety of interesting people. Some acquaintances have developed into friendships and the “witnessing” of these magnificent birds, whose history as a species far predates our own, has developed into awe. I must admit to feeling a bit nostalgic upon leaving.
Our last night was spent guiding a group of 28 to observe the cranes as they returned to the river to roost after a day of foraging. The group included several Nebraskans who well represent the hospitality of their state, a family from Germany, four international students participating in an indigenous people’s writing seminar including two in native dress from Colombia and a poetry professor from New York, plus a delightful woman who is a US expatriate living in Costa Rica and, as he described himself, a “recovering lawyer” who also works for the State Department on environmental issues and pursues his passion of photography. He just returned from photographing mammals in Yellowstone and will travel to both Africa and Alaska later this year. And these are just a sampling! As guides for the group, we first provided a brief overview of “blind” etiquette and of the Sandhill Cranes, their migration, how this area provides ideal habitat for their migratory “staging” and how Audubon’s Rowe Sanctuary works to procure, manage and protect habitat and to provide education to support and preserve this ancient species. We then led them about 1/4 mile to Stevie’s blind and got everyone settled in with cameras an binoculars, etc. at the numerous windows. We chat, answer questions and savor the few ducks and geese and deer in sight along the far river bank, then everyone quiets as the flocks of birds begin to drift up and down the river and fill the sky, thousands silhouetted against the glowing sunset which has also turned the river into molten gold. Faces reflect awe and rapture taking in the return to roost which is millions of years old. To some it is like witnessing creation, to others it is an awakening of the senses as the cold evening air is filled with the subtle river smells and the sights and sounds of thousands of cranes and geese. In another “blind,” a man who is literally blind has come to savor the amazing auditory experience. It is impossible to describe it fully. We felt so grateful for this last opportunity and the cranes rewarded us with their roosting closer to the blind than any previous night. We were given front row seats for their courtship dancing and pair bonding (cranes live an average of 25 years and mate for life!) The “colts” - offspring from last year’s nesting - add their whistling and cracking voices and spontaneous leaps mimicking their elders. This, and the migratory path to nesting areas, is the last lesson in the family group as they will be progressively on their own as their parents respond to the biological urge to reproduce. The breed’s communication skills and family bonds (know of any other birds who keep their young with them for a year plus?) has contributed to their centuries of adaptation and survival.
Enough - you can tell these birds have captured both my curiosity and my heart! As we leave, however, I also want to remark on two events that provided bookends for this experience. The first was a program by author/speaker Louve (Last Child in the Woods) who reminded us of our childhood links with nature in our neighborhoods and detailed the critical psychological and physiological benefits of children spending time in nature, plus the importance to our planet of having children, it’s future stewards, living in connection with it. The last was the keynote program of the Rivers and Wildlife Conf. our last night. B , Canadian artist, author (Think Like A Mountain), and speaker who delineated the urgent need for a shift in personal and public philosophy from consumerism and increasing industrialization of farming, forestry and fishing, to valuing of our interdependency with the environment and meaningful work for individuals. He, as well, spoke of the necessity of reconnecting children with nature. Food for thought.
Prairie Chickens
Prairie Chickens (3 posted today)
We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see the Prairie Chicken’s response to Spring on the Great Plains even when it meant getting up at 3:15AM, driving 21/2 hours, shuttling out to an abandoned school bus and sitting another extremely cold hour or so in the dark awaiting their arrival on the Lec. The Lec designates a specific area in which the birds congregate year after year to determine male dominance and establish flocks of hens. The male displays include: “booming” - blowing up colorful sacks on either side of the neck and releasing the air in a hooting/booming sound, plus an incredible variety of other sounds; fluffing out feathers and stiffening wings and tail and the amazing elevation and display of tufted ear-like feathers otherwise flush with the neck and shoulders; athletic leaps and bounds; and something akin to foot stomping in place. It’s an amazing rite to witness as they were quite unaware of the 5 of us with scopes, binoculars and cameras in the old bus strategically located at one side of the Lec.
The bus and field experience were provided by Calamus Outfitters as part of several innovations this ranch family has made to financially preserve their ability to ranch in the lovely remote sand hills of Nebraska. (Exploration of that area of northwest Nebraska would be worth another trip.) The patriarch of the family took us to the bus and stayed there in the pre-dawn darkness talking of the economy, ranching, the rush to ethanol despite corn’s extremely high carbon requirements to produce - requirements that emit more carbon than ethanol’s use in automobiles saves, not to mention it’s disproportionate water requirements. The increasing price of corn is a boon to the farmers of the plains states, but grasses requiring significantly less water and mechanized “tending” would seem better overall. This toughened rancher’s story of his own growing awareness of his environment including the birds and his efforts to find ways to preserve and include them in his economic operations was more than interesting.
We became silent for the last 20-30 minutes to shield our presence and with the first light of dawn saw the prairie chickens fly in. After our fill of watching, and our increasing chill and hunger, we returned to the ranch house where our host’s wife had prepared a fabulous country breakfast of eggs bacon and pancakes. We took our leave of these good people and, though tired, stopped at a nearby reservoir where we were treated to 24 bald eagles atop various trees and snags around the newly thawed water. Delightful morning! Many thanks to John Murphy who encouraged us, made all the arrangements and drove pointing out so much of interest en route.
We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see the Prairie Chicken’s response to Spring on the Great Plains even when it meant getting up at 3:15AM, driving 21/2 hours, shuttling out to an abandoned school bus and sitting another extremely cold hour or so in the dark awaiting their arrival on the Lec. The Lec designates a specific area in which the birds congregate year after year to determine male dominance and establish flocks of hens. The male displays include: “booming” - blowing up colorful sacks on either side of the neck and releasing the air in a hooting/booming sound, plus an incredible variety of other sounds; fluffing out feathers and stiffening wings and tail and the amazing elevation and display of tufted ear-like feathers otherwise flush with the neck and shoulders; athletic leaps and bounds; and something akin to foot stomping in place. It’s an amazing rite to witness as they were quite unaware of the 5 of us with scopes, binoculars and cameras in the old bus strategically located at one side of the Lec.
The bus and field experience were provided by Calamus Outfitters as part of several innovations this ranch family has made to financially preserve their ability to ranch in the lovely remote sand hills of Nebraska. (Exploration of that area of northwest Nebraska would be worth another trip.) The patriarch of the family took us to the bus and stayed there in the pre-dawn darkness talking of the economy, ranching, the rush to ethanol despite corn’s extremely high carbon requirements to produce - requirements that emit more carbon than ethanol’s use in automobiles saves, not to mention it’s disproportionate water requirements. The increasing price of corn is a boon to the farmers of the plains states, but grasses requiring significantly less water and mechanized “tending” would seem better overall. This toughened rancher’s story of his own growing awareness of his environment including the birds and his efforts to find ways to preserve and include them in his economic operations was more than interesting.
We became silent for the last 20-30 minutes to shield our presence and with the first light of dawn saw the prairie chickens fly in. After our fill of watching, and our increasing chill and hunger, we returned to the ranch house where our host’s wife had prepared a fabulous country breakfast of eggs bacon and pancakes. We took our leave of these good people and, though tired, stopped at a nearby reservoir where we were treated to 24 bald eagles atop various trees and snags around the newly thawed water. Delightful morning! Many thanks to John Murphy who encouraged us, made all the arrangements and drove pointing out so much of interest en route.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
the great migration
It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words so we’re concentrating on photos today. The only thing they do no justice to is the symphony of sound that accompanies the migrating flocks. Geese, particularly, make enough noise during a mass ascension to drown out the exclamations of the person next to you. And the cranes - what creatures these ancient ones are! Their unique sound is created by an elongated trachea (windpipe) that curves down and around their sternum (breastbone) in a saxophone-like shape that adds that unique deep melodic quality to their voices.
Cranes have very social and family groups and “talk” to one another on the ground and in flight. Their call can be heard for over a mile and those separated by weather, etc. can locate each another from long distances. With time and patience one can pick out the deeper voice of the adult male (roan) from the slightly higher of the female (mare) and the whistle-squeaks of the young (colts) which can crack and change as they age much like a human adolescent. We are enjoying this great opportunity to witness “one of the 10 natural wonders of the world” as thousands( apx. 23-30,000 in the Sanctuary area today) congregate along the Platte River in central Nebraska during their spring migration. Happy Spring!
PS Erv and I both contribute print and photos to the blog…. usually alternately, sometimes in the same blog.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Only here, only now
On this narrow stretch of the Platte River 600,000 Sandhill Cranes stop on there trip to the nesting grounds in the Arctic wilderness. It's more than 80% of the world's population. It is truly one of nature's wonders. We are fortunate to lead tours in the morning and evening as they seek shelter from predators on the sandbars and shallow waters after feeding all day on the waste corn in the many fields of the area. I could write pages and pages, but the above photo says it all.
It was taken a block from where Sandra and I are staying. It's a great visual thing, but the auditory experience is unbelieveable!
It was taken a block from where Sandra and I are staying. It's a great visual thing, but the auditory experience is unbelieveable!
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