Author Archives: Don

Pink-footed Goose in New Brunswick

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A week or two ago the North American Rare Bird Alert reported that a Pink-footed Goose had been seen in the area east of Moncton, New Brunswick.  This was the first reported sighting of this species in New Brunswick, and very few of this Arctic and northern European species have been found anywhere in North America.  With plenty of time on our hands, we decided to go there to try to find it, so last week we made the trip.  The weather in New Brunswick had been terrible for several days with lots of rain and fog, so our flights were often delayed.  Ultimately we arrived in Moncton in heavy fog.  The next morning was gloomy, but the rain was temporarily gone.  We drove out to the little community of Corvierville.  Within an hour or so we spotted the Pink-footed Goose on the water, not close, but easily viewed through my scope. 

Pink-footed Goose

pink-footed-goose_edited-1

Having seen the goose relatively quickly, we decided to drive to Prince Edward Island.  We crossed the Confederation Bridge to the Island and drove to Charlottetown, the capital of the province.  The Bridge is the longest bridge in the world across ice-covered water, and the 7th longest  bridge in the world.  A toll of $43.50 is payable when you cross back over the Bridge to New Brunswick. 

bridge

Prince Edward Island is a very pretty area, with agriculture surrounding the capital city.  We enjoyed a pleasant evening out at a very nice restaurant in down-town Charlottetown. 

The next morning the rain was quite heavy.  We drove back across the bridge and down to Nova Scotia.  There we drove to the Bay of Fundy for a view of this area of great tides. 

bay-of-fundy

Then, after many more delays,  we flew to Montreal, and, the next morning, to Des Moines.

A Rare North American Barnacle Goose

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A national rare-bird hotline has been reporting a number of sightings of Barnacle Geese in various parts of northern New England.  This seems to be a big year there for Barnacle Geese, which are seldom seen in North America.  Barbara and I flew to Boston last week to seek and photograph one.  But first, we took advantage of our proximity to Boston’s Symphony Hall to hear the Boston Symphony’s Saturday night performance of compositions by Bach, Adams, Prokofiev and Bartok.  Symphony Hall was constructed more than 100 years ago in central Boston.  It  still claims a ranking as the best acoustical venue for orchestral and symphonic music in the United States, and third in the world.  The sounds we heard justify the claim.  But just as impressive as the Boston Symphony and the music it produces, is the building itself.  If any of you ever get a chance to spend time in Boston you should see Symphony Hall, even if there is no performance in process.  The building and its interior are worth a visit.  If there happens to be a performance and Bartok is on the program that day you might want to skip that, however. 

We stayed in Concord the first night and took the “T” back into downtown Boston for the performance.  As it was Halloween, the train was filled with costumed revelers, probably from the various colleges and universities which line the route.  For $2, you can’t beat the ride and the convenience.  The party atmosphere added to the ambiance. 

The next morning we drove a very short distance from Concord in search of the Barnacle Goose being seen at the Prison Fields near Concord.  It was not long until Barbara spotted one among a large flock of Canada Geese (my North American Life Bird # 690). 

barnacle-goose

So now we could come home, right?  Not so fast.  In addition to the Goose, there had been some reports of another rarity being seen on Plum Island, an hour or so drive north of Concord.  After viewing and photographing the Barnacle Goose, we drove to Plum Island.  It was a beautiful drive.  The fall colors  north of Boston are far more vivid than they are here in Iowa and there was a surprising amount of foliage remaining in the trees. 

Plum Island is a barrier island but with considerably more vegetation than we have been accustomed to during our many sojourns on Padre Island.  The north wind became very fierce, driving fine sand as we spent several hours tromping around the beach and wetlands in search of  our second rarity, a Curlew Sandpiper. 

plum-island

We gave up (wore out) and headed back up the island for a late lunch at a small, local diner.  Our efforts to find the Curlew Sandpiper continued the next day, with somewhat more tolerable weather, but again without success.  This Herring gull flew by with a closed clam which it dropped on a rock.  The shell broke, and the gull consumed the contents.  

herring-gull

We then drove to Gloucester in search of another possible lifer mentioned by a helpful birder we met at Plum Island.  This bird, the Purple Sandpiper, although not rare in the east in winter, has eluded me for years.  It still eluded me, but the afternoon spent on the rocks at Haddock State Park near Gloucester, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, was most enjoyable. 

gloucester

We were treated to a close-up view of 3 first-of-winter Snow Buntings, lazing about on the rocks, but they flew away before Barbara could get a picture.  

Gloucester was first settled in the early 1600s.  It is the oldest seaport in the United States.  It has a somewhat down-at-heel appearance these days.

Late October Sparrows in Iowa

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I participated in the Iowa Ornithologists’ Union field trips this past weekend.  These were run in connnection with the fall meeting of the IOU at Neal Smith Prairie Preserve near Prairie City.  On both days I elected to participate in the field trip which  “walked” the prairie in search of Smith’s Longspurs, Lapland Longspurs and the various sparrows (e.g., the Emerizinae Subfamily) that can be expected in central Iowa in late October.  No Smith’s Longspurs were seen, probably because they have not gotten this far south yet.  A few Lapland Longspurs were observed in flight.  The sparrows were a better story. 

 The best observations were of LeConte’s Sparrows.  We saw several each day and they made themselves very obvious by coming within a few feet of the group and posing close-by on whatever little stalks or twigs that they could find.  The photographers in the group were especially ecstatic.  Everyone remarked that never before had they observed so many LeContes at such close and sustained range.  Clearly, they were the highlight for many of the birders, including me. 

The other sparrows that I was able to identify were:  White-throated, White-crowned, Savannah, Vesper, Swamp, Song, Fox, Lincoln’s, Harris’s,  Field and Juncos.  Some other particpants reported finding a Clay-colored, one or two early Tree Sparrows, and a late Grasshopper Sparrow.  Oddly, I do not recall if anyone saw any Chipping Sparrows, and I would have thought they would still be present.   Another less surprisingly absent (I believe) species was Nelson’s.  Henslow’s, which are now quite common at Neal Smith in summer, were all gone.  Nor, as I recall, did anyone see a Lark Sparrow. 

It looks like a good year in Iowa for the northern finches.  A fair number of Pine Siskins and a few Purple Finches were observed.

Birding Central Iowa in October

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The first and second southward migration waves have passed through central Iowa.  We are now on the last phase.  Now present in big numbers are Yellow-rumped Warblers, and sparrows of various sorts.  I was standing quietly in my back yard woods this morning when a Woodcock flushed about 30 feet from me, flew across the ravine and fluttered to a landing about 60 feet away, in plain view.  It was a nice way to end an otherwise  uneventful morning of birding my yard and surrounds.  Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, one Orange-crowned warbler, and one Brown Creeper rounded out the morning.  Of course, many of the usual customers were around, but I will not bother to list them. 

Yesterday I drove to Rock Creek Park, about 45 miles from here, to try to locate the Red Phalarope reported on the Iowa Bird Line.  It was easy.  The Phalarope was very cooperative and in plain view all the time I was there.  This was my new Iowa Life Bird for the fall:  number 321, lifetime Iowa.  I must confess that I prefer to see Red Phalaropes in breeding plumage, when their name is deserved.  The “fall” or “basic” plumage of gray and white gives no clue that this is really a Red Phalarope.  But, I’ll take it given that I have never seen one in Iowa in breeding plumage.  Several other species were feeding on the mud flats north of F27 at Rock Creek, i.e.:  30 Kildeer, 15 Snipes, 12 American Pipits, one Greater Yellowlegs, one Pectoral Sandpiper and one Semi-palmated Sandpiper.  Most of these were first of the year for me.  The weather and the lighting were wonderful, so the trip was an unmitigated success.

India Trip – Part 5

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Friday, February 5  Ready to go to the airport at 6:00. Flight was late, but we had extra time in Delhi before going on to Amritsar. We arrived in Amritsar about 30 minutes late and there was no one there to meet us. Another guide called our hotel for us and we were told the car would be there in 10 minutes. When they arrived, the young woman said she was late due to traffic, but the lady at the hotel said they were late because the flight is always late and they didn’t think we would be there so soon. This was our first and only hitch with AK. It was getting late in the afternoon, and they did not want to take us anywhere because no guide was available. After a bit of discussion, they arranged for our driver, Sam, to take us to the Wagah Border with Pakistan to see the daily evening closing ceremony. [Normally drivers are not given that much responsibility without a guide present]. It was such an event! There was big cheering on both the India and Pakistan sides. “Long live Hindustan” and “Long live Pakistan” rang out from the crowds in support of their respective countries. It was very ceremonial and quite pointless, with soldiers in fancy dress strutting up and down the road to the border crossing to embellish the closing of the gate for the night.

Changing of the Guard at the Wagah Border between India and Pakistan

border

It reminded us of the Ministry of Silly Walks. We were very glad that we had insisted on coming here tonight. Back for dinner at our hotel. The food was not very good, but we enjoyed the company of a couple from Switzerland, the only other guests at the hotel that night. At 9:00 p.m., our guide, who had been previously occupied during the day, showed up to take us to the night ceremony at the Golden Temple of the Sikhs. What a gorgeous sight, especially at night.

golden-temple

Saturday, February 6  Back in the morning with our Amritsar guide to see the Golden Temple by daylight. It is our first cloudy day, but still nice. We entered the Temple area after leaving our shoes and socks and washing our feet in the shallow foot bath in front of the entrance to the Temple area. This is the holiest of Sikh shrines. It was amazing to see the 24-hour kitchen which feeds 30,000 people, for free, every day. All work is done by volunteers.

volunteers

We went into the Temple to see a priest reading from the huge, Sacred Book. Many Sikhs were in prayer. The Temple is even more beautiful inside than out, but no photos are allowed. We finished our tour of the area by seeing the “bed” where the smaller holy book stays throughout the day. We walked through some old city streets to see the memorial park where the British fired 1600 rounds at a gathered crowd 100 years or so ago, killing and wounding many, and abandoning them where they lay. Back to check out from our hotel and on to the airport. This was our least favorite hotel. It is a very old eclectic place featuring aromatherapy, and not much else, for the guests. It is probably cleaner than it seems but just not our style. We were dropped off at the airport. Another glitch: our tickets were not changed to show we were leaving Amritsar for Delhi today instead of tomorrow. Fortunately, the airline representative was able to finally change our tickets, and we were on our way. We were met at the Delhi Airport by our AK representative and taken to the Delhi Oberoi Hotel. We drove though Embassy Row on our way. Lots of parks and green space. This is a very nice hotel and a welcoming complimentary bottle of wine awaited us, (Delhi is a bit more cosmopolitan than the other places we have been). We enjoyed a very nice Italian dinner at the Italian restaurant in the Hotel: gnocchi with walnuts and raddicio, chocolate lava cake for dessert.

Sunday, February 7  We started early. Our guide, Jaibir, took us to see both old and new Delhi on a whirlwind tour. We started in Old Delhi by seeing the Red Fort built by Shah Jahan. It is a large area of mostly red sandstone.

red-fort-delhi

Then to Jama Masjid which is still the largest mosque in Asia. All women get a large cover to wear.

mosque

We took a very fun ride in a rickshaw through the narrow streets of Old Delhi.  On we go to the park where Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes are buried. Next stop is Humayun’s Tomb, which was built by Humayan’s wife in his honor. Red Sandstone and white marble. Lots and lots of school boys are there for a cultural field day. We take a drive by the big, beautiful area of the President’s house and other very large government buildings leading to India Gate, built to commemorate those Indian soldiers who died in World War I.

india-gate

The last stop is in South Delhi to see the Qutb Complex, begun in 1193. The minar is 250 feet high with intricate carvings. Buildings around it have carvings similar to those at Khajaraho. The iron pillar in the court yard is from the 4th century.

qatb

Last stop is Lakshmi Narayan Mandir, a newer, yet ornate Hindu Temple. Even a nice shop next door to where we left our shoes. Back to the hotel for Barbara to pack up and rest. We had a light supper after such a big lunch. Nasheef, the AK representative, was very helpful at the airport. There was a very long line at the passport check, but all went fine, with plenty of time.

Monday, February 8  The flight actually left Delhi this morning at 2:00 a.m. All went well. There was plenty of time in Amsterdam, then on to Detroit. Many hours of sitting. Since Barbara had not checked luggage, she got through passport check and customs and security very quickly. She arrived home safely to be greeted at the airport by Melanie. Upon arriving home she enjoyed a big glass of water from the tap.

I stayed on in Delhi to meet the birding group with which I would spend the next 3 weeks in India.  I will be posting the results of that trip, with far more emphasis on the birds and with far less detail, than has gone into the preceding report.

India Trip Report – Part 4

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Several weeks have passed since I posted the third installment of our report of our trip to India earlier this year .  Here is the fourth installment. 

Friday, January 29   One last look at the Taj Mahal from our balcony at the Oberoi. Then off by road and driver, Badel, to the deserted fortress at Fatehpur City, “City of Victory”. Built of red sandstone by Mughal Emperor Akbar for his three wives (one Muslim, one Hindu, and one Christian) and (far more numerous) harem, the biggest space by far was for the Hindu wife who finally bore him a son. We stopped in Bahratpur for lunch on the veranda of a hotel, and then went birding along a filthy canal with the AK representative who met us there, knowing I was interested in birds. We enjoyed the train ride of about 4 hours from Bharatpur to our second Tiger Preserve, Ranthambore, south of Bharatpur in the State of Rajesthan. The first-class car in which we rode was very nice, but the other cars were greatly overloaded with passengers. We were instructed to get off at the 5th stop, a village near Ranthambore, but it wasn’t clear how many of what we experienced along the way were “stops”. The porter, however, took very good care of us and two  other American couples traveling on their own to the same destination. Late evening we arrive at the Oberoi Vanyavilas just outside Ranthambore. Oh my!! Such a fabulous place. Who could ever think that 3 nights in a “tent” could be so luxurious. It is like having our own house, with a few upgrades. (We later read in some travel literature that this hotel was rated number 2 in the world by Travel and Leisure Magazine). Dinner was served in an outdoor courtyard with a big fire pit in the middle. Tonight is full moon, clearly seen above the courtyard, together with Orion. It is like being in a fantasy world. 

tent

Saturday, January 30   Tea and cookies are served in the lobby to tide us over the early morning game drive into the park. We start out at 6:15 with our Ranthambore guide, Najeef. He is a friend of Jagat, who was our guide at Bandhavgarh, and he is exuberantly proclaiming that he is a much better guide than Jagat. The morning drive does not produce a tiger, but many birds, spotted deer, Sambahr and Nilgai.

nilgai

Back for a yummy breakfast of French Toast filled with ham and cheese and topped with maple syrup and whipped cream. Out again in the afternoon, but still no tiger. I did not go on this game drive (the “roads” in the park are rough) because my back and knee were both giving me a lot of pain. I enjoyed a quiet afternoon strolling around the grounds and finding a goodly number of new birds.  We had another lovely dinner in the outdoor courtyard and retired early. 

Sunday, January 31   Dawn arrives with another beautiful day. Tea and cookies were served and then we were off to a different part of the park. We saw a really big, beautiful tiger right up close. He was moving quickly, so Barbara did not get a picture, but it was a scene that we will both always have in our minds. We also saw gazelles, a mongoose, and 2 golden jackals. A good morning!

golden-jackal

Relaxing time after breakfast and a shower. The afternoon game drive was another success with another tiger, this time a sleeping tigress. Such a beautiful animal! Back at the hotel we checked our email while having a “Manhattan”, which we concluded had been made from Scotch and Dry Vermouth, although we were assured the bartender really knew how to make Manhattans. We enjoyed another nice dinner in the courtyard and an early retirement. 

Monday, February 1   Up early for our last game drive. In addition to us, there was an Indian couple and two “buddies” of Najeef’s in the jeep. Crowded, and not as much fun as the other drives. No tiger. But this Plum-headed Parakeet will do.  

parakeet

After breakfast and showers, we were off on the road to Jaipur with Badel at the wheel. It was hard to leave the Oberoi Vanyavillas-a fabulous place. We drove through many more poor villages, differing somewhat from our experience to the east of Rajesthan in being drier, more desert-like, with lots of camels, farm tractors and home-made vehicles. The women were busy, hard in farming, while many of the men were sitting around visiting with each other or playing some sort of dice game.

On the road to Jaipur.

on-the-road

We arrived in Jaipur and our Trident Hotel, checked in, and went over tomorrow’s itinerary with the Jaipur AK representative. We could see the Water Palace from our balcony, so we walked over to the lake for photos and birding, with a little begging from kids, but not bad.

water-palace

As Barbara sat on the balcony to write our trip journal, a Rhesus Macaque monkey jumped up on the railing, much to her chagrin. We have been warned that these little creatures can be dangerous because they have become accustomed to humans giving them handouts, and when one doesn’t they may become aggressive. 

Tuesday, February 2  After a nice breakfast we were taken to Amber Fort by Badel and our Jaipur guide, Davindar. He was a very good guide, knowledgeable, good English, personable. The Amber Fort was once the capital of the state of Jaipur, until 1728. It is very large with a combination of Mughal and Rajput styles with frescoes, carvings and mirrored décor.

amber-fort

We then stopped at a gem factory, and they showed us some beautiful stones in hopes that we would do some shopping. We went on to Deva Amer where we rode on an elephant through the wilderness area. We were a little nervous about it at first, but we both enjoyed the experience a lot.

elephant-ride

Nice lunch there. Back to the city to see Jantar Mantar, a fascinating outdoor observatory with large geometric structures for measuring time, celestial movements, etc. Then we moved on to City Palace to tour the museum and grounds. We stopped to take photos of Hawa Mahal, a red and pink sandstone façade built in 1789 for the women of the royal harem to look out one of the 953 small windows to see what was happening on the street below.

pink-facade

Our last stop was to look at carpets and textiles. Barbara chose a fabric and pattern at 5:00 to be made into a blouse, and they delivered it to our hotel at 7:00 as promised. It fit perfectly. This was a very busy but enjoyable day.

Wednesday, February 3  We got up at 4:40 to leave for the airport at 5:30 for our 7:00 flight to Udaipur. Everything went smoothly. The AK representative in Udaipur took us to the Trident Hotel. Our beautiful room was ready early, so we had a chance to have breakfast before leaving to tour the City Palace where the Maharana family still lives. It is a huge palace begun 400 years ago and still being enlarged..

palace

Then on to see the Crystal Gallery with the world’s largest collection of cut crystal. We stopped to see how miniature painting is done, but did not stay to see the “sales room”. We are getting a little tired of being “encouraged” to buy the local art. Back to the hotel for lunch and some rest before taking a boat ride on Lake Pichola to see the city from the lake. We stopped at an island palace where Mughal Shah Jahan, builder of the Taj Mahal, lived in exile from his father. Back to the hotel to walk around the beautiful grounds. So thirsty for a cold beer, but no alcohol is sold from January 31-February 4 due to elections.

Thursday, February 4  More relaxing start this morning. We walked through the Garden of the Maids of Honor. Peaceful gardens, no fountains going due to major drought. Then on to Jagdish Temple, built by Maharana Jagat Singh in 1651. No photos were allowed. We left our shoes and socks outside. We bought marigold strands to leave as an offering at the huge black stone image of Vishnu. There were two priests reading scripture, and two men playing a drum and an accordion-type instrument. Being in this active temple was quite a moving experience. Our guide, Vic, is a Hindu and gave prayers. He gave himself and us a “third eye” of sandstone and saffron. From there we drove out of town to the old temples dedicated to Shiva. They were similar to those at Khajaraho, but not as many. We drove through the beautiful old Aravalle Hills to the 18th century Divi Garh Fort Palace high above the valley. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch there at their very contemporary white dining room. From there back to the entrance gate, we rode on camels. They laid down for us to mount up, then we were advised to hang on tight as they awkwardly got up, back-end first, nearly pitching us off over their heads. Camel rides are much bumpier than elephant rides, but a treat nonetheless. Back at the hotel we went birding and walking to the “sister hotel”, the Oberoi, and back.

camel-ride

Hummingbirds of SE Arizona

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Last Saturday, September 11, Barbara and I went to Southeast Arizona to look for the Plain-capped Starthroat (a hummingbird) that had been reported to be present regularly for the past several days at the Paton’s feeders in Patagonia.  We arrived about 4:00 p.m. and no one else was present.  Plenty of hummingbirds, including Black-chinned and Violet-crowned, were buzzing about, busily sipping at the dozen or so hummingbird feeders in the back yard. 

Black-chinned Hummingbird

black-chinned-editedViolet-crowned Hummingbird

violet-crowned

Mike Marsden, who has assumed a caretaker role at the Paton home, came out to join us, and Al Hodges of Maine also came by.  Al was with me on a Wings trip a couple of years ago and it was a pleasant surprise to get together again.  As we were visiting, the Plain-capped Starthroat made a brief  appearance, and then disappeared for the rest of the evening.  Barbara was able to get a couple of quick shots showing the prominent white feathers which provide a reliable field mark for identification of the Starthroat. The Starthroat is quite rare in North America.  The American Birding Association rates it a 4 on its Checklist, just one shy of the really rare 5s.

Starthroat

star-throat

I mentioned that one of my nemesis birds has been the Lucifer Hummingbird, (only a 2 on the ABA Difficulty Checklist) which I have searched for in Texas a couple of times in prior years, with no success.  Mike said it should be no problem finding them at Mary Jo’s.  Mary Jo is the host of Ash Canyon Bed & Breakfast south of Hereford, AZ.  We revised our plan for Sunday and drove to Sierra Vista to find a hotel for the evening.  Sunday  morning we drove south to Mary Jo’s where we arrived early in the morning to be greeted by a flock of very large and very tame wild turkeys strolling through her yard.  We watched the furious hummingbird activity at her feeders for a while.  Mary Jo came out and sat with us, and it was not long before both male and female Lucifer Hummingbirds appeared. 

Male Lucifer Hummingbird

lucifer-male

Female Lucifer Hummingbird

lucifer-female

Yeah!!! Two North American life birds (Nos. 688 and 689) for the trip when I had only expected one.  We saw perhaps a half-dozen of them during the morning.  She tells us that they have established a significant breeding territory in the easter Huachucas over the past 10 years and that there are about 150 pairs now in the area.

Broad-tailed, Magnificent and beautiful Broad-billed hummingbirds passed through the feeder setup, along with innumerable Anna’s.

Broad-billed Hummingbird

broad-billed

Mary Jo was leaving to spend the morning hummingbirding at a neighboring B&B, Beatty’s in Miller Canyon.  Beatty’s is a bit higher and has some species of hummingbirds that do not show up at Mary Jo’s.  After we had absorbed as much of the hummingbird activity as we cared for at Mary Jo’s (we were hoping for the appearance of a Calliope Hummingbird, which had been seen there once or twice on previous days but not this day), we followed her directions to Beatty’s and were  welcomed by the Beatty family.  We spent an hour or so in their lovely hummingbird garden  where we were able to view several Blue-throated Hummingbirds.   A highlight was a nest with 2 young Blue-throated Hummingbirds nearly ready to fledge. 

Blue-throated Hummingbirds

blue-throated

No Berryline Hummingbirds made their appearance, so I will have to wait for a future trip to add that one to my life list.  They had been regular at Beatty’s but it is late in the year and they seem to have moved south.  We did enjoy seeing several Rufous and Anna’s.

Rufous Hummingbird

rufous

Anna’s Hummingbird

annas

That afternoon we drove to the San Pedro House east of Sierra Vista and hiked along the San Pedro River.  I think I was stung by a really potent insect during the walk and had some uncomfortable chest congestion for the remainder of the day.  We were able to spot a couple of good birds on that walk, including a Blue Grosbeak and a Vermillion Flycatcher.

Cuban Pewee in Florida

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The Rare Bird alerts were going wild last week with the reports of a very rare Cuban Pewee in the Florida Everglades.  There have been only 3 prior confirmed sightings of this species in North America.  We decided to go try to find it.  Our search for the Cuban Pewee would be supplemented by the possibility of a Western Spindalis, reported seen on September 6 and 7,  in the same general area where the Pewee was being seen. 

As soon as we arrived at the reported site, an excited birder motioned to us to come up a trail leading into the wooded area near Long Pine Key.  We followed instructions and were rewarded with an immediate view of the Cuban Pewee right above the trail.  The light wasn’t very good, but the view was sufficient.  However, we decided to try for a better look the next morning.  When we returned the next morning there were a dozen or so birders already on site.  Soon one came running up the road to report the Pewee was perched about a quarter of a mile down the road.  Everyone scurried to the location, slightly off the road, and we were all rewarded with terrific, close-up views of the Pewee, in good light.  Some of the photographers went annoyingly close to the bird, but he stayed throughout the commotion.  Barbara got some good shots from a distance.  Although we did not hear the Pewee give its distinctive call, the prominent half crescent behind the eyes,  the unusually large bill,  the wingbars and the absence of tail-flicking were determinative. 

Cuban Pewee

cuban-peewee

After looking at the Pewee for as long as we wished, we moved off to try to find the Spindalis, with no luck.  (The Western Spindalis is a relatively new name for what was previously called a Strip-headed Tanager).  No one else has reported seeing it after September 7.  The “locals” tell us that the Spindalis nested in the vicinity last year and fledged a couple of young.  It was kept quiet to avoid any unnecessary nest disturbance by over exuberant birders or photographers, a very good precaution, I might add. 

While looking for the Spindalis, another birder spotted a Chuck-will’s-widow, primarily a nocturnal bird,  perched on a horizontal branch not far from the road.  I have never seen this bird before in daylight.

Chuck-will’s-widow

chuck-wills-widow

A young couple from Indiana encouraged us to go look for the Plain-capped Starthroat which was being seen regularly in Arizona, so we have deceided to try that sometime.  They thought the Starthroat was a much nicer find than the Pewee, but I am sure others would dispute that. 

Encouraged by attacking mosquitoes, we left the Everglades Park and  drove down an old road just outside the Park. Among the sightings there was a nice close-up of a Red-shouldered Hawk.

Red-shouldered Hawk

hawk

Having exhausted our “must see” list for the Everglades and vicinity, we headed to Miami to try for White-winged Parakeets.  No luck on the White-winged Parakeets, but the Baptist Hospital grounds in Kendall were loaded with colorful, noisy Mitred Parakeets.

mitered-parakeets

India 2010-Part 3

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Monday, January 25

We had a leisurely morning in Khajaraho , no rush to get ready. After breakfast we walked around the beautiful grounds and gardens of the Lalit Temple View Hotel.  It occurs to us that labor is really cheap; many people work at keeping the grounds looking nice, using their hands only, no tools, to remove objectionable grass and weeds.  On to the airport at noon for our flight to Varanasi.  We are happy the flight is on time and going, since it has been cancelled the past 2 days due to fog.
 
Varanasi is a bigger city of 2.8 million. The traffic is amazing with cars, bikes, motorcycles, rickshaws, tuk tuks, pedestrians, and cattle, all seemingly milling about the roads with no fixed destination. We are staying at the Taj Gateway Hotel. It is an old, large hotel with a very nice lobby and rooms. Late this afternoon our guide, Jai, came to get us at the hotel and with Raj, our driver, we drove toward the Ganges River. We got out of the car and walked a few blocks through the old market area, absolutely packed with people. 
 
Varanasi Street Scene
 
 
varanasi-crowds
 
We walked down the steps of the main Ghat to board a row boat which took us to the ghat where they were cremating about 20 people, each on a separate pyre. The sight, smell and sound was a bit overwhelming. After lighting a candle, making a wish (prayer) and floating it on the River, (being careful not to touch the water) we went back to the main Ghat to see and sit beside the 7 Hindu priests conducting a prayer (“Aarti”) to Mother River, with incense, fire and fans.
 
 
aarti-2
 
 
It was loud, colorful and long; quite a sight. Back to the hotel for a late dinner, mentally and emotionally exhausted from what we had just experienced.
 
Tuesday, January 26
 
Today is Republic Day in India. It is one of their really big holidays, celebrating the independence of India from the British. For us, 4th of July would be the closest approximation. It is also a day of extraordinary security precautions at all Hindu temples and public places for fear of terrorist acts by Pakistani Muslim Fundamentalists. We arise early to go back to the Dashashwamedh Ghat to take a row boat the other direction, where we see Hindus worshipping and bathing in the river.  The weather is cool and foggy. We disembark, walk along the river bank, buy tea (chai) from a vendor, drink it from little clay cups, and then head back.
 
 
chai
 
Numbers of people line the banks washing clothes in the river and beating them on the rocks along the side. They work very hard. We walked through alleys of the Old City with little shrines tucked in every few yards.
 
 
varanasi-temple
 
Barbara felt a little sick seeing even more poverty and awful living conditions. We walked on to see the Varanasi Golden Temple from outside its walls. Security is everywhere because of the holiday and Muslim bombings in the past. We had to check absolutely everything but our clothes and leave Jai to watch it before going near the Golden Temple.
 
Jai, who is a lawyer by education but makes his living as a guide, wanted to show us the University, so we drove through the campus on our way back to the hotel for a shower and breakfast. Early this afternoon Jai escorted us to the close-by city of Sarnath. This is where Buddha delivered his first sermon, under the Bo Tree. Sarnath is as sacred to Buddhists, who are now a small minority in India, as Varanasi is to the Hindus. It is surprising that so much has survived the various sackings it has undergone throughout the past 20 or 30 centuries. We walked around the ruins and through the Museum, which was very impressive, with its artifacts of Buddhism, some quite beautiful, dating back some 2,000 to 3,000 years. The Ashoka Pillar with 4 lions is the national emblem of India.
 
 
sarnath
 
Going off itinerary, Jai asked if we would like to visit a true Indian neighborhood, and we readily agreed. He took us to a little village where a number of the people specialize in the making of the little clay cups like we used for our tea at the Varanasi Ghat. The family we went to visit (Jai was well known to them) was very nice, and the kids enjoyed seeing their pictures on Barbara’s camera. The older lady invited us into her house. The kitchen had no light and the fuel for cooking was cow dung. The floors were dirt. There was a wooden shelf with a black and white television set and a DVD player. There were several small sleeping rooms.
 
Next stop was Bharat Mata-Mother India. It was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi and features a huge, floor mounted, marble relief map of the whole Indian sub-continent and bordering areas. Then on to a “quick” stop at Silk Ways to purchase a table cloth and 4 pillow covers. Back to the hotel. We really enjoyed Jai. He was friendly, spoke very good English, was very knowledgeable about many things and we felt that he really enjoyed working with us. He told us a lot about his own life and his family, which we found very interesting.
 
Wednesday, January 27
 
No alarm clock was set for this morning. We slept until 6:30. News reports show the worst fog in Delhi in 7 years. We worried about our flight there to connect with our road drive to Agra this afternoon. Seeing the Taj Mahal is an absolute must. We walked around the hotel grounds in the morning and then got a call from our local AK representative that our flight was not cancelled, but delayed an hour. Yipppeee! AK rep. Amid met us once again at the Delhi Airport and sent us on to Agra with our new driver, Badel. It seemed to take forever to get out of Delhi traffic, partly because our driver was not as aggressive in traffic as our prior drivers had been, and we think he got lost a couple of times. Then we stopped half way so he could take a break. We finally arrived at our Agra hotel, the Oberoi Armavilas, about 11:00 p.m. What a place! Everything about it is fantastic. We are on the 4th floor with what should be a perfect view of the Taj Mahal when we get up tomorrow morning.
 
Thursday, January 28
 
Dense fog greeted us once more this morning. We can only see a faint outline of the Taj.  After a very good breakfast, we now can see it from our balcony. Such a sight!
 
 
taj-mahal-4
 
The Hotel provided a golf cart and our Agra guide, Gupta, came to the Hotel and took us over to the Taj which is very close to the Hotel. As we walked through the main entry way and the Taj came into view, Barbara’s eyes filled with tears.  She was overwhelmed with its beauty and the fact that she was actually seeing it in person. The Taj was built by Shah Jahan in honor of his most beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal.  Begun in 1631, it took 20,000 artisans and laborers to complete it by 1653.
 
 
taj-mahal-1
 
After a thorough tour, and many pictures, we went on to Agra Fort, another amazing structure, but made of red sandstone instead of white marble.  At the end of Shah Jahan’s life, he was imprisoned in this tower by his son, Aurangzeb.  From here he could see his Taj Mahal.
 
 
red-fort
 
Gupta is very good: knowledgeable, personable and helpful with the photography.  He could not believe that we knew John Shors.  His book, “Beneath the Marble Sky”, is very popular here.
 
We stopped during the afternoon at a very nice store where the 24th generation descendants of the Persian artisans brought to India by Shah Jahan to decorate the Taj Mahal, still ply their trade. We watched their meticulous labor for a while and then bought a marble table top inlaid with semi-precious stones. Then, back to the Oberoi for a late lunch and a short rest.
 
Early afternoon found us once again at the Taj Mahal basking in and reflecting the lovely late afternoon sunlight. The white marble and inlaid precious stones reflect the changing colors of the sky from sunrise to sunset.  The ever-changing shadows are beautiful. The engineering and craftsmanship are amazing.
 
 
taj-mahal-3
 
We return for “music” and “dancing” (not by us) by the pool at the hotel. We enjoyed dinner at the Hotel to the accompaniment of Sitar and Tabla music.

Wrens Leaving the Nest

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Our little house wrens left their nest this morning.

wren-4

We were on our deck with our second cup of coffee this morning on the first cool, sunny and dry morning that we have had here for a long time.  We could hear the high school marching band practicing and reminisced about the years we enjoyed working with music and athletic booster clubs when our children were in school.  Those were wonderful years, but now we’re enjoying these “empty nest” years as well.  At about 9:00 a.m. a little wren poked its head out of the hole in its swinging home which dangles from a tree near our house, looked around for a few seconds,  and took off for the nearest perch, which happened to be our deck.  Camera time.

wren-1

wren-2

We watched as numbers 2, 3 and 4 quickly followed the little leader.  By 9:15 all 4 had appeared at their door and flown from the safety of their nest to the nearby cover of our woods.  It was a delightful 15 minutes.  We have had wrens nesting here for many years but never before have we witnessed the “fledging”.

May I have just one more meal before I leave home?

wren-3

The first flights of the little wrens reminded us that our lives are full of “fledgings” this year:  a granddaughter heading off to college for her first year; three granddaughters and a grandson starting high school; a grandson and a granddaughter starting kindergarten; and a brand new grandchild scheduled to see the light of day for the first time in two weeks.  So many wings being tried for the first time this year.