Dale Maffit Reservoir is a 200 acre lake constructed in the 1940s as a backup water source for the City of Des Moines, Iowa.  It is surrounded by about 1500 acres of woodland and prairie, intended to keep the runoff to the Lake reasonably unpolluted.

This winter the lake froze over early and has remained frozen over to this date, March 10.  Frozen, that is, except for a small hole that  Canada Geese managed to keep open throughout extremely cold winter.  With rapidly warming weather the past 2 days, the hole has greatly expanded.  It is at the north end of the lake, easily viewable.

I live about 6 miles from Lake Maffit.  On January 20^th I stopped by to see what was there, and was pleased to find several Trumpeter Swans, some Common Goldeneyes, a few Common Mergansers, and the usual plethora of Canada Geese and Mallards.

On February 13^th among the Canada Geese and Mallards were Cackling Geese, Redhead Ducks, a Ring-necked Duck, and the continuing Goldeneyes and Common Mergansers.

On February 21, the swans were back, and there were a few Pintails to add to the mix.

On February 27^th, all of the species of ducks, geese and swans mentioned above were still present at the little water hole surrounded by ice, and adding to the mix was a single Bufflehead.

On March 7^th, the number of Anatatdae (the Latin name for the family  consisting of swans, geese and ducks) had dramatically increased.  Joining the Canada Geese were 2 White-fronted Geese

and 4-6 Cackling Geese.  The number of duck species now included 2 Green-winged Teal, 6 Ruddy Ducks, 4 Lesser Scaup, 8-10 Pintails, 2 Ring-necks, 1 Bufflehead, 50 or so Redheads, 100 or so Common Goldeneyes, 10 Common Mergansers, and, of course the ever present and quite numerous Mallards.

On March 8^th, there were 37 Trumpeter Swans in or around the hole.  Canada Geese numbers were well over 1,000.  A flock of at least 40 White-fronted Geese and about 10 Cackling Geese completed the list of geese present.  All of the duck species seen the preceding day were still present, but in increased numbers.  And, as the bonus for the day, cavorting among the Mallard Drakes was a dramatically dark Black Duck.

I was very happy to see this big duck, because in many years I fail to see any of this more easterly cousin of the Mallards in Iowa.

On March 9^th the weather turned warm for the first time this calendar year.  All of the same cast of characters were still present, and added to the mix were 6 beautiful Hooded Mergansers.  There were 49 Swans at the hole. They began to depart about 10:00 a.m.

March 10 dawned bright, calm and very warm and the days of the small water hole on the lake are obviously numbered.  Barbara joined me on an early morning trip to the Lake, hoping to photograph swans, if present.  And they were:  71 of them, to be exact.  It is wonderful to contemplate that from the brink of extinction, these magnificent birds can now be seen regularly and in good numbers.  Several of her photos of the Trumpeter Swans, at rest

and in flight.

Hopefully, the Black Duck and one of the 2 Buffleheads present this morning will also show up in the photos.  All of the other species, except Cackling Geese, were still present, and, except for Canada Geese, in larger numbers.  When I returned to Lake Maffit about 5:00 p.m., there were at least 2,000 White-fronted Geese, and very few Canadas; a nice change.  In addition I saw my first-of-the-year Red-breasted Mergansers (3) and a single Wigeon.  Ring-necks were much more plentiful than in the morning.  That made it a 14 duck day.  I think that’s a record for me.  I will be anxious to see what’s new there tomorrow.  Canvasback or Shoveler are the most likely, because my other three expectancies, as yet unseen in 2014, the Wood Ducks, Gadwalls, Blue-winged Teal, don’ fancy the big open lake.

Maffit Reservoir is a jewel.  Hopefully it will continue to be available to the migrating flocks to provide rest and nourishment on their cold fall, winter and spring stopovers.

I can’t stop without mentioning the nightcap:  at about 6:30, as the sun was setting, V after V of Snow Geese flew high over our house, heading northwest.  Spring is surely here.

On Friday, May 31 we met our four fellow travelers and tour leader for breakfast at the Hotel. Our first impression, never to be changed, was that this would really be a good trip.  The Freyermuths from LeMars and the Rices from Muscatine are excited about the trip, as are we.  Our tour director is Michael Song (Anglicized, and of course not his real Chinese name except for the “Song” part).  He has been doing this for Odysseys Unlimited (the Tour Company) for about 20 years.  His deep knowledge of his country, his attention to detail, his excellent English and his good humor make him an ideal tour leader.

Before the trip we bought a copy of “DK Eyewitness Travel China”, to which we will refer regularly in my blog.   From Eyewitness:

“The Yellow River, the wellspring of Chinese culture and civilization, carves a course through the country’s parched northern terrain, the historic homeland of the Han Chinese and location of the most significant monuments.  Thus most visitors to the Middle Kingdom usually concentrate on these historic sites, beginning with the nation’s capital, Beijing.”

Our first stop in our tour of Beijing was the 2008 Olympic Village.

There we encountered the well recognized splendid architectural attractions of the Olympics, few visitors and many vendors.

We proceeded on to Tiananmen Square.  It is much larger than we anticipated.  There was tight security, mostly very young-looking fellows, probably between 17 and 20 years old.  Security cameras are everywhere.

We enjoyed a long morning just strolling about the Square.  We even had our picture taken framed by a giant portrait of Chairman Mao.

We understand it is changed every year so that it always looks fresh.  Though widely discredited, even in China, after his death, because of the big mistakes he made, his reputation as an inspirational leader has been revived and his image is quite commonly displayed.

During the lull in one of our bus rides to and from our destinations, and prompted somewhat by my sketchy recollections of the events of a few years ago at Tiananmen Square, I asked Michael to think about how he would answer this question:  Who were the most influential Chinese of the 20^th century?  A few days later we had a chance to follow up and his answer was Dr. Sun Yat Sen, General Chiang Kai Shek, Chairman Mao and Deng Xiaopeng.  I was surprised only in that he did not name Chou En Lai, and I asked why Deng Xiaopeng and not Chou En Lai.  He explained that while Chou was an excellent administrator, Deng, who in the 1980s emphasized the need for and led the move of China toward economic power, was a more inspiring and effective leader and led China into its present prosperous and promising future, to the great improvement in the economic lives of many Chinese.

China has such an interesting history, and to me the 20^th Century has been an earth shaking period not only in Chinese life, but in the place in the world that China has achieved and appears ready to continue to occupy and strengthen.  Not to change this into a second rate Chinese history, but rather to quickly outline in the broadest possible terms the long-term history of China, one must begin with the awesome power of the Chinese Emperors.

China was ruled by Emperors since long before the Christian era.  Without some knowledge of this history, one cannot appreciate the China of today.  So here goes, and try to hang in there.

Here is Eyewitness Travel’s briefest historical summary of China:

“China boasts one of the longest single unified civilizations in the world.  Its history is characterized by dramatic shifts in power between rival factions, period of peace and prosperity when foreign ideas were assimilated and absorbed, the disintegration of empire through corruption and political subterfuge, and the cyclical rise of ambitious leaders to found each new empire.”

The earliest presumed dynasty was the semi-mythical first dynasty, the Xia, which is thought to have lasted from 2200 to 1600 B.C.  From 1600 B.C. to 1911 A.D. (in aggregate, for over 4000 years):

“China was ruled by a succession of dynasties, broken by periods of fragmentation and civil war.  The emperor’s authority was divinely granted through a mandate of heaven and was thus unlimited.  Leaders of succeeding dynasties claimed that the previous leadership had displeased the gods and had therefore had its heavenly mandate withdrawn.”

Many of the dynasties lasted for several hundred years.  The Mongols established their foreign rule from 1279 through 1368 A.D.  Mongol rule was overthrown by the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644), which was in turn replaced by the Qing dynasty, from 1644 to 1911.  Amazing durability.

This long history of dynastic rule was ended the year my parents became engaged to be married:  1911.  During that year the last Chinese imperial dynasty, the Qing dynasty, fell and Dr. Sun Yat-sen was elected provisional President of the new Republic of China.  He was overthrown in a military coup a few years later, plunging China into civil wars, interrupted by the Japanese invasion and occupation in the 1930s and 1940s.  The two primary contenders for leadership of China, the Communists led by Mao Tse-tung and the Nationalists led by General Chiang Kai-shek (who seized power in 1926), cooperated (with American help) to defeat the Japanese.  Then they went at each other, and Mao and the Communists prevailed in 1949, when Chiang retreated to Taiwan where he established the remnant Nationalist government.

And so our visit to Tiananmen (“Tian’an Men”) Square in Beijing placed us in this center of Chinese history, continuing today.  At the Square we enjoyed an excellent lunch and then spent most of the afternoon walking about the Forbidden City, built in the early 1400s, and listening to fragments describing its long and interesting history.  Much is written about Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City that can be accessed on line and I will not even attempt any summary.

Our travels by van and taxi through Beijing left several general impressions:  numerous and excellent roads; architecturally interesting buildings; an unbelievable amount of high-rise construction, mostly residential condominiums (the National Bird of China: the Crane); western style dress; many, many good looking, cheerful and professional young people on the streets; many high-end shops; lots of nice, new cars crowding the streets (nothing over 10 years old can be driven in the City, to help with the pollution problem); few, if any, bicycles, at least along the main drags; overall, a huge city on the move as a 21^st century power center.   Our timing for this visit was exceptional in that Beijing was experiencing bright, sunny, yet cool days and little smog, at least on a relative scale.  And finally, the food is really good.

We rose early on April 21 for a pre-dawn start, and skipped breakfast to try to catch the morning appearances of several of the birds found best, or only, near Abancay.  We drove in the dry Apurimac Canyon on the road to Andahualas (below Abancay) and stopped frequently along the river after crossing the Sahuite Bridge. Here we saw quite a few White-tipped Doves and Andean Swifts, Tyrian Metaltails, a Shining Sunbeam, White-bellied Hummingbirds, and, as we were about to head back to town for breakfast, 2 of our primary targets, Creamy-breasted (Pale-tailed) Canasteros.  Adam spotted a lovely Black-backed Grosbeak from the van, and we saw another a little later on.

After breakfast we began our journey toward the Sacred Valley of the Incas, and the tourist mecca of the area, Ollantaytambo.  Along the way we spent a considerable time looking for the extremely elusive Ampay Tapaculos, without success, although at least 3 individuals were heard.  Along the way we stopped for a late lunch off-road on a nicely secluded hillside on a high pass, where we spent several hours enjoying the scenery, the pleasant weather and the abundant bird life.  It was here that we saw one of the only 2 wild mammals of the trip: a Montane Guinea Pig.  (The other was a Mountain Viscacha, seen during our lunch stop the day before).  The area was quite open, so for the most part, the birds that were present could be seen, except for the vocal Antpittas, who stayed under cover.

Among the birds seen today were Black-chested Buzzard Eagles, a Mountain Velvetbreast, a White-bellied Woodstar, Cream-winged Cinclodes (fairly common), a Rusty-fronted Canastero (Adam only), a Black-billed Shrike Tyrant, Red-crested Cotingas, common old Red-eyed Vireos, a beautiful Rust and Yellow Tanager, a Blue and Yellow Tanager, a Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanager, Cinereous Conebills, Black-throated Flowerpiercers, Peruvian Sierra-finches, Plain-colored Seedeaters, Golden-billed Saltators, and an Apurimac Brush-finch,

After a long day on the road, we arrived at Ollantaytambo and our Lodge, the very nice Pakaritampu Hotel, where we would spend three nights.  The contrast between Abancay and Ollantaytambo was very distinct.  I was glad that we were spending 3 nights at Ollantaytambo, not at Abancay.  Among other attractions, Ollantaytambo is the site of the second most noted Incan ruin in Peru.  We did not make the trip up to the ruins, but we enjoyed the view.

The next day, April 22, proved to be one of the most physically challenging days of my life.  I had questioned Silverio at dinner the night before about the difficulty of the hike down the west slope of Abra Malaga.  He left it up to me, and I decided to give it a go.  That was a mistake.  We drove from Ollataytambo up to the top of Abra Malaga, about 14,000 feet.  The drive was spectacular, with the beautiful mountain scenery.  Along the way we saw a cattle auction.

According to Silverio, a good bull (and all the males remain bulls) is worth about $500.  The ancient methods of agriculture are still practiced on the terraced steep mountain sides.

Not much room for tractors to turn around.  Thus, the importance of beasts of burden such as the bulls and the burros.

The design of the road should have been a tip-off as to the difficulty of the descent to follow, but I was oblivious.

The weather wasn’t very good.  Mist, wind and sporadic rain greeted us as we began our descent from the top of Abra Malaga.

There were some nice birds at the top, including 2 impressive Andean Flickers, and a Streak-throated Canastero.  We started down about 7:30 a.m., on what was billed as a 4 hour hike.

Fast forward, we finally got down 8 hours later, about 4:00 p.m., for “lunch“. Toward the end, my knees were nearly gone, and but for my decision to take my cane and wear knee braces, I would not have been able to walk out.  I crashed on my rear-end three times on the rain-drenched grass slopes, in the mud.  Thankfully, we were past the narrow mountain paths by then.  We nearly lost Adam as he careened down hill trying to catch his footing, coming to a halt stuck in a big mud hole, but standing tall.

As we left the treeless top of west slope of Abra Malaga we entered the Polyepsis woodlands, one of the few remaining in the world.

These are very short trees, with distinctive trunks and branches.  The Polylepsis contains some of the rarest birds in Peru.  I was very happy, after hours of searching the prior day, to finally see a Tapaculo, specifically a Puna Tapaculo.  This secretive, drab little bird walked out into an opening in the Polylepsis trees down-hill from us and I was greatly relieved that the pressure to find a Tapaculo was now off.

Among the birds that we saw during this marathon hike were Mountain Caracaras, Aplomado Falcons,

Andean Parakeets, an Olivaceous Thornbill, a White-browed Tit-spinetail, a Line-fronted Canastero, a Stripe-headed Antpitta, a rare and endangered Ash-breasted Tit-tyrant, Rufous-breasted Chat-Tyrant, Brown-backed Chat-Tyrants, D’Orbigny’s Chat-Tyrants, Rufous-naped Ground Tyrants, a Puna Ground Tyrant, Cinereous Ground Tyrants, and Plumbeous and Ash-breasted Sierra Finches. Actually, quite good in retrospect.

I was famished, exhausted and in pain by the time we exited the Valley and arrived at the van.  We devoured our late lunch and headed back to the hotel. Between my knees and Adam’s apparent altitude sickness, we had a bad night, but by morning, April 23, we were ready to go again, provided we stayed in or near the van and all walking was on a nearly flat road with the van close by and on call.  With those limitations, we actually had a good day of birding.  This time we went back up to the top and explored the east slope of Abra Malaga.

We missed a couple of the birds that I had hoped to see here: Andean Goose and Puna Ibis.  The weather, again, was not good.  There was a lot of fog (Neblina), and sporadic rain.  But we did get good looks at a lot of interesting birds today, either on the east slope of Abra Malaga or on the road back to Ollantaytambo. These included a nice flock of Yellow-billed Teal, good looks at a Variable Hawk, more Andean Lapwings, a spectacular Sword-billed Hummingbird, Cream-winged Cinclodes, a beautiful White-tufted Sunbeam, and an equally beautiful Great Sapphirewing, Puna Thistletails, Marcapata Spinetails, Rufous-breasted Chat-Tyrants, Brown-bellied Swallows, Spectacled Whitestarts, Citrine Warblers, a Paramo Pipit, Parodi’s Hemispingus (I love that name), more Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanagers, White-browed Conebills, and both Black-throated and Masked Flowerpiercers, as well as the abundant Rufous-collared Sparrows.

Back at the hotel, I had time to bird the grounds and was pleasantly surprised to find a nice variety of birds right on the hotel grounds.  These were Spot-winged Pigeons, Sparkling Violet-ears, Green and White Hummingbirds, White-bellied Hummingbirds, and a female Rusty Flowerpiercer.

I have made several trips in the past few years for the specific purpose of seeing Yellow Rails.  This spring Barbara and I went to the Anahuac Grassland Preserve east of Houston, Texas to participate in one of the annual “Rail Hunts” sponsored by Friends of Anahuac.  I reported on that trip earlier on this blog.  Suffice it to say that effort was extremely difficult and, in the end, fruitless.   Yellow Rail has been the only ABA Code 1 or Code 2 species that (1) I have never seen, and (2) can be seen regularly, though rarely, in Iowa.  So, if I could find one in Iowa, I would have a double delight-both a North American and an Iowa Life Bird.

A few years ago Carl Kurtz reported on the Iowa Bird Line that while harvesting prairie seed on his farm near St. Anthony, Iowa, he has seen Yellow Rails flush from the prairie grass in front of his moving combine.  I met Carl about 10 years ago when I went on the Board of Trustees of the Nature Conservancy (Iowa Chapter).  Carl had been a member for some time before I joined the Board.  About a month ago I contacted Carl and asked if it would be OK with him if I came up and rode the combine with him when he harvests this year, to try to add Yellow Rail to my Life List.  Last Saturday (October 16) he called me and told me that he had seen a Yellow Rail that day while harvesting, and that if I wished to come up to his farm on Sunday, if it wasn’t raining, he would be continuing the harvest on the field where the Yellow Rail showed up on Saturday.  I accepted readily.  Staining the deck would have to wait.

It did not rain on Sunday, and, in fact, it was a beautiful, sunny autumn day.   I arrived at Carl’s farm about 1:30.  He was just gassing up the combine.  I climbed up and we drove to the field and began combining the prairie seeds.  Within minutes, a Yellow Rail flushed from a few feet in front of the combine, and fluttered away from us  to a nearby ravine.  I got a great view, particularly advantageous from 10 feet up on the combine for spotting from above the white trailing wing patch which quickly differentiates the Yellow Rail from the Sora Rail.  We were both elated.  Carl asked if I wanted to go back, or continue with the combining.  I quickly accepted his offer to stay, and within an hour we had flushed 2 more Yellow Rails, both equally close and clear in the brilliant autumn sunlight against the golden-brown of the prairie.  After the 3^rd sighting, Carl offered to let me operate (drive only; I certainly couldn’t be trusted with the other controls) the combine.  Although I grew up on a farm, we did not have a combine while I was there, so this was an exciting, first time experience.  I readily accepted and did a darn good job, too.  We finished the field and drove back to the house, where Linda, Carl’s wife, served delicious hot Lattes and homemade banana-chocolate chip bread.   This was the frosting on the cake of a truly delightful and memorable day, especially due to the warmth and hospitality of the Kurtz’s on their Iowa farm.

Carl then took me for a drive to see another 80 acre prairie that he has developed from what was formerly a badly degraded pasture.  He bought it a few years ago and it is now a place of rare beauty.  A small stream meanders between the hills and the area was populated by pheasants and sparrows, particularly a large number of Vesper Sparrows.

The Yellow Rails become my North American Life Bird number 706, and Iowa Life Bird number 328.  Thank you, Carl and Linda.

Barbara and I planned a trip to Belize with the help of Caligo Ventures.  Our primary objectives were to see the interior of Belize, find birds and see the Mayan ruins.  We were scheduled to leave Des Moines on January 11th, fly Delta to Atlanta and Delta from Atlanta to Belize City.  Bad weather in Atlanta required a quick change of plans.  We ended up going through Houston on American and arriving in Belize City pretty much on schedule as if we had been able to keep our original itinerary. 

The weather was generaly quite warm and humid in Belize although the nights and early mornings were very comfortable.  We were met at the airport by the driver arranged for by Crooked Tree Lodge, where we were staying for 3 nights.  Our cabin, one of only 6 at the Lodge, was spartan, but clean.  The lodge where we took our meals was nice, and the food was very good.  There were very few guests, so we nearly had the place to ourselves.  The next morning we were out early with our guide, Glenn Crawford, for a morning bird walk.  Crooked Tree is in flat terrain, on an island surrounded by fresh water bodies.  Most of the birds we saw that first morning were the same ones we see regularly in migration in the U.S.  Glenn is a 4th generation Belizian and knows the territory and the birds.  We learned of the local agricultural activities, including harvesting cashews, perhaps the biggest local crop. (Later, due to the hospitality of a young couple that joined us for dinner at the Lodge, we sampled the local Cashew Wine.  It reminded us of a nice Sherry.) Much of the land is quite sandy and still in a natural condition, providing good habitat.  We walked hard and covered a good deal of territory. 

Good birds for the morning, which started at 6:30 a.m., included a Gray-necked Wood Rail (previously seen in Costa Rica), and the following new life birds:  Pale-vented Pigeon, Plain-breasted Ground Dove, Olive-throated Parakeets, Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds (numerous), Red-vented Woodpecker (formerly known as Yucatan Woodpecker), Lineated Woodpecker, Ivory-billed Woodcreeper,  Tropical Pewee, Yucatan Flycatcher, Variable Seedeaters, Blue-black Grassquits, and Black-cowled Orioles.  Substantial numbers of other birds of species I have previously seen were also present.  We were excited to see the Great Kiskadees in courtship mode. 

We had lunch and ventured out around the Lodge area for a couple of hours before Glenn met us for an afternoon walk.  My most exciting finds were a Black-crowned Tityra and a Spot-breasted Wood -wren. 

Migratory wood warblers of the various species that we commonly see in spring or fall, were present in good numbers.  We spent the afternoon with Glenn, exploring other areas near the Lodge.  Among the more interesting  birds spotted this afternoon were: Crane Hawk (not new), Ruddy Quail-dove (a fleeting glimpse), Canivet’s Emerald, and, after a long search, the best bird of our stay at Crooked Tree, Yucatan Jays.  There were at least 30 of these beautiful birds harvesting the insects that were leaving their burrows in the woods to escape a marauding Army Ant swarm.  They ignored us and allowed close approaches in their greed for more bugs.

Day 2 at Crooked Tree began with a short drive to the lagoon, where we were joined by 2 other couples for an early morning cruise.  Glenn’s brother, Rudy, served as guide and another brother, Robert, was in charge of piloting the boat.  Rudy proved himself very proficient in spotting and identifying the birds.  Today produced several more interesting birds, including a Bat Falcon, numbers of common water birds, including a Bare-throated Tiger-heron and numbers of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, a Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, a Black-collared Hawk, a Black-headed Trogon, a Yellow-billed Cacique and a Yellow-tailed Oriole. 

We returned to the Lodge for the afternoon and birded on our own for the rest of the day.  The next morning Rudy drove us the 1 hour to the Lamani Outpost Lodge river transfer point on the New River, where we boarded a fast boat for the long ride up-river (south) to the Lamanai Outpost Lodge.  The morning was clear and cool and the boat ride was fantastic.  For the next 3 nights we would be staying at Lamanai Outpost Lodge and would include in our itinerary a tour of the Mayan temples at Lamani. I will write about that segment of our trip soon.

This week, on the hottest afternoon of our summer, we had 2 little fawn ornaments enjoying the shade in our front yard.  When I came home about 4:00 p.m. I was able, without spooking them, to drive past them and get in the house to alert my wife to their presence.  The twins were not a bit camera-shy, so she was able to get some nice pictures. 

And thus we had our own private experience of the Afternoon of the Fawn(s).  If you are interested in some really ethereal poetry, check out Mallarme’s poem bearing that title, (inexplicably misspelling “Fawn”, as “Faun”).  Or, perhaps I misunderstood it.