NatureAli's Notes

Chasing Birds and Fall Colors

natureali — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:50:27 +0000

The month of October is the time to look for shades of yellow, gold, orange and red on the leaves of autumn’s trees. In the middle of October, the color on the south fork Kern River began to change and now nearing the end of the month it continues with a mix of yellow, gold and green. The aspen die off across the west has made it hard to find many displays of red, gold and green Quaking Aspen, but I did find some along south Bishop Creek on the way to South Lake above Bishop in mid October.
Just yesterday, the color gold was the dominant color along Trout Creek on the Kern Plateau, where I went to chase a Black-backed Woodpecker. Found the bird and a Northern Goshawk. A fun day!

Nature Ali’s Grand Adventure – Quartzite, AZ to Weldon, CA – Day 30, July 19th.

natureali — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 02:40:09 +0000

Waking around 4 a.m. I reentered California as dawn began to break and then drove across the Mojave Desert to meet up with my friend Ellen in Fontana before driving over the Cajon Pass to home. I encountered a small dust storm in the Mojave desert which brought back memories of how I got to California over 33 years ago. I had met an interesting man and married him four days later (we divorced after 15 years). We hitchhiked across the country and when we reached California, a fellow driving a retired hearse picked us up. Driving along Interstate 10, the winds were horrific and a bad dust storm ensued. The driver, rolled down his window and asked us to do the same for he said that the dust would frost the windows… but it sandblasted us in the vehicle instead! What a weird fellow and a funny memory.

I drove into Fontana to deliver a birthday present to my friend and to see where she had been working for the past month. After having a nice breakfast at Brandon’s Cafe, (I ate there because it had the same name as my son), I went off to visit Ellen who was coming back to work after her one day off. Ellen is one of the few biologists who is trained to find the Delhi Sands Flower Loving Fly and has been hiking back and forth through vacant fields six days a week where the habitat has been very much destroyed by the developer in an effort to thwart the endangered species act. According to the non-ethics of developers, biodiversity is to be destroyed for money, which is the only thing that these people care about. Although so many people see no value in insects unless they are “pretty”, if it were not for flies, caterpillars, mosquitoes, and so many other annoying bugs… most birds, reptiles, amphibians, and many mammals would not survive. I am glad Ellen is searching for the fly (she found one) and I hope the government which rarely ever does the right thing when it comes to protecting species, will do it this time.
I left her to do her job and then drove up Cajon Pass and through the desert looking forward to getting home. It was wonderful to see the land of creosote and Joshua trees again. Although, I just drove through Red Rock Canyon State Park, it is always lovely to see.
It is very sad the administration of California State Parks have begun to allow the motorcycle community to destroy the remaining pristine habitat in the park. Trails are beginning to crop up in unauthorized places even though the woman in charge of the state parks thought that by allowing motorcyclists one trail they would actually stay on the trails. Why anyone would trust these lazy people to respect the land after they have destroyed one of the most unique areas in the Kern desert is beyond me. (Geologically, Jawbone Canyon was one of the most amazing places before motorcyclists trashed every inch of land… now they complain about how ugly it is… duh!).
I climbed up Walker Pass and drove back to my beloved Kern River Valley just in time to visit with the researchers from UC Berkeley’s Grinnell Re-survey Project who I let stay in my house. I arrived home at 12:30 p.m, 30 days and 10,232 miles after leaving. It was a wonderful adventure and I hope to revisit many of the places I discovered during my journey. Thank you to all who helped along the way and to those who have followed my journey virtually.
367 miles

Nature Ali’s Grand Adventure – Ramsey Canyon to Quartzite, AZ – Day 29, July 18th.

natureali — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 02:35:32 +0000

I headed toward Miller Canyon and Beatty’s to see all the wonderful hummingbirds that were reported there as well as the Brown-backed Solitaire that had been seen two days earlier. All of the sanctuaries in the canyons and private yards charge $5 to access them… but it didn’t seem excessive because I was expecting it in advance.
I drove up Miller Canyon and got to experience better looks one of the life birds I had seen the day before, Mexican Jay, a whole flock was flying back and forth across the road. My first life bird of the day was a Hepatic Tanager, which didn’t quite get close enough for a really good view. While I was trying to photograph the bird a nice Border Patrol agent came up and started chatting it up. Seems illegal aliens use these wonderful birding canyons to cross the border that is at the summit of the local mountains. I do wish the people coming into the United States could do it legally and respect our laws and culture. I feel sorry for the individuals but after seeing what the illegals growing pot in Fay Canyon did with all the environmental damage they did with absolutely no conscience, I am less sympathetic. After I saw 9 illegals get picked up by two coyotes in a van, I wished I had paid more attention to the agent when he yelled out his number.
There were plenty of cars at the end of the canyon next to Beatty’s with people looking for the solitaire (which BTW, I found out later was seen in Ramsey Canyon that day, but alas not by me).
I decided not to hike up to try to see the solitaire… just went and enjoyed sitting around the feeders and meeting the interesting Beatty patriarch and his son. They were really helpful in identifying the birds. They had some great dogs to pet too! After taking many photos of hummingbirds, I walked around their trail and saw a few life butterflies. I took a photo of a Bordered Patch butterfly and was readjusting the camera when the endangered Huachuca Mountains frog jumped up and ate it! So much for that butterfly.
Overall, I really enjoyed Beatty’s the best and makes me want to emulate the welcoming atmosphere at the Kern River Preserve. The opportunity to peacefully photograph birds was really great. I scored five (maybe six) life hummingbirds here: Broad-billed, Broad-tailed, Violet-crowned, White-eared, Berryline, and Blue-throated (which I believe I actually saw in Kern but didn’t see it long enough or have anyone else see it to verify).

After Miller I went off to Ash Canyon Bed and Breakfast to try for the Lucifer Hummingbird. I did get to see the bird but it was not as fun as the Beatty’s. Knowing that the day was getting short, I needed to keep moving so I headed up Carr Canyon with the goal of finding a Red-faced Warbler, alas, I never found one, but I did find two more life birds, Buff-bellied Flycatcher and Yellow-eyed Junco.
I headed to one last place before leaving southeastern Arizona, the San Pedro River, I was hoping for a Gray Hawk, but seemed when I went somewhere with a target in mind I left empty binoculared… I did see the rare Varied Bunting that had been reported… my last life bird of the trip.
I reluctantly left birding paradise to head home. I intended to get as far as possible and stop and sleep at a rest area as I had the entire trip. There were thunderstorms looming so I headed out with an eye to the sky. I would stop this time if rain threatened again. Although I encountered no rain the most bizarre weather crossed my path, I can only call it ground turbulence. The winds were whipping back and forth causing the car to rock back and forth which felt just like turbulence I had felt during several plane rides.
I finally ended the day in a rest area in Tonopah or so I thought… I slept an hour in the car before the oppressive heat had me awake and on the road again. I couldn’t keep my eyes open so I stopped again for an hour in Quartzite awaking an hour later to continue the journey.
370 miles

Nature Ali’s Grand Adventure – Ramsey Canyon Sanctuary – Day 28, July 17th.

natureali — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 02:13:50 +0000

Ramsey Canyon Sanctuary didn’t open until 8 a.m. so I patiently waited to take a hike up the canyon. Breakfast was to be served at 9 a.m. so I luxuriated for several hours wandering around the lodge.
I had heard there was an Elegant Trogan which was my target species for the day. The hike proved to be full of life bird experiences. The first new species of the day was the tiny Bridled Titmouse. This species was one that I had hoped to find and I wasn’t disappointed except photography proved challenging to impossible in the heavily shaded forest. It seemed almost every bird I encountered was a life bird, the most beautiful was the Painted Redstart, but like all warblers, it flitted about so rapidly, I couldn’t get a decent photo. The deer in the canyon were almost tame and just lazily moved off when I came near. I hiked up to the area where the trogan was spotted and sat down to enjoy the little creek and photograph damselflies. The trogan started calling and I tried to get up but it seemed the trip was finally catching up to me and my legs wouldn’t budge. I looked over my shoulder to see the lovely bright red chest of the trogan. I got great views but alas no photos.
Continuing on I found the Huachuca (Ramsey Canyon) Mountains Leopard Frog. An endangered species that was reintroduced from Miller Canyon after the chitrid fungus wiped it out in Ramsey Canyon. While wandering about I met some really nice people and started chatting about nature. I mentioned my adventure and how I had been sleeping in my car for most of the trip to save money, they wandered off and then came back and invited me to stay over at their house. I thought about it and realized I really wanted to bird the area for another day and decided to change my final itinerary leaving out Salton Sea and San Diego and just finishing in Southeast Arizona. Off I went to Glen and Julie’s in Sierra Vista. They immediately left to go to a party, leaving me alone to catch up on Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann before falling asleep.
I had a small problem at their house which I never did find a solution, the TP holder fell off and I searched high and low to find a screwdriver small enough to fix it, but alas I felt really weird looking through all their kitchen drawers, so I left it unrepaired. I wish I could have told them about the little problem. I hoped to see them in the morning but I woke at 4:30 a.m. and left around 5:30 without being able to say goodbye. If you read this entry… thank you!
10 miles

Nature Ali’s Grand Adventure – Anthony, NM to Hereford, AZ – Day 27, July 16th.

natureali — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 02:05:11 +0000

I awoke in the morning and immediately called Triple-A. I could have changed the tire myself, but figured I had just upgraded to AAA Premier and thought why not have someone with all of the tools change the tire instead of me getting dirtier while on the road.
A mistake; AAA calls back telling me they can’t get in touch with the contract station and they said they would look it up in the phone directory and find someone. Well, after about a half hour of explaining that I was in the first rest area in New Mexico at the border of Texas in the westbound land of Interstate 10, they finally figured they might know where I was… maps they are a marvelous thing AAA dispatchers should try using them sometimes… not too hard to figure out large ribbon of asphalt that goes from the Atlantic to the Pacific! Anyway, they get in touch with Happy Towing… it will take an hour.
OK, never disappointed with extra time I can spend exploring the area with my camera; I took off on the paved trail around the rest area. I get a call on my cell from a guy who sounds decidedly annoyed that he couldn’t find me. I asked him if he went to the section of the rest area where the cars were parked and he said no he only saw the big rigs. I told him to drive and look for parked passenger cars which was where my SUV would be found.
Funny I thought, I would have heard a tow truck and immediately gone to where my truck was parked. No wonder, this guy drives up in a mid-80’s sedan with disabled plates and starts staring at me with disdain. Incredulous that this might be the tow truck, I asked who he was and he barked Happy Towing! Shudder, I watch as he begins to get an old scissor-jack out of his trunk as his son (who I mistook for his grandson) wandered aimlessly about not helping at all. I told the guy who smelled awful of booze and stale cigarettes that I had a floor jack that he could use; he refused until he realized that his jack would not lift my truck.
The whole time I am thinking this guy is going to keel over while changing my tire, so I am almost changing the tire myself in an attempt to keep him alive through the procedure. After a while I couldn’t stand the smell of the guy so I backed off and let him just do what he was getting paid to do.
Ewww, I called AAA and let them know there was nothing Happy nor Towing about this company and they should never call them again.
Finally after three hours, I was back on the road and determined to head toward Ramsey Canyon, Arizona, where I hoped to do some real birding. I drove quickly through New Mexico and immediately upon entering Arizona started looking for a Visitor’s Center… the rest stops didn’t have such places and found one listed as being in a town called Willcox. I arrived about 3:30 in the afternoon and the visitor information center turned out to be a Chamber of Commerce that did have some birding information. They even hold an annual Birding Festival called “Wings over Willcox”. I finally got to bird my first sewer ponds of the adventure. Non-birders might think, what the heck! But birders know that birds love these places. I immediately discovered another life bird; Cassin’s Sparrow lurking in the mesquite. Each little puddle on the way to the spreading ponds revealed a few ducks and shorebirds. A tour around the ponds was filling my bird list quite nicely and the next life bird a Scaled Quail soon popped up. I was having an amazing time but knew I needed to get to Hereford and see if I could get a room for the night. I figured this was going to be my last indulgence of the trip and this was going to be the best birding I had experienced.
So, trusting my GPS, I set it for Ramsey Canyon. My sister and Internet navigator looked up B&B’s for me and prepared me for the shock of the price of staying in luxury. For some reason I felt that I really needed to stay at the Ramsey Canyon B&B even though it was the most expensive… little did I know that my experience in Trigger Point massage therapy would help me lower the price to less than half.
It is a beautiful place right next to the Nature Conservancy’s Ramsey Canyon Preserve. I looked forward to birding the next day while luxuriating in a beautiful room and taking a wonderful shower. I enjoyed my first life bird, a Magnificent Hummingbird, before settling down for the night.
308 miles

Nature Ali’s Grand Adventure – Carlsbad Caverns National Park to Anthony, NM – Day 26, July 15th.

natureali — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:38:28 +0000

I awoke as light was just revealing the landscape of plowed fields I was parked near. Immediately drove back into Carlsbad Caverns National Park, where I would have to wait until 8 a.m. before I could begin the exploration of the caverns. But I am infrequently bothered with delays as there is always something interesting to see.
I stopped to photograph the entry sign and found Northern Mockingbirds, Canyon Wren, and Black-chinned Sparrows singing their hearts out as the first blush of the sun was peeking over some distant mountains. I continue driving up the 6 mile road toward the entrance to the caverns.
There were a few little trails along the way but I only hiked one short trail to a bluff overlooking the valley below. I really enjoy interpretive trails and hope to emulate them soon at the Kern River Preserve; a Blue Grosbeak was singing his heart out trying to attract any female who might listen. All he seemed to do was annoy a rival male who gave chase. The trail was short but full of interesting information about the Chihuahuan Desert flora.
Soon it was closing in on the opening time to the caverns so I drove the rest of the way up the hill. I had heard of these magnificent caverns from my first husband as we hitchhiked our way across the country back in 1976. He spoke so glowingly of their magnificence, I have been anxious to go ever since. Pretty timely eh… only took me 33 years to finally get there!
I stood in line and found although my Interagency Passport allowed me to go through the Big Room, I wouldn’t get to explore the rest of the caverns, so got a ticket for the 10 a.m. Kings Room Guided Tour. A first for me on my Grand Adventure; I allowed someone else to control my time. As I was standing in line to go down the elevator, I noticed that several people were carrying jackets, which in 100º heat made me think, oh, cool in caverns. I asked and the guide said it averaged 56ºF in the caverns. Out to the car to grab a jacket and shed the binoculars and long lens, which made me miss the first elevator. Not a bad thing though the second elevator contained only me and the operator not the huge crowd that rode the first one down.
Grabbed a snack at the 750’ deep cavern and then ran off to explore the public cavern, the Big Room. It said it took an average of 1.5 to 2 hours to explore but I only had 43 minutes so I moved really quickly. The caves are full of amazing stalactites and stalagmites, well worth visiting at least once. Not at all claustrophobic as I had feared. I found it interesting seeing a Mennonite couple exploring the caverns dressed fully in the required clothing of their faith and looking very much like people out of the past while they were listening to their I-Pod. I smiled at the incongruity.
I then went on the paid tour with two Park Service employees. I find it interesting how depressed many of these employees seem. My dream job (besides the one I already have) would be to work at a National Park. I guess managers of Parks were most likely like the managers I had at the Forest Service, really didn’t care about the constituents, just about making sure their butts were covered. The Parks should really hire bright people who are interested in sharing information about the park that goes beyond the script.
It was interesting to listen to the story of the fellow who first explored the cave and how he almost killed himself groping in the pitch black when his coal oil lantern sputtered out while he was exploring a niche away from the light, but it seemed there were so many stories beyond the first explorer that could have been shared. I was taking loads of photos and a couple noticed I was shooting timed-exposures with a hand-held lens and they graciously offered to let me use the monopod they weren’t using. It came in quite handy but afterwards I noticed that even the shots I hand-held for up to 4-seconds came out pretty nice.
I spoke with our non-speaking guide after the tour about looking for birds and she brightened up so much, it was great! She told me about the Rattlesnake Spring area within the Park, which I went to after exploring the natural opening of the cave.
For adventurous souls, you can walk the mile and a half down into the cavern. Now it is paved and has handrails, but it still looked like quite a haul and I was happy to enjoy the caverns without an exhausting hike. The entrance has a seating area above it where the Park staff give a nightly program on the millions of Mexican Free-tailed Bats that exit the caverns. I didn’t stay around to watch that phenomenon but did enjoy a show of Cave Swallows that were nesting on the rocks at the entrance. A family was excitedly explaining all the bats flying about in the middle of the day, when the naturalist in me jumped out and corrected them and explained about the difference between diurnal, nocturnal and crepuscular animals. They seemed quite happy to learn something new which made me feel good. I stopped and took lots of photos for couples entering the cave, which also make me feel useful.
After leaving the main park, I went in search of the Rattlesnake Spring. What an amazing place to bird and naturalize! I saw many life dragonflies, butterflies and birds at the small area. I highly recommend it to any birder that goes to Carlsbad Caverns. I saw a Bell’s Vireo feeding a Bronzed Cowbird chick (a sad way to get a life-bird). After a really satisfying visit I was leaving and heard what sounded like a strange grosbeak or bunting… I looked and there was my life Painted Bunting. A flock of Wild Turkeys escorted me out of the park.
From there I drove to Guadalupe National Park in Texas. The skies were looking really ominous and I thought I might just stop for a while but looked at my schedule and against my better judgment drove into the thunderstorm. It was a decision I almost regretted later as the storm was beautiful with lightening striking all around but then the rains came and poured. The road was very wet and I hit a patch of road that was completely overwashed with rainwater. The tires, which I still hadn’t found a place to get replaced, lost traction and I went into the opposite traffic lane and then back across into the traffic lane next to me before I regained control. Fortunately, they were repaving the outside lane and the surface was extremely roughed up so my tires were able to regain traction. I drove along in the rough lane until the road was completely dry. Either during the lost traction time or on the rough road, my tire got a hole punched in the sidewall, which leaked out very slowly. I continued on keeping close watch on my low tire and stopped in Anthony, New Mexico to spend the night until I could get a hold of AAA in the morning.
170 miles

Nature Ali’s Grand Adventure – west of Houston, TX to Carlsbad, NM – Day 25, July 14th.

natureali — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 22:33:15 +0000

Morning in rest stops is interesting. The car that was parked next to you all night is replaced by a van, the driver in the SUV peers out through the foggy windshield with one sleepy eye realizing that she has been seen. Fortunately for me, I sleep heavily until awake when I am totally awake… I jump up to do my morning ritual, brush the teeth, drink a large glass of water and ignite the engine towards another day of adventuring. I stopped at the next rest stop just to stretch as the last stop didn’t seem that interesting, but this stop had a little nature trail so I hiked around the mile long loop while sweating more in the slightly hot but definitely muggy morning. Not too many birds about but a nice flock of chickadees and titmice satisfy me for a little bit.
Not sure of what I want to do today except drive through as much of Texas as possible… so I head west on Interstate 10 toward San Antonio where I saw a sign about the Alamo, interesting but I passed the exit… the next exit steers me to the historic missions, so what the heck, haven’t done much historical touring… I find myself in an active Catholic Church and National Historic Park at Mission Concepcion.
Being raised a Catholic but realizing a while back that religion has no function in my life, I normally stay away from such places, not bad memories just find the whole concept of religion silly and pretty damaging to the community of humans… anyway, what do I do upon entry into the sanctuary but bless myself with holy water and genuflect toward the altar; boy the indoctrination was complete.
Interesting buildings made out of limestone which is a major construction material throughout the south. Billions of years of accumulation of carbonate creatures created some amazing bedrock in the old Western Interior Seaway from the Cretaceous period. I enjoyed the limestone construction and the faded painting on the walls of the various rooms in the church.
I left intending to continue my drive but thought what the heck, I most likely would never return to San Antonio, so I programmed the GPS to take me to the Alamo. The shrine to the massacre of the Texas militia is run by a private group and is semipublic… similar to the Battleship Park in Alabama. Another cool building but they wouldn’t allow photos inside the buildings so I restricted my activities to the grounds. I moved quickly wanting to hurry along the road, but thought I was fated to be here since I found parking right next to the building and only had to pay a nickel to park (really didn’t have to pay anything as the meter had an hour on it but I put a nickel in to make sure it wasn’t broken).
I left to continue towards Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico. I needed to fuel up and again programmed the GPS to direct me to a gas station, took the road but found the bridge was out due to construction. I ended up at a park on the Llano River where I birded and looked for dragonflies and butterflies. Enjoyed the park as the birds were pretty active, just as I was climbing back into my car after tromping around for an hour or so, I saw what I knew immediately was a Golden-fronted Woodpecker, don’t ask me how as I had never seen this bird before and don’t really study the field guides… just popped into my head that that is what it was.
I found a gas station and continued my journey crossing into New Mexico as the sun was setting. I drove toward Carlsbad Caverns enjoying the tremendous number of nightjars hunting along the roadside. After finding the price for the RV park just outside Carlsbad (which had no camping facilities) to be exorbitant, I found a dirt road and settled down for the night.
590 miles

Nature Ali’s Grand Adventure – Atchafalaya, LA to west of Houston, TX – Day 24, July 13th.

natureali — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:07:17 +0000

Woke up to watch the sunrise in Atchafalaya, Louisiana as thousands upon thousands of blackbirds streamed from the south towards the north; filling the sky. A Barn Swallow was busy feeding her four young that appear to be about to fledge. A nine-banded armadillo wandered the grounds while five feral cats looked on. Dozens of ibis flew over mostly white but a few dark one’s that I predict were Glossy but hard to ID with little light. Two Loggerhead Shrikes competed for perches and bugs with the same number of Northern Mockingbirds. A busy morning as I sat in my truck blogging along… the wireless at this rest stop was down … but as luck would have it a few miles down the road I found a hotspot in Lafayette, LA. Before driving to Lafayette, I drove along the road by the rest area between the east and westbound lanes of Interstate 10 and found a river right between the lanes where several boats were being launched into the waterway. A strange sight indeed… I found out later the Atchafalaya River was one of the major tributaries of the Mississippi which I had missed crossing over during the dark drive the night before.
I drove down to Sabine National Wildlife Refuge out of Lake Charles. Found it to be most interesting. Saw four life birds while there… Neotropic Cormorant, King Rail, Least Tern, and Seaside Sparrow; I was ever so grateful for the bird list of the refuge otherwise I would have been clueless about the cormorant, rail and sparrow. There was a lot of damage to the refuge buildings and even more as I drove west along the coast through Johnson Bayou. The high school was totally destroyed and an Audubon Sanctuary run by the Baton Rouge chapter lost what I can only imagine was an observation tower. The Gulf looked awful… full of dirty oil soaked sand and the water… ooh gross, such a contrast to the clear water of Florida. I don’t believe for a minute that all of the oil platforms just off the coast weren’t contributing to the problem, but of course some could be a remnant of Hurricane Ike that blew through last September (that factoid courtesy of my ground crew… Margot).
Continuing on I found another bird I had never seen before but have to process the photos to see if I can id it (I did check and it turned out to be another life bird… Dicksissel). I left Louisiana by way of the Port Arthur, Texas bridge which fortunately had a temporary detour built (the real bridge was destroyed during the hurricane and hadn’t been repaired yet)… I get great gas mileage but there was no way I could have backtracked to a gas station… the one station on the gulf still had signs but the building and pumps were washed away during the hurricane. Whew, a real reason not to build right next to the water. Spent the night at the Glidden Rest Area west of Houston… tried to make it to San Antonio, but the eyes wouldn’t stay open.
348 miles

Nature Ali’s Grand Adventure – Panama City, FL to Atchafalaya, LA – Day 23, July 12th.

natureali — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 22:03:34 +0000

I woke up a 5 a.m. to a great cup of coffee that my brother made enjoying some more great conversation before we both had to leave. I went over to Gulf Coast Community College to bird a bit while the weather was still cool (there is no such thing as cool here – just not as hot… muggy applies to all times of day). Not too much activity but a few terns and gulls overhead. I drove over the Hathaway Bridge (where the bridge and my car got struck by lightening 34 years ago while I was watching a waterspout) towards Panama City Beach… I had intended again to drive some distance but saw Allison Ave. and couldn’t resist taking the road to the first apartment I lived in after getting married to Clayton back in 1975. The apartment was gone but it led me to the beach where I continued the drive.
The number of huge hotels on the beach is disgusting. No view of the gulf anywhere. When I first moved to Panama City, we were hit by Hurricane Eloise which destroyed most of these types of buildings; fifteen years later Hurricane Opal did it again. Why do people continue to elect short-sighted officials who allow buildings to be put in areas they shouldn’t? Anyway, I digress, I stopped here and there trying to bird wherever there was an opportunity. I did pick up a few Least Terns flying along the coast.
I got back on Hwy 98 but saw a turnoff to Seaside and the Florida Birding Trail (which basically seems to just direct people to every state park… the people at the Florida visitors centers should offer to sell annual park passes to every visitor who asks about birding opportunities so they don’t continuously get hit with the entrance fees).
Seaside is a really bizarre village where the movie “The Truman Show” was filmed. Narrow streets filled with beautiful little cottages… more bike paths than roads. Really Stepford Wive’s feeling place.
Just west of Seaside, I stopped at an amazing beach where the water was an amazing turquoise and so clear. The sand on the beach was so white. Out in the water was a loon just bobbing along with its head down fishing. I thought at first it was a dolphin or something similar. I took photos and finally got my feet wet which I had been reluctant to do because I didn’t want to travel with salty skin (they had a rinse off place). I dropped one of my sandals unknowingly way down the beach and a very helpful woman pointed it out to me. That was a pleasant stop.
Continuing west I stopped at Gulf Islands National Seashore where I got my passport stamped. The fellow at the desk was helpful yet completely clueless about nature watching. I really think the park service needs to make visitor center staff go out and explore their park and go on interpretive walks. I loved being able to share with visitors all of the exciting possibilities for adventures in Sequoia National Forest, being the person at the information center may be the only contact the public has to staff, it is really important that that person is a people person and willing to go the extra mile to help.
Anyway, despite the less than stellar information, I did walk the nature trail and found many wonderful birds for the day. Best of all was a Red-headed Woodpecker feeding a very anxious fledgling.
Leaving Florida behind, I entered Alabama to a most helpful woman at the I-10 Rest Stop. Birding rest stops is not to be missed if one is traveling. I found six species there including surprisingly Cinnamon Teal in the sump. I got an Alabama Coastal Birding Trail map and found the detour to Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile a good quick opportunity. While few birds were found beyond hundreds of Laughing Gulls, three Ring-billed Gulls were the first I had found in the east. They charged to enter the park which I thought was strange until I found out even with all of the military aircraft, the Battleship Alabama and a submarine, this was a privately funded park, I find that intriguing. I also find it strange America’s fascination with violence and glorifying tools of war. I am proud of the sacrifice of our soldiers but our need to fight others whose beliefs are foreign to our own (especially on their land) is so contrary to a truly civilized society. Oh, well, I am not about to change the world with my rants, but I would love it if those visiting such places would stop to enjoy and respect the world about them.
All through my voyage, I have been relying not just on my GPS, but on my ground support team, which consists of my sister Margot! I have to thank her for helping me figure out where to go next, where I am and what the weather is forecast to be.
Thanks MARGOT!
Funny thing, I have been saying all along that I have a special relationship to Mother Earth (Gaia) and that she has been protecting me. Margot scoffed (as would I) at the supernatural helping me on my journey. I had asked about severe thunderstorms and Margot checked, letting me know that a very bad system was heading my way. I was prepared but asked Gaia for assistance since my tires are getting worn and I am worried about the possibility of hydroplaning and having an accident. So while Margot was telling me what time the storm with the heavy downpour and hail should arrive, she was surprised when I told her I received just a few drops and that the road continued to remain dry. As she watched the radar, a bubble of cloudlessness opened up along my path and quickly closed behind me with heavy rain. My path remained dry and here I now sit at a rest stop in Atchafalaya, Louisiana without a cloud in the sky. I will rest for now.
410 miles

Nature Ali’s Grand Adventure – Gainesville to Panama City, FL – Day 22, July 11th.

natureali — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 18:41:12 +0000

I left Gainesville hoping to make some distance but alas, wanting to revisit St. Marks Wildlife Refuge, progress was shorter than hoped. I was amazed at how many Swallow-tailed Kites I saw along the road to St. Marks. What a beautiful bird! I then saw a bird which reminded me of an Acorn Woodpecker… I had been wondering when I would see another Red-headed Woodpecker and there it was on top of a telephone pole. I turned around to get a photo but it flew. Someday, I will find and photograph this cool woodpecker.
I arrived at St. Marks as a thunderstorm was threatening but I asked Mother Nature to help stave it off until I had gotten in a hike. She has been so helpful this trip, parting the clouds and cooling the temperature to reasonable wherever I have traveled. I went immediately to the lighthouse trail to see what birds and other critters were about. I wasn’t disappointed… many herons including a full breeding plumage Reddish Egret (too far away for good photos) and a pure white fledgling Little Blue Heron. A pod of porpoises were fishing just off the coast, but were scared off by a guy in a speedboat, who saw with my camera and smiled and waved who didn’t realize he had chased off the pod.
I have been searching every shallow area for damselflies and dragonflies hoping to get photos to help Dennis Paulson complete his book, but I don’t seem to be able to find anything out of the ordinary.
I did scare up a Least Bittern while searching. What a cool and secretive bird. I thought it time to leave just as a wicked rainstorm hit. I welcomed the cool rain while I was driving along the speed restricted refuge road.
I then headed to Carabelle, one of my favorite stops on Highway 98, it didn’t disappoint with American Oystercatchers, a Short-billed Dowitcher, Godwits, Willets, Brown Pelicans, and the ever present Laughing Gulls. There were plenty of people fishing and one particularly spoiled Great Blue Heron which was looking for handouts and being photographed by this grateful photographer. Continuing on I called my brother who finally answered his phone and enjoyed a brief visit with him before laying out my sleeping bag on his floor and calling it a night.
276 miles