Life is Good Today

Morongo Valley, CA

Sorry for the hiatus...no internet, no posts. :(

But, I'm back! Merry Christmas, everyone! Had a hoot of a time in Indiana with the folks. I'll post more on that soon.

Today, I am headed back to the desert for some sunshine and birding. Can't wait to see everyone again!

CBC Hooky

I'm missing the annual nationwide Christmas Bird Count ...again.

Every year thousands of audubon societies and bird groups around the nation get together a couple weeks before or after Christmas Day to count the birds they see within an established area. The information collected is published as important national research. This is a VERY big deal.

Last year, I missed the BMCP CBC because I was traveling to Missouri (and really didn't know what I was missing.) This year I had great plans on participating in a local StL CBC, but for some reason all of the dates are on days I am, again, traveling. Mix that with the fact that I am working full-time now, makes the chances of catching a CBC pretty slim on my schedule. Pooper....

Today, I did consider driving 2.5 hours west to Columbia, MO for their count, but with the weather being snowy/rainy with temps around 30 degrees and winds 20mph+, I just couldn't pull myself together enough to do it. I guess I am a bit of a fair-weather birder. Woose, I know.

So, again, I'm missing this great event.

Maybe next year.

Tree Walking GBH

Beach

I'm ba-a-a-ck!

I don't think I have to say too much about the beach...well, I'll say one thing, "Ah-h-h!" Wasn't even two seconds before those shoes came off and I went a'runnin! And the best part was I had the whole beach to myself! I love solitary beaches!

Looking for shells

I was so thankful to be on the beach on this particular day. It was 73 degrees and sunny. Back home in StL, it was -5 degrees. Tee-hee!

Birds

Wow! I had no idea. Not until a friend visited the island this past fall did I have any idea that one of my favorite beach spots had a real Audubon Sanctuary! The Audubon Sanctuary has ponds, swamps and beach access to find shore birds. Freaking fantastic!

A Ring-billed Gull

When I arrived at the Sanctuary at 10am, I found the island completely covered with low clouds. It literally felt like I was walking into a jungle in the clouds. Quiet, quiet, quiet...like I was the only one on the whole island. I was a bit disappointed at first, because it was so quiet bird-wise. But as soon as the morning fog lifted, the fun began!

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

My target bird for the day was a Brown-headed Nuthatch (yeah, Smiley!) Nothing like finding your target bird and new lifer 5 minutes into your search! Check! I also added the American Oystercatcher, which I found near Fort Gaines.

A pair of American Oystercatchers. As Baumann has said, "God worked a little bit too much overtime" on this one. Crazy colors! (It even has orange eyes.)

Dauphin Island Getaway

One of my favorite places in the Deep South is Dauphin Island, Alabama. Dauphin Island is a barrier island located south of Mobile, AL, and became my favorite beach spot during the time Charlie Ray was being repaired in Mobile. Not the fanciest of beaches because of the oil platforms located off shore, but it does have nautical charm and a sweet laid backness.

What I didn't appreciate a couple years ago was the fantastic bird sanctuary and historic Fort Gaines located on the eastern side of the island. Just this past week while I was in Alabama, I took a day and enjoyed all the island had to offer; the birds, the beaches and the buildings (historic ones, that is.)

So, the next three posts will be labeled as so. What a great day!

Selma on a Rainy Day

After showing the boat, I went out on a mission to find a southern-only bird, the Brown-headed Nutchatch (thanks, Smiley!) I tried and tried but constant rain kept me from wandering around the woods of Demopolis Lake. I even tried birding from the car, but it was a bust.

So, with 6 hours of daylight left, I decided to drive 45 minutes east to the town of Selma. I have been wanting to visit Selma every time I've been down here, and this rainy day would be my perfect opportunity. What an amazing city!

The sweet lady at the Chamber of Commerce said "Selma is civil. We had the Civil War and the Civil Rights." And that is exactly why I wanted to visit Selma.

Read this! (click on it to for a closer look.)

My first stop was the National Voting Rights Museum & Institute, which has documented the events surrounding the Selma to Montgomery March of 1965 and it's subsequent "Bloody Sunday." Short, short history lesson (according to the NVRM website)

On Sunday, March 7, 1965 the first march set out from Brown Chapel AME Church toward Montgomery, but was turned back just past the Edmund Pettus Bridge when marchers were brutally attacked by law enforcement officers. Two days later, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a second march from Brown Chapel toward Montgomery, but peacefully turned around at the “point” of confrontation” over the Pettus Bridge. On March 21, 1965 a third march under the protection of the National Guard, left Brown Chapel for Montgomery and five days later reached the State Capital.

Brown Chapel AME Church where the March began

I had studied the Civil Rights Movement at SEMO, and was profoundly effected the events of Bloody Sunday. I wanted to see the places with my own eyes. Crossing over the Pettus Bridge and driving down the same street where people were beaten down for peacefully walking was surreal.

Here's the photos I saw on the wall...

This is what I saw when I turned around and looked out the window...same place along the bridge. That brings it home!

What a place of history! I continued to drive around Selma in the pouring rain, being completely blown away by the enormous amount of historic houses. Honestly, I have never seen such a variety of architectural styles within one small town (and I've studied historic architecture!) I stopped and toured Sturdivant Hall, a pre-Civil War Neo-Classical house museum. Wow!

If you'd like to see the interior of the house and learn about it's ghostly history, here is a link to a short video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05SVV2fwZmc