Susan B. Whiting
It was twilight as the deck crew dropped the lines onto the wharf at Tauranga, New Zealand. We had stowed our bags in our cabins, cleared customs and had a lifeboat drill. The 46 bird-watching passengers were chomping at the bit, anxious to get out on deck to see what birds were about. The only species we saw with the fading light were pied shag (cormorant) and white-fronted terns. On the other hand, we were delighted to watch a full moon rise out of the sea and beam a path over the waters.
Last week I asked people who had barn owls to let me know if they have pairs around their property. I received this marvelous description from Rebecca Gilbert of the Native Earth Teaching Farm on North Road:
Why is it when an accidental (rare, unusual or vagrant) bird arrives on Martha’s Vineyard there is always a scenario where there is a good cop/bad cop gig? In this case Allan Keith is the good cop. On March 24 and then again on March 25 he spotted and spread the word that a male common teal arrived in the pond at Turtle Brook Farm, Chilmark. Lanny McDowell took great photos of this bird and a male green-winged teal that was in the same pond.
Central America is a fascinating area to visit. It is a relatively short plane ride and boasts an excellent variety of habitats. Recently we visited both El Salvador and Nicaragua. I could write a book about the 18-day journey, but will spare you. The Nicaragua leg of the trip was marvelous although not as birdy as I had hoped.
On Feb.
The Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival has been going on for 14 years. It is based in Titusville, Fla., which is next door to Cape Kennedy/Canaveral, but more to the point is near several great birding areas including the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Flip Harrington and I have attended almost every one of the 14 festivals. It is a great chance to get together with other bird-watchers, participate in field trips to great birding areas in Florida and learn from workshops and classroom presentations. Flip also uses the festivals to check out all the new optics that the exhibitors are displaying. We enjoy dinners with other birders and the various field trips. This year’s keynote talks were by Chuck Hagner of Birder’s World and Lillian and Donald Stokes, authors of the Stokes Field Guides.