2015 ended with punishing work demands and 2016 has started out with harrowing 60 hour work weeks. This and a sad family occurrence has left me frayed. Not a moment too soon comes my long awaited trip to Panama. I'm ready to do some birding with a great group of birders and friends from my prior Costa Rica trips. I look forward to seeing everyone again.
White-whiskered Puffbird on Plantation Road
In the meantime, thanks to all who have been so supportive during these past several months. I am grateful for my family, friends and ... birding.
After my last blog post I figured that I better get something about birding on here fast. I read Noah's Birding Without Borders blog posts before going to sleep each night in 2015. There were a few occasions when there were a number of days between posts and I felt disappointed. Like going to bed without my snack. Then I'd log in to find 2, 3 or 4 posts to catch up on and all was well again.
I enjoyed Noah's big year blog sponsored by Audubon so much that I find I am now going through a little withdrawal. There's a young Dutch birder trying to best Noah's big year record in 2016, but his write-ups are not nearly so easily accessible. We have National Audubon to thank for sponsoring Noah's reporting.
Anyway for those who missed it, here's the delightful end-of-big-year video Noah made - selfie stick and all - where he captures just a few of what must have been innumerable memories. Astonishing achievement and amazing life event.
If anyway knows the title of the song and group that accompanies the video - please post in comments. I cannot find it in iTunes or on You Tube. I'm wondering if it's by an Australian or New Zealand group. I sometimes play the video just to play the song.
By posting this I am not trying to use my blog as a political lightening rod. I just like the ad. Perhaps many have already seen it on television but I don't watch the television channels that run political advertising. (PBS Downton Abbey fan - yes it's true; I admit it here.) I heard about the while watching the PBS Newshour show.
If all political ads were like this, we might be able to survive 2016.
If you don't want to watch the ad, here's the whole song with lyrics. You don't even have to look at Simon and Garfunkel. I'm revealing my age here because this is my all-time favorite Simon and Garfunkel song and is on my list of all-time favorite songs - whatever list that is.
I came across this YouTube video of a David Allen Sibley lecture to the Jewish Community Center of San Fransciso while doing some research for an Op Ed piece I hope to write. It's too good not to keep for reference or to share with others.
The other thing is that I am completely impressed with his selection to lecture the Jewish Community
Center. Just goes to show that not only birders are interested in this topic.
The video is 1:19 long. I watched through the hawk owl part and decided I didn't want to lose track of this. It's easy to go forward and backward. Enjoy!
A friend sent me this photo that he took while vacationing in Fuerteventura. On my birding trips to Europe, this was one of the birds I most wanted to see. And I did see it on my trips to Bulgaria and to Hungary. On two occasions the bird had it's crown raised. Spectacular!
Apparently this bird was finding insects to eat in the cracks of the pavement.
Hoopoe in Fuerteventura (Canary Islands) by Cliff Young
