tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25520459876680232312024-03-19T06:44:49.425-04:00Bill of the Birds on BlogspotMy name is Bill and I am a bird watcher.Bill of the Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16000245161006147448noreply@blogger.comBlogger1488125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552045987668023231.post-30692714169768864432017-11-07T07:36:00.000-05:002017-11-07T07:36:03.026-05:00Ear Candy Alert: Latest Podcast Episodes!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQxVZtg9yuBplkhCmMJE5ITxAMTY8MN5tej-iBg7D6-lrtxNx8N29BftY3V1w1BnNxeL12y7bpJR-Us8HK9DIVAKWIQI3WqYOeuGM8zKdIc6KXaZ2xNkC_sTm3tNzJXTHGA0GBVHj3UljL/s1600/podcast+listener+3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="640" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQxVZtg9yuBplkhCmMJE5ITxAMTY8MN5tej-iBg7D6-lrtxNx8N29BftY3V1w1BnNxeL12y7bpJR-Us8HK9DIVAKWIQI3WqYOeuGM8zKdIc6KXaZ2xNkC_sTm3tNzJXTHGA0GBVHj3UljL/s320/podcast+listener+3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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If you enjoy listening to podcasts about birding, there are new episodes posted in the past few days from two podcasts in which I'm involved.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWakAmphJLZBehqx0jC-zEzI5IBes7dUqBEvTf4w8Z77FDpydMasb7exp8x_Rl0U4_Uybob_xtZfcEbf50jxEH0sSyvgXw4WghRr4Tp1c8jyI9gSI1pq2LqIck2uMXtzZ1H-Vgw9AqQe3t/s1600/TBLCOVER-TERN+Sponsors.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWakAmphJLZBehqx0jC-zEzI5IBes7dUqBEvTf4w8Z77FDpydMasb7exp8x_Rl0U4_Uybob_xtZfcEbf50jxEH0sSyvgXw4WghRr4Tp1c8jyI9gSI1pq2LqIck2uMXtzZ1H-Vgw9AqQe3t/s320/TBLCOVER-TERN+Sponsors.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This Birding Life has been going for more than a decade and just passed the 70 episode count. Episode 73 is a collection of four different birding-related stories I recorded during a recent trip to Taiwan. These first-person tales range from trying to charm you way into an exit-row seat on an international flight to being rescued in dire remote circumstances. Here's a <a href="https://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/podcast-episode/tbl-episode-73-more-bird-stories/">link to listen to episode 73</a><a href="https://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/podcast-episode/tbl-episode-73-more-bird-stories/"> </a>of "This Birding Life" entitled "More Birding Stories."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's me in the yellow sleeves with our Taiwan birding group.<br /></td></tr>
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"Out There With the Birds" is the second podcast I'm part of, along with my colleague and friend Ben Lizdas. Where TBL is an interview-style podcast with me interviewing an interesting person or people, OTWTB is pretty much just Ben and me talking back and forth about anything that comes to mind. And we usually crack up along the way.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_EZJNKuJwWcoq8CEnII1Bk39z7rjvjY15uv7PYl-KLJApQS1sllUiXtyIuQXY3e1ASxVRI6g87L8dGrwjaga9qM7378cQPg6sb9jqqrphKcILb6bALSXX_mK5tyg0-6moQnNoHyzhKtj1/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-11-07+at+7.32.09+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="1600" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_EZJNKuJwWcoq8CEnII1Bk39z7rjvjY15uv7PYl-KLJApQS1sllUiXtyIuQXY3e1ASxVRI6g87L8dGrwjaga9qM7378cQPg6sb9jqqrphKcILb6bALSXX_mK5tyg0-6moQnNoHyzhKtj1/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-11-07+at+7.32.09+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Ben lives and works outside of Madison, Wisconsin, so most of our episodes are recorded via Skype, which makes the audio quality , occasionally challenging. When our paths converge, we record episodes in person and take lots of silly selfies. <a href="https://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/podcast-episode/otwtb-episode-22-big-sits-big-years-big-ducks/">Here's a link to a recent episode</a> that included a short discussion about recent research into male duck genitalia.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg9E0qIFy59Cegae3VJbnpxAKIsRuz_961pbGfF6mHIqn9RMCx4MCYDaJlbtfmYRnkYUuTRLl9AS-b1sN_O-IRuHwaWWY2T1fSeVvd4GqT2Caj2ZLHQ9wQRHachDVYeE2AYRBNpIIIRdtk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-11-07+at+7.31.05+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="959" data-original-width="1290" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg9E0qIFy59Cegae3VJbnpxAKIsRuz_961pbGfF6mHIqn9RMCx4MCYDaJlbtfmYRnkYUuTRLl9AS-b1sN_O-IRuHwaWWY2T1fSeVvd4GqT2Caj2ZLHQ9wQRHachDVYeE2AYRBNpIIIRdtk/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-11-07+at+7.31.05+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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If you like what you hear, please click on the RSS feed link to be notified when new issues are posted. <a href="https://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/podcasts/thisbirdinglife/stream.xml">TBL </a>is once monthly, <a href="http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/podcasts/otwtb/stream.xml">OTWTB</a> is twice monthly. In between episodes, you should go birding.</div>
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Happy listening! We'll see you out there with the birds!</div>
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<br />Bill of the Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16000245161006147448noreply@blogger.com325tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552045987668023231.post-78334994923634322882017-10-20T12:07:00.002-04:002017-10-20T12:07:41.760-04:00Giant Things of Oaks, PA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;">I just remembered I still have a blog, such as it is. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">And one of my most favorite-ist blog post categories ever is Giant Things. Go ahead. Search the Bill of the Birds archives and let the wonders fill your eyes. And your nightmares.</span></div>
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This beauty of a Giant Thing is in Oaks, Pennsylvania, standing outside an indoor amusement park and immediately adjacent to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, where we just held the third-annual <a href="http://www.birdingexpo.com/">American Birding Expo</a>. My guess is Ol' Jughead used to be holding a wrench or some other sort of tool, advertising a car repair center. Now he's standing, empty handed, on the edge of a parking lot, next to his buddy, Life-size Giraffe.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lifesize Giraffe and extraneous minutiae.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV8wdsTEnfaKE7BjOOQRCn8-JGiMwYf4JJhK_u8NCy2-zeZcCXIlr4msqTdpaQxpPgzhEMKGJXqO_yl2d_mAVursq3HnNEuoF3eZc0ovoJX4jiJTEzN0L0mNQC51HI8uNhaZXNisqUdmun/s1600/IMG_0534+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV8wdsTEnfaKE7BjOOQRCn8-JGiMwYf4JJhK_u8NCy2-zeZcCXIlr4msqTdpaQxpPgzhEMKGJXqO_yl2d_mAVursq3HnNEuoF3eZc0ovoJX4jiJTEzN0L0mNQC51HI8uNhaZXNisqUdmun/s320/IMG_0534+2.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Ben and I spied the Giant Things and had to hold an impromptu photo session. We like to get selfies for use with our "<a href="https://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/podcasts/out-there-with-the-birds.php">Out There Wth the Birds" podcast</a>. Check out <a href="https://www.birdwatchersdigest.net/podcasts/otwtb/episode21.mp3">episode 21</a> in which we walk the aisles of the 2017 Expo, talking to ourselves and others.</div>
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No, Ben is not head butting Jughead in the photo above.</div>
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Later in the weekend, the Expo staff from <i><a href="http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/">Bird Watcher's Digest</a></i>, along with two of our super volunteers, Ann Hannon and Jessica Melfi, struck a pose with Juggers.<br />
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You can find these Giant Things for yourself, when you come to NEXT YEAR'S EXPO, September 21 to 23, 2018, at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center.<br />
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If you come, we can take a selfie!Bill of the Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16000245161006147448noreply@blogger.com137tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552045987668023231.post-86931324605396681962017-06-08T16:31:00.000-04:002017-06-08T16:31:27.613-04:00Spring Migration 2017, Part 2<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnmvubGdj_TZU_g8vmzFmnGx6iU58vBS-JAf8RfavHJqMWwHHFW5kcTbLx9q9CR9n7UE51mnBXThWoONVyaV6A5bJ-Mni1OwKXOd2rqGaoJmegqdBcnrY5GqYFAZEA1P0MtFGINwcLiRH/s1600/MageeBoardwalk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnmvubGdj_TZU_g8vmzFmnGx6iU58vBS-JAf8RfavHJqMWwHHFW5kcTbLx9q9CR9n7UE51mnBXThWoONVyaV6A5bJ-Mni1OwKXOd2rqGaoJmegqdBcnrY5GqYFAZEA1P0MtFGINwcLiRH/s320/MageeBoardwalk.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birders at Magee Marsh.</td></tr>
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For those of us who are still scratching our heads about this year's spring bird migration, there seem to be more questions than answers and, of course, theories aplenty. Only yesterday (June 8) there was a female black-throated green warbler in our yard in southeast Ohio—a bird that should be in the northern forests brooding eggs or feeding nestlings by now.<br />
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The dedicated news team at our <a href="https://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/podcasts/out-there-with-the-birds.php">Out There With the Birds podcast</a> sent Ben Lizdas, cub reporter, into the field to speak to two migration experts for a special episode focused on spring migration. Ben spoke with Greg Neise of the <a href="http://www.aba.org/">American Birding Association</a> and Dr. David LaPuma, director of the <a href="http://www.njaudubon.org/SectionCapeMayBirdObservatory/CMBOHome.aspx">Cape May Bird Observatory</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRpb_4zYq5NJtvM6lAj7_fi_KAjppXevJIcBctQbQTBXJAey96U3yQZHFAA1qSU7RwQLcL1SZp0_vBorTawk2DparIaWOiwsXY92qe8bNsR12I9wxc0hKyYAc-1lnnvyFbJqpwY3MDwsRI/s1600/greg_neise.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="153" data-original-width="150" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRpb_4zYq5NJtvM6lAj7_fi_KAjppXevJIcBctQbQTBXJAey96U3yQZHFAA1qSU7RwQLcL1SZp0_vBorTawk2DparIaWOiwsXY92qe8bNsR12I9wxc0hKyYAc-1lnnvyFbJqpwY3MDwsRI/s200/greg_neise.jpeg" width="195" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greg Neise of the American Birding Association.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi03JWXHonrOLZaCES9o8PWO5SM1ywgfal55z_Q07pEKOSOQnHyNWovn66x95mdVIksktsXqwNJ3iiGjI4JUtGuXZQdio7tuzwvA01jqAymKUMbw54OYcZxP6xMQy7HbUfX6IJ784WipllY/s1600/LaPuma_Photo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="236" data-original-width="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi03JWXHonrOLZaCES9o8PWO5SM1ywgfal55z_Q07pEKOSOQnHyNWovn66x95mdVIksktsXqwNJ3iiGjI4JUtGuXZQdio7tuzwvA01jqAymKUMbw54OYcZxP6xMQy7HbUfX6IJ784WipllY/s1600/LaPuma_Photo.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. David LaPuma of Cape May Birding Observatory.</td></tr>
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Both of these guys are avid birders with loads of spring migration experience—Greg primarily in the upper Midwest in Illinois and David in both Wisconsin and New Jersey. I found what they had to say quite informative and most interesting.<br />
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You can hear their take on spring migration 2017 by <a href="https://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/podcasts/out-there-with-the-birds.php">listening to Episode 13 of Out There With the Birds: Spring Migration Report</a>.<br />
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Enjoy and happy (late) spring birding!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your OTWTB podcast hosts Bill (left) and Ben (cub reporter).</td></tr>
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Bill of the Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16000245161006147448noreply@blogger.com112tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552045987668023231.post-23575285285608320852017-05-25T11:37:00.002-04:002017-05-25T11:37:54.365-04:00How Was Your Spring Migration?<i>Taking a respite from posting all my content, quips, and thoughts to the immediate-gratification machines of the social media channels, I thought I'd add a pithy question here on the dusty old Bill of the Birds blog.</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXgVkURMShvugZF3b0_0azJ7qRj3XTeomDwFq6Xh9X3cCIw8qRcMbaKwCwLmWZLJDiePBRL9W_ZMX1N04BTnuS0kpWaoVUu_ptywPREDSDAb96uoHy6ySceHnkHoZ_gkslWkMk7MmsFco/s1600/Cerulean+warbler+2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="657" data-original-width="930" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXgVkURMShvugZF3b0_0azJ7qRj3XTeomDwFq6Xh9X3cCIw8qRcMbaKwCwLmWZLJDiePBRL9W_ZMX1N04BTnuS0kpWaoVUu_ptywPREDSDAb96uoHy6ySceHnkHoZ_gkslWkMk7MmsFco/s400/Cerulean+warbler+2010.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Male cerulean warbler.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
So...<b>How was spring migration in your area?</b><br />
<br />
I'm hearing that the spectacle of migration was quite unimpressive in many parts of the eastern half of the United States. I was at Magee Marsh in northwestern Ohio from May 10 to 14—which normally would be at or near the peak of spring songbird migration. My experience was one of "more people than birds," which is unusual for that spot at that season. Even at my farm in southeastern Ohio the migration seemed to be in dribs and drabs with no single day standing out as impressive or amazing.<br />
<br />
All of this begs the question: Is this our new subdued migration reality? Have we reached (or passed) some sort of songbird-population tipping point where numbers of warblers, thrushes, tanager, orioles, vireos, etc, have crashed? In other words, are we experiencing "<a href="http://www.rachelcarson.org/SilentSpring.aspx">Silent Spring?</a>"<br />
<br />
Or, is this spring an anomaly, affected by weather, foliage development, insect hatches, etc?<br />
<br />
I'd love to hear how the migration was in your region. Please use the comments section here, or comment on the inevitable Facebook and Twitter posts for this blog topic.<br />
<br />
In an upcoming episode of our <a href="https://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/podcasts/out-there-with-the-birds.php">Out There With the Birds</a> podcast, Ben Lizdas interviews several avid birders about the spring migration of 2017. Tune in to find out what they say.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdDECyk84ZHFzAg70AjeMmI1D2l93TfiRrAowY1y4VGW7E4-A14dQPAgfAPtgGWC_iiyE24EyPked9U233x9VMYg1gjj_2YJZyt9OW7V2vTKGRMixhIPYjdh2PEoVqrDzCvYS5vRPCzxif/s1600/Male+Prairie+Warbler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdDECyk84ZHFzAg70AjeMmI1D2l93TfiRrAowY1y4VGW7E4-A14dQPAgfAPtgGWC_iiyE24EyPked9U233x9VMYg1gjj_2YJZyt9OW7V2vTKGRMixhIPYjdh2PEoVqrDzCvYS5vRPCzxif/s400/Male+Prairie+Warbler.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Male prairie warbler.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Bill of the Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16000245161006147448noreply@blogger.com51tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552045987668023231.post-54913568673750446782017-04-07T12:39:00.000-04:002017-04-07T12:39:23.055-04:00Ten Pro Tips for When You're Stuck at the AirportToday I'm trying to fly to Portland, Maine from Columbus, Ohio. But the travel demons are afoot and the <i>only</i> flight delayed from the John Glenn International Airport in Ohio's capital city is the one I'm on to Detroit. This means I will probably miss my connection in Detroit to Portland, Maine. ¡Así es la vida!<br />
<br />
This kind of thing happens and it's happened to me before. So here are some tips, coping strategies, and suggested activities for you, the stranded birding traveler, the next time you find yourself in an airport with a loooooong delay.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Pro Tips for Dealing with Flight Changes & Challenges</b></div>
<br />
<b>1. Calm Blue Ocean</b>. Don't let this unexpected wrinkle rattle you. Say your mantra. Count to 10. Do some yoga breathing. But don't lose your cool because that helps exactly zero percent.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Take Action Immediately</b>. Often the first folks trying to re-book are the lucky ones who get a satisfactory result. Find an actual person at the airline's help/service desk. Then...<br />
<br />
<b>3. Be Super Nice & Cheerful</b>. The folks at the counter or gate hold you destiny in their hard-working hands. Upset travelers are almost never nice to these professionals, so if you are, they are more likely to empathize with you and help you to solve your travel dilemma.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>4. Ask for Advice</b>. I've had several trips saved from oblivion by throwing myself on the mercy of an airline gate or ticket agent. This is helped mightily if you can abide by #3 above. They can use their computer wizardry to find alternate flights, routes, and solutions to your travel dilemma.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>5. Stay Informed</b>. I keep abreast of flight delays, gate changes, and other curveballs via my airline's app and other helpful apps, such as FlightStats. I'm often the first to receive updates—sometimes even before the gate agents.<br />
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>6. Long, Unexpected Layover? </b>Buy a magazine or newspaper (I treat myself to the <i>New York Times</i> when traveling). Buy some WiFi and download a movie or TV show. Get an airport massage.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>7. Rest & Recharge</b>. Find an unused gate with a quiet corner seat and an electrical outlet or charging station. You can recharge your electronics and yourself. I recently did this in Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam and the nap completely saved my day.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>8. Use Yelp for Food</b>. I use the app Yelp to find the best non-chain airport restaurants. So what if you need to go to another terminal to get the best shrimp-n-grits? That beats eating a hotdog that's been in the weiner broth since the Wright Brothers took flight at Kitty Hawk.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>9. Avoid the Bar</b>. I know a beer or bloody Mary would taste super right now, but airport bars are great places to have one too many, lose track of time, and miss the announcement that your flight is boarding. "William Thompson, William Thompson! Please report immediately to Gate Z-74. Your flight to Oskaloosa is ready for immediate departure!"</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>10. Bird the Airport!</b> If you're birder like me, you're never not birding. Believe it or not there are birds inside most airports the world over. And there is often good birding outside the airport windows. Walk around, find the best habits and start watching. NOTE: Some international airport security officials may not understand that you are just birding. You may want to tell them in advance just what you are doing. Showing them your field guide helps.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>11. Accept Your Fate. </b>If the travel gods are frowning upon you, don't rage against the machine. If you're truly stuck, you're stuck. Inform your peeps what's happening, find a hotel room, and live to fly again tomorrow. And get that bloody Mary.</div>
Bill of the Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16000245161006147448noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552045987668023231.post-23903912594409794242017-03-03T11:53:00.000-05:002017-03-03T11:53:16.052-05:00Birding in Stereo: The New BTX from Swarovski<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0zNRDgtfW30q95Py4f43TglQbS9Bzv7ul_Q_ac-onBwt3nGdJF2g6DGNFTqCQurrDY97ABm6gPZruE2dNvPM-C8IUwpPVX2qvbYoI4oiKpRbP8B1MMcITj5UknO9K80fJg48B9Cl8Hffv/s1600/IMG_7124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0zNRDgtfW30q95Py4f43TglQbS9Bzv7ul_Q_ac-onBwt3nGdJF2g6DGNFTqCQurrDY97ABm6gPZruE2dNvPM-C8IUwpPVX2qvbYoI4oiKpRbP8B1MMcITj5UknO9K80fJg48B9Cl8Hffv/s400/IMG_7124.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new BTX from Swarovski offers binocular vision through a spotting scope.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There is a clash of Titans at the top of the sport optics field among three European optics manufacturers—Swarovski, Zeiss, and Leica—vying to be the brand that you choose when purchasing a high-end binocular or spotting scope. Your average serious birder interested in using the best optics available could select a model from any of these three companies and be deliriously happy. In the rarified air of these highest, high-end optics, the differences in the optical quality from one to another is probably beyond what the human eye can perceive. It comes down to what feels good to you personally—in the hand, to your eyes, and around your neck. I own and use optics from all three companies and have enjoyed years of amazing optics performance from them.<br />
<br />
When one of these manufacturers develops a new product that they feel is important, or even game-changing, they sometimes organize a tour or event to help launch the new product in a big way. That's how I found myself on an airplane bound for Innsbruck, Austria, just a few hours after returning home to Ohio from the Space Coast Birding Festival in Florida. I'd been invited, along with a bevy of other journalists, optics retailers, opinion leaders, and marketing professionals, to attend the unveiling of a new, top-secret product from Swarovski Optik.<br />
<br />
I won't keep you in suspense—like they did us. The new product is called the BTX, and it's a modular binocular unit that fits onto the existing ATX/STX line of Swarovski spotting scopes. This means that if you already own a Swarovski ATX/STX spotting scope, you can purchase the BTX unit and dynamically change how you use your scope. You simply remove the existing single eyepiece section and replace it with the BTX, rotating it and snapping it in place exactly as you would the eyepiece.<br />
<br />
Let me explain in my typically non-techy way what is special about the BTX (which stands for Binocular Telescope. ATX and STX stand for Angled and Straight Telescope, respectively.)<br />
<br />
The BTX offers incredible, stereoscopic viewing by combining a binocular vision/two-eyed image with the magnification power of a spotting scope. The image gathered by the objective lens of the scope is split into two images in the front end of the BTX and delivered, in stereo, to your eyes. This is something you probably have to experience to understand fully. And I'm sure you'll get a chance at one of the birding festivals later on in 2017 where Swarovski is certain to have the BTX on display.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-Xiv39qNm-EuB8sbgNip7vgsCM4zKnrq2fYCLgaUGbbUnlHs6FiatFzx9PDsHz05WAOVeObyQP35z5I6qFhYY_DmV5N4-QswXqIPbnkkjeYR4UQ7nFexIawMxi-B_sm000J6KAQLcmGY/s1600/K16_BTX_Gruppe_ohne_Extender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-Xiv39qNm-EuB8sbgNip7vgsCM4zKnrq2fYCLgaUGbbUnlHs6FiatFzx9PDsHz05WAOVeObyQP35z5I6qFhYY_DmV5N4-QswXqIPbnkkjeYR4UQ7nFexIawMxi-B_sm000J6KAQLcmGY/s400/K16_BTX_Gruppe_ohne_Extender.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The BTX can mount on any of the three ATX/STX objective lens bodies.<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Like any binocular, the BTX has multiple adjustments that must be made for optimal, customized, individual use. These are:<br />
<ul>
<li>the inter-pupillary distance (the barrels adjust in or out like binocs to match the distance between your eyes)</li>
<li>the eye relief for those who wear glasses (adjusted by rolling eyecups up or down)</li>
<li>the diopter (to correct for differences in visual acuity between your two eyes; adjusted on the right eyepiece)</li>
<li>and the forehead rest</li>
</ul>
The what?<br />
<br />
Yes, the forehead rest. The BTX comes with a forehead rest that makes the viewing experience more stable and somehow more relaxing.<br />
<br />
The optics inside the BTX are a product of meticulous engineering and rigorous testing, as we've come to expect from Swarovski. I don't pretend to understand the physics behind how the BTX functions optically, but I can tell you that watching birds in stereo is magical.<br />
<br />
I noticed much greater plumage detail on distant ducks, despite the mostly gray and drizzly conditions in which we were birding. Birds seemed to pop out of their surroundings because the stereo view added dimension and a shallower depth of field, which made the focus seem much sharper.<br />
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Standing on the shore of Lake Constance, in Austria, scanning through rafts of ducks and loitering flocks of gulls, I felt my eyes and brain practically sighing as they relaxed. Stepping to use a standard spotting scope next to me, I immediately felt the strain of closing one eye and forcing my open eye to do all the work. This may seem weird, but it was my natural reaction.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6SnFsSlUALPt5zo1Cl6FveJKIxs-b0ygCwEnu0UwHiejyCOsUD9hXxwJ97vlzZQ5Q6eu-4JqF2qFgJLE-hAVhvS5D7TT6-0F__qVKlyw_1-40HsglHYF7R9RGOZS4wwXN9A6yxTD9RUEj/s1600/IMG_7108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6SnFsSlUALPt5zo1Cl6FveJKIxs-b0ygCwEnu0UwHiejyCOsUD9hXxwJ97vlzZQ5Q6eu-4JqF2qFgJLE-hAVhvS5D7TT6-0F__qVKlyw_1-40HsglHYF7R9RGOZS4wwXN9A6yxTD9RUEj/s400/IMG_7108.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The BTX test group at Lake Constance.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Sharing a BTX with another birder or birders is a slight challenge because there's no one-size-fits-all setting for the various adjustments. In fact making those adjustments takes time, so any birder in a hurry or overcome by impatience to get a quick, focused look will likely experience some frustration.<br />
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The ultimate use for the BTX might be for birders/ornithologists spending long periods of time scanning shorebird flocks, or doing a sea watch, or a hawk watch, or monitoring an active nest. I believe a bird artist would seriously love field sketching while looking through a BTX. It is this type of extended use that can wear out the eyes and brain. In my few days of using one, the more relaxed stereo view provided by the BTX virtually eliminates this fatigue problem.<br />
<br />
A variety of accessories are available with the BTX. A sliding shoe-mount balance rail permits a user to position a scope with a BTX for better balance, preventing its weightier back end from obeying the Law of Gravity at inopportune times. A Gimbal-style tripod head makes for smooth panning in all directions. A 1.7x magnifying extender makes the BTX into an even more powerful optical weapon. And a stay-on case protects your BTX from weather, dings, and other damage.<br />
<br />
I can attest personally to the durability of the BTX: The one I was using fell off the tripod mount as I hefted the unit onto my shoulder. It crashed hard onto a cement parking lot, followed immediately by my scream of utter horror. Three of the engineers who helped to develop the BTX saw this happen and rushed to help. Other than a small scratch on the unprotected side armoring, the unit was completely fine. Unlike yours truly. They were pleased to witness this independent demonstration of the BTX's durability. I was light-headed with relief.<br />
<br />
Like any top-of-the-line product, the BTX isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. It's a large unit, and, mounted on the ATX 95, it's a bit on the heavy side. With all of the adjustments necessary to "personalize" one's BTX experience, it may not be as easy to use in group settings, such as on guided birding outings. And the price tag, at $2,689 (MAP, or minimum advertised price) means that there probably won't be a BTX in every birder's arsenal. But this type of quality and innovation comes at a price, as Swarovski has previously demonstrated with its successful EL line of binoculars and the ATX/STX scopes. Additional details and specifications on the BTX can be found <a href="http://www.swarovskioptik.com/nature/atx-stx-btx-c210201">here on the Swarovski website</a>.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIm7X-9OOEL-QG0OwnlEcF4OX_cNw-O198zGiEL6ahTMd3NJqhRsB3JZtZZi8iZZ58Y9DZgD8iAk0xQ2GIYI0As0tjdpGQ2ZdGyE3Sagigq4abdHsS9K_5pALmbZltAbSh5wyDzs9zX9M/s1600/IMG_7126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIm7X-9OOEL-QG0OwnlEcF4OX_cNw-O198zGiEL6ahTMd3NJqhRsB3JZtZZi8iZZ58Y9DZgD8iAk0xQ2GIYI0As0tjdpGQ2ZdGyE3Sagigq4abdHsS9K_5pALmbZltAbSh5wyDzs9zX9M/s400/IMG_7126.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BTX side view.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibcwrAKtRJ94olyposMDm17kawcTN4LvTbkZNr27R4zqrBkSOxH0OgHn2lQ7fJ_CepFG1KVvT3_uAdk78c1SpJagEiskQlmUJeFmbtqnaT_frwhRo3H1V5nxOAIMRFTPXr1mtE1H2w8Obg/s1600/IMG_7127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibcwrAKtRJ94olyposMDm17kawcTN4LvTbkZNr27R4zqrBkSOxH0OgHn2lQ7fJ_CepFG1KVvT3_uAdk78c1SpJagEiskQlmUJeFmbtqnaT_frwhRo3H1V5nxOAIMRFTPXr1mtE1H2w8Obg/s400/IMG_7127.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BTX showing Stay-on Case and Gimbal head.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
These considerations aside, the BTX is a great leap forward, optically. It reminds me of the first time I saw true high-definition television—there was a palpable sense of "NOW I get it!" And then a sense of "I can never go back to the old way of watching again!"<br />
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If the BTX sounds like YOUR cup of tea, you'll have to cool your jets until early May 2017, when the first units are scheduled to be available for sale in North America.<br />
<br />
My thanks to Swarovski for inviting me to have a sneak peek at the BTX.<br />
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<br />Bill of the Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16000245161006147448noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552045987668023231.post-60770593440094473652017-02-20T17:10:00.001-05:002017-02-20T17:10:37.884-05:00Starling the Trickster<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhinTfi9DsOmBzf40VCaMmb4-IlHGuNr4xhHeJ-5bo21OTCTcY98ys-by33bt5FufW5xqySjyE0DZC76d5fxTuYwUWz7TLK4WxoVRdojkPlvs9s929845b2NCSXPX8QX58bXfO_2WmiRSCS/s1600/EuroStarling2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhinTfi9DsOmBzf40VCaMmb4-IlHGuNr4xhHeJ-5bo21OTCTcY98ys-by33bt5FufW5xqySjyE0DZC76d5fxTuYwUWz7TLK4WxoVRdojkPlvs9s929845b2NCSXPX8QX58bXfO_2WmiRSCS/s320/EuroStarling2.JPG" width="304" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
You fooled me, trickster</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
with your staticky singing</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
from the pear tree in late morning</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
a perfect call ringing:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"killdeer, deer, deer,"</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
from your bill to my ear</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
made me drop the axe I was about to swing</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and run to the open yard</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
searching skyward for that </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
shorebird sign of spring!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
You fooled me later, the day far gone,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
with a near perfect rendition of tundra swan.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And now I find</div>
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as I search my mind</div>
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for a reason to dislike you</div>
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that disaffection grows</div>
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as melting snows recede</div>
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and crocuses poke through.</div>
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Soon comes the season of your usurping</div>
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nest sites not meant for you.</div>
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Try as we might, you still alight</div>
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and prospect, select, and build</div>
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Secretly at first, then in a burst</div>
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your song comes in squeaky trills.</div>
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We shout and wave</div>
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you fly away</div>
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and we believe we've won!</div>
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Yet deep inside the martin gourd</div>
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incubation has begun.</div>
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<i>February 20, 2017</i></div>
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<i>Whipple, Ohio, USA</i></div>
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Bill of the Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16000245161006147448noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552045987668023231.post-44740439680584899722017-01-04T16:11:00.000-05:002017-01-04T16:11:35.325-05:00Last Bird/First Bird of the YearMy last bird of 2016 was the same as my first bird of 2017. I guess that's got a bit of kismet to it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTdqj1mY3MmdSM8VwDFDkYZJC35ELar2_888o8f3xUlfLJm90-XnqoLra0ZJ57gx1DdXaRJLHyNQnP0aOBrzwuJY4H8zkqF4T4c9Ct5PjvcHm5ZA1K2z7NQE8_Ua2J7TBqbRTlP-oTgJnK/s1600/Cardinal+Birch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTdqj1mY3MmdSM8VwDFDkYZJC35ELar2_888o8f3xUlfLJm90-XnqoLra0ZJ57gx1DdXaRJLHyNQnP0aOBrzwuJY4H8zkqF4T4c9Ct5PjvcHm5ZA1K2z7NQE8_Ua2J7TBqbRTlP-oTgJnK/s400/Cardinal+Birch.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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The species was northern cardinal. A male visited the bird feeders on December 31, right at dusk—as cardinals are wont to do. When all the other feeder visitors have gone to roost, the cardinals are still coming in, loading up on sunflower hearts to stoke their internal furnaces in preparation for another cold winter night. And they're back first thing in the morning, too—just after the first bit of light washes across the yard and things start to become discernible, emerging from the darkness.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1JCogGDLGc3FrUBihyphenhyphenDihSrprE9KK0-M1JuXVCkdI2eZk_k31DqOg4YRA2w0lhpzEvxgW5_Rftsd3cIzmHwbHZmq791mPleo2mTRIaZv4mkzrnc3kW0s6fzQP7on5bE-gYJStPapHS83/s1600/Northern+Cardinal+male.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1JCogGDLGc3FrUBihyphenhyphenDihSrprE9KK0-M1JuXVCkdI2eZk_k31DqOg4YRA2w0lhpzEvxgW5_Rftsd3cIzmHwbHZmq791mPleo2mTRIaZv4mkzrnc3kW0s6fzQP7on5bE-gYJStPapHS83/s320/Northern+Cardinal+male.jpg" width="235" /></a></div>
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I often hear the cardinals' loud, ringing chip notes even before I see them. It's a sound I've heard nearly all my life. In fact the <i>what-cheer </i>song of a male northern cardinal is the very first bird song I remember noticing. I was riding a scooter in my grandmother's driveway one summer day in what must have been 1968 or so. The cardinal was singing high in a flowering magnolia, so I associate the sound of the song with the sweet smell of the magnolia blossoms.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1zy-AvYITtlhoZsm-xfJLw4LAWJ6Ix31sGC2tysud70pI85wfppeioRJThgUsEgf8CCeCnEgQG5M1unt2BK6hcUFZTE5JDkWTvFUZYzlNpRasDJtlGTHSL2Zk6iVYBt5MKznOaa-iTbX/s1600/Cardinal+Pair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1zy-AvYITtlhoZsm-xfJLw4LAWJ6Ix31sGC2tysud70pI85wfppeioRJThgUsEgf8CCeCnEgQG5M1unt2BK6hcUFZTE5JDkWTvFUZYzlNpRasDJtlGTHSL2Zk6iVYBt5MKznOaa-iTbX/s320/Cardinal+Pair.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now that I think about it, that's a pretty fine bird to have for the last one of the old year and the first one of the new! I hope yours was just as pleasing.<br />
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Happy New Year!<br />
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Bill of the Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16000245161006147448noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552045987668023231.post-48669042472899318562016-12-29T10:55:00.000-05:002016-12-29T10:55:24.652-05:00Capturing Those Sunny Days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBXNYbzg4O1YYhCmtiiCT0fAtosFp1FG_EO7F7OUIHVbtOQwRr8WLvpZBsfvmknJd6eElzRKcJtuOog7mIlDU-5ODHgfr5EUTkK4cfRwQTkfTncA5IA9Rl975_Qh9dyvviChBdyWcw7Sh/s1600/IMG_6656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBXNYbzg4O1YYhCmtiiCT0fAtosFp1FG_EO7F7OUIHVbtOQwRr8WLvpZBsfvmknJd6eElzRKcJtuOog7mIlDU-5ODHgfr5EUTkK4cfRwQTkfTncA5IA9Rl975_Qh9dyvviChBdyWcw7Sh/s320/IMG_6656.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Why is it that we feel so much better on sunny days in the winter? I'm not sure. I could ask The Google and re-purpose some explanations here—vitamin D and pineal glands and what not, but that's not revealing anything you can't figure out for yourself.<br />
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I feel better on sunny days because I am grateful for the light. It's a weaker light in winter, here in the northern hemisphere, where the tilt of the Earth on its axis has us leaning away from the Sun's warming rays. The light seems more light-golden yellow on sunny winter days, as though it's tired after its long journey through space to our atmosphere. But I welcome it and let it shine on my smiling face every chance I get.<br />
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Most of the trees are leafless here in Ohio this time of year. I wonder if they feel the same way I do about the winter sun? Does it feel good on their bare branches and bark? Winter sun also brings out small clouds of dancing insects in the mild, still afternoons. Do they feel joy in their dancing? The wing-waving bluebirds inspecting the side-yard nest box seem so pleased with the sunny weather—as if they are ready to start nesting. Does the dandelion that surprised me in the meadow yesterday know that it's out of season—a small miracle soon to be covered by ice and snow? After all, we are months from spring's arrival.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1A7KrePtIVpGa8S1pfemfM29bTXWfWdqZ31rwtL2jC8vxfohuG8iodB5jMfv29tepACeSykdc9EQcsTurrb5IU_HsFlofBVxuAOzQoW4kYoWf5lTAfoR0VyMEgWaaTDbP2dR7dBjw-hX/s1600/dandelion.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1A7KrePtIVpGa8S1pfemfM29bTXWfWdqZ31rwtL2jC8vxfohuG8iodB5jMfv29tepACeSykdc9EQcsTurrb5IU_HsFlofBVxuAOzQoW4kYoWf5lTAfoR0VyMEgWaaTDbP2dR7dBjw-hX/s320/dandelion.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Taking advantage of the rare sunny days in this season is important, especially if, like most of us, you are required to spend five of your seven days in each week in an office somewhere, working. I'm not someone blessed with a natural tendency to "follow the butterfly." In fact I tend to be more of a gotta-always-be-productive personality. I'm trying to do more of that butterfly following, especially as I feel my age creeping higher and I watch my kids grow up and begin to flap their wings on the edge of the nest. I'm trying to do better—to be fully engaged in the moment while working, and also while relaxing during down time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKBkrJWtdxCvFzmsAiV8FyyzD4luviAcqNhyphenhyphenkN0yb3c_b_H82xVyZU5py7FQYU87MMZQJ9M5QgzmROBkB5oClQveKixDSPj5WG4SpbdlgTCcJFFo8hRygLH10AQXzRMTjwz21eBXv7uTlU/s1600/VertWinterSunset.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKBkrJWtdxCvFzmsAiV8FyyzD4luviAcqNhyphenhyphenkN0yb3c_b_H82xVyZU5py7FQYU87MMZQJ9M5QgzmROBkB5oClQveKixDSPj5WG4SpbdlgTCcJFFo8hRygLH10AQXzRMTjwz21eBXv7uTlU/s320/VertWinterSunset.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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My goal going forward is to capture as many sunny days as I can—in all seasons. And to feel that sun on my face (with sunscreen when necessary) and the joy that springs from a grateful heart. I'll tuck a few of those moments away and bring them out when the days are gloomy gray and the nights are long and cold.Bill of the Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16000245161006147448noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552045987668023231.post-73292258118971163452016-11-02T09:00:00.002-04:002016-11-02T09:00:44.949-04:00Honduras Birding for Conservation Tour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikpm3RUPaVF3fKxAV3p8GMPhOZrFQQFEzdO-NDTvjKErjude7C5L8FgBT76yFKReQY4u7U-Kc3znwc4lRdE6x-3HHyceFoz8TpCfFmYjSOmqOZ6Q-LclfbKUBBMcGQXGduBj5yTdB5d8s5/s1600/600-honduras.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikpm3RUPaVF3fKxAV3p8GMPhOZrFQQFEzdO-NDTvjKErjude7C5L8FgBT76yFKReQY4u7U-Kc3znwc4lRdE6x-3HHyceFoz8TpCfFmYjSOmqOZ6Q-LclfbKUBBMcGQXGduBj5yTdB5d8s5/s320/600-honduras.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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For the next two weeks I'll be guiding one of the teams for the first-ever <a href="http://hondurasbirdtour.com/">Honduras Birding for Conservation Tour</a> (HBCT). It's a friendly birding competition that raises both awareness and money for bird conservation in this Central American country.<br />
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I'm excited to see some new birds, like lovely cotinga, plus getting to see some tropical favorites like toucans, trogons, and even (I hope) resplendent quetzals.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSTmr8xJ9xcWr5RGRpUxQApKwwYvytKvZTggZcIegnKAkrb6nTIG47hvoQ3IhpyVty_ZkV3lxDa3JnTpoHOSQcveXZFQsIjhLzVpfXG3iQOp5GuMdgqeFJ3Sq9ew9AqwlABnI08by1f2Fy/s1600/Image.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSTmr8xJ9xcWr5RGRpUxQApKwwYvytKvZTggZcIegnKAkrb6nTIG47hvoQ3IhpyVty_ZkV3lxDa3JnTpoHOSQcveXZFQsIjhLzVpfXG3iQOp5GuMdgqeFJ3Sq9ew9AqwlABnI08by1f2Fy/s320/Image.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely cotinga, well-named.</td></tr>
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There are five teams competing, each with an international guide (Jeffrey A. Gordon, Tim Appleton, Richard Crossley, Adam Riley, and myself) plus a Honduran birding guide. Team/tour participants got to choose which team to be on and we're all competing to see the most bird species. The winning team, and the second-place team, each receive $10,000 to donate to the Honduran conservation cause of their choice.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDyQaBmpmWGkrY-kggIR3mTPcfdMVmtEz3NY5JZMx0IlF_5fvc2Je2tAcE_JHShcXzzw6ofGq0gWxSmF8mXBeZD6kp_iPVcDhLE75nF5bG8kKKxAot7QN06YG_G9jfGhuAOe4ZKfA0lQp/s1600/IMG_0945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDyQaBmpmWGkrY-kggIR3mTPcfdMVmtEz3NY5JZMx0IlF_5fvc2Je2tAcE_JHShcXzzw6ofGq0gWxSmF8mXBeZD6kp_iPVcDhLE75nF5bG8kKKxAot7QN06YG_G9jfGhuAOe4ZKfA0lQp/s320/IMG_0945.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birding the Mayan ruins at Copan.</td></tr>
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The HBCT was the brainchild of James Adams of <a href="http://picobonito.com/">Pico Bonito Lodge</a>. He sees it as a way to highlight the birding opportunities in Honduras as well as a way to encourage the Honduran government and people to preserve habitat for birds and wildlife as a way to generate significant tourism revenue.<br />
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For some more background into the HBCT, please <a href="http://www.birdwatchersdigest.net/podcasts/thisbirdinglife/episode57.mp3">give a listen to my podcast episode</a> about it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe72fJ1yJWMMU6zrVp1qU6VXlnpUmsPR3X8j5YjU4EtQ_dH5bFfCRbuPc68e8vTeLEkpuZR5RMxLmiWaiARsKmKNhu6PGu_ZQptC_3dz-3CP7rZhjyVtrtYphIJGYmpmofGvuIBzCF1Oto/s1600/James+Adams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe72fJ1yJWMMU6zrVp1qU6VXlnpUmsPR3X8j5YjU4EtQ_dH5bFfCRbuPc68e8vTeLEkpuZR5RMxLmiWaiARsKmKNhu6PGu_ZQptC_3dz-3CP7rZhjyVtrtYphIJGYmpmofGvuIBzCF1Oto/s320/James+Adams.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James Adam, HBCT founder.</td></tr>
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I'm not sure if my team will be one of the winners (full disclosure: I've never BEEN to Honduras) but if there's prize for the team that will have the most fun, I'm sure we'll be in the running.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg317dmk_tX5OGpbwg3zLgbJQK8U8hdjXW1eUuv2IXztPWDPfewoTQTLI8BBX7Byo3Qw5sf2JjCWeM9Hw8cVTc3Iu4D4wOJFYT_TEF21KeGYVh74_XqRYSUeQtQOtaqBcRinHOgo2F6iAn1/s1600/KEEL+BILLED+MOTMOT+%25288%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg317dmk_tX5OGpbwg3zLgbJQK8U8hdjXW1eUuv2IXztPWDPfewoTQTLI8BBX7Byo3Qw5sf2JjCWeM9Hw8cVTc3Iu4D4wOJFYT_TEF21KeGYVh74_XqRYSUeQtQOtaqBcRinHOgo2F6iAn1/s320/KEEL+BILLED+MOTMOT+%25288%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keel-billed motmot.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEissfqcgUtlcHIC5Dt-k9MKbB2FsBB7AWl6DO6XCxO3PORuK7g39YrjTg5ikUEe8DpRXAGPDujW3XypWmWyWdfLG1bB8L67LVIX8W-bgvhtDXfCoF45xZd3CDmEOkDqg-BN5j8ypSI3lElK/s1600/Keel-billed-Toucan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEissfqcgUtlcHIC5Dt-k9MKbB2FsBB7AWl6DO6XCxO3PORuK7g39YrjTg5ikUEe8DpRXAGPDujW3XypWmWyWdfLG1bB8L67LVIX8W-bgvhtDXfCoF45xZd3CDmEOkDqg-BN5j8ypSI3lElK/s320/Keel-billed-Toucan.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keel-billed toucan.</td></tr>
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You can follow along on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bill.i.thompson.12#/home.php?ref=home">my Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/billofthebirds">Twitter</a>, and Instagram (billofthebirds) feeds, or, follow all the posts from the event <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1195179380556130/">on the HBCT Facebook page</a>.<br />
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I always consider myself to be so fortunate to participate in such an inspiring and auspicious bird conservation event. Wish us luck!<br />
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<br />Bill of the Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16000245161006147448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552045987668023231.post-62760642995836782822016-10-26T13:47:00.001-04:002016-10-26T13:47:15.882-04:00Suddenly, Juncos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0MeCaIMueZjCdt3N8-jdAnvrRAPNteH32csN33lWBWIcaF16TktqDlzL_mTa0h-a6eHSgHxRjnwMReu2126YQHEtH5Z4dTmzA2jyFkE-AEBseYZuR5pmX6XcD0994JOb4REq0A_oLuuQp/s1600/Junco.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0MeCaIMueZjCdt3N8-jdAnvrRAPNteH32csN33lWBWIcaF16TktqDlzL_mTa0h-a6eHSgHxRjnwMReu2126YQHEtH5Z4dTmzA2jyFkE-AEBseYZuR5pmX6XcD0994JOb4REq0A_oLuuQp/s400/Junco.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I looked out the window on last Monday morning and there was the first junco of the season, on the lawn near the edge of the woods. The arrival of these "snowbirds" as the locals call them coincides with the first real cold fronts of the season. The junco's gray-skies-above, snow-on-the-ground two-tone plumage mimics the winter weather enjoyed or endured by those of us living in the upper two-thirds of North America.</div>
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So I guess that settles it. It's officially winter round here. </div>
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As an aside, my Grandmother Thompson swore that my first word was "junco." I was sitting in a high chair, eating Cream of Wheat, when she pointed at the bird feeder out the kitchen window at a junco. She probably said the word first and I repeated it. I'm not going to claim to have any bird identification prowess at all at the age of 18 months.</div>
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Bill of the Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16000245161006147448noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552045987668023231.post-5925195131356452292016-10-14T10:32:00.001-04:002016-10-14T10:32:23.761-04:00A Tribute to Bruce DeMoll<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj88c_e7ExKHAeyVtYJ477CAikLm537WUHl5hyphenhyphenwoL6mnvzxSrKBzw32ljPlLzTSgNWoJkawBOAxbam1BMS7zNf0nIWAC1krWCzcptABCpgxz5pEmTCZOZHkjHUtBYJQTo63GmUTDO4gzB5B/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-10-14+at+9.29.58+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj88c_e7ExKHAeyVtYJ477CAikLm537WUHl5hyphenhyphenwoL6mnvzxSrKBzw32ljPlLzTSgNWoJkawBOAxbam1BMS7zNf0nIWAC1krWCzcptABCpgxz5pEmTCZOZHkjHUtBYJQTo63GmUTDO4gzB5B/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-10-14+at+9.29.58+AM.png" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bruce Stockwell DeMoll</td></tr>
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I got word from a fellow musician earlier this week that my Uncle <a href="http://www.newsandsentinel.com/obituaries/2016/10/bruce-stockwell-demoll/">Bruce DeMoll</a> had passed away on October 12. He was 86 years old.<br />
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Bruce wasn't really my uncle, just my dad's oldest and best friend. He and my dad formed a music trio with their friend Tom Vadakin in their mid-teen years and continued to play together whenever possible until my dad's sudden death in January of 2011. In fact, my dad and I were scheduled to play a gig, subbing in for Bruce, later in the week that my dad died. It was the last thing Dad and I spoke about—he was eager to get better so we could play.<br />
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Growing up in a house full of music had a profound effect on my life. My dad playing piano and my mom singing were a more regular soundtrack for us than the TV or stereo. This immersion in melodic sound and the joy that music brought to our family was always heightened when Uncle Bruce was around. In my very early days Brucie would only visit once a year or so, but these occasions always resulted in all-night jam sessions at our house in Pella, Iowa, and later in Marietta, Ohio. I never saw my dad so excited and full of life as when he and Bruce were playing. My dad was a consummate jazz piano player, but he revered Bruce DeMoll as the musical ideal.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJXEARA_imxLOOKRtsbNT4LFSR1MaRETM0chbBY6IkrfX5GH3DBTbaLL_oo37bxAffMy-5-HD5GDVsEFnrFVrJh7UI9fWE4Feoc_rc8t8YQO9OkX42EDI6BNGKhPFmBa5p7R-BG9znypyW/s1600/IMG_5130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJXEARA_imxLOOKRtsbNT4LFSR1MaRETM0chbBY6IkrfX5GH3DBTbaLL_oo37bxAffMy-5-HD5GDVsEFnrFVrJh7UI9fWE4Feoc_rc8t8YQO9OkX42EDI6BNGKhPFmBa5p7R-BG9znypyW/s320/IMG_5130.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A New Year's Eve jam session at 306 Warren St.</td></tr>
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Bruce played many instruments well: paint, guitar, flute, clarinet—but it was his saxophone playing that took him around the world, playing with big bands, including the Glenn Miller Orchestra. In the mid-70s when his touring time was over and the club scene in Miami was shifting away from jazz, my dad and Tom Vadakin persuaded Bruce to move back to their hometown of Marietta. It was then that Bruce's life really took shape and his profound influence on generations of area musicians began.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTCrFToYUv8S28dghRMQSvRc-ssOhQEtJW-pJkffy7J89HHG1PcspQsNSwKX_tweGdmkMIujfpEKfnwwvjgAvON_50c9NlHWL7Q3NjFhPzx8nvn-BmJ_4FgJ_3BGmqSMDajBTzNQ7Mv_j/s1600/KnightSounds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTCrFToYUv8S28dghRMQSvRc-ssOhQEtJW-pJkffy7J89HHG1PcspQsNSwKX_tweGdmkMIujfpEKfnwwvjgAvON_50c9NlHWL7Q3NjFhPzx8nvn-BmJ_4FgJ_3BGmqSMDajBTzNQ7Mv_j/s320/KnightSounds.jpg" width="253" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bruce (with the guitar) was in the band my parents (lower left) formed after they were married in 1956.</td></tr>
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Bruce and Dad formed the Duck Creek Ensemble, a sort of jazz dance band that played a few showcase gigs a year with resounding success. With his own combos or solo, Bruce performed thousands of times for weddings, reunions, parties, you name it. He was the first-call player for any show that needed jazz. Any band that was playing a show was thrilled to invite Bruce up on stage to<br />
sit in. He was The Man.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZ7O7V8t-Lc01IatKvlk0aZw2kKT5xXOiGzZzDgGKV1LLqX-xxv4kbeOYD6QAQdgc8Nl6bf37ZjUW1k616djVsebWRX5vrnu0r520dhA6Rz6KwdxhfB5pX4ATJorZGZ5v5jAForKBKx8s/s1600/TSOandBruce.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZ7O7V8t-Lc01IatKvlk0aZw2kKT5xXOiGzZzDgGKV1LLqX-xxv4kbeOYD6QAQdgc8Nl6bf37ZjUW1k616djVsebWRX5vrnu0r520dhA6Rz6KwdxhfB5pX4ATJorZGZ5v5jAForKBKx8s/s320/TSOandBruce.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bruce sitting in with my band The Swinging Orangutangs in 2006.</td></tr>
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Yet Bruce's humble demeanor and gentle personality belied his talent. He could play rings around anyone, yet I never heard him brag or gloat. He was a sweet and talented man and I will always think of him as my uncle because he was family.<br />
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Once, when I was about 6, I recall being sent to bed during one of my parents' music parties, I had just completed my "star" turn playing brushes for one tune on a metal TV tray in the music room while my dad played some swing blues on the piano. I think Dad was proud to show off my sense of rhythm. I was nervous until we started, then elated as we played. Playing music for people is an addicting feeling. On my way up to bed, I stopped on the stairs, just out of the pool of light coming from the music room, and I watched the lower halves of the adults swaying and dancing. I listened to them laughing and heard them singing to the music being played. I realized in that moment that I, too wanted to be a musician.<br />
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My dad didn't make it easy on me. After a few flawed attempts on the trumpet, he sent me away, telling me to come back when I could play. Eventually I settled on the bass guitar and that's when I not only got to play regularly with Dad, but also with Uncle Bruce. About that time, Bruce was coming over to our house several nights a week for dinner. He was a bachelor then and only lived two blocks away. We'd hear the chug of his VW wagon coming up Warren Street and we'd instantly set out another plate for dinner. After dinner he and Dad would ease into the music room and the music would begin to flow. Jazz standards. The music of my life.<br />
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There were legendary New Year's Eve sessions at our house—despite the fact that many of the players only got there after finishing a gig at some hotel or party. More than once the music went on until dawn.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad and me playing on New Year's Eve.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bruce's playing always thrilled my dad.</td></tr>
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I have recordings on reel-to-reel tape, on cassettes, and on my phone of my dad and Bruce and me playing, and often, my mom singing. Since my dad's death, it's been hard for me to listen to those recordings, because I lost so much music with his passing. I've tried to keep the music alive in my own way, but I'm not nearly the jazz player my dad or Bruce were.<br />
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About 10 years ago, Bruce called me to ask if I'd play bass in a trio he had that played a regular Sunday jazz brunch at the Blennerhassett Hotel in Parkersburg, WV. I jumped at the chance. And for the next six years I was there as often as possible, sitting just to his left, watching his left hand. When I joined the trio, the drummer was Chet Backus, another profoundly influential musician who settled in the Mid-Ohio Valley after touring professionally with a variety of bands, including Glen Campbell. To be playing with two giants was a thrill. To listen to and learn from and be surrounded by the music they played was a profound honor. I was in the presence of masters.<br />
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When Dad died in early 2011, I took a break from playing in Bruce's trio. The songs and the memories they conjured made me unbearably sad. By the time I was again ready to play, the band personnel had changed—as they are know to do—and, aside from a few substitute gigs, my days of playing with Uncle Bruce were done. The last gig we played was for a charity auction event in Parkersburg, about a year and a half ago. Bruce was his old self, quietly goofy, somewhat spacey, playing piano chord voicings that often buried the melody inside a beautiful bouquet of notes. I didn't know it would be the last time we played. He continued playing gigs until just before his death.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uncle Bruce at our last gig together, February 7, 2015.<br />
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When I heard the news I was sad. "It's the end of an era," I wrote back to my friend Bill, who had told me of Bruce's passing. Then I smiled, thinking how happy my dad would be, because Brucie was coming over to play.<br />
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That evening I went out to my dad's grave, in the old orchard on my farm, and I talked to my dad about how much he and Uncle Bruce had meant to me. How much I loved them for the men they were and the music that they gave to me and to the world. And I told him how much I still missed him, my musical North Star. I played Dad some recordings of me and Bruce and Chet Backus playing at the Blenner. And then I put in a request to Dad for our favorite song—one we often started off our gigs or sessions with:—and asked him to play it with Bruce on tenor (not soprano) sax: <i>There Will Never Be Another You</i>.<br />
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Here's a <a href="http://www.birdersdigest.com/Songs/There%20Will%20Never%20Be%20Another%20You.m4a">song file of my dad and me playing that song</a>.<br />
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I love you Uncle Bruce. Let's play the first ending again and then through the verse and chorus one more time.<br />
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Here are a few of my favorite recordings from gigs with Bruce.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.birdersdigest.com/Songs/Song%20for%20My%20Father.mp3">Song for My Father</a></b><br />
Bruce DeMoll, piano<br />
Chet Backus, drums<br />
Bill Thompson, III, bass<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.birdersdigest.com/Songs/The%20Nearness%20of%20You.m4a">The Nearness of You</a></b><br />
Bruce DeMoll, piano<br />
Bill Keller, drums<br />
Bill Thompson, III, bass<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.birdersdigest.com/Songs/Round%20Midnight.mp3">Round Midnight</a></b><br />
Bruce DeMoll, piano<br />
Bill Keller, drums<br />
Bill Thompson, III, bass<br />
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<br />Bill of the Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16000245161006147448noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552045987668023231.post-6824312838186348022016-08-12T17:07:00.000-04:002016-08-12T17:07:44.843-04:00American Birding Expo 2016!<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">We're calling it "The World of Birding in One Place!" </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.birdingexpo.com/"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1rQ6zWKQe9iE8Zis-OUvJuLZ9oxYBeAR_JpBoN4ioCRhFnTbbODuA7OOLHuGZBknzyf62-zpfc17rX78AkBD3LiFe_ZR7cToVxCFG89nurWUHvuTiYIkmTflFU3Pu744nS6c89oQYpaPF/s320/bwd_abexpo_final.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">It's the <a href="http://www.birdingexpo.com/">American BirdingExpo</a> and once again Columbus, Ohio, will be buzzing with birders and birding businesses for three busy fall days, September 16 to 18, 2016. Last year more than 2,500 people and 85 exhibitors, hailing from 35 U.S. states and 31 countries joined us for the first-ever Expo at the <a href="http://grange.audubon.org/">Grange Insurance AudubonCenter</a> and <a href="http://www.metroparks.net/parks-and-trails/scioto-audubon/">Scioto Audubon Metro Park</a>. It was monumental fun, and now we're gearing up to do it all again!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Here's this year's limited-edition Expo poster! Designed and hand printed by <a href="http://www.justajar.com/#about">Bobby Rosenstock/Just A Jar.</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">In year two of the Expo, there will be more than <a href="http://www.americanbirdingexpo.com/about-the-expo/vendors/?service_id=16">100 exhibitors</a> from all over the world selling and promoting everything a birder could want: birding tours, optics, cameras, gear, clothing, bird feeders and houses, artwork, gift items, books, plus destinations, festivals, birding and conservation organizations, and more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Stephen Ingraham from Carl Zeiss Sports Optics converses with two Expo attendees.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">There will be a full array of optics available at the Expo.<span style="font-family: "times";"> </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Have I piqued your curiosity, yet? If so, you might have some questions...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">How is the Expo Different from a Regular Birding Festival?</span></b><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">As the Expo name suggests, this is an exposition of birding products, destinations, and services. While many of the continent's best birding festivals have a vendor area as a part of the festival, the Expo is nothing BUT a vendor area, with exhibitors on full display mode for most of three days. It's like a grouse or <a href="http://billofthebirds.blogspot.com/2011/04/lesser-prairie-chicken.html">prairie chicken lek</a> where the exhibitors are the displaying male prairie chickens and the consumers are the gathered females, just waiting to be impressed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Of course, there are a few similarities between a birding festival and the Expo. We will offer informal morning bird walks before the Expo opens each morning, and many of our exhibitors will be giving short presentations during the Expo. However the central purpose of this event is to connect the worldwide birding marketplace to North American bird watchers. So that's just what we'll do from noon to 6 p.m. on Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">By the way, the Expo is hosted by <a href="http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/"><i>Bird Watcher's Digest</i></a> and co-hosted by our friends from the <a href="http://www.aba.org/">American Birding Association</a>, <a href="http://grange.audubon.org/">Grange Insurance Audubon Center</a>, and <a href="http://www.metroparks.net/">Franklin Country MetroParks</a>.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Do Some Good: Expo Conservation Fund</span></b><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Not only is this a nature lover's very best chance to sample everything the birding marketplace has to offer, it's also a chance to contribute to bird conservation and nature education through the Expo Conservation Fund. We're once again supporting three vitally important causes: one local, one national, and one international with the funds we raise during the Expo. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Here are the causes that the Expo Conservation Fund supports:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Local Cause: The Young Urban Naturalists Program</span></b><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;"> at Grange Insurance Audubon Center—sharing the wonders of nature with young people from Columbus City Schools. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Partner: Grange Insurance Audubon Center.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The Young Urban Naturalists Program</td></tr>
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<a href="http://grange.audubon.org/"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFKbVl3EbMNlZ66WJraVPnUHjOWKdmdvsMVYqzyW72hVOitnrxRXkalSjfRnjm4r6SE64c-3IAlmL9LF_8GwISRtCPEdPaQKuAI08copMc16Fbjhb78Zkk7Ud4RhJ-SFzs-gafFFWBn6f/s200/GIAC-logo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">National Cause: Red Knot Rescue and Conservation</span></b><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">—funding field study and habitat acquisition efforts along the Delaware Bayshore.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Partner: The American Birding Association<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The <i>rufa </i>race of the red knot is critically endangered.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.aba.org/"><img border="0" height="95" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk4W5mQR7AK5xbpz8hUUKhb_TgavODrJng_9fI__CdrfD4yWlPxguYxm7sb9WzfsHxRVABNotDKHU2sOMZOpb3NJb6Kn4ZnOtH5TRuCYJUss7vnV9c0j1dT1_-KyAJJb0mSE0Uo4boZMvT/s200/ABA+new+logo-join.tif" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">International Cause: Save the Hooded Grebe of Argentina</span></b><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">—funding the urgent and vital efforts of BirdLife International and Aves Argentinas to rescue this species from the brink of extinction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Partner: BirdLife International. The American Birding Expo is proud to be a BirdLife Species Champion for the Hooded Grebe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Adult hooded grebe with chicks on its back.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.birdlife.org/"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQvd-7uWXI7rksVdakFl278XA5GEeN_omUZQqM2hvWpKrlKUQoUvYGLDn3e70ALi3Kx5X7ql_pm4QK7g79sFnYc3hV6MuAfphK1jeOJyhu1fiUeNmqRdw8P5_yBIoMs6cV3EAq8lv8-XD3/s200/birdlife-pep-1500.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1wkZvmcQKuXohvYqjJbb2_MNUmT3tn-DyBVdDZLLSxnA7U6iwEArkjY_sHbTkiEqIVlHF8TthKxZd36uFKLtzeUzflWtp-60uG_vvgIpCsXotk48FyJbUNDe3CQoFjNxny77DcVL0vEN/s1600/species+champion+blue+RGB+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1wkZvmcQKuXohvYqjJbb2_MNUmT3tn-DyBVdDZLLSxnA7U6iwEArkjY_sHbTkiEqIVlHF8TthKxZd36uFKLtzeUzflWtp-60uG_vvgIpCsXotk48FyJbUNDe3CQoFjNxny77DcVL0vEN/s200/species+champion+blue+RGB+logo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">How Will the Expo Raise the Money?</span></b><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">I'm glad you asked!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Although entry to the Expo is free, we're asking for a voluntary $5 per person contribution at the door, which will go directly to the <a href="http://www.americanbirdingexpo.com/at-the-event/conservation/">Expo Conservation Fund</a>. We'll also be selling tickets </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">to the Expo Conservation Raffle with prizes that include discounted overseas trips, more than a dozen binoculars and scopes, giant gift baskets for birders, original art, and a mind-boggling array of other items. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Deeper Meaning</span></b><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">All of this stuff is really great, but the Expo means so much more to me than just numbers and products. It's like a family reunion with all of my favorite people from all over the world. I've been so fortunate to get to travel the globe, seeing the birds and meeting the birders of some pretty far-off and fantastic places. So it's wonderful beyond description to be the host of an event that gathers the birding tribe from far and near to meet and connect with one another, and to come together to do some good for birds and the future of birding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Here's a video we recently completed that gives more insight into the Expo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">So, what do you say? Want to experience The World of Birding in One Place? There's only one spot in this hemisphere where you can do that: The <a href="http://www.birdingexpo.com/">American Birding Expo</a> in Columbus, Ohio, September 16–18, 2016.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">If you're planning to come to the Expo, consider <a href="http://www.americanbirdingexpo.com/make-arrangements/2016-vip-sign-up/">registering in advance</a> because it has some advantages. Pre-registrants get a subscription to the Expo e-newsletter plus notifications about specials, invitations to exclusive Expo events, and expedited entry when they arrive. There's no cost to <a href="http://www.americanbirdingexpo.com/make-arrangements/2016-vip-sign-up/">preregister</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: JA;">I'll see you out there with the birders!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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Bill of the Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16000245161006147448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552045987668023231.post-53114665067856274282016-07-11T13:34:00.000-04:002016-07-11T13:34:55.367-04:00It Was 20 Years Ago Today...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45UbgkJZirc6Rc6jvRy9qCXUjQJVytDNZvgKXWLTAS06SyDNpMgJQibidB_3h3NNYqBwv2OFSJ-9ruJI2Rp5lH-NvgnAzvYCLVrEkwBN1ISUSbWO8ViGz0XOhll1onynbPrp_AI0hYy3g/s1600/Daddy+and+Newborn+Phoebe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45UbgkJZirc6Rc6jvRy9qCXUjQJVytDNZvgKXWLTAS06SyDNpMgJQibidB_3h3NNYqBwv2OFSJ-9ruJI2Rp5lH-NvgnAzvYCLVrEkwBN1ISUSbWO8ViGz0XOhll1onynbPrp_AI0hYy3g/s320/Daddy+and+Newborn+Phoebe.jpg" width="219" /></a></div>
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Phoebe Linnea Thompson came into this world 20 years ago today: July 11, 1996. It made me a father and it was—hands down—the best thing that has ever happened to me. I never knew what love actually felt like until I held that precious little redhead in my arms.</div>
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It would be humanly impossible to share with you all of my feelings of pride, wonder, joy, and blessed good fortune at being Phoebe's dad. Her mom Julie <a href="http://juliezickefoose.blogspot.com/2016/07/phoebe-is-twenty.html">did a doggone good job of it</a> on her blog yesterday—a day before Phoebe's actual birthday. Gotta spread these things out... extend the celebration.</div>
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Our red-headed rocket ship is way out West this summer, studying the ocean currents and making new friends. </div>
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She might be a bit sad at not being surrounded by family for her birthday (a first for her), but, like always, she will rally and end up making her own weather.</div>
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It seems like only yesterday that we were sending her off on her first day of pre-school.</div>
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And then moments later, we were sending her off to the West Coast to study oceanography.</div>
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Phoebe, you are so many things...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOs3EMshpL9Y6VYegDg4QS9Buqx3bGZLopvcSIhYFKIULCap7iAV-cgHaf1R-e7p0WAVynSPn7exRGHOMG3b5Fs_Q85bL1FN2jZY2QoC_nT-PA59UKLtc3-PyPQw3qjLcqiaSCYaMBcvGC/s1600/DreamingPhoebe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOs3EMshpL9Y6VYegDg4QS9Buqx3bGZLopvcSIhYFKIULCap7iAV-cgHaf1R-e7p0WAVynSPn7exRGHOMG3b5Fs_Q85bL1FN2jZY2QoC_nT-PA59UKLtc3-PyPQw3qjLcqiaSCYaMBcvGC/s320/DreamingPhoebe.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A beautiful dreamer...</td></tr>
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Great leap (and photo) taker.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQRa9tRvZl0DjS6OdUF649rOn19HEnAjl8c_dix6yhDa1eQbfPhhMMLoYQuhjctY_5mgiNwnZUrT98b7Abmy9HDGeZyTHZGjhmbcqCMvxCEABtEDPjBg6Ke1kuXxDSZLkUV2P3m545ozGC/s1600/PhoebeSwing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQRa9tRvZl0DjS6OdUF649rOn19HEnAjl8c_dix6yhDa1eQbfPhhMMLoYQuhjctY_5mgiNwnZUrT98b7Abmy9HDGeZyTHZGjhmbcqCMvxCEABtEDPjBg6Ke1kuXxDSZLkUV2P3m545ozGC/s320/PhoebeSwing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Grasper of the moment, appreciator of what is special about home.</div>
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Perfect partner-in-crime with your brother, Liam.</div>
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And the living laugh track to his crazy antics.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNdDeXQhpI4DLiz-TCA5UXT-mJiutuNV6e9kTfe17rsBTt57vrs1vo0_HRNfUzLU20knfe5ws-oj2MU7csoR7FVA7VnszaZgV4xwQz4x2l8NatBgBTxkshjqWvCIDjxiVv94VjT1PhcelN/s1600/IMG_1391.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNdDeXQhpI4DLiz-TCA5UXT-mJiutuNV6e9kTfe17rsBTt57vrs1vo0_HRNfUzLU20knfe5ws-oj2MU7csoR7FVA7VnszaZgV4xwQz4x2l8NatBgBTxkshjqWvCIDjxiVv94VjT1PhcelN/s320/IMG_1391.JPG" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYj4YhjcXiXiUFu_eVm-pEWCXRJiVtR4ehr3YToGX7sCSCflVgkrjFmu8nhW3ZTGGBQoermWopWxA05piaq7-eJ5N5XfX-pDpZBTMZERAmK_ItlA1P2YSb6yzF2x8pNgI7txjFTA8-re12/s1600/IMG_3467.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYj4YhjcXiXiUFu_eVm-pEWCXRJiVtR4ehr3YToGX7sCSCflVgkrjFmu8nhW3ZTGGBQoermWopWxA05piaq7-eJ5N5XfX-pDpZBTMZERAmK_ItlA1P2YSb6yzF2x8pNgI7txjFTA8-re12/s320/IMG_3467.PNG" width="179" /></a></div>
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Yet you were the one who introduced us to face-swapping in SnapChat. Silly girl.</div>
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<span style="text-align: start;"> Of course, we all want you to continue to grow, and thrive, and spread your wings...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl61J7XACxdgYKMl9nY_ZySSLRpMcmq9DmUgmWQKq7Q4QRnJPL5jfn147crV0imN_2rElzeimQR00Dih915H46JUuOLCIBwI0J2eSwfEUxFyBTNcNZXx5gOuVHlzhkmaY2XBBNCpkAUbza/s1600/IMG_3445+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl61J7XACxdgYKMl9nY_ZySSLRpMcmq9DmUgmWQKq7Q4QRnJPL5jfn147crV0imN_2rElzeimQR00Dih915H46JUuOLCIBwI0J2eSwfEUxFyBTNcNZXx5gOuVHlzhkmaY2XBBNCpkAUbza/s320/IMG_3445+2.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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but I hope you'll always save a spot in your heart...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif8Ib7Oyjr_7RhX5NTJ8UU2Y5BdmpyDMYu-Pqd89nVbs0_j44g3MwJ9SH3aAAY6YgFvXzBsqv_twKAvFTGgrvot9k2wVYPJz33qFBhMF3DQfr8VRUWm3VVbP4ByN4chzEQqQjPr_Dp5euE/s1600/PhoebeAndMe1996.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif8Ib7Oyjr_7RhX5NTJ8UU2Y5BdmpyDMYu-Pqd89nVbs0_j44g3MwJ9SH3aAAY6YgFvXzBsqv_twKAvFTGgrvot9k2wVYPJz33qFBhMF3DQfr8VRUWm3VVbP4ByN4chzEQqQjPr_Dp5euE/s320/PhoebeAndMe1996.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">to be Daddy's girl.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Watching you make your way in this world is our great </span>privilege, Phoebe.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR2RiRSoHNk-c1pQcAVxu5XYn7ZPCm0oM3DSF68PJJVsDhgll39WVANMcTP-d6ct4wQIYEOzeAXJhm7lOayrh-sienBONrWETsjn1rLXWi9YX7ilOIUPd_5Xhnaw3FDHo5JZZDEreif2R3/s1600/Phoebe+Main+Water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR2RiRSoHNk-c1pQcAVxu5XYn7ZPCm0oM3DSF68PJJVsDhgll39WVANMcTP-d6ct4wQIYEOzeAXJhm7lOayrh-sienBONrWETsjn1rLXWi9YX7ilOIUPd_5Xhnaw3FDHo5JZZDEreif2R3/s320/Phoebe+Main+Water.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Happy 20th birthday, sweet girl.</div>
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p.s. LET'S GO BUCS!!!</div>
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Bill of the Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16000245161006147448noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552045987668023231.post-77732111997493883772016-07-04T13:19:00.000-04:002016-07-05T09:52:52.807-04:00Birding Southern Portugal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNNzJqS9sO1C4p2Aw6unSNU1Ct4LYUR2vumAXUii3hHHPg22DDkknCStImbe1kafEOzhEixk7VMtQSHdrEF6oQNtK7jYjiAlWspG5WTr8NMWlvYDmpt6ZKmOKyuZMNDY6K2yKi9fnAqo4U/s1600/European+Bee-eaters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNNzJqS9sO1C4p2Aw6unSNU1Ct4LYUR2vumAXUii3hHHPg22DDkknCStImbe1kafEOzhEixk7VMtQSHdrEF6oQNtK7jYjiAlWspG5WTr8NMWlvYDmpt6ZKmOKyuZMNDY6K2yKi9fnAqo4U/s400/European+Bee-eaters.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">European bee-eaters—freshly arrived spring migrants —n southern Portugal following a winter in Africa.</td></tr>
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At the start of April I found myself on a plane flying from Tel Aviv, Israel, to Istanbul, Turkey. Ataturk Airport in Istanbul was just a short layover stop before flying to my eventual destination of Lisbon, Portugal. I had been in Israel for the <a href="http://www.champions-of-the-flyway.com/">Champions of the Flyway</a> bird race in which teams of birders from all over the world compete during a 24-hour period to see the most species. Our team, the Way-Off Coursers, sponsored by <a href="http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/">Bird Watcher's Digest</a> and <a href="http://facebook.com/zeissbirding">Carl Zeiss Sports Optics</a>, didn't win the birding competition, but <a href="http://www.champions-of-the-flyway.com/2016-award-winners/">we did win prizes</a> for doing the most to promote the event and for raising the most money (our team raised more than $12,000!) to support the efforts of BirdLife International in combatting the illegal killing of birds in Greece. I'll post more about Champions of the Flyway in the future here on BOTB.</div>
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I was a tad weary from a week of heavy birding in the desert, and now I was headed (and happily so) to another week of birding, but this time in Portugal—a new country for me.</div>
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My friend João Jara, of <a href="http://www.birds.pt/">Birds & Nature Tours</a> in Portugal, had invited me a few times to visit his country, but our schedules had never meshed. This past spring they did, and what a trip it turned out to be!</div>
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I was looking forward
to a relaxing week of birding in warm, sunny Portugal. Little did I know, my
spring 2016 streak of bringing crappy weather with me wherever I went was to
continue for at least another month. And I was about to get the mother of all
colds from a sneezing seatmate on the flight. But enough of my whining!</div>
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João met me at the airport at mid-day and we drove in the
rain, across the Tagus Estuary to a small town opposite Lisbon known as
Alcochete. I settled in to my charming room in a small hostel and then we
headed out for a bit of afternoon birding on the Tagus Estuary. What followed
was a week of stunning looks at amazing birds delivered by the expert guiding
skills of João. While many of the birds were not lifers (in other words, I'd seen them before, elsewhere) most of the looks I got were the best ever. And there certainly were a number of ossum life birds, including blue rock thrush, azure-winged magpie, Iberian imperial eagle, rock bunting, and little bustard, to name a few.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQl81IEe3qyh074_B0KIolP2PB2exOQ4hEgYQSedCXPO6SW-QbGtBg3IdcVuJyZwhsOGIqdCF2vE6s30NU-Q1avqARFFlbXltSsuzCpDLHA_4Yn8RwoGJGyncLZHHiChM8XDLDhqhO-fZW/s1600/Joao+Birding+in+Cork+Oaks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQl81IEe3qyh074_B0KIolP2PB2exOQ4hEgYQSedCXPO6SW-QbGtBg3IdcVuJyZwhsOGIqdCF2vE6s30NU-Q1avqARFFlbXltSsuzCpDLHA_4Yn8RwoGJGyncLZHHiChM8XDLDhqhO-fZW/s400/Joao+Birding+in+Cork+Oaks.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">João Jara at our first birding stop, a cork oak grove on a farm along the Tagus Estuary.ã</td></tr>
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The week passed in a happy
blur, despite my horrible cold and the windy,
rainy, unseasonably cold April weather. João kept apologizing for the weather
but there was no need. The birding, the food and wine, the people, the
landscape, and the cultural history kept me enthralled with Portugal.<br />
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We birded three main regions in southern Portugal: The Tagus Estuary, the Alentejo, and the Algarve. We started with the Tagus Estuary, which is just a 30-minute drive across the river from Lisbon. The Tagus is one of Europe's most important bird habitats, lying as it does, along the primary Eurasia-to-Africa migratory flyway. We saw huge flocks of greater flamingos, all manner of shorebirds, ducks, and wading birds such as storks, herons, egrets, ibises, and bitterns.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgryvGmkbhz_oUVzFCw1H-pzK8t3-RVe4wEJNqDotLXVuCm0S0A4COvb7JY-eKysDUodn6SpyrgObJmwaQKQoeoItO1rur4x4e3v0m6FzDxrYVOo1Sa7UzM6eXTo6QJOHPJQKXf0L4_oCD6/s1600/Tagus+Estuary+Dawn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgryvGmkbhz_oUVzFCw1H-pzK8t3-RVe4wEJNqDotLXVuCm0S0A4COvb7JY-eKysDUodn6SpyrgObJmwaQKQoeoItO1rur4x4e3v0m6FzDxrYVOo1Sa7UzM6eXTo6QJOHPJQKXf0L4_oCD6/s400/Tagus+Estuary+Dawn.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the Tagus Estuary at dawn from Alcochete.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusXPHu_IZn8rNxXrkWc-fGuaDBgrgWFLyn4G0aMMFqGb1QtIcaKlgT4jnQYpQ8mA0WTBzujo3U-VAIGDAxrONevWesO6TDmZ961IQ0o2jO9HfSBXN3BfudY7GJm-z5880_rAI_plJ55T2/s1600/Tagus+Estuary+Birding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusXPHu_IZn8rNxXrkWc-fGuaDBgrgWFLyn4G0aMMFqGb1QtIcaKlgT4jnQYpQ8mA0WTBzujo3U-VAIGDAxrONevWesO6TDmZ961IQ0o2jO9HfSBXN3BfudY7GJm-z5880_rAI_plJ55T2/s400/Tagus+Estuary+Birding.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mixed habitats along the Tagus include farm fields, riparian areas, and salt pans with a rich variety of birds.<br />
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After spending two days birding the Tagus Estuary region, we drove about an hour south into the rolling plains habitat of Alentejo. This massive steppe region is home to some of Portugal’s
most sought-after birds: the great bustard, little bustard, black-bellied
sandgrouse, plus a spectacular guild of raptors.</div>
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We soon found ourselves
in the wide-open spaces of the <a href="http://www.visitalentejo.pt/en/">Alentejo</a>, scanning the wildflower-adorned
fields for great bustards. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuVFARoTTf-KIOe-9kbYP54TLMu8IYSfhfwi6OcwLUH7gY4kHVRtzQTJGHAL1M_IqNbHS5TFCkHttwHzy87BYMk0Y3cHj8C1tZpQvTZxG5EG2hH0GgQ5ahiNaSN_uhlkV62cF_kMe9Ri-x/s1600/Great+Bustard+Habitat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuVFARoTTf-KIOe-9kbYP54TLMu8IYSfhfwi6OcwLUH7gY4kHVRtzQTJGHAL1M_IqNbHS5TFCkHttwHzy87BYMk0Y3cHj8C1tZpQvTZxG5EG2hH0GgQ5ahiNaSN_uhlkV62cF_kMe9Ri-x/s400/Great+Bustard+Habitat.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great bustard habitat in the Alentejo. The white dots are displaying males.</td></tr>
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We found more than 20 of them, mostly males,
displaying in a low swale, out of the wind. This fantastic bird stands more
than three feet tall, and when a male is displaying for watching females, he
lowers his head and flattens his tail along his back, exposing and flaring his
undertail feathers. He then walks around slowing in this jouncy, foamy-looking
display mode hoping to impress the ladies.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXcVYytzaaRw0tEdZSZ2ZLnLtm2tMsFU9Jf0CvKLXsfMKxiKyYLKhqi8MDwE6cLXeZUmU4K0dnK9rEOxGpf7WvxkDg_y2LxgXVehJwwFbxroDUENFKogBGUWoGHxQvJJ9eSK5dUXnYx-QB/s1600/Great+Bustard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXcVYytzaaRw0tEdZSZ2ZLnLtm2tMsFU9Jf0CvKLXsfMKxiKyYLKhqi8MDwE6cLXeZUmU4K0dnK9rEOxGpf7WvxkDg_y2LxgXVehJwwFbxroDUENFKogBGUWoGHxQvJJ9eSK5dUXnYx-QB/s400/Great+Bustard.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Male great bustard.</td></tr>
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While in the Alentejo, we toured a large ranch where the crops are being planted and managed to attracted bustards and other special birds of southern Portugal. Joao's friend George specifically caters to birders and bird photographers by putting up nest boxes for European rollers, little owls, and Eurasian kestrels, and putting up hides (blinds) near lekking areas for bustards and near feeding areas for vultures.</div>
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Speaking of feeding, I probably gained 10 pounds in Portugal. But it was worth it, because the food was that good. The Portuguese people put great emphasis on food and I felt it was only polite of me to sample as much of it as I could, being an invited foreign guest.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETwc4YrbeIx5T63U1wENERl_fcJtixtg_ZCQ3u0vSEw4_AVwxkQgwtbpiBED-xb6zDHkpflheAf0bbDaZnMdsj5MHxvjKFFoGd4xsEHGdvBD22Nyobk2IPlJFF_D9FbKhFRjuU4RjA0Ck/s1600/Brekky+in+Alcochete.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETwc4YrbeIx5T63U1wENERl_fcJtixtg_ZCQ3u0vSEw4_AVwxkQgwtbpiBED-xb6zDHkpflheAf0bbDaZnMdsj5MHxvjKFFoGd4xsEHGdvBD22Nyobk2IPlJFF_D9FbKhFRjuU4RjA0Ck/s400/Brekky+in+Alcochete.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our breakfast most days was some fantastic baked pastry and a serious cup of coffee.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEoZbBrjpVtaVoNbkh6iw_a-qK40BrN02IsSHvAadSfojUJ6vhsHcuvfDZx2XARypy0odCdBCqhDy3QGgaBWnHVK5e724pkjisLesRcVqlr5ltBscuGffxtT3lyJrMoyf4wc2PpM6M83IM/s1600/Fish+for+Dinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEoZbBrjpVtaVoNbkh6iw_a-qK40BrN02IsSHvAadSfojUJ6vhsHcuvfDZx2XARypy0odCdBCqhDy3QGgaBWnHVK5e724pkjisLesRcVqlr5ltBscuGffxtT3lyJrMoyf4wc2PpM6M83IM/s400/Fish+for+Dinner.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh-caught fish on display for dinner in Mértola.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgN05DYi9z3KJrx61UpwZIwZfNO2xsZWda17rTDesFjymT7ZYOYrAZbeZuN3u6PFLdiHo0BBwo4jWUBaQAHF2HUAGJxVp2G01jxH17KjxpGQPwXzuRdTYE3bTEz63xtTRFHelrR6jLFzPX/s1600/Small+Fried+Fish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgN05DYi9z3KJrx61UpwZIwZfNO2xsZWda17rTDesFjymT7ZYOYrAZbeZuN3u6PFLdiHo0BBwo4jWUBaQAHF2HUAGJxVp2G01jxH17KjxpGQPwXzuRdTYE3bTEz63xtTRFHelrR6jLFzPX/s400/Small+Fried+Fish.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small fried fingerling fish, a delicious appetizer in Tavira.</td></tr>
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Our home base while in the Alentejo was the ancient river town of <a href="http://visitmertola.pt/">Mértola</a>. This town has been home to Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Visigoths, Moors, and Christians and the architecture, culture, and people reflect this history. Dig a foot or so into the earth anywhere in town and you're almost certain to find some of the town's past. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMllXyg-e8L_nTSwBqPAdLEgDRrcIoYRhC3Y3WxyqZuEcAVhT1Q6ohA3c13jHko7M3osNFZ6rUMMK5veqA2LBZF-Bn-Sa-51np3_vM7KvXi0RZp7Y8i7AxNKZbW6MhEyjYYB8bUkg3e3yO/s1600/Mertola+River+View.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMllXyg-e8L_nTSwBqPAdLEgDRrcIoYRhC3Y3WxyqZuEcAVhT1Q6ohA3c13jHko7M3osNFZ6rUMMK5veqA2LBZF-Bn-Sa-51np3_vM7KvXi0RZp7Y8i7AxNKZbW6MhEyjYYB8bUkg3e3yO/s400/Mertola+River+View.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view of Mértola.</td></tr>
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We toured ancient ruins being excavated and restored inside the citadel, a combined church and castle that looms on the mountain high above the town. While touring we encountered lesser kestrels, blue rock thrushes, white storks, little owls, pallid swifts, and many other birds—perhaps the modern-day relatives of birds that nested here thousands of years ago.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6fklzYMsctoJIFGVMyetFzNlIWE2ssDmHr2zEKwhv7sGiOjOE4M5F9JuzXk-OGDkUETcUsH2Ct-GH5_9h1Vv8P5DnIFYPM3QGVJlXvzXYX7Eh97pXLe2GGWNM2SbsrCE7Jxp_X-Uxs_Yg/s1600/mertola+village.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6fklzYMsctoJIFGVMyetFzNlIWE2ssDmHr2zEKwhv7sGiOjOE4M5F9JuzXk-OGDkUETcUsH2Ct-GH5_9h1Vv8P5DnIFYPM3QGVJlXvzXYX7Eh97pXLe2GGWNM2SbsrCE7Jxp_X-Uxs_Yg/s400/mertola+village.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking up the road to the church in Mértola.</td></tr>
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Our final day was spent in southernmost Portugal in a coastal region known as the <a href="http://www.visitalgarve.pt/?idioma=uk">Algarve</a>. It was here that Portugal's close relationship with the sea was most evident. Salt pans, where seawater is drawn in and evaporated off to gather the salt left behind, were everywhere. Those pans not being worked by humans were full of shorebirds and waders. A brief drive along the oceanfront got us a number of new species including great skua.<br />
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Our lodging near Tavira in the Algarve, was in a former tuna-canning factory now transformed into a luxury hotel. The hotel was surrounded by salt pans and a small tidal river basin with both working and pleasure boats swaying in the tide.<br />
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Alas, we soon had to head back north to Lisbon for my return trip home. João treated me to a short city tour of Lisbon the morning of my flight, further impressing me with the rich history and culture of his native country. I was only in southern Portugal for a week, but those days were ample time to land this country on a short list of places I am eager to visit again.<br />
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Here are a few other images and birds from Portugal...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHUXoMexF_yayYbXB2iibXcRC3get1OK6oqVLIbJagyVpKEQSpUwdk5B4ArxZFBQ6jDGpQUxJVSheyxqQwP67KQL81BqUxjbA9zplAyXjY0ssxvas8_Kl7eaWUupM3GAv7t06c3iTvTk2/s1600/Alentejo+Mountains.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHUXoMexF_yayYbXB2iibXcRC3get1OK6oqVLIbJagyVpKEQSpUwdk5B4ArxZFBQ6jDGpQUxJVSheyxqQwP67KQL81BqUxjbA9zplAyXjY0ssxvas8_Kl7eaWUupM3GAv7t06c3iTvTk2/s400/Alentejo+Mountains.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birding the mountains outside Mértola.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwYPPUkvGw95mCfLDAPgRuMOiD0M_86Tc318DSH0RfERdIU2jFN7Rz4-Q-3RT_9l9VrJzGFkdo7zKfmhMa1EHRb_yq9MnGkSniNrhDrga12ahGPggFggfCeE3ng0lPjCbpecMoz2v_rzbE/s1600/Hoopoe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwYPPUkvGw95mCfLDAPgRuMOiD0M_86Tc318DSH0RfERdIU2jFN7Rz4-Q-3RT_9l9VrJzGFkdo7zKfmhMa1EHRb_yq9MnGkSniNrhDrga12ahGPggFggfCeE3ng0lPjCbpecMoz2v_rzbE/s400/Hoopoe.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hoopoe is the one bird most of João's clients wish to see.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gjMcMNSQzfkofFbLArI_OhBCXJrQ43ii0-e9bsVoXrNkHCnQKKXvEnv5Oa_NgbDq3DRiXu5AZsqduEZJ_rdih5KjQZg__RqkTQpTL1bOTb7gfbuKnTjKHS7hy8uT9e_qxOa-28fVn3eH/s1600/Little+Bittern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gjMcMNSQzfkofFbLArI_OhBCXJrQ43ii0-e9bsVoXrNkHCnQKKXvEnv5Oa_NgbDq3DRiXu5AZsqduEZJ_rdih5KjQZg__RqkTQpTL1bOTb7gfbuKnTjKHS7hy8uT9e_qxOa-28fVn3eH/s400/Little+Bittern.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little bittern in a wetland complex in the Algarve.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZuswS_hiZXXEg9oe5X_MV6-JyHSrwaxHCLT6ixk5jdXfU7xgfOr7qzUtZ5RQj4N1jEhVlilBiP1u4sMsw9QrjsWRiXN2yP5PNX2gq3_xto_ID4f_Cd9SEzKUrBPHKs51gNKajG4ldlqEa/s1600/alentejo+scenic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZuswS_hiZXXEg9oe5X_MV6-JyHSrwaxHCLT6ixk5jdXfU7xgfOr7qzUtZ5RQj4N1jEhVlilBiP1u4sMsw9QrjsWRiXN2yP5PNX2gq3_xto_ID4f_Cd9SEzKUrBPHKs51gNKajG4ldlqEa/s400/alentejo+scenic.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The landscape in Portugal is incredibly alluring. This is from the Alentejo.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZpuCTpjueWTZ3pw8ZWogdA0ZCzRiCMuq44IsrsKTeJbRN2bCcN8MiZpdz7ABlpzq0BFWJ6sQu0-r0T9JDD8_L6WpFNKOsJTNxHrU-bjo1TegmOruBENzSEz-SDtoJHiKJoGGnhfwT6RLU/s1600/Blue+Rock+Thrush.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZpuCTpjueWTZ3pw8ZWogdA0ZCzRiCMuq44IsrsKTeJbRN2bCcN8MiZpdz7ABlpzq0BFWJ6sQu0-r0T9JDD8_L6WpFNKOsJTNxHrU-bjo1TegmOruBENzSEz-SDtoJHiKJoGGnhfwT6RLU/s400/Blue+Rock+Thrush.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue rock thrush digiscoped at the Wolf's Leap near Mértola.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRAeI7yNGrkuuiwK8YBobv5RXVWq0GJ4gkhXO_2HPk8bmZK8GdHjnrUTqWbCGPonZHLsM26to6NNL-IGcgref7NfY4kAbA7ooWrotGKCu_AzN-YtXdBL6dNV1Ql9DZ6O3VX0dz-qXHaJeF/s1600/BT3+%2526+Joao+near+Mertola.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRAeI7yNGrkuuiwK8YBobv5RXVWq0GJ4gkhXO_2HPk8bmZK8GdHjnrUTqWbCGPonZHLsM26to6NNL-IGcgref7NfY4kAbA7ooWrotGKCu_AzN-YtXdBL6dNV1Ql9DZ6O3VX0dz-qXHaJeF/s400/BT3+%2526+Joao+near+Mertola.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BT3 and João Jara, along the Guadiana River, near Mértola.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">If you've read this far and are interested in taking a tour with me and <i>Bird Watcher's Digest</i> to Portugal in 2017, please <a href="https://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/ReaderRendezvous/">visit this link at the top of our Reader Rendezvous page</a> to sign up for our events notifications. We're planning four to six Rendezvous in 2017—one of which is an 11-day birding tour of southern Portugal with João Jara. Registration details will be available soon, so please add your name to the notifications list so we can keep you in the loop! </span></div>
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<br />Bill of the Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16000245161006147448noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552045987668023231.post-18558948150317181952016-06-29T17:19:00.000-04:002016-06-29T17:19:51.059-04:00Birding Trips Bucket List<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1cU_hDbW44b8YJMrBDgN0ANkD8nIYa4dqdPJ3s7CEa_L4tt5QIin9SeyjPD4od7DwkUp9INFeREbnDGeF4hQ-A95IGgt0OAPCj86gXh7EJKpHB6AcUk5x7Fp2W14I-qzq7xi1ElCaj3ZB/s1600/Guyana+Cock+of+the+Rock%252C+male_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1cU_hDbW44b8YJMrBDgN0ANkD8nIYa4dqdPJ3s7CEa_L4tt5QIin9SeyjPD4od7DwkUp9INFeREbnDGeF4hQ-A95IGgt0OAPCj86gXh7EJKpHB6AcUk5x7Fp2W14I-qzq7xi1ElCaj3ZB/s400/Guyana+Cock+of+the+Rock%252C+male_2.jpg" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guianan cock-of-the-rock.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I have a friend who travels professionally, running high-end tours and events for corporations and organizations all over the world. I used to think of myself as a well-traveled person, having been to 30+ countries around the world. That is, until I saw an Instagram post by my buddy (I'll call him Tim) as he was visiting this 200th country!! TWO HUNDRED COUNTRIES! That's an epic level of world travel.<br />
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There are a lot of places I've always wanted to visit, and of course I want to visit them primarily for birding. But things like culture, history, cuisine, music, and meeting local people interest me almost as much.<br />
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So, here are 10 places that are on my Birding Travel Bucket List, and a brief explanation of why. I'm hoping that this blog post will act as a penny tossed in a wishing well, bringing me the chance to some day cross these off the list with an actual visit.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPaECUWH9xZWhEcTKfH16DjDXTdXM0A0LhEbbX_K3TSGookSAZJEJPRHlqxR2G2-8DOarPfXkxewdgNZH1qfXdGxK2R_of6zpRlW2yEmaOVKiB4A-AjeVYLAJhVMVIECyGm2Ymwvm2Bepo/s1600/PNG+Tour+Group+Lunching.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPaECUWH9xZWhEcTKfH16DjDXTdXM0A0LhEbbX_K3TSGookSAZJEJPRHlqxR2G2-8DOarPfXkxewdgNZH1qfXdGxK2R_of6zpRlW2yEmaOVKiB4A-AjeVYLAJhVMVIECyGm2Ymwvm2Bepo/s400/PNG+Tour+Group+Lunching.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birders lunching near a village in Papua New Guinea.</td></tr>
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10. <b>Kazakhstan</b>. I love being in the wide-open steppe and big sky habitat, and from what I've heard, this country is just that, in spades. Add in some fantastic birds, interesting culture, and the fact that much of the former Soviet Union was off limits for most of my life and you've got a winner.<br />
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9. <b>Nepal</b>. The opposite of flat. While I have no desire to climb to the summit of Mt. Everest, I have always been fascinated with the culture and people from this part of the planet. Also: very phunky pheasants.<br />
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8. <b>Chile</b>. Birds & wine. Wine & birds. And the end of the Earth.<br />
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7. <b>Morocco</b>. I've always wanted to travel in the deserts of North Africa. Lots of endemic birds, too. I also have a fez collection.<br />
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6. <b>Thailand</b>. Pittas, hornbills, and actual Thai food. Oh my!<br />
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5. <b>Tanzania</b>. To be fair, there are half a dozen African countries to which I'm equally drawn. But somehow this one seems to creep to the top thanks to its national parks and natural abundance. Tanzania has some world famous sites associated with it: Kilimanjaro, Lake Tanganyika, Ngorongoro Crater, Gombe Stream, Zanzibar. And 1,100 species of birds.</div>
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4. <b>Ecuador</b>. While we're on the topic of bio-abundance, Ecuador ranks near the top in terms of its bird list, with 1,660 species recorded. A birder can go from the highest elevation cloud forest to lowland forest in a single day and rack up a significant list en route.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSa3cZZqWYj5Z57NvntkAyKOJNlgcA1U7QFgVZCyO5nwDmvUzvYsw8TKQNT7vjob65zrO6cFni7AY-CFZzKy2KAS7s0FhnUYNuwYRdtiVk5w4GldZ4h3Ne4Km1y-kKWghKcb_AAYUdhXaK/s1600/Women+Birders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSa3cZZqWYj5Z57NvntkAyKOJNlgcA1U7QFgVZCyO5nwDmvUzvYsw8TKQNT7vjob65zrO6cFni7AY-CFZzKy2KAS7s0FhnUYNuwYRdtiVk5w4GldZ4h3Ne4Km1y-kKWghKcb_AAYUdhXaK/s400/Women+Birders.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainforest birding in Central America.</td></tr>
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3. <b>Hawaii</b>. OK so I realize that this is not a country and its native bird life is pretty much doomed thanks to climate change, habitat loss, and introduced exotics. But it would be my 50th U.S. state and I've always wanted to put nene (Hawaiian goose) on my North American life list.</div>
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2. <b>Antarctica</b>. Getting to go to Antarctica would solve several things: I'd be able to brag about visiting all seven continents on Earth; I'd be able to drop arcane facts on people, such as: Antarctica is the largest desert on Earth; I'd get to see snow petrel.</div>
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1. <b>Australia</b>. For some reason, Oz has always topped my list of most-desirable birding destinations. Certainly the birdlife there is wildly appealing, and the Aussie people are, too. The landscape of Australia is as varied and alluring as the continent's history. There are things everywhere in Australia—on land and water—that can kill you. Besides all these reasons for my attraction, the first article I ever edited for <i><a href="http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/">Bird Watcher's Digest</a>, </i> way back in May of 1988, was about birding on the Cape York Peninsula in Australia. From that moment I was hooked.</div>
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These are just 10 places I'm eager to visit for birding and the other reasons mentioned. Ask me tomorrow or next month and I'd probably come up with a slightly different list. After all, there are more than 10,000 bird species out there and I've still got 160-some countries to go to catch up to my pal, Tim.</div>
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If you'd like to read more about some of the places I've been (and God bless you, if you do) try scanning back through the last decade of posts on this blog. There are some great trips among the spots, including trips to Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Guyana, Guatemala, Uganda, South Africa, and more.</div>
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If you enjoy listening to podcasts, I've shared many of my birding adventures via my podcast, "<a href="http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/podcasts/thisbirdinglife.php">This Birding Life</a>," which is sponsored by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ZEISSBirding/">Carl Zeiss Sports Optics</a> and <a href="http://www.rockjumperbirding.com/">Rockjumper Birding Tours</a>.</div>
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Some of the trips I take—both domestic and overseas—have room for other people to join me. One in particular, co-hosted by <a href="http://www.rockjumperbirding.com/">Rockjumper</a> and the <a href="http://www.aba.org/">American Birding Association</a>, is taking place in January of 2017, is a <a href="http://www.rockjumperbirding.com/tourinfo/aba-new-zealand-subantarctic-island-cruise/">New Zealand birding adventure.</a> A special invitation has been extended to "This Birding Life" podcast listeners to join us on this "trip of a lifetime!" New Zealand is so very close to Australia—my number one dream birding destination—and it has sheep instead of snakes! Bonus!</div>
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While on this fantastic trip, participants will be invited to be a part of a "This Birding Life" podcast episode. But the more appealing aspects of the trip are all the birds we'll see, the islands we'll visit, and the new friends we'll make.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdV35bp9PSST-5HP3ICSZhAh-WxohizaZ2uXiBmHl0EeqNZDop8KIPV7LMfM7cgQMLZeFvY2sVE6hRjsmK2CpeFV1ty5fGJq-V0DyaCvV30pdOn3Nbwl0QGOhxfp8-jUu5vFvVh0JTwg_k/s1600/ISR_6072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdV35bp9PSST-5HP3ICSZhAh-WxohizaZ2uXiBmHl0EeqNZDop8KIPV7LMfM7cgQMLZeFvY2sVE6hRjsmK2CpeFV1ty5fGJq-V0DyaCvV30pdOn3Nbwl0QGOhxfp8-jUu5vFvVh0JTwg_k/s320/ISR_6072.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BOTB birding in Israel in 2016.</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">I'll be posting more about the trip here and elsewhere, but for now, you can get more information on the Rockjumper Birding Tours site here:</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.rockjumperbirding.com/tourinfo/aba-new-zealand-subantarctic-island-cruise/">http://www.rockjumperbirding.com/tourinfo/aba-new-zealand-subantarctic-island-cruise/</a><br />
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Thanks for reading and I'll see you out there with the birds.<br />
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BT3<br />
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p.s. I'm sure you have your own Birding Trips Bucket List. If you want to share, please do so via the Comments section.</div>
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Bill of the Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16000245161006147448noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552045987668023231.post-67076081083700909972016-06-14T14:37:00.000-04:002016-06-14T14:37:36.970-04:00I Went for a Walk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPQLia_SUCTWUV7NYpa2p88mAYQHhPHo8X6NPkK8smHVuYew70oouGosfNMDowVmF8glGsOcXgyEobBDZyXev5ro6XJI1QrFT7sRGAmrsBbRuHyiI7zrdSnlaGknMucz_yZZXM5FFUJ8vA/s1600/IMG_3395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPQLia_SUCTWUV7NYpa2p88mAYQHhPHo8X6NPkK8smHVuYew70oouGosfNMDowVmF8glGsOcXgyEobBDZyXev5ro6XJI1QrFT7sRGAmrsBbRuHyiI7zrdSnlaGknMucz_yZZXM5FFUJ8vA/s400/IMG_3395.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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On Sunday late afternoon I went for a walk by myself. I'd been on a five-mile hike earlier in the day with Julie and two old friends visiting from central Ohio. The morning hike was birdy and fun: ceruleans and rose-breasts, dogs splashing in the creek. This evening walk (not hike) was just to decompress.<br />
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Taking a walk works for me.<br />
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I'm not someone who naturally finds time to relax. In fact, I need to <i>make</i> myself take some downtime every so often. The normal mode for me, it seems, has always been go-go-go. I see something that needs to be done and I move to take care of it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQuW9Vd0cuwnbOCDYV_87THCCXjMlNtoj1N4B_i9Z1PeDQkGQrMhRDyOBZuGSoh38cjv2oX1V4I5QXSBIm7F_6w-ZU3hvEc85WBZcZAUtrKoEGlnHX76_73ynQNGW7m599sr2irwvo5FGS/s1600/Working+in+Garden.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQuW9Vd0cuwnbOCDYV_87THCCXjMlNtoj1N4B_i9Z1PeDQkGQrMhRDyOBZuGSoh38cjv2oX1V4I5QXSBIm7F_6w-ZU3hvEc85WBZcZAUtrKoEGlnHX76_73ynQNGW7m599sr2irwvo5FGS/s400/Working+in+Garden.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
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While doing so I uncover or discover several other things needing some attention and move to them. Pretty soon a day is used up and gone. Never to return. Some days I feel a sense of accomplishment—"I got a lot done today!" Other days I'm frustrated at the lack of a measured, linear progression. Those are the days when I feel like a hummingbird flitting from blossom to flower, never staying long in one place, never perching to rest, burning up all the fuel I take in just to keep on flying and eating.<br />
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That seems like an expensive, not very centered, way to live. <br />
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Adding to my need to find a bit of peace on a meandering walk is the ever-present bombardment of news, social media, email, text messages, push notifications, phone calls. It's head-in-a-blender maddening. Makes me want to find a cave somewhere and pull the boulder over the entrance. I keep looking on Air BnB for a furnished cave but have yet to find one.<br />
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I've never been much of a self-help-book reader. A chapter or two and my mind drifts away from the author's arc, no matter how deep and poetic. I mark my place with the best of intentions, close the book's covers (which are usually laden with praise-y blurbs from other self-help peddlars) and almost never return to discover the as-yet-unread pearls of wisdom.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5UlTTDJFK6HIzyIes963xNQXqHiIYcuS90FyQjA8fAcz4FWHYfNgnRGBdjOKKGLHijyD3xYTZ09pO7mpzBZ8Z_e4V4XdKFT6cxelSxf6XZ7Hso67dw-b5Im4vzb36stDp74nuk1WQPz_I/s1600/IMG_3427.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5UlTTDJFK6HIzyIes963xNQXqHiIYcuS90FyQjA8fAcz4FWHYfNgnRGBdjOKKGLHijyD3xYTZ09pO7mpzBZ8Z_e4V4XdKFT6cxelSxf6XZ7Hso67dw-b5Im4vzb36stDp74nuk1WQPz_I/s400/IMG_3427.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
Nope. A walk is what helps me. And a good night's sleep, which is something that is helped by a walk. Breathing deeply on the walk also helps me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCXo7p1FZTmAMV2RPqwnrxZeqVT_8OJ5EFG1EcWaA0g5-K9IuFyhCksZuCXL9HLTy0Dd2lmzc_Bcv0Z4jT60dGD_09l6Mw2HHLft7nDRSqGbZJZToK1Mohu0AZmguIX0NTg5IrChUl1t_k/s1600/IMG_3392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCXo7p1FZTmAMV2RPqwnrxZeqVT_8OJ5EFG1EcWaA0g5-K9IuFyhCksZuCXL9HLTy0Dd2lmzc_Bcv0Z4jT60dGD_09l6Mw2HHLft7nDRSqGbZJZToK1Mohu0AZmguIX0NTg5IrChUl1t_k/s400/IMG_3392.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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And not watching a gory episode of "Game of Thrones." That reduces the nocturnal teeth-grinding in general. Which leads to better sleep and fewer crowns—though not the Game-of-Thrones kind of crowns. The dental kind. [Hey! Look! I used "dental" and "kind" in a sentence fragment!]<br />
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Music also helps a lot, but that's the subject for another blog post. Just saying "another blog post" opens the stopcock on a small drip-feed of guilt for not keeping this blog going. I could make excuses, but who'd buy them? The honest answer is: I was busy going too fast in some other direction and I forgot. Blogs are like walks: it takes time to do them right.<br />
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Let's hope it's not too late. After all, it's later than we think.<br />
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But first, let's talk a walk...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhleucmpoz3CY_-tmeMbJw6dXKgWFABP9k7NBqyNnMKz64gFNaKBXHDkTPJV3sljrZTxp-mD1TAiHey1qtwn2LolBsKKFyPROMsfVHDPAf8hRWS9oYoO175iXKATcUa9NVrHmsxvGfxvvKQ/s1600/IMG_3355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhleucmpoz3CY_-tmeMbJw6dXKgWFABP9k7NBqyNnMKz64gFNaKBXHDkTPJV3sljrZTxp-mD1TAiHey1qtwn2LolBsKKFyPROMsfVHDPAf8hRWS9oYoO175iXKATcUa9NVrHmsxvGfxvvKQ/s400/IMG_3355.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<br />Bill of the Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16000245161006147448noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552045987668023231.post-17939005636838164542016-03-24T12:21:00.000-04:002016-05-09T20:12:12.704-04:00River of Birds in the Sky, Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1lSzq4PNXa4xRG4NQM3nQJ0whcUWQ3fcti287Y8tIhrQhW2Vrw1-pOIQpPNUnIIhsAHaQG2WPqv5aA9YodClidRvL4dsys9ROPayFrW5TYAVCM0i6Zth8aPRmt33Z0s3rXdMdH-9C5sb/s1600/Common+Crane+Flock+Twilight.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1lSzq4PNXa4xRG4NQM3nQJ0whcUWQ3fcti287Y8tIhrQhW2Vrw1-pOIQpPNUnIIhsAHaQG2WPqv5aA9YodClidRvL4dsys9ROPayFrW5TYAVCM0i6Zth8aPRmt33Z0s3rXdMdH-9C5sb/s400/Common+Crane+Flock+Twilight.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Bird migration is starting all around the world. This year I'm migrating myself—over to the Middle East to take part in <a href="http://www.champions-of-the-flyway.com/">Champions of the Flyway</a> in Eilat, Israel. Teams of birders are competing to raise money to help <a href="http://www.birdlife.org/">BirdLife International</a> stop the illegal killing of migrant birds along the Mediterranean/Black Sea flyway.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PBpqVpA71_jCCv3Rel84JRDgMeA3BQODy_FytjGkp7dr71y_4az99SOpcGvX2ES2ShttMbN32keHjEWpNd4PLN-TPazAA0kBBmJ20m0dEhMYlYRz5ItI-UeXHWX9nRxyk2yhtYDfdFOo/s1600/COTF+logo-black-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PBpqVpA71_jCCv3Rel84JRDgMeA3BQODy_FytjGkp7dr71y_4az99SOpcGvX2ES2ShttMbN32keHjEWpNd4PLN-TPazAA0kBBmJ20m0dEhMYlYRz5ItI-UeXHWX9nRxyk2yhtYDfdFOo/s320/COTF+logo-black-1.jpg" width="249" /></a></div>
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This year the funds we raise will be going to the <a href="http://www.ornithologiki.gr/index.php?loc=en">Hellenic Ornithological Society,</a> the BirdLife partner in Greece.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirKtU6CcAmkPOLYPykdMOaWwfkARVUDSrKNM_woNkq9LpkP55DPy_C2qBTr_3Vgu8nnq73AhTyCeFNaXcqHfLnyaba57Z8f4RtQofyso3rNYgxYWEVFCVs15432UOMkunHSFbASinAXNQx/s1600/HOS_team_group_photo-300x209.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirKtU6CcAmkPOLYPykdMOaWwfkARVUDSrKNM_woNkq9LpkP55DPy_C2qBTr_3Vgu8nnq73AhTyCeFNaXcqHfLnyaba57Z8f4RtQofyso3rNYgxYWEVFCVs15432UOMkunHSFbASinAXNQx/s1600/HOS_team_group_photo-300x209.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hellenic Ornithological Society team members.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The 2016 Champions teams have already raised more than the original goal of $50,000, but now we're trying to see how much we can raise.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUE_EjFc0Cw-QVNeZE_1JTDgU9xKLq4_BtjiUsz6hufb-BKv1hNTvBLMq-6JZY8B0hcHvph-gD8EHCyK_q1Uurm9l1d4aVTUshuGKed4Mvhl0Z5IjEITENXNFErV9hbtbd2mZ8UyYZce-6/s1600/Coursers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUE_EjFc0Cw-QVNeZE_1JTDgU9xKLq4_BtjiUsz6hufb-BKv1hNTvBLMq-6JZY8B0hcHvph-gD8EHCyK_q1Uurm9l1d4aVTUshuGKed4Mvhl0Z5IjEITENXNFErV9hbtbd2mZ8UyYZce-6/s400/Coursers.png" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Way-Off Coursers official logo.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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You can learn all about this event, the teams, the causes, and so on, on the <a href="http://www.champions-of-the-flyway.com/">Champions website</a>.<br />
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At this moment, I am sitting in the Turkish Airlines area of JFK airport, preparing to fly to Israel by way of Istanbul, for the start of the week of activities for Champions of the Flyway. From here on out, most of my communications on the event will likely be via social media. You can follow the hashtag #COTF2016 on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can see updates on my social media channels and on those of <i>Bird Watcher's Digest</i>.<br />
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Let me leave you with the lyrics I wrote for this year's Champions event, "River of Birds in the Sky." You can hear the recording of the song and <a href="http://www.champions-of-the-flyway.com/river-birds-official-champions-flyway-anthem/">watch the video we made, on the Champions site</a>, and on the BWD YouTube channel.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L278ZUkgP_I" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Thanks to those of you who supported our team (or another Champions team) this year. it's not too late to become a Champions yourself by <a href="http://www.champions-of-the-flyway.com/the-way-off-coursers/">contributing directly</a>, or by <a href="http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/champions">buying an official shirt</a> from our Champions team, the <a href="http://www.champions-of-the-flyway.com/the-way-off-coursers/">Way-Off Coursers</a>, sponsored by <a href="http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/"><i>Bird Watcher's Digest</i></a> and <a href="http://www.zeiss.com/sports-optics/en_us/nature/home.html">Carl Zeiss Sports Optics</a>.<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">River of Birds
in the Sky</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">(for Champions of the
Flyway)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Verse 1.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
For 10,000 years and more it’s been flowing this river of
birds in the sky</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Generations of people have watched it in awe and it still
brings a tear to my eye</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">V 2.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Flying south in the fall and back north in the spring these
millions must move to survive</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Perils and dangers upon every side it’s a wonder any make it
alive</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bridge</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
There are some with traps and guns who wait along the way</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Birds are passing <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the guns are blasting<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span> it’s such a crying shame</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">V 3.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Drawn by the seasons’ irresistible call <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>migrating from East and West</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Some fly by day and others at night, <span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>but all run this gauntlet of death</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bridge</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Birds flying free know no borders, you see. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>No one can claim them alone</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
This great migration over dozens of nations<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Let’s help them safely get home</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Chorus</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Flying so free, soaring high<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>A
river of birds in the sky</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
We can help them you and I<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>the
river of birds in the sky</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">V 6.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
These senseless traditions, like many before, must soon go
the way of all things</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
We’re the Champions of the Flyway my friend and our hope it
is carried on wings</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bridge</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
A silent spring—what an awful thing—but what can one person
do?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
You can become a Champion, we’re all counting on you</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Chorus</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Flying so free, soaring high<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>A
river of birds in the sky</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
We can help them you and I<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>the
river of birds in the sky</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Flying so free, soaring high<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Millions
of birds in the sky</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Still brings a tear to my eye<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>A river of birds in the sky</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align: center; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">—<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Bill Thompson III, Whipple,
Ohio, November 2015</span></i></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAcdPt5cwHm6LpeqPBNpVGUlY_dw5tmpa-R-bwfO3EogmYHNSXsXdCTPPUNi9dsoZD0UI9gw2W5NWe-RgQfyDu_YsvS_C5bmeFFTdp0KcsOUj3MOQwLpBPJr82kA8GnpUbKVWAZjVSwT8A/s1600/BT3+with+Gibson+Jumbo+in+Studio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAcdPt5cwHm6LpeqPBNpVGUlY_dw5tmpa-R-bwfO3EogmYHNSXsXdCTPPUNi9dsoZD0UI9gw2W5NWe-RgQfyDu_YsvS_C5bmeFFTdp0KcsOUj3MOQwLpBPJr82kA8GnpUbKVWAZjVSwT8A/s320/BT3+with+Gibson+Jumbo+in+Studio.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Bill of the Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16000245161006147448noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552045987668023231.post-87285587633681619112016-02-06T10:22:00.001-05:002016-02-06T10:40:56.995-05:00River of Birds in the Sky<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmLadmUuIwZTojZME-iZsBVB2I2yKKQ5EULu4iSwleq-0VL3PtaW6RWTRs6hWSFosj1L0BKNeBl-7gB50wMjKs6EpWc6jSI12tFRCm2BJvf_WGl_JevbRRZzJeP2XRcjgW0cLfojvlUjRc/s1600/Turtle_Dove.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmLadmUuIwZTojZME-iZsBVB2I2yKKQ5EULu4iSwleq-0VL3PtaW6RWTRs6hWSFosj1L0BKNeBl-7gB50wMjKs6EpWc6jSI12tFRCm2BJvf_WGl_JevbRRZzJeP2XRcjgW0cLfojvlUjRc/s400/Turtle_Dove.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">European turtle-doves are shot by the thousands annually in Greece.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;">Did you know that an estimated 20 million birds are killed each year while
migrating along the Mediterranean-Black Sea flyway? These birds are not dying
of natural causes. They are shot, trapped, netted, and captured by glue smeared
onto branches. This devastating "harvest" of wild birds is done by
people in the name of tradition. Birds are shot for sport. They are netted and
lured into traps for local markets where they are sold as food considered by
some to be a delicacy.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE-OBIKu2qWwiQRGUYs-fTullqza9raSnCqWnFthPG29pFtIiJRqPh_hN7qSCuvYY_tNLcT9srKqVkUyDsig6g1e4zs5YyJIfdsvwG9ojHcVKy3eH4rbUoM3UV42WkxO2OzQCL3cxogNnc/s1600/BeeeaterNet.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE-OBIKu2qWwiQRGUYs-fTullqza9raSnCqWnFthPG29pFtIiJRqPh_hN7qSCuvYY_tNLcT9srKqVkUyDsig6g1e4zs5YyJIfdsvwG9ojHcVKy3eH4rbUoM3UV42WkxO2OzQCL3cxogNnc/s400/BeeeaterNet.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A European bee-eater trapped in a net.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjcCdlPSZhVHRDNkgY39AuXFsXaQuwm6stzQ3nTZVG36G4bRy4hb3ZUo3OgSHKwTTVpscp6C2V5QuUcDlrJ4RcTUhJ-M5xJQxmvBYgPRZEEV9H9QcvvidpGHrQvBlcDVuIhEhBfTK0eRN2/s1600/black+kites+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjcCdlPSZhVHRDNkgY39AuXFsXaQuwm6stzQ3nTZVG36G4bRy4hb3ZUo3OgSHKwTTVpscp6C2V5QuUcDlrJ4RcTUhJ-M5xJQxmvBYgPRZEEV9H9QcvvidpGHrQvBlcDVuIhEhBfTK0eRN2/s400/black+kites+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black kites in migration.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCKLU3V96wB9iQdmAAiHH_XUXvc3EliNp3eTmErtDmX608Si1MZmuGB64_U8Q7HRR2dm-ebXijdxek2WfE3cL8mD9AKrwTq8RGhrRwlsCRj0jvfHMVOc8x9PZYpZ5G9SpZRc1bafQBQWa/s1600/Zakynthos_illegal_shooting_hide_%25C2%25A9HOS+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCKLU3V96wB9iQdmAAiHH_XUXvc3EliNp3eTmErtDmX608Si1MZmuGB64_U8Q7HRR2dm-ebXijdxek2WfE3cL8mD9AKrwTq8RGhrRwlsCRj0jvfHMVOc8x9PZYpZ5G9SpZRc1bafQBQWa/s400/Zakynthos_illegal_shooting_hide_%25C2%25A9HOS+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An illegal shooting blind in Greece. ©Hellenic Ornithological Society.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">I'm sure you're as horrified as I am to learn this. But you may also be
thinking "Those people way over there in the Mediterranean region are
nuts! That would never happen here in the U.S!"</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqVoYiDrWEu5U7D4k-V_yUbXP98SC1e23Np7jDaDcOE5hS8hFIlonJEvipri2xGapBj6yITbYB3zDl2qCv1NUKJ5Tj154_Cll4SLNznqDyKc678tWMx859IEU1FW1NUv-epeXt_bh_Zay/s1600/flyway_graphic1.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqVoYiDrWEu5U7D4k-V_yUbXP98SC1e23Np7jDaDcOE5hS8hFIlonJEvipri2xGapBj6yITbYB3zDl2qCv1NUKJ5Tj154_Cll4SLNznqDyKc678tWMx859IEU1FW1NUv-epeXt_bh_Zay/s320/flyway_graphic1.png" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mediterranean flyway connects Eurasia, the Middle East, and Africa. ©BirdLife International</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">And, you'd be wrong.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Humans have always had a love-hate relationship with birds—especially with
birds that occur is such large concentrations that there seems to be a
never-ending supply. Think passenger pigeon. What was once the most numerous
species on the planet was reduced—from billions to none—in the span of a single
human generation.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ1MAcT_9Cq9tATkcC4hP2CUO60Vm_4JgFrSbalUcQGx0dY-fjhmZdN09AkIaOCZG8iYOcX3VO3xc5vjcXAlWvCy2eq1rZcoYnauTZ64pGszIj1XxrJ1Z9_UP29DMYczl-hksKDyvgnqrX/s1600/deadhawks.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ1MAcT_9Cq9tATkcC4hP2CUO60Vm_4JgFrSbalUcQGx0dY-fjhmZdN09AkIaOCZG8iYOcX3VO3xc5vjcXAlWvCy2eq1rZcoYnauTZ64pGszIj1XxrJ1Z9_UP29DMYczl-hksKDyvgnqrX/s400/deadhawks.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dead hawks shot along the Kittatinny Ridge near Hawk Mountain. ©Hawk Mountain Sanctuary</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;">Men with shotguns used to line the Kittatinny Ridge in eastern Pennsylvania
just to shoot the passing hawks in the fall. They'd shoot so many of these
"vermin" that they'd pose proudly standing next to a pile of
carcasses. It used to happen in Cape May, too, during fall migration. And
elsewhere, I'm sure. Anywhere there were large concentrations of birds you'd
have somebody there with guns, having themselves a good old time.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Those days are gone now, here in North America. But they still are alive and
well in countries such as Cyprus, Greece, Malta, and even in France and Italy,
where this repulsive tradition continues. I'm not talking about legitimate
hunting here. I'm talking about people shooting hawks and storks and cranes and
cuckoos and lapwings and nightjars—simply for the heck of it. It's illegal, yet
local authorities often turn a blind eye or cite their lack of jurisdiction on
private property.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhteaG9vQUO_eBfB0lCe_o9hGuIbDfDGVXCerCRAY55_99ZFa6uvNsC1hfgoJrWQgTKOXRzDWmvQ4FmfB-H9zpPec_S56d7snUMaCk1WzmnptJhcp3P7l_VFVikFBTsFp0iyES5HQZY8RCT/s1600/Bulbul_Greece.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhteaG9vQUO_eBfB0lCe_o9hGuIbDfDGVXCerCRAY55_99ZFa6uvNsC1hfgoJrWQgTKOXRzDWmvQ4FmfB-H9zpPec_S56d7snUMaCk1WzmnptJhcp3P7l_VFVikFBTsFp0iyES5HQZY8RCT/s400/Bulbul_Greece.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White-eared bulbul.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">There have been a number of campaigns against this illegal killing. One I've
recently become involved in was started by my friends Jonathan Meyrav and Dan Alon of the
Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI), with assistance from
BirdLife International. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Israel sits at the bottleneck of the migration route
between Eurasia and Africa, which makes it a world-class birding hotspot. And
while none of the shooting or trapping happens in Israel, it does in many of
the other countries along the flyway.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="51" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqDKfoT6WPHqv2lMAZlGrkCLHUEaAWnETcjeL0qQG0wtmFvWYVsXVABPqV1SMO7sCWOb8FApPrjm82lq1RkuyZzseaq1YEgSjfjHeUoZfE1J_y0vzUUuxxdTUHw0lxl-VfD15QS-dfeCIA/s400/COTF-logo-900-2016.jpg" width="400" /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Jonathan and his colleagues at SPNI came up with the idea of a birding
competition during spring migration in Eilat, Israel's southernmost city. They
called it Champions of the Flyway and invited teams from all over the world to
come to compete for a number of prize categories. You can learn all about the <a href="http://www.champions-of-the-flyway.com/">Champions of the Flyway here on
the event website</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy84nW1NVWA_0uD_QENGZ_QRGj7IaV-NRyJkqJ2qhCIRwLzsFbgcozAl7egegI0x5XQmQRVAcA2eFFJSJLFh9QsCKymimFDy3kzgSmQWuijzDgEyeGN1Qr1YFPCYu6o2973M-EBCaawASC/s1600/COTF+Birders+on+Eilat+Beach.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy84nW1NVWA_0uD_QENGZ_QRGj7IaV-NRyJkqJ2qhCIRwLzsFbgcozAl7egegI0x5XQmQRVAcA2eFFJSJLFh9QsCKymimFDy3kzgSmQWuijzDgEyeGN1Qr1YFPCYu6o2973M-EBCaawASC/s400/COTF+Birders+on+Eilat+Beach.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teams scouting for the 2014 Champions race.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjto_5jp71f43WFIEYl40pUBVM4CRIXRkgr-P_n7o0ERL5tv9Hi7BLWiwdZGZDIOwgLH-HhCl9PyhZ_dGSWTYJn0OuCfCMw360_ANsj73di1yuApYm7s-HWB9QC4tWMWVtycpdQFhRPOJQ5/s1600/COTF+WOC+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQbvEeBaO9RW4W2OLU4-M6Y6973x9Tvh571SDsDKPjXIPrEu-98c4YrME5gkIxmXnhj0R9QkPSDESAFXUwdHKoQAEVPtVuUpHs1m7P-RNuHXY9m69cNsOjSNygjQDHRuQ3vJbjes5BpYwz/s1600/COTF+George+BWD+Car.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">Most importantly, the Champions event was designed to raise money through
online donations and corporate sponsorship, all of which goes to a single
BirdLife partner along the flyway each year for use in the battle against the
illegal killing of wild birds. In 2014, the money went to the <a href="http://www.champions-of-the-flyway.com/cause/2014-project-georgia/">Bird
Conservation Georgia</a> in the former Soviet republic. In 2015, the cause was <a href="http://www.champions-of-the-flyway.com/cause/2015-project-cyprus/">BirdLife
Cyprus</a>. And in 2016, it's the BirdLife partner in Greece, the <a href="http://www.birdlife.org/europe-and-central-asia/partners/greece-hellenic-ornithological-society-hos">Hellenic
Ornithological Society</a>.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">I took a team over to the inaugural Champions event in Eilat in 2014 and had
a great time. Our team, the Way-off Coursers, raised more than $3,000 for the
conservation fund. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjto_5jp71f43WFIEYl40pUBVM4CRIXRkgr-P_n7o0ERL5tv9Hi7BLWiwdZGZDIOwgLH-HhCl9PyhZ_dGSWTYJn0OuCfCMw360_ANsj73di1yuApYm7s-HWB9QC4tWMWVtycpdQFhRPOJQ5/s1600/COTF+WOC+2014.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjto_5jp71f43WFIEYl40pUBVM4CRIXRkgr-P_n7o0ERL5tv9Hi7BLWiwdZGZDIOwgLH-HhCl9PyhZ_dGSWTYJn0OuCfCMw360_ANsj73di1yuApYm7s-HWB9QC4tWMWVtycpdQFhRPOJQ5/s400/COTF+WOC+2014.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The BWD Champions Team in 2014: George Armistead, Michael O'Brien, yours truly, and Ben Lizdas (behind the camera).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">I missed the 2015 event. But when my good friend Jonathan
Meyrav asked me to write a song for this year's Champions of the Flyway, I
couldn't say no.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">After a lot of writing and a bit of cogitating, a song began to take shape.
The result is "River of Birds in the Sky," an anthem for the birds and for their Champions.
I recorded the song with my band, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/The-Rain-Crows-166591416686605/">The Rain Crows</a>, and with the help of some
special birder-musician friends—in fact everyone who helped record the song is
a birder! I am incredibly pleased with the song and the video we put together
to accompany it. Here's the video and song.</span><br />
<iframe width="420" height="236" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L278ZUkgP_I" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">So the <a href="http://www.champions-of-the-flyway.com/the-way-off-coursers/">Way-off Coursers</a> are back, and we're truly honored and excited about
participating in this year's Champions of the Flyway competition. We've decided
to do a Big Sit in Eilat's famous birdwatching park. We're going to conserve
resources (ours included) and let the birds come to us.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">If you'd like to help us reach our goal to raise $5,000 to help stop illegal
killing along the Mediterranean flyway, please <a href="http://www.champions-of-the-flyway.com/the-way-off-coursers/">visit our team page</a> on the
Champions website. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">You can watch the
v<a href="http://bit.ly/20zGM5W">ideo and listen to the song for free right here</a>. Or, on the <i>Bird Watcher's Digest</i> website, you can <a href="http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/help-save-migratory-birds.php?sc=BOTB">purchase
an mp3 download of "River of Birds in the Sky" for just 99 cents</a>.
Every penny we raise will go directly to the Champions conservation fund. This year's Champions conservation cause is aimed at stopping the illegal killing of birds in Greece, working with the BirdLife partner there, the <a href="http://www.ornithologiki.gr/index.php?loc=en">Hellenic Ornithological Society</a>.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">You can follow along during our Big Sit on Twitter (@billofthebirds,
@bwdmag, @flywaychampions, #COTF2016, #riverofbirds) and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bill.i.thompson.12">Facebook</a>. We'll
appreciate any sharing you can do and any contribution you can make. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">After all,
we're all in it to help the birds.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Peace, love, and a river of birds in the sky.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Bill</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigJtdDnIbzGPrjmnus9Jqru10WuOMG1SjO7dtbRHJ2QGS6qp9ZknHt0WiXxGBidbCs_9pK7MCdZkxivn1EmXEQHEjq20M6L1nVmFZdilPVks6iBcE-rtYsCQRmOg7yOG4_ly9k46eY2mab/s1600/Cranes+against+sunset+Hula.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigJtdDnIbzGPrjmnus9Jqru10WuOMG1SjO7dtbRHJ2QGS6qp9ZknHt0WiXxGBidbCs_9pK7MCdZkxivn1EmXEQHEjq20M6L1nVmFZdilPVks6iBcE-rtYsCQRmOg7yOG4_ly9k46eY2mab/s400/Cranes+against+sunset+Hula.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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Bill of the Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16000245161006147448noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552045987668023231.post-73714119309547566462016-01-30T17:34:00.002-05:002016-01-30T17:34:46.193-05:00Winter Day DoingsToday was unseasonably warm, even in this warmest of winters on record. Temps were projected to hit the high-60s in mid-afternoon, so I planned accordingly and started in on the mountain of laundry from my recent travels. What a gift to be able to hang out laundry on a sunny winter day.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3GfTJvJBoYimwkXqcAe9JKYzxsAQ0XdhLz91OuhWbOxpSgoJFzR0sLK406b6lc9ONxQtCXKsSDeCcYpzJo-9oz3xXsq2pTKCYrohSNpkeUGAU9chkKQTqHdWgQOX260kbvhO2hEmHTcpa/s1600/IMG_0847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3GfTJvJBoYimwkXqcAe9JKYzxsAQ0XdhLz91OuhWbOxpSgoJFzR0sLK406b6lc9ONxQtCXKsSDeCcYpzJo-9oz3xXsq2pTKCYrohSNpkeUGAU9chkKQTqHdWgQOX260kbvhO2hEmHTcpa/s320/IMG_0847.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Between the breeze, low humidity, and the warm sun, my three loads of clean clothes were dry in less than an hour. Now if they'd just learn to put themselves away...<br />
<br />
The warm, sunny morning reminded me of spring, which reminded me of baseball, which reminded me of an annual pilgrimage I make each spring with my daughter Phoebe. We go to Florida to see our beloved Pittsburgh Pirates in spring training in Bradenton, Florida. Phoebe goes to college in Maine, so, when her spring break coincides with spring training games in Florida, we pinkie-swear to each other that we're going. This year we're taking Phoebe's "little" brother Liam (who at six feet tall now towers over Phoebe). Liam wants to go to spring training because Phoebe will be there. Not so much because he's a baseball fanatic on the level of his sister and his dad. That's OK. We'll have a good time. I booked the tickets, which for me is a true sign of spring.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTaKIalJAIw4nR_kE-ben9FoBEqFNA0o1ySpK4Z-dDSd4zHvhcDQEFNr7_5EB8gdrbEn_DfQh1D9bcZRRtaEwgyHAwFA8tg69Pxuk2LL3_zC5htOuTEqmYsKDqzci_RNAjK2X956GN4KFJ/s1600/Liam+and+Phoebe+with+Pirate+Parrot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTaKIalJAIw4nR_kE-ben9FoBEqFNA0o1ySpK4Z-dDSd4zHvhcDQEFNr7_5EB8gdrbEn_DfQh1D9bcZRRtaEwgyHAwFA8tg69Pxuk2LL3_zC5htOuTEqmYsKDqzci_RNAjK2X956GN4KFJ/s320/Liam+and+Phoebe+with+Pirate+Parrot.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We've been going to Pirates' games for years now.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
After noon passed and the day just kept getting more and more beautiful I could not stay inside any longer, so I suited up for a hike.<br />
<br />
We had two feet of dry, powdery snow fall a bit more than a week ago. Lots of it still lingers in the places where the direct sun doesn't fall. The snow outside the back door was strewn with birch seeds, broken apart from their tiny-cigar-shaped clusters by wind and birds I assume. It looked like an overzealous waiter had run around the yard with a pepper grinder. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pepper snow.</td></tr>
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Out the orchard path I went, headed straight West as if commanded, though I am no longer a "young man." Out in the orchard are some places I like to visit. The skeletal remnants of our last sweat lodge, made from saplings and grapevines and the attendant fire circle are there. Some squat poplar logs, used for seats (too punky to burn) and a pile of future bonfire wood are there, too.<br />
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Off to the left is the spot where my dad is buried. He died five years ago this week and I still miss him so much. I like to come out here and sit on the bench near his grave and talk to him about what's going on. These places are touchstones on my renewal loop which I try to walk as often as possible.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Squatch prints.</td></tr>
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The sudden warm temps and re-freezing night had done amazing things to the tracks of deer—rendering them the size of sasquatch prints. Or, as the <a href="http://www.destinationamerica.com/tv-shows/mountain-monsters/">ultra-hick reality show guys from West Virginia</a>, would say, "Them's the prints of the Ahhiya grassman!"<br />
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It's hard not to yank out the phone to take a photo every 30 seconds/30 steps when the landscape is half covered in snow and drowning in sunlight. I must remind myself to be in the moment and let the phone stay put in the pocket. </div>
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The nuthatches and titmice were tuning up. I could see pair of them flitting through the sumac and honeysuckle tangles. Pileated woodpecker drum circles let their presence be known from deep in the woods. It's the leading edge of spring. Won't be long now before the nesting season begins. I scanned the patches of grass for woodcock chalk—droppings left behind by a foraging timberdoodle.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Might be last year's nest, but all the boxes showed signs of use by roosting birds.</td></tr>
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The sky sang a spring song too, with high wispy clouds. I could tell, however, that without a gray blanket of clouds above, tonight would be quite chilly.<br />
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I've got a busy slate of travel coming up over the next few months, so it was sweet to reconnect with these acres we call home by walking along its slushy, slippery paths. o smell of spring on the air quite yet. When that happens, I know that we've chased winter for good for another loop around the sun.<br />
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What a great day. If all winter days were like this, I bet fewer people would get the winter blues and blahs.<br />
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Thanks for coming along. Let's do it again. <br />
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<br />Bill of the Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16000245161006147448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552045987668023231.post-21984610779925305762015-12-29T13:09:00.001-05:002015-12-29T13:09:19.270-05:00New Podcast Episode: "Backyard Rarity, Part One"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ee;">Western flycatcher. ©Bill Thompson III</span></td></tr>
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On Sunday, December 13, just after noon, I was dumping a bucket of vegetable scraps on our
compost pile next to our garage when a small, weird-looking, greenish
bird flitted up from the brushy thicket in front of me. It was a small flycatcher, like an Acadian flycatcher, but the field marks didn't fit. In fact, the more I looked at this bird, just 10 feet away (naked eye—I wasn't wearing binocs) the more I realized that it was something completely different.<br />
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It had a rounded crest at the back of the head. It had an oblong-shaped, bright white eyering. It had buffy wingbars. It's breast and belly were a yellowish-green. It was flicking its wings and jetting its tail. Its large-looking bill had a pale lower mandible. And it was in southeastern Ohio in mid-December, when most North American flycatchers should be somewhere in the tropics.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqjmHJ4auZg-w4HiYvZHmt-_IgF5PwfLlyPUdJGPfnwD1fDQE5MmW9zdT0pBP8ouPH2lWXfp-1-BpcOkvom_jh-6ERSnGeuNzbSzHbJpBl4kA2cbpKhyXEY6O3k0g_IiHwS73OIBsuXcW/s1600/Flycatcher+peaked+head%252C+chest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqjmHJ4auZg-w4HiYvZHmt-_IgF5PwfLlyPUdJGPfnwD1fDQE5MmW9zdT0pBP8ouPH2lWXfp-1-BpcOkvom_jh-6ERSnGeuNzbSzHbJpBl4kA2cbpKhyXEY6O3k0g_IiHwS73OIBsuXcW/s320/Flycatcher+peaked+head%252C+chest.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The bird moved and I bolted inside for binocs, a camera, and Julie. We raced back out and, after a few panicked moments, re-found the bird. After some wild conjectures, we finally came to the conclusion that this was an Empidonax flycatcher. After we eliminated all the eastern Empids, we moved on to the western ones and BAM! Arrived at the western flycatcher complex, a single species that was split in 1989 into two distinct species: Pacific-slope flycatcher and cordilleran flycatcher.<br />
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And that's when the fun really began. The latest episode of my <i>This Birding Life</i> podcast, "Backyard Rarity, Part One," covers the experience of finding, identifying, and sharing of this rare bird. Give it a listen for free at <a href="http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/podcasts/thisbirdinglife.php">Podcast Central</a>, or on the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/this-birding-life-bird-watchers/id215154836?mt=2">iTunes podcast channel</a>.<br />
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<i>This Birding Life </i>is hosted by <a href="http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/"><i>Bird Watcher's Digest</i></a> and sponsored by <a href="http://www.facebook.com/zeissbirding">Carl Zeiss Sports Optics</a> and <a href="http://www.rockjumperbirding.com/">Rockjumper Worldwide Birding Adventures</a>.<br />
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<br />Bill of the Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16000245161006147448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552045987668023231.post-20020413918982293472015-12-09T09:58:00.001-05:002015-12-09T09:58:18.812-05:00My Love of Fire<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-r48LN0EEZC4-fn2-4ZWysL13Qh-hVybcVDSgcFytAuxKwDZgLYsgbxQWdhlBTi8T89fP1kqGBQn9jJFfQzUra1w3tOx9x_4_pVuh8sIFXMl2xPz43QY0oMvPZb-XfYciv_c5IljJgzc/s1600/Cavemen+at+Fire.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-r48LN0EEZC4-fn2-4ZWysL13Qh-hVybcVDSgcFytAuxKwDZgLYsgbxQWdhlBTi8T89fP1kqGBQn9jJFfQzUra1w3tOx9x_4_pVuh8sIFXMl2xPz43QY0oMvPZb-XfYciv_c5IljJgzc/s640/Cavemen+at+Fire.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
Though I always enjoy an outside bonfire, there's something primal in the desire for making fire when the weather turns colder. Perhaps it's a way, rooted in our cave-dwelling origins, to lengthen the dwindling winter days. Some people rely on full-spectrum light bulbs to chase away the winter blues. I use fire.<br />
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Our house has a grand fireplace in the living room. But it was designed for looks, not function. The smoke box is too small to draw effectively, and so trying to burn wood in the fireplace merely results in turning our house into a giant wood smoker. We have gas logs now in the fireplace, but because our gas comes right out the ground from our well, it burns dirty and leaves a lot of black carbon on all surrounding surfaces. So it is used sparingly. Often only when our power is out and the furnace blowers won't work. Or on special occasions, like Christmas.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gas logs in our fireplace.</td></tr>
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So I make fire outside every chance I get this time of year. If I can combine cooking with the fire, even better. But I <i>must have fire</i>.<br />
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Lucky for me I live on 80 acres of wooded paradise in southeastern Ohio, so I've got plenty of free, already downed wood, and lots of room to make a fire circle. For fires close to home, I use an old tractor tire rim as an enclosure. Farther afield I use whatever rocks are available to create a safe circle for burning. I never burn in the woods when it's been dry. Wherever I burn, I clear away all natural material that could potentially become fuel. Safety first, always.<br />
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Finding myself home both days of this past weekend, I knew I'd have to answer my caveman urge and make fire. Son Liam is now my caveman understudy and he helped me get the fires going on both nights. Sunday night's fire was especially enjoyable because the sunset was raging across the western horizon.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our house with a burning winter sunset.</td></tr>
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Here's what it looked like.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7ghN-EqyKDH_WIGyGhLqBOV8f_Wxm_Bnbi-H4O4KjxDcZxoglmDNwN2A_qrkuHShGI-Bs2Yp6St1w6ioqIkztUrwAl8gRvF68U-qQFa_kxc08Scz9hvMml44RAPxH-imCGBvUqmnQLWV/s1600/IMG_0244-1.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7ghN-EqyKDH_WIGyGhLqBOV8f_Wxm_Bnbi-H4O4KjxDcZxoglmDNwN2A_qrkuHShGI-Bs2Yp6St1w6ioqIkztUrwAl8gRvF68U-qQFa_kxc08Scz9hvMml44RAPxH-imCGBvUqmnQLWV/s400/IMG_0244-1.JPG" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1GGz9Dy_Fsd6VG0wQTe2FOXdx8i1eSKFurkEZ8f3S3Rav4Fo1hDMelueBOokNA-L8kbGAR5vsZR4gRnk7Syqyw6jHbvPJcNWIiqpT2ypyT0vXOGORpuM1eh7yeYQ_QbVVVhLzil1Q1lx4/s1600/IMG_0243-1.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1GGz9Dy_Fsd6VG0wQTe2FOXdx8i1eSKFurkEZ8f3S3Rav4Fo1hDMelueBOokNA-L8kbGAR5vsZR4gRnk7Syqyw6jHbvPJcNWIiqpT2ypyT0vXOGORpuM1eh7yeYQ_QbVVVhLzil1Q1lx4/s400/IMG_0243-1.JPG" width="300" /></a><br />
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I keep an old woodpile stocked nearby for just such occasions. Most of my fires are modest in size, so one or two logs tossed on top usually give us plenty of flame and heat—and just enough burn time to enjoy.<br />
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Liam and I have a long-standing tradition of cooking hotdogs over a bonfire. We do this at every opportunity. In fact, when Liam was just an handful of years old, we formed a secret society, The <a href="http://billofthebirds.blogspot.com/2007/04/we-are-hotdog-brothers.html">Hotdog Brothers</a>. And we held (and still do) our secret, guys-only meetings when our womenfolk were away. We're not beyond letting Phoebe or Julie sample a hotdog from our culinary gatherings. But <i>they must not be allowed to sing our sacred song</i>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2r4Dc3a4C3p5sjGBikXckf8gsaJZPgz41QAZxpTHL_2zPJr5zfyG8fLQhynOiB6nriLbTt9Hjfqty6_usoVk5Yvtg_9bp1MeLgU_EvTh22fnWQeZfcIJ4e4beOp3DniRIWkTd88xE0Dp/s1600/SunsetHotdogBros.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7MnLR6HxGe1Gy22QcNfItAl6ZKNVhH7ovTS5RpGHfN7WokhLXUdFqvuqYxNjWL1AyjEXe7Ggf8EExjeafFZ-5zztHUo4N2p6iflaRESMvsqXx2FOEihh_UBS9DWIVOBrvfNlviXqI8Cu/s320/Hotdogs.JPG" width="320" /> </a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An early meeting of The Hotdog Brothers.</td></tr>
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We heed the siren call of our tradition and of our Hotdog brethren gone before us, all the way back to the cave. We build fire. We gaze into the dancing flames and breathe the cold night air, tinged with wood smoke. We hear the coyotes and barred owls over the fire's crackling whispers. And all is good and right with the world.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-r48LN0EEZC4-fn2-4ZWysL13Qh-hVybcVDSgcFytAuxKwDZgLYsgbxQWdhlBTi8T89fP1kqGBQn9jJFfQzUra1w3tOx9x_4_pVuh8sIFXMl2xPz43QY0oMvPZb-XfYciv_c5IljJgzc/s1600/Cavemen+at+Fire.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-r48LN0EEZC4-fn2-4ZWysL13Qh-hVybcVDSgcFytAuxKwDZgLYsgbxQWdhlBTi8T89fP1kqGBQn9jJFfQzUra1w3tOx9x_4_pVuh8sIFXMl2xPz43QY0oMvPZb-XfYciv_c5IljJgzc/s640/Cavemen+at+Fire.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's Liam on the right in this photo by Julie. He's nearly as tall as I am now. But he still loves fire.</td></tr>
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<br />Bill of the Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16000245161006147448noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552045987668023231.post-80588027497199298342015-11-10T11:45:00.000-05:002015-11-10T12:26:28.052-05:00Events SwirlwindAs you can see from the embarrassingly long time gap between my last BOTB post (other than son Liam's birthday salute) and this one, I've been otherwise occupied, mostly with events.<br />
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Going back to August... first there was the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/The-Rain-Crows-166591416686605/?ref=br_rs">Rain Crows'</a> weekend-long tour of Columbus, Ohio. We played the fabulous Birds, Bands, and Beer fundraiser event for the <a href="http://grangeinsuranceauduboncenter.org/">Grange Insurance Audubon Center</a>. It was a glorious night of music under the stars. The next night we played a private party at the <a href="https://columbuszoo.org/">Columbus Zoo</a> for our pals Kim & Amy. It was a combined birthday/retirement party for these gals and the riverfront pavilion was jammed with their friends. We jammed, too, as black-crowned night herons flew overhead in the evening glow. Our favorite fiddle player Jessie Munson joined us for these two shows, flying in from Memphis for the occasion. It was heaven on a stick.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimHvx15xNBSgSSm5wMFoiUcc-b7gDs0qDrYIhabzQt-R1q7DYwuxpRYKCU6RHUp98UWt3BPSMIbZ-8xPI6HmqVAGrHNOkGvrbHDKmdOBRtfIAaC31egNgQmMLlKUNaAPfimzEwP5hFoBY6/s1600/RainCrowsatBBB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimHvx15xNBSgSSm5wMFoiUcc-b7gDs0qDrYIhabzQt-R1q7DYwuxpRYKCU6RHUp98UWt3BPSMIbZ-8xPI6HmqVAGrHNOkGvrbHDKmdOBRtfIAaC31egNgQmMLlKUNaAPfimzEwP5hFoBY6/s400/RainCrowsatBBB.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Rain Crows on stage at the Birds, Bands, & Beer event.</td></tr>
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Next for me was the <a href="http://www.birdfair.org.uk/">British Birdwatching Fair</a> at Rutland Water Reserve in central England. I've posted about the BirdFair before here on BOTB. But you can also get a feel for it from several of my podcast episodes. The BirdFair is a great event—the largest of its kind in the world. Every major birding destination, all the optics and gear and feeder and clothing and content and tour companies are there, along with artists, organizations, much more. Plus there's beer. My good buddy Tim Appleton is one of the co-founders of the event and seeing him is always a highlight. These days I go to see my friends from around the world as much as I go to do actual business. My main mission for the 2015 BirdFair was to let exhibitors know about the <a href="http://www.birdingexpo.com/">American Birding Expo</a> which was coming up just two months later. More on that in a moment.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visiting with my friends at BirdFair from INGUAT Guatemala.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The BirdFair raises funds for important bird conservation causes.</td></tr>
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A day after returning from the BirdFair, I was on my way to Jamestown, NY for a board meeting of the <a href="http://rtpi.org/">Roger Tory Peterson Institute</a>. I've just started my second board term for RTPI. This is something I do to help repay in some small part the incredible support and many contributions Roger Peterson made to our family business, <a href="http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/"><i>Bird Watcher's Digest</i></a>. He was an early mentor to us and, later, a regular columnist for our magazine. RTPI carries on his legacy of sharing the joys of birds and nature. Supporting RTPI by <a href="https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/rtpi?code=RTPI%20Website">becoming a member</a> is a fantastic way of "paying it forward" to the next generation of birders and naturalists.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ-WjQ_SgNi6OwQQw-Cpt6dAeVPj_OuvTMfJ1HFDiaIJQqHSEXZKc27WKyVAg_iFWYulhXPNuMTxDIaSVxZyNm3y9DVhkyHYYZGy3Z_TO0QBZcPIYswNDjrWtAK-MBVfATh4VNJoOUFQlD/s1600/RTP+Studio.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ-WjQ_SgNi6OwQQw-Cpt6dAeVPj_OuvTMfJ1HFDiaIJQqHSEXZKc27WKyVAg_iFWYulhXPNuMTxDIaSVxZyNm3y9DVhkyHYYZGy3Z_TO0QBZcPIYswNDjrWtAK-MBVfATh4VNJoOUFQlD/s320/RTP+Studio.jpg" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roger Tory Peterson.</td></tr>
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Also part of the weekend was the opening of the <a href="http://www.societyofanimalartists.com/">Society of Animal Artists </a>show at RTPI. I was a judge for the show, along with fellow board member Lee Peterson (Roger's son). We debated the merits of a huge array of works, with the assignment of choosing a handful to be awarded special recognition and prizes. It was tough, but enjoyable work.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5sO0LZ_hFhzLNq23fmnsLcjuRPQRieS4LZ3JWWnpJq4UBpoDzYl1cyLx-Zhkf62O03w3S6FXAyP71I2MZRiyiT-8bfRjFHP0MgB3p9rYE5SnXKRj4lSpnrY_OJyc86Fdsb-CHIK0injZC/s1600/IMG_6892.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5sO0LZ_hFhzLNq23fmnsLcjuRPQRieS4LZ3JWWnpJq4UBpoDzYl1cyLx-Zhkf62O03w3S6FXAyP71I2MZRiyiT-8bfRjFHP0MgB3p9rYE5SnXKRj4lSpnrY_OJyc86Fdsb-CHIK0injZC/s320/IMG_6892.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ee;">My fellow judges for the <span style="color: #0000ee;">SAA show included Lee <span style="color: #0000ee;">P</span>eterson (left), son<span style="color: #0000ee;"> of RTP.</span></span><u><br /></u></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZUYG9nnBVwsgCVcke6gjnTMP5JYfFlgmkPBZ60DjiLS1WRbSe1yqLIdeiBd0r_TzlrNX-qkec2yui_9cfBwX-sA2kIVz7RxjClsLwUIDmRNZqrpNkeuojc52pL6esXm1wng-qPa8efQa/s1600/IMG_6888.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZUYG9nnBVwsgCVcke6gjnTMP5JYfFlgmkPBZ60DjiLS1WRbSe1yqLIdeiBd0r_TzlrNX-qkec2yui_9cfBwX-sA2kIVz7RxjClsLwUIDmRNZqrpNkeuojc52pL6esXm1wng-qPa8efQa/s320/IMG_6888.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The works submitted for the show were inspired.</td></tr>
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Two weeks later, my events team was off to the <a href="http://www.midwestbirding.org/">Midwest Birding Symposium</a> in Bay City, Michigan.<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.midwestbirding.org/"><img alt="http://www.midwestbirding.org" border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinBodaKF9yRcbXBep32gWauQLJ6Wv2UdKp4x0UZhDBEBBb_WKqhl2VS28MSGi9Iim6b2JQJ4USzcRuyD4YVFqO3odf-LceneJNRT0n3OhFce8zxXx82-vUEvj8sLl5nOTXA5hWTV6p7r8o/s320/Final+MBS+2015+Logo+Main.jpg" width="320" /></a> </i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4QWveAonoNxgtkraEwvvOYXm3m8gaGvwT3iGDTkUfdOwnu_V4zWpnjLzoUeoCXQT88hIvJLvVpXkh8ahzBW7bUQHccFz8AodTP1RJ8rpMLMtft7XCnjg6bKql7n6JnEwqvKUoLalhh_P/s1600/IMG_6978.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4QWveAonoNxgtkraEwvvOYXm3m8gaGvwT3iGDTkUfdOwnu_V4zWpnjLzoUeoCXQT88hIvJLvVpXkh8ahzBW7bUQHccFz8AodTP1RJ8rpMLMtft7XCnjg6bKql7n6JnEwqvKUoLalhh_P/s320/IMG_6978.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>BWD</i> was partnering with <a href="http://www.michiganaudubon.org/">Michigan Audubon</a>, the <a href="http://www.sblc-mi.org/">Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy</a>, and the <a href="http://www.gogreat.com/">Great Lakes Bay Region Conventions & Visitors' Bureau</a>, to host the 2015 MBS in this charming town on the Saginaw River. This was the first time the MBS had been back in Michigan since 1991 and a good time was had by all.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The opening night festivities at the MBS were a lot of fun.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visitors to Bay City's Stein Haus.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brian "Fox" Ellis came alive as John James Audubon in an MBS keynote talk.</td></tr>
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Two weeks after the close of the MBS, I loaded the birdmobile full of all manner of stuff and headed to Columbus, Ohio to prepare for the first-ever <a href="http://www.birdingexpo.com/">American Birding Expo</a>.<br />
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Through the week, nearly the entire <i>BWD</i> staff arrived at the Grange Insurance Audubon Center/Scioto Metropark in downtown Columbus, Ohio to get things ready for the Expo. Just prior to the Expo, we helped host the <a href="http://www.aba.org/">American Birding Association's</a> first-ever Members Summit, which went very well, according to our ABA friends. The ABA, Grange Insurance Audubon Center, the <a href="http://www.metroparks.net/">Columbus Metroparks</a>, and <i>BWD </i>served as Expo host organizations, but the bulk of the organizing rested on the wide shoulders of the <i>BWD</i> events team and I couldn't be more proud of how they performed. We also had a small army of volunteers who saved our bacon more than once.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvspiV_zkwhUXfYgkLJD3b1-TVMHKH6iXlcypeQSoHRWPLzhx3HBDXptQ7wEN-E8XExWL3j-WkXGC2EXW9WCmJoaVoHClq5LlJ0T3JFOs2FoX1tb3h5Zx_b8cPaZLLuCdD7JaNAPITNKn/s1600/IMG_8369.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvspiV_zkwhUXfYgkLJD3b1-TVMHKH6iXlcypeQSoHRWPLzhx3HBDXptQ7wEN-E8XExWL3j-WkXGC2EXW9WCmJoaVoHClq5LlJ0T3JFOs2FoX1tb3h5Zx_b8cPaZLLuCdD7JaNAPITNKn/s320/IMG_8369.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Attendees visiting exhibitor booths in the main Expo tent.<i><br /></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmX6ZWY_7F6UY_6C6FrVNrO0_t-c__Z_NHuixIJUE_Yd-S6LRfbftkkNM7luX_p59_MMGhOXz7WIniguR2RKEGNrGk_wtpLVecvwDy5SUf-ec_6cu0n251bOlSTAN2indnXPA7uujEahcu/s1600/FullSizeRender-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmX6ZWY_7F6UY_6C6FrVNrO0_t-c__Z_NHuixIJUE_Yd-S6LRfbftkkNM7luX_p59_MMGhOXz7WIniguR2RKEGNrGk_wtpLVecvwDy5SUf-ec_6cu0n251bOlSTAN2indnXPA7uujEahcu/s320/FullSizeRender-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mavenbuilt.com/">Maven Optics</a> was an Expo exhibitor.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpdCagodocEhrt9bjRpNHiq2uG4KSv6q2Ul53Exf4l3aG4gR01Om0oNoQMboJu9hlArOy4JFjL_xvZI8MCs7vQB5nWnMh7YkgimUPZJ4ryGoPw4zUSHrCZXCwRd_1Lc7MnkxWfzToRRspk/s1600/IMG_7161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpdCagodocEhrt9bjRpNHiq2uG4KSv6q2Ul53Exf4l3aG4gR01Om0oNoQMboJu9hlArOy4JFjL_xvZI8MCs7vQB5nWnMh7YkgimUPZJ4ryGoPw4zUSHrCZXCwRd_1Lc7MnkxWfzToRRspk/s320/IMG_7161.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BWD Events Director Wendy Clark interviews <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Alvaros-Adventures-201287513297811/">Alvaro Jaramillo</a> for the Expo video.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1pjs3MVtDyOEboBRX0F7TK2mFEZDJSMj9zKRo0UR0kXhNGrhLPF2sGaJir73EAgyU3nl6qvMS7jEgdGf3HhKFHUXumLZcXQ2-n817nXjWrtoWC4101NEgQLnZ4bw3smRVoIKjfFjYphb/s1600/IMG_7188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1pjs3MVtDyOEboBRX0F7TK2mFEZDJSMj9zKRo0UR0kXhNGrhLPF2sGaJir73EAgyU3nl6qvMS7jEgdGf3HhKFHUXumLZcXQ2-n817nXjWrtoWC4101NEgQLnZ4bw3smRVoIKjfFjYphb/s320/IMG_7188.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saturday night we had live music from The Hip Replacements.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvNmlgAl0_O7kceoz0BZiRfDuSIa4nr-biGn7kuKxSL1ipOn6dWP-pAUKamrial1u44EZQJQbGaI76MhKxKWfZohlIYRhvpNEK0XR6vAfCChgNbkPDRx147NkpkE4oh8Uyh7t7cB_VCiF_/s1600/IMG_7233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvNmlgAl0_O7kceoz0BZiRfDuSIa4nr-biGn7kuKxSL1ipOn6dWP-pAUKamrial1u44EZQJQbGaI76MhKxKWfZohlIYRhvpNEK0XR6vAfCChgNbkPDRx147NkpkE4oh8Uyh7t7cB_VCiF_/s320/IMG_7233.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="entity _4v1s" data-fulltext="José Miguel Fernández Ramírez" data-group="all" data-icon="null" data-select="group" data-si="true" data-text="José Miguel Fernández Ramírez" data-type="ent:user" data-uid="512063652">José Miguel Fernández Ramírez</span><span data-si="true"> (right) was the lucky winner of the Zeiss Victory SF binocular, being presented by Zeiss' Rich Moncrief.</span></td></tr>
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The Expo featured more than 80 exhibitors from all over the world. In fact we had 46 countries and 43 U.S. states represented among the exhibitors, sponsors, and attendees. The event was met with nearly universal praise from attendees, exhibitors, and hosts. Despite two days of cold, rainy, windy weather (with most of our exhibitors in a large tent) we all survived, did some good business, and made a lot of new friends and connections from the worldwide birding community.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGfy4m3CCjkWKKYLvwkpAdBbq5x0zUNTG7T4LLh4fLjt8w4q6-1_jxuH9tZpGvsn0sW7QrOY1C0Hq6GJOE7vqKdq_864Bcop2mYCR70uaYeb-UXjo8D6qUElAGtuqDa0RYAaQpPSRflQE/s1600/IMG_7183.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGfy4m3CCjkWKKYLvwkpAdBbq5x0zUNTG7T4LLh4fLjt8w4q6-1_jxuH9tZpGvsn0sW7QrOY1C0Hq6GJOE7vqKdq_864Bcop2mYCR70uaYeb-UXjo8D6qUElAGtuqDa0RYAaQpPSRflQE/s320/IMG_7183.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New friends at the Expo Mary Warren of Ohio and <a href="http://www.birduganda.com/">Herbert</a><span class="entity _4v1s" data-fulltext="Herbert Byaruhanga" data-group="all" data-icon="null" data-select="group" data-si="true" data-text="Herbert Byaruhanga" data-type="ent:user" data-uid="1501415482"><a href="http://www.birduganda.com/"> Byaruhanga</a> of Uganda.</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxwF_8P2hTOZQ_UWKqWmpHFFwOg69W38-KVeVfntnQzLbAcZglSdF32xIjq_PUmefde-rjBN-ufs524kW3722QK9tzdZ0sjtVh1ay7EVy2FmXQR1ML3b3f04TMgxGA1T33-5MbUrU3i8Oe/s1600/IMG_7175.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxwF_8P2hTOZQ_UWKqWmpHFFwOg69W38-KVeVfntnQzLbAcZglSdF32xIjq_PUmefde-rjBN-ufs524kW3722QK9tzdZ0sjtVh1ay7EVy2FmXQR1ML3b3f04TMgxGA1T33-5MbUrU3i8Oe/s320/IMG_7175.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More new friends: Simon Thompson (left) of <a href="http://www.birdventures.com/">Ventures Birding</a> and Andrew Sebastian of <a href="http://www.tourism.gov.my/en/us">Tourism Malaysia</a> and the <a href="http://asianbirdfair.org/">Asian Bird Fair</a>.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<br />
Here it is now, in mid-November, and I'm just starting to get my legs under me again. That was a whirlwind three months, but I loved (almost) every minute of it. We're already planning next year's events and it would be great if you could join us.<br />
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You can keep in touch with what's going on here at <i>Bird Watcher's Digest</i> by <a href="http://birdwatchersdigest.us10.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=e36318e1492957ce48c891916&id=6e189f3c6b">signing up for <i>BirdWire</i></a> our bi-weekly e-newsletter (it's free). <i>BirdWire</i> is an award-winning digital publication that's full of timely content, fun bird quizzes, and special offers from our marketing partners. More than 30,000 people receive <i>BirdWire</i> in their e-mail In Box every other week. Do you?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVhz7QSduCyu2sUajz8RqKkiakADgtFJu0t6MliZycTJiYl2gVom2L2z0_s5Pxh5CbvyMy4ESRiUfu0NE_PB-UwpYXNv3HIJS5AqTT-9KcwA_5sjSAvQ0kvTnX_uiLrIHfXZ-_fxbplUbx/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-11-10+at+9.41.35+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVhz7QSduCyu2sUajz8RqKkiakADgtFJu0t6MliZycTJiYl2gVom2L2z0_s5Pxh5CbvyMy4ESRiUfu0NE_PB-UwpYXNv3HIJS5AqTT-9KcwA_5sjSAvQ0kvTnX_uiLrIHfXZ-_fxbplUbx/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-11-10+at+9.41.35+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A recent issue of <i>BirdWire</i>.</td></tr>
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Coming up in 2016 we have three <a href="http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/rr">Reader Rendezvous </a>(special birding weekends for <i>BWD</i> subscribers), the second annual <a href="http://www.birdingexpo.com/">American Birding Expo</a>, and I'll be participating in a neat new event in November: the <a href="http://hondurasbirdtour.com/">Honduras Birding for Conservation Tour</a>. I'll be leading a team in a week of birding, competing for a cash prize for a conservation cause in Honduras. It's going to be fun and we're going to see amazing birds.<br />
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<a href="http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/rr"><img alt="http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/rr" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJXgAOApoeJ4nc8fXtxFsrl2L8kNPS5LEgIA-giLOh69xYRcyDc9JwF4dsRrMfrQd9xAP_ECkUNgSK6sHTJTtbNxDIR1qZ5J5T0cIjUfeUSakzjhjRDPA43bdHFlx1zwaQMPPBSLzhBp3N/s1600/RR+Logo+Small.jpg" /></a></div>
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So I'm taking my chewable vitamins, getting plenty of rest, and stretching my body, mind, and spirit in preparation for a 2016 that is even busier than 2015!<br />
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I'll see you out there with the birds, amigos y amigas!<br />
<br />Bill of the Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16000245161006147448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552045987668023231.post-59068128000203782202015-11-08T09:52:00.001-05:002015-11-08T09:52:22.080-05:00Sweet Liam's Sweet 16!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecwVJS7quW8-uF9Ggz2rpWFliYBmdpIi1atTp0qpAqSF9dSAypOue_nBZioLPd83kQNCrQmmCni5FechtAza1wzMrmzheKFKxHgcwiLndsAtwYekwhKyc1xPTpPGgbCPQbJhU5Z_qRLaH/s1600/Goofy+Pic.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecwVJS7quW8-uF9Ggz2rpWFliYBmdpIi1atTp0qpAqSF9dSAypOue_nBZioLPd83kQNCrQmmCni5FechtAza1wzMrmzheKFKxHgcwiLndsAtwYekwhKyc1xPTpPGgbCPQbJhU5Z_qRLaH/s320/Goofy+Pic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Of all the reasons to sweep the cobwebs off my blog and do a new post, perhaps this is the very best one. Our son Liam is turning 16 today. We've had a tradition of posting about our kids' birthdays since the dawn of blogging. It's impossible to create anything that compares to the <a href="http://juliezickefoose.blogspot.com/2015/11/liam-is-16.html">lovely post that Julie did for Liam</a> just yesterday, but I'll try. I want to show you this fine young man of whom I am so proud, and I'd like to make him cringe just a bit at some of the photos I'll share.<br />
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How lucky are we to live in the golden age of photography—especially for capturing candid, grab-shots of our friends and loved ones. Some people decry the omnipresence of the "selfies" that overwhelm social media, but I look at it as a documentation of my journey upon this mortal coil. And when it's time to dive into that photo history, untold riches are waiting to be uncovered.<br />
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Here are some of the riches I found while wandering back in time with an eye on Liam.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuxhjhAg0Byz3Fhhv0xqzt_PS8WuZePwCr4PKPc1aNWYk3BK7Q8NuP-LhyphenhyphentZXFC6pQrtUg39RAXhTQBjPlp8RWoHAeSqMXMSMPmzuyhNlwBAO7b7uEikfGmLmtb-vqEm5Pxd59x8JYTdbK/s1600/IMG_7530.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuxhjhAg0Byz3Fhhv0xqzt_PS8WuZePwCr4PKPc1aNWYk3BK7Q8NuP-LhyphenhyphentZXFC6pQrtUg39RAXhTQBjPlp8RWoHAeSqMXMSMPmzuyhNlwBAO7b7uEikfGmLmtb-vqEm5Pxd59x8JYTdbK/s320/IMG_7530.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A favorite all-time photo. Baby Liam resting on his dad's chest. We were both zonked.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxYkwQvWmQw2pxAKxQKTPcySSGHSkDNFPNPBpa3LpCnb1-iWmzM8R-ArqMoY-AalFGysRWm7Q97rDC3miB4djvF2Oy0jShAG5wcio4fC7vSUKaszSLzcF2oRmNAZXlKEN8si6LQCP_gq1/s1600/PoTexasTrain.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxYkwQvWmQw2pxAKxQKTPcySSGHSkDNFPNPBpa3LpCnb1-iWmzM8R-ArqMoY-AalFGysRWm7Q97rDC3miB4djvF2Oy0jShAG5wcio4fC7vSUKaszSLzcF2oRmNAZXlKEN8si6LQCP_gq1/s320/PoTexasTrain.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When he was small, Liam loved trains. We used to race to see them when we heard their horns.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gV6X42g6P-RHO3ImoKiCPlOv2Yi3-_WKyDCYeYgWw_SlOfV_Tmirg1TOVVjXuMlFgCLMGyzTfSIDf3r1FIARsnDNzNrHtKq1AdXhmaE71ImmkyZ5L79P98I016vhsLRfQSR-GaVESfB6/s1600/BTs_all_001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gV6X42g6P-RHO3ImoKiCPlOv2Yi3-_WKyDCYeYgWw_SlOfV_Tmirg1TOVVjXuMlFgCLMGyzTfSIDf3r1FIARsnDNzNrHtKq1AdXhmaE71ImmkyZ5L79P98I016vhsLRfQSR-GaVESfB6/s320/BTs_all_001.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three William Henry Thompsons. Junior, III, and IV. I'm so happy my dad and Liam knew each other.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAL53BqmsxADtATvzQ_wMRSb8uRHu4ekWJB2Un8_GFg-HyXx_7blPhbnjq8hQPL2iP_LahW_3wm4aKDS48cW-qg8ZIanvVfpdl5YXObscGx1matBWRkv7BzV235g6qMeZBqf19Hg4Km46A/s1600/IMG_7532.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAL53BqmsxADtATvzQ_wMRSb8uRHu4ekWJB2Un8_GFg-HyXx_7blPhbnjq8hQPL2iP_LahW_3wm4aKDS48cW-qg8ZIanvVfpdl5YXObscGx1matBWRkv7BzV235g6qMeZBqf19Hg4Km46A/s320/IMG_7532.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Perhaps my second all-time favorite photo. With little Phoebe and Liam.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjW8joVEgBUxHfC0vu4Schxr4xuq5b0k9fTq80BiVnjf78pjKVGPp49D8cay7-ojGBau8WS99-IhmozQQfRUbDo08gwbmUCwZnfFd9MSnGE_eBdWkCwGz-__CbSkW6YbHN0kiRUnb2OSMB/s1600/IMG_0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjW8joVEgBUxHfC0vu4Schxr4xuq5b0k9fTq80BiVnjf78pjKVGPp49D8cay7-ojGBau8WS99-IhmozQQfRUbDo08gwbmUCwZnfFd9MSnGE_eBdWkCwGz-__CbSkW6YbHN0kiRUnb2OSMB/s320/IMG_0002.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liam has always been an artist. Any medium will do.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4dE0WBBMm3fpf8-C2ER6vwbQgWpwD72cBXDV6QGNsbmGfif7YYQRRUheSK5bZ-HyjbPxq-UYqCBeE5eyhvyo2hMG3fGTsyfYXQ0KFtPTv6JEcJUr5iz7iARYlVQKjKIN0bYpn74x0IMYG/s1600/Liam+DBZ+Art.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4dE0WBBMm3fpf8-C2ER6vwbQgWpwD72cBXDV6QGNsbmGfif7YYQRRUheSK5bZ-HyjbPxq-UYqCBeE5eyhvyo2hMG3fGTsyfYXQ0KFtPTv6JEcJUr5iz7iARYlVQKjKIN0bYpn74x0IMYG/s320/Liam+DBZ+Art.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now his art is getting much more focused and he posts it on Instagram (@broskizzle).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl60RoD_BDGjIPPip04k8E3WsqNUyT6-nBWeRnoRL7lVPfNO_CIGTGSBbMd27CG5DeA-cN1bcY5k_GQr5o41Te3mpjoKoA4fnScjfLGTAqekKQ9ETNrWkuyuAr-smHaefDVoSoSYynVqYx/s1600/IMG_1894.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX3B-yhaHpa5jVACsEF5fYix_LkPKnZQIrc0Tp0MZ4H-0zNyPEkn3PMtifDjm9qAcESnR65pJ3OteVHLNCOjwU2BgIEY1tqQZ-V_EkGEdIalL_MKOtYTnV1EOu2_ihiMy5yGkUVVBBgEpJ/s1600/IMG_1936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX3B-yhaHpa5jVACsEF5fYix_LkPKnZQIrc0Tp0MZ4H-0zNyPEkn3PMtifDjm9qAcESnR65pJ3OteVHLNCOjwU2BgIEY1tqQZ-V_EkGEdIalL_MKOtYTnV1EOu2_ihiMy5yGkUVVBBgEpJ/s320/IMG_1936.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He loves posing with giant stuffed birds. This is the Pirate Parrot.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-XUjd2lIdZ_F0vWGLSCzMlfq0GRlcUHuZAzN6z7BnCHg5y2hNdKzJYVAetaBL__xf9FQ5uj-f0EnQIkEWdKZcf_z1GkEioejnCYwEhipDPHGPNiYBQSKOcVJibGQC-fB5zkkLzsNwqAyK/s1600/IMG_2120.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-XUjd2lIdZ_F0vWGLSCzMlfq0GRlcUHuZAzN6z7BnCHg5y2hNdKzJYVAetaBL__xf9FQ5uj-f0EnQIkEWdKZcf_z1GkEioejnCYwEhipDPHGPNiYBQSKOcVJibGQC-fB5zkkLzsNwqAyK/s320/IMG_2120.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one is at a Red Robin somewhere in the USA. Liam is thrilled. Phoebe is freaked out.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh20cDscIe6-zWBdbYcYH5VMVJ7Gf9BDakxlBNikBuHtqFrT8poSPv_Ike9K5Tc8e1OqhK5X2MrFSInywpi3fqBtFarbaOAW_0xzOZbXZCJ2scOssOUqkUptJtFTSSENJTVfi02jMVj1UTi/s1600/IMG_7531.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh20cDscIe6-zWBdbYcYH5VMVJ7Gf9BDakxlBNikBuHtqFrT8poSPv_Ike9K5Tc8e1OqhK5X2MrFSInywpi3fqBtFarbaOAW_0xzOZbXZCJ2scOssOUqkUptJtFTSSENJTVfi02jMVj1UTi/s320/IMG_7531.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And speaking of Phoebe, she and Liam are best friends 4-ever!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7tNA_D0ghAbf6ZiSPP81-_Snc1RTlw8adfAyT-IgqZa6JcRZnn8QAfblXhVHDOhM2-cC8j5HK-Lh6RrlrJbevsOrJm4GtYuCCEjyKvPgXhSeeZG134zTBMchujfGCPxKipKnNjf9g4qbh/s1600/IMG_1986.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizIyjzS-kbugEIUjbMnAmY8EOOU0_boH8K0Hrdl9hf0VNpW-P_JcUnfgR-OKAI8K4JUC4i0OpRZ1Uv6PvnjsLj_ym4z3LxXKuphtw5xjSJSAZEyHOuQFsgwksSwM-rprck82q3EfMRijHs/s1600/IMG_2042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizIyjzS-kbugEIUjbMnAmY8EOOU0_boH8K0Hrdl9hf0VNpW-P_JcUnfgR-OKAI8K4JUC4i0OpRZ1Uv6PvnjsLj_ym4z3LxXKuphtw5xjSJSAZEyHOuQFsgwksSwM-rprck82q3EfMRijHs/s320/IMG_2042.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She helped him through his fedora phase.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwKY88UW8J2fMPRiaj3hrVseny6hHxB9tfwHu4DuGSJi-JA6aBPEiH9zLr8pE9r_RE_SRY1JQE2Ja0hbmvPlY8BDoUV8Y_kWa8LDl_mqB1qEVYZwSRTdErxJ4UrjF1MtcLT6VBftlALUj/s1600/IMG_2155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghASyoHY3lzimAZ96tfIYXLUcVINuxHs6TvA4FrPoxNZZ_eIoQwCs1MBjAdlI25ahlHh8ue6qswL9WTyunyHnFTDUsQlfRHXWmHg5EyDhEh9SKrDuziX8CekCE1PbL98nzZZZCAV2jjVzt/s1600/IMG_2192.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghASyoHY3lzimAZ96tfIYXLUcVINuxHs6TvA4FrPoxNZZ_eIoQwCs1MBjAdlI25ahlHh8ue6qswL9WTyunyHnFTDUsQlfRHXWmHg5EyDhEh9SKrDuziX8CekCE1PbL98nzZZZCAV2jjVzt/s320/IMG_2192.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She helped him through his singing recitals.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJxFy7uZpV2CqXvO_e0iSamR8_qvNy72YA-SyByAtX17OdVwU-M8VRFc8TDt8D3IiblNTldEq5LgM-mpi0j8yP3gs1HBsiGaRM1BdYGgFIUs2wLeLKXsj8C-aK4lF7di0knREz-rE3VJgT/s1600/IMG_1557.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJxFy7uZpV2CqXvO_e0iSamR8_qvNy72YA-SyByAtX17OdVwU-M8VRFc8TDt8D3IiblNTldEq5LgM-mpi0j8yP3gs1HBsiGaRM1BdYGgFIUs2wLeLKXsj8C-aK4lF7di0knREz-rE3VJgT/s320/IMG_1557.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She's lead him on long walks of discovery.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7QsiAmZmCWkU8M672bjZWXlY6FMFxBCWf3_cylHWyjj0EF85FWp9GRFVuZCYogoGBPei9pV88lr9fCbxmt9SOz8u3cHuWf6MeBTRp4AgVXuQOsK4ap3u_Oj4IFgp7FKrB0aeKHgRuuOWc/s1600/IMG_2286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7QsiAmZmCWkU8M672bjZWXlY6FMFxBCWf3_cylHWyjj0EF85FWp9GRFVuZCYogoGBPei9pV88lr9fCbxmt9SOz8u3cHuWf6MeBTRp4AgVXuQOsK4ap3u_Oj4IFgp7FKrB0aeKHgRuuOWc/s320/IMG_2286.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They have such a wonderfully close bond.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho1Vt_pHGRB0MRDxqpH4aKLVUOv3HzT-3VMQukKeWHV3B1X-6ZFnHN2POHc_0zi3RF-InGwreigDrzAQ-16QaHx9sdsf4l5_50Z0UNXW9Na3ip7rfc1XzNyqoAhrpOqL84jexKSdsjqUwK/s1600/IMG_5446.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho1Vt_pHGRB0MRDxqpH4aKLVUOv3HzT-3VMQukKeWHV3B1X-6ZFnHN2POHc_0zi3RF-InGwreigDrzAQ-16QaHx9sdsf4l5_50Z0UNXW9Na3ip7rfc1XzNyqoAhrpOqL84jexKSdsjqUwK/s320/IMG_5446.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They almost never want to scratch each others' eyes out.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwKY88UW8J2fMPRiaj3hrVseny6hHxB9tfwHu4DuGSJi-JA6aBPEiH9zLr8pE9r_RE_SRY1JQE2Ja0hbmvPlY8BDoUV8Y_kWa8LDl_mqB1qEVYZwSRTdErxJ4UrjF1MtcLT6VBftlALUj/s1600/IMG_2155.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwKY88UW8J2fMPRiaj3hrVseny6hHxB9tfwHu4DuGSJi-JA6aBPEiH9zLr8pE9r_RE_SRY1JQE2Ja0hbmvPlY8BDoUV8Y_kWa8LDl_mqB1qEVYZwSRTdErxJ4UrjF1MtcLT6VBftlALUj/s320/IMG_2155.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And we were all sad when Phoebe went off to college.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJxFy7uZpV2CqXvO_e0iSamR8_qvNy72YA-SyByAtX17OdVwU-M8VRFc8TDt8D3IiblNTldEq5LgM-mpi0j8yP3gs1HBsiGaRM1BdYGgFIUs2wLeLKXsj8C-aK4lF7di0knREz-rE3VJgT/s1600/IMG_1557.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4fLJuEbxa8epIPJ1Yfieww9Np9YFev_5SYbBjKoEhk1-_4Np7McRtffapUyQJkfY6xDorJJ6NqV-Dr9_bqEzssG2t5UX5tTmOgMKl4HyAIMOf7W9kyJtZCHkSdf0JkezKoNIn2flEXVWG/s1600/IMG_2288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4fLJuEbxa8epIPJ1Yfieww9Np9YFev_5SYbBjKoEhk1-_4Np7McRtffapUyQJkfY6xDorJJ6NqV-Dr9_bqEzssG2t5UX5tTmOgMKl4HyAIMOf7W9kyJtZCHkSdf0JkezKoNIn2flEXVWG/s320/IMG_2288.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But none sadder than Liam, who had to go to school without his North Star to guide him.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBhx4VqRYAw8A3FGDXNGF-Yhy40wg-R0urJoFRe3AwkTRh66Kwa4xLBfOmbRCFgP0POr2KlvNgc8eel42q-iBusNR8Ao1MdKg-uNE_DUxOQxRWYeD8wBdjxtw8Myx8foWvyWviPXpy2Mba/s1600/Liam+XC.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBhx4VqRYAw8A3FGDXNGF-Yhy40wg-R0urJoFRe3AwkTRh66Kwa4xLBfOmbRCFgP0POr2KlvNgc8eel42q-iBusNR8Ao1MdKg-uNE_DUxOQxRWYeD8wBdjxtw8Myx8foWvyWviPXpy2Mba/s320/Liam+XC.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Fort Frye High School, Liam runs on the cross-country team. He's the tallest on the team.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxC5-YfG_RKTd_ClkRlr_y0LE5wFJ8crKVBhcAtz40AIryDA1h_rSIzSYNX8Sr16KxvM-Q-d6HC2YHp9-QurHc1jZETuKB5dBcouCkyfOt_AAaYSwS3f1qD1rwzS8T93ACIAgi7ew5SbA-/s1600/IMG_2401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxC5-YfG_RKTd_ClkRlr_y0LE5wFJ8crKVBhcAtz40AIryDA1h_rSIzSYNX8Sr16KxvM-Q-d6HC2YHp9-QurHc1jZETuKB5dBcouCkyfOt_AAaYSwS3f1qD1rwzS8T93ACIAgi7ew5SbA-/s320/IMG_2401.jpg" width="314" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If there's a goofy photo to be taken, it's a lock that Liam will be in it.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzYkaShD7OtXpg90wswniRWUTY-CERuqgLVTFbzGvLDJQHTRzLRN7ZnGCSLmhPGzWF1r4KvZl4sKaYGFxd9iCivZbNJh6CCndJW4aQYhc96x1yegiPzNsHSr1EuJrbecE6iPRqmVi9uRp/s1600/IMG_7345.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzYkaShD7OtXpg90wswniRWUTY-CERuqgLVTFbzGvLDJQHTRzLRN7ZnGCSLmhPGzWF1r4KvZl4sKaYGFxd9iCivZbNJh6CCndJW4aQYhc96x1yegiPzNsHSr1EuJrbecE6iPRqmVi9uRp/s1600/IMG_7345.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ducking behind a Frankenstein face this Halloween.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7tNA_D0ghAbf6ZiSPP81-_Snc1RTlw8adfAyT-IgqZa6JcRZnn8QAfblXhVHDOhM2-cC8j5HK-Lh6RrlrJbevsOrJm4GtYuCCEjyKvPgXhSeeZG134zTBMchujfGCPxKipKnNjf9g4qbh/s1600/IMG_1986.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7tNA_D0ghAbf6ZiSPP81-_Snc1RTlw8adfAyT-IgqZa6JcRZnn8QAfblXhVHDOhM2-cC8j5HK-Lh6RrlrJbevsOrJm4GtYuCCEjyKvPgXhSeeZG134zTBMchujfGCPxKipKnNjf9g4qbh/s320/IMG_1986.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creative use of water balloons.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOcn3XLnMQpXWVY1n-KYTfMtTpT5pEVTvI6K94AbWfNtJghtoVIaMBsCdWSxChohuCQsGixbCybCBup-mKwfeAc7r00pldhJJGBYJxwnn7QagP3PvuSMeqc2g2UZwsKBygnGaSpPa8SoI/s1600/PhotoBooth+Liam.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOcn3XLnMQpXWVY1n-KYTfMtTpT5pEVTvI6K94AbWfNtJghtoVIaMBsCdWSxChohuCQsGixbCybCBup-mKwfeAc7r00pldhJJGBYJxwnn7QagP3PvuSMeqc2g2UZwsKBygnGaSpPa8SoI/s320/PhotoBooth+Liam.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PhotoBooth fun.</td></tr>
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<tr></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJn7GLRMAUggB-nAf-Nrcoy1YSIrYd3Dv6Vqsy2sIc2PA1T2Cl-98XCaZVaPbPHa37DHYhyZ0mr8OhPGD77s9JbJ_RfNzPn3M-X9KZh0OhEkB-dIJRFolcxuUEtY5a6E1ujosPVQmpsfPN/s1600/IMG_0230.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJn7GLRMAUggB-nAf-Nrcoy1YSIrYd3Dv6Vqsy2sIc2PA1T2Cl-98XCaZVaPbPHa37DHYhyZ0mr8OhPGD77s9JbJ_RfNzPn3M-X9KZh0OhEkB-dIJRFolcxuUEtY5a6E1ujosPVQmpsfPN/s320/IMG_0230.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jarhead.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJO5zoc5T-KDOKZy10HXy-k5HVC0plmsJzz7Knb-px-j_rXRKxeK9jcTM2TwXxiSYvqgGTriiPQ6ZCT2Y7MZoeyFSbxSPS0ZB4sDU6sz3I-quI6ZduMPqYF-B-7ZYsK0LoAja8fIQtG8Lz/s1600/Photo+on+10-5-14+at+12.06+PM.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJO5zoc5T-KDOKZy10HXy-k5HVC0plmsJzz7Knb-px-j_rXRKxeK9jcTM2TwXxiSYvqgGTriiPQ6ZCT2Y7MZoeyFSbxSPS0ZB4sDU6sz3I-quI6ZduMPqYF-B-7ZYsK0LoAja8fIQtG8Lz/s320/Photo+on+10-5-14+at+12.06+PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Us as tarsiers.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6i_hM_oY2Z5m48gBNVB0hyqY9YbqoNZdqEV6cf0P5g99D5pwmBND_X9jmiDAI7WPDIkQ6kBE0r_hi0aEOeqSI9wWSiXp4Byt5sUoTljsZHWYj8ABHcmXCa2QGrOeeZGeso5PvADJEXSr1/s1600/IMG_3699.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6i_hM_oY2Z5m48gBNVB0hyqY9YbqoNZdqEV6cf0P5g99D5pwmBND_X9jmiDAI7WPDIkQ6kBE0r_hi0aEOeqSI9wWSiXp4Byt5sUoTljsZHWYj8ABHcmXCa2QGrOeeZGeso5PvADJEXSr1/s320/IMG_3699.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liam's other best friend is Chet Baker. They are brothers.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl60RoD_BDGjIPPip04k8E3WsqNUyT6-nBWeRnoRL7lVPfNO_CIGTGSBbMd27CG5DeA-cN1bcY5k_GQr5o41Te3mpjoKoA4fnScjfLGTAqekKQ9ETNrWkuyuAr-smHaefDVoSoSYynVqYx/s1600/IMG_1894.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl60RoD_BDGjIPPip04k8E3WsqNUyT6-nBWeRnoRL7lVPfNO_CIGTGSBbMd27CG5DeA-cN1bcY5k_GQr5o41Te3mpjoKoA4fnScjfLGTAqekKQ9ETNrWkuyuAr-smHaefDVoSoSYynVqYx/s320/IMG_1894.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Both are getting older so quickly.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTh4fdCQPZgDv-NFxd3BNIt5rfelr0KbESRkcHDi1IuuoAr7tLyWqcytN7zMZAhPhKWq-NVA3-K-PkoKJY5AOWaEoaQdpD2b5kNfq6LVsP7ly07cOyoVRbYI3b2aF3WrX_dwI-fCeaqhTp/s1600/IMG_3799.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTh4fdCQPZgDv-NFxd3BNIt5rfelr0KbESRkcHDi1IuuoAr7tLyWqcytN7zMZAhPhKWq-NVA3-K-PkoKJY5AOWaEoaQdpD2b5kNfq6LVsP7ly07cOyoVRbYI3b2aF3WrX_dwI-fCeaqhTp/s320/IMG_3799.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We've celebrated Liam's birthday in Texas a few times, at the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival. The last time we did, he found us a pauraque.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPQpvqVQiid0-B3CVOo02ZIbqQb27O-Tz3rPeExKnHYwn-4pfktYfT4NGTZxZ2RR2WoH4_zQH_FlzQehau7wgjK8X141L8L5AdVIxXKJi5t_VHUpEifskB_Ezi-ou578cndeqgORvJWNb/s1600/IMG_3800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPQpvqVQiid0-B3CVOo02ZIbqQb27O-Tz3rPeExKnHYwn-4pfktYfT4NGTZxZ2RR2WoH4_zQH_FlzQehau7wgjK8X141L8L5AdVIxXKJi5t_VHUpEifskB_Ezi-ou578cndeqgORvJWNb/s320/IMG_3800.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He pointed to it right away and said "There's one right there, Dad!" It took us a while to see what he was seeing.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIux324-8Hckcqq8MK2yDeXYmE0XJfFGXRAQBjEo_26kdYCxCPYnlvFf4XR-SJ6a1rMi0ZLg0rulpY84D21gnj5ArPsBJATI086wAyKql9zN1YNzX8-Tao2TVzj2hWfRuF1DHNhydmsj_t/s1600/IMG_7998.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIux324-8Hckcqq8MK2yDeXYmE0XJfFGXRAQBjEo_26kdYCxCPYnlvFf4XR-SJ6a1rMi0ZLg0rulpY84D21gnj5ArPsBJATI086wAyKql9zN1YNzX8-Tao2TVzj2hWfRuF1DHNhydmsj_t/s320/IMG_7998.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liam and I have a secret club called The Hotdog Brothers. Whenever the girls are away, we hold our meetings.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiTJmyJ1w_Y7ynoEls-fVeVGHISxMrWRyyGjmN51zXCAvSC_SAKW-88uu9YI0W_BGMDgNxKZqoNRRKFL5a5uYCgYUBBq2JtYNjDVuMTqReEzqg9LJxPpKHsC-F4dTAhPHvVy8nc-fbWTy4/s1600/IMG_8011.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiTJmyJ1w_Y7ynoEls-fVeVGHISxMrWRyyGjmN51zXCAvSC_SAKW-88uu9YI0W_BGMDgNxKZqoNRRKFL5a5uYCgYUBBq2JtYNjDVuMTqReEzqg9LJxPpKHsC-F4dTAhPHvVy8nc-fbWTy4/s320/IMG_8011.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We talk about important things. Like girls.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyd709Jkn7ZsCsXz673PbV8nDS-WSFsERNChVsshWxDpfVFVQeZy-zQOXM9-daUDIck6YheyKd5TsWVNJutHBj5ilOHhFFRP8N-xSKYOvrNqovsOR8pMsT67P32OOjfanHoSvqsemUJPbU/s1600/IMG_7360.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyd709Jkn7ZsCsXz673PbV8nDS-WSFsERNChVsshWxDpfVFVQeZy-zQOXM9-daUDIck6YheyKd5TsWVNJutHBj5ilOHhFFRP8N-xSKYOvrNqovsOR8pMsT67P32OOjfanHoSvqsemUJPbU/s1600/IMG_7360.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We always have a bonfire and roast things on it—usually hotdogs.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHs1ffVJwz6kDCBbsqy5s9J8cywHayn8LqQfUWN48qb1n12uaAEbASO-UoxVx5Qt_vYi15bS1KsdSDL6lJRWLdwd1gema16r4lST7t2nRFj7J8x-XS8gyazQcGIk6FS4w_J3cBYIDTDO2T/s1600/Liam+eating+dog.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHs1ffVJwz6kDCBbsqy5s9J8cywHayn8LqQfUWN48qb1n12uaAEbASO-UoxVx5Qt_vYi15bS1KsdSDL6lJRWLdwd1gema16r4lST7t2nRFj7J8x-XS8gyazQcGIk6FS4w_J3cBYIDTDO2T/s320/Liam+eating+dog.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And we rejoice in our caveman-like skills and freedom.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteIO7wUbhlRI9N1ukN_k0r0yBs2BEI2TzRMMn-1izI8J5ZaCCvFJeLCrRci3hyphenhyphenAbyl5SqSP8qqZ7IQSXqrATIZp0dOPWJ4iSjG_2GCo9hOKfjNosyvlrlyN8YAIKxApMOzm-xqy0Uy-Sp/s1600/IMG_1427.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteIO7wUbhlRI9N1ukN_k0r0yBs2BEI2TzRMMn-1izI8J5ZaCCvFJeLCrRci3hyphenhyphenAbyl5SqSP8qqZ7IQSXqrATIZp0dOPWJ4iSjG_2GCo9hOKfjNosyvlrlyN8YAIKxApMOzm-xqy0Uy-Sp/s320/IMG_1427.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These days Liam prefers more interesting foods, like sushi.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7RAgAlTyD0TajhKoTrWhnjWd59tuTCyYFzWPFLJSfBl8zZUR0bK8T0oq9ErhRp06xGxIE_inGFfXxgTShgJBcBHI4IFkBdu7g3SdHXB95KRH4dPDd8JMHZLaXbA22v8PMvVJzLAc3KFWR/s1600/Laim+and+Granny.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7RAgAlTyD0TajhKoTrWhnjWd59tuTCyYFzWPFLJSfBl8zZUR0bK8T0oq9ErhRp06xGxIE_inGFfXxgTShgJBcBHI4IFkBdu7g3SdHXB95KRH4dPDd8JMHZLaXbA22v8PMvVJzLAc3KFWR/s320/Laim+and+Granny.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And filet and lobster. This is Liam's Granny who treated us to Liam's birthday dinner.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyWeI3YdO_tahAb3gZ_t6OAj8zkxd8CddM-FFnGt_kIZbasPmZznavtAU1X-rScY4wXRfkZyZJwOlxCCrZxrS7jlxZiXCkkQLCV-i0jNndmR6mcqM9rSFFzJiX1o8gGMH6Ne7Yx5OrsmCj/s1600/Liam+and+Phee+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyWeI3YdO_tahAb3gZ_t6OAj8zkxd8CddM-FFnGt_kIZbasPmZznavtAU1X-rScY4wXRfkZyZJwOlxCCrZxrS7jlxZiXCkkQLCV-i0jNndmR6mcqM9rSFFzJiX1o8gGMH6Ne7Yx5OrsmCj/s320/Liam+and+Phee+2015.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Today is Liam's birthday! We've got lots of fun planned, but his best gift will be in a few weeks, when he gets to see Phoebe again.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFHt31P8R0kKUGZ7w96GdRlI7CuYFNkdrjxclDsiR4_Kx5iz8F0uxs0z_l5ngJkoyGWzPEGGSeLSMYC5kUK1HM1A9Fe6kPai0VY3RjHrFrL0BSi6n4pUCJKV6tvDM2zGnj0dAoyxIY3Vb/s1600/Making+Phee+Laugh.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFHt31P8R0kKUGZ7w96GdRlI7CuYFNkdrjxclDsiR4_Kx5iz8F0uxs0z_l5ngJkoyGWzPEGGSeLSMYC5kUK1HM1A9Fe6kPai0VY3RjHrFrL0BSi6n4pUCJKV6tvDM2zGnj0dAoyxIY3Vb/s320/Making+Phee+Laugh.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No one makes her laugh like Liam.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteIO7wUbhlRI9N1ukN_k0r0yBs2BEI2TzRMMn-1izI8J5ZaCCvFJeLCrRci3hyphenhyphenAbyl5SqSP8qqZ7IQSXqrATIZp0dOPWJ4iSjG_2GCo9hOKfjNosyvlrlyN8YAIKxApMOzm-xqy0Uy-Sp/s1600/IMG_1427.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7RAgAlTyD0TajhKoTrWhnjWd59tuTCyYFzWPFLJSfBl8zZUR0bK8T0oq9ErhRp06xGxIE_inGFfXxgTShgJBcBHI4IFkBdu7g3SdHXB95KRH4dPDd8JMHZLaXbA22v8PMvVJzLAc3KFWR/s1600/Laim+and+Granny.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8v7-2W52Eq3_OpP49F0_dpenLjlBAPNVteXxu_mfFBiZhwDBeUIvUQ3pnyoM-dj2eUvdvaHbIchqsrQYz5pI5DsYg9TLL4p6hDkD917CHE1xajK_rvgkir0-wVffKfwDNcrVGVabJWx7s/s1600/Liam%2527s+Dad+drawing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8v7-2W52Eq3_OpP49F0_dpenLjlBAPNVteXxu_mfFBiZhwDBeUIvUQ3pnyoM-dj2eUvdvaHbIchqsrQYz5pI5DsYg9TLL4p6hDkD917CHE1xajK_rvgkir0-wVffKfwDNcrVGVabJWx7s/s320/Liam%2527s+Dad+drawing.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So thank you to the sweet son who always makes me smile. Who makes our lives immeasurably richer.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFHt31P8R0kKUGZ7w96GdRlI7CuYFNkdrjxclDsiR4_Kx5iz8F0uxs0z_l5ngJkoyGWzPEGGSeLSMYC5kUK1HM1A9Fe6kPai0VY3RjHrFrL0BSi6n4pUCJKV6tvDM2zGnj0dAoyxIY3Vb/s1600/Making+Phee+Laugh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxYkwQvWmQw2pxAKxQKTPcySSGHSkDNFPNPBpa3LpCnb1-iWmzM8R-ArqMoY-AalFGysRWm7Q97rDC3miB4djvF2Oy0jShAG5wcio4fC7vSUKaszSLzcF2oRmNAZXlKEN8si6LQCP_gq1/s1600/PoTexasTrain.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1aVithogx-JB3ux2dfBiq3ErR01DriGl71a1_CBhU8QXx9O8lw0lidETom-bMmNKnbm-y0Jz-1aBo2maA1G2mX470ZXm9ZO6chGxi7nnxHM8xIsfBaL8XBRaCQMsRfDUlG7DW976LflUv/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1aVithogx-JB3ux2dfBiq3ErR01DriGl71a1_CBhU8QXx9O8lw0lidETom-bMmNKnbm-y0Jz-1aBo2maA1G2mX470ZXm9ZO6chGxi7nnxHM8xIsfBaL8XBRaCQMsRfDUlG7DW976LflUv/s320/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They say we look a lot alike. This is me at 18.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkZZ0_0JVtbd4ihqJoUdVKOX6NJXtZRhP2KynF-3MQOY2yYj6NRKHFp7-ob9FwJSikC83k2VxNhNdVe_qzsyXZUe6x-Am1ujF6_9hmK0MujYovOm4m6kQHw458yHv9E0a22M_EL_Z9cNT-/s320/Liam+Fall+LEaves.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Liam at 16.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwE9Ombh_7QW77_mw5iagNxAgyFHbhRoMtznC8IHvQl8quzYqhnbUQi5gftQGKPWSaIjqmIPap5pEcB5AHJs0VUA8iaPFzzwGX7dmApzE5EUlWW4Lt8ABJoySAfycQgO_ZW6hAiX8nHBLG/s1600/Liam+on+his+16th+Bday.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwE9Ombh_7QW77_mw5iagNxAgyFHbhRoMtznC8IHvQl8quzYqhnbUQi5gftQGKPWSaIjqmIPap5pEcB5AHJs0VUA8iaPFzzwGX7dmApzE5EUlWW4Lt8ABJoySAfycQgO_ZW6hAiX8nHBLG/s320/Liam+on+his+16th+Bday.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liam got to read his mom's post this morning—his actual 16th birthday morning—just about the time he was born, way back in 1999.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiEsNc2OdDJFOT8g35Vl6zr2NPDNhHNyEp6faRMemHsmgl7Y01uZhr319aj_tjsN2pv8F2TO4SLZ_7cOEIDwyGonY5gTXDvZ8qMuCHlsxXNo_HZbgKA5QtpinxDr9PNe9we37LVSlXfLUb/s1600/IMG_3126.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiEsNc2OdDJFOT8g35Vl6zr2NPDNhHNyEp6faRMemHsmgl7Y01uZhr319aj_tjsN2pv8F2TO4SLZ_7cOEIDwyGonY5gTXDvZ8qMuCHlsxXNo_HZbgKA5QtpinxDr9PNe9we37LVSlXfLUb/s320/IMG_3126.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So happiest of birthdays, son. I am so proud of the man you are becoming.</td></tr>
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Love, Dad.<br />
<br />Bill of the Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16000245161006147448noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2552045987668023231.post-50385018519808272442015-08-14T09:48:00.000-04:002015-08-14T09:48:37.443-04:00Perseid ReflectionsWe all have times in our lives when stress seems omnipresent or perhaps when a series of events or some turmoil sends us into a period of sadness or even depression. Some of us just wait for these feelings to pass. Others take to exercise, yoga, meditation, reading, music, travel, therapy, or even drugs or alcohol. Not all of these solutions will work for everyone—some might not even be classified as "solutions."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7RTfTU3Xu9YzdbsT_tjzeNHqx0NzZJ-ktu6ZW3p0eqN_05rveznNWf3k4HKiqszobjEpZxZM-35QmBCxmIwG-4_8RHOb4xpmU9r57M18Ku6haHauZluJpRUK23Yb6OG76NEaLHJDkqbL2/s1600/BT3+Woodcut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7RTfTU3Xu9YzdbsT_tjzeNHqx0NzZJ-ktu6ZW3p0eqN_05rveznNWf3k4HKiqszobjEpZxZM-35QmBCxmIwG-4_8RHOb4xpmU9r57M18Ku6haHauZluJpRUK23Yb6OG76NEaLHJDkqbL2/s400/BT3+Woodcut.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portrait of the blogger as a young man in New York City. ©Dimitry Schidlovsky.</td></tr>
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I've suffered as a restless sleeper most of my life. It's a rare night when I don't wake up from some dream or nightmare. Some nights I can go right back to sleep after waking. And other times there's no use even trying. I'm up and waiting for the dawn. About 20 years ago I went through a sleep clinic at a university hospital and was diagnosed as someone who suffered from night terrors. I was, at the very least, taking my daily stress and anxiety to bed with me, and that was causing my restless sleep patterns. I was given two options for treatment: sleeping pills or psychotherapy. I took the pills for a while, then quit. They knocked me out, sure enough, but I felt groggy, not rested, when I awoke. I changed a lot of other things in my lifestyle: gave up afternoon coffee and all carbonated sodas. No more watching "Rambo"-style action movies late at night. No late-night exercise. No late-night snacks. No chocolate. Basically I was removing all of the stimuli that might be contributing to my restless sleep. That helped for a long time.<br />
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Lately I've been back in that "Sleep, Interrupted" mode, which is dismaying and frustrating. I go to sleep just fine then have a jolt awake every hour or three all night long. Then, along about 4 a.m. or so my brain decides it wants to start the day, and it drags my body along with it. I start thinking about the day ahead, what I've left undone from yesterday, bills I have to pay, worries about this and that—perhaps this sounds familiar to some of you. For me, there's no fighting it. May as well engage.<br />
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But last night was different. Oh, I still awoke at 4 a.m. shaking off some kind of anxiety dream (I can never remember them clearly). But this time my brain gave me a gift. It said "Perseids!"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3NTHe9934_xlEOgrFbyqdUQbwod8GC_QkPV72Q6HXlHe6YUU5QxfhQy6bI1mlGXbqPP-Vp1GJtoDlu24VCFXePT8hyg7djLo5IxUvhQFW5c4JLtikZPCZafkJR_Z6ukSaSiinf2FRaY0W/s1600/perseid-meteor-shower.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3NTHe9934_xlEOgrFbyqdUQbwod8GC_QkPV72Q6HXlHe6YUU5QxfhQy6bI1mlGXbqPP-Vp1GJtoDlu24VCFXePT8hyg7djLo5IxUvhQFW5c4JLtikZPCZafkJR_Z6ukSaSiinf2FRaY0W/s320/perseid-meteor-shower.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Persied meteor shower. ©NASA<u><br /></u></td></tr>
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The Perseid meteor shower is a favorite aspect of the late summer natural history calendar. Caused by the the Earth's atmosphere passing through the cosmic dust particles left in the trail of Comet Swift-Tuttle, the Perseids are a concentrated shower of meteoric activity usually occurring in late July through mid-August. The dust particles from Swift-Tuttle's trail enter the Earth's atmosphere and burn up, appearing as bright streaks of light zooming across the night sky. The 2015 Perseids got the astronomy community all fired up because they coincide with a new moon (meaning a naturally dark sky) and clear, cool weather. In other words, perfect conditions for watching the Perseids.<br />
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I shuffled out of the sliding door from my bedroom to the back patio and settled in for some meteor spotting. Instantly there was one, then two more, then another, but bigger, brighter. I thought about all the other people who might be watching this same sky right now. We are connected in this night watch.<br />
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I thought about the Native Americans who may have watched the Perseids from this very piece of land a few hundred years ago, before this was Ohio. I thought of the ancient peoples watching the meteor showers and wondered what they made of them. Good omens from the gods? My mind kept up its random traversing of time and topic. Did the migrating birds flying overhead at night see the Perseids? Surely they must...<br />
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I was lost in thought when the screech-owl started its soft tremolo. It made me feel better. Somehow more centered. And the stresses and worries of the day ahead receded. The vast inky black sky bejeweled with stars, planets, and meteors lent me a more rational perspective. I felt my breathing getting slower, deeper. I was drifting in the peaceful middle of a beautiful moment. I stayed in it as long as I could.<br />
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Nature has always been my go-to remedy for tough times. It's always available. It's free. It leads by example. It asks for nothing in return. I can't imagine, nor do I wish to, where I'd be without it.<br />
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Sleep well, my friends. Bill of the Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16000245161006147448noreply@blogger.com1