My Sunday Search

Ivory Bill Hunters

Thursday night was a high point for me this past week. Dr. Geoff Hill from Auburn University was coming to the barn at Tall Timbers Research Station for a lecture on Ivorybills and the work he has done over the past two years.

The Morbid Tablenapkin Choir

l to r ...Lydia, Jerry, Johnny, Laurel, Doug, Susie, & Angie
Here are my singing pals. We sure had a good time at the Florida Folk Festival this year! The bunch is on the beach at St. Pete for last weekend's memorial for Bobby Hicks.

On a Monday....

This woodpecker was across the street on my neighbor's tree this morning...
My friend peggy of paddletales emailed me that she was going to go out paddling after many days of feeling puny and I jumped at the chance since I had missed my weekend paddling this past weekend. I saw this otter before I caught up to Peggy, at the beginning of this trip down the Wacissa.
These limpkins and the ibis looked like old friends hanging out, to me.
It was very windy today, which made it chilly, but just before we turned around we heard a jet flying low and slow. I figured there would be at least one more and I snapped this one which was the third in the group. So what kind of jet is it?
The birds were rather scarce today but this heron was taunting us as we returned upriver. I am pretty excited to find out that Geoff Hill, PhD is coming to Tall Timbers this coming Thursday to discuss his research and his book about Ivory Bills. I probably won't sing him The Ivory Bill Blues, however...

Midwinter Musings aka The IvoryBill Blues

Today ended nicely with a walk around the seven fishing fingers on PineyZ Lake to see what birds are hanging out. I didn't have my camera with me so I put up this New Year's Day photo of a Great Blue. The herons are beginning to get their breeding plumage already, if I am not mistaken. I saw woodstorks, cormorants, red-wing blackbirds, anhingas, herons of several types, ibises, fish-hawks, and a pileated woodpecker. The live oaks around PineyZ Lake are some of the biggest in the county.

My friends are traveling to St. Petersburg tonight for a memorial tomorrow to Bobby Hicks who passed away on December 19, 2007. You can see a video of him on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4hZ0W3bRgQ. I elected not to go as I am not one to travel in groups, nor did I want to take a long drive this weekend. But Bobby was a fine Florida songwriter and well-known and loved by the Florida folk music community.

I am going to dine with the units and their close friends at the local french eatery tomorrow. Ugh, more food.... Maybe if Alice Babette was the chef... from "In Aromas and Flavors of Past and Present" I could have White Soup of Artichokes: Chicken bouillon, Jerusalen artichokes, thin cream...

Cut one pound of artichokes into small pieces and boil with one and a half cups of chicken bullion in a saucepan for one half hour. Strain through a fine sieve. Return to heat and and add two cups of thin cream. Do not boil but serve hot. Alice was a fine French cook. Gertrude enjoyed her food immensely.

I also had an important insight about a work situation which was helpful and I reread a Robert Langs text which was also helpful. Oh, and be lyrical at the lyric, my old friend....

I will probably float and take photographs somewhere this weekend so stay tuned....

Worshipping On The River

Not the same photo but the barred owls like a certain branch over Cassidy Spring and I can always find one.
I thought these night herons were gone but evidently not.

I skipped church today which sent mom into a tailspin and I am so sorry....She was expecting me but I am used to Sundays on the river so I will have to figure this one out. We are all having some grief over the changes. I feel guilty about moving them although I know it was time. Dad still is stalwart even though he misses his friends too. He has always been so practical and reasoned about stuff I know it was right when he said it was but I hate to uproot them. The Yacht Club was due to close probably for good in June though anyway, since Wayne Huizinga is buying it up so their place to socialize such as it was would be gone anyway. Walking new places has been more treacherous for them and mom has hurt herself as has dad but it is safer, easier, and simpler over all for them. But they miss their friends, their routines, and everything familiar.

Cold &Windy New Year's Day

Today was a sunshiny but very windy ride on the river. The seaweed farmers claimed they saw a panther. I wish I had seen it. I took so much energy fighting the elements I hardly had any photos. But it was a good day, anyway. Dinner for the folks and a stack of new books has topped it off nicely.

Ivory Bill, oh Ivory Bill, do you fly wild in Florida still?

These looked like ivory bill nest holes to me.






I have been landlocked for a while, horseytail....the weather has been exceedingly dreary and I have had a cold since last week but today I went out to the river in the afternoon after doing my episcopal duties... I don't remember such a long stretch of cloudy raining weather in these parts. Just as soon as I put in I saw this otter. The suwanee cooters were plentiful and the wintering- over crowd included cormorants, some woodpeckers I haven't identified yet and this black and white duck in addition to the usual gang of ibises, limpkins, egrets, and willetts.

I was looking for the ivory bill again today and now I have a song to sing about the ivory bill as well. I sang it while I paddled but it didn't attract any birds. Stephen B and I got together yesterday and recorded a version for the Will McLean Festival. Will was always writing songs about the flora and fauna of Florida and it fits the genre well, I think. Stephen is very creative and did most of the work but I think it is a good song and should place in the top ten at the contest. He also has a great swing song about the Suwannee which I think will place as well.

Looking for the Ivory Bill on Bruce Creek

I hopped over to the Choctawhatchee River and Bruce Creek which is a prime spot for looking for IBWO after our recording session yesterday in Jackson County. The creek is very swollen with rain but I didn't ' see any IBWO.

St Mark's views with mom

Merry Christmas!

Klondike and I have begun to enjoy each other. His excited tour of the new home on his first day, in which he marked several spots in the house with what I decided was excited joy to be with a new pack, and two more days of marking gave way to excellent manners and the unfolding of his personality. He likes his kibble with a spoonful of gravy, he doesn't do toys, he stays in the yard with no leashing, he walks gingerly on the grass and easily on the sidewalk, he gets that car rides go to his home or mine now and he isn't scared, he dislikes being in the laundry room and will bark when he must go in there. He is now given free rein of the house since he is so well mannered and he is proud of this. He barks once at the maintenance men and then greets them amiably, he likes to have his fluffy fur ruffled and petted a lot and he is content at about 6and a half years old to hang around the house. No he is not the dog for me really, since he is a big homebody but I like him and he likes me. He doesn't beg at the table and he sits stays and comes well. he is perfect for mom and dad and I guess his light was shining around us before he came because we knew exactly what he would be like and he appeared like a prayer.
He walks slowly and carefully with dad and he loves moms attention, as well. He is perfect for them and I will take care of him too but I guess its time to find another companion. Nathan may be moving out soon and I could use a hiker, boater, floater, and fireplace guy for myself. No biters need apply! (See my previous post entitled dogmatch.com). I'm ready, pal.

The Night before the Night Before Christmas

This is the little hawk which was born in the nest in my tree last spring. He still hangs around his birth home but not as much as he used to .

The Move In

Gawd am I sore....I spent the entire day opening boxes, moving furniture, setting up beds, the bano, the living room, the kitchen and we are about 2/3rds done! Now my dear parental units can get easier meals, visit with us more easily, and have help when they need it. I packed them Saturday, Sunday and Monday, the movers packed Monday and traveled up to Tallahassee Tuesday. They moved in the furniture and boxes today and I went into frenzy mode so they could have a reasonably livable home tonight. They had two easy meals today at the Westminster dining room and I got my dad a frying pan for his two egg, ham, potatoes, coffee, and bagel daily breakfast. I loaned him my coffee maker since we couldn't find his.

Nathan has another job selling and managed a 3.09 in business school at Flagler this semester. He graduates in May. How could life be better?

Now I really am going to go kayaking this weekend. With no worries......YES!

MIssion Accomplished!

For my friends who understand the anxieties, I have now moved my parents to Tallahassee. Tomorrow we move the stuff in! Now I can get a good night's sleep and response time will be seven minutes instead of seven hours!

Back on the river this weekend...YES!!!!

Otter Day

I slept in this morning after a late night harmony session with the enablers and then decided to ignore the dirty dishes, the piles of laundry, the dusty furniture, and the unwritten paper and go to the river. December first and it was 78 degrees and brilliantly sunshiny. I have been searching for the IBWO now that the leaves are falling and I was hoping to see some more unusual sights such as those last weekend. The more tuned in I am to this river, the more stuff happens....I did see a deer swimming at the deer crossing area ( I recognize it), and I found these otters. Otters are mainly downriver of the springs these days, it seems.
I also saw hitchiker on her airboat and boldly paddled up to it while threatening to ram them ...we had a laugh about this when she told her friends she knew me. There is no love lost between kayakers and airboat owners on this river They keep the gator population down! But really, I can do without the confederate flags, guys!