April already?

Jake is back in Willamette but planning for a summer in Las Cruces. Quincy has already traveled on the band trip, so I guess it must be near the end of the school year. Wow.

What I've missed: Stu, Jake, and I marched in the Bataan Memorial March again this year and recovered relatively quickly. Might even do the Organ hike this weekend.

Quincy turned 17. I completed another Ursus issue. Work has been crazy busy for us all.

The sharp-shinned hawk brunched on the white-winged dove yesterday morning outside the north end of the house, as sparrows danced around. Were they confident that they were too small to be on interest, or that the hawk was not interested in a lagniappe?

Spring House in snow.

On Limestone Road, Hockessin, Delaware.

Visiting the parents for the weekend, and this morning is cold. A little snow last night has left about an inch on the ground but the snow was polite enough to melt off the road, at least mostly.

UPDATE: Visited Bombay Hook, a wildlife refuge in Delaware. The drive down Route 9 was excellent, and the tide was going out so the road was not under water. Many snow geese (primarily off-refuge) and assorted water fowl. Also 2 foxes and a raccoon. Thanks, Dad and Kent, for a nice day.

But it is cold here and the wind is evil. New Mexico's warmth will be welcome on Monday.

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Beaver at wildlife refuge

Big rodent with lots of friends. Also bald eagles, a red tail, northern harrier, a flock of scrub jays, another of cedar waxwings. Very sweet.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Cozumel Saturday

This handsome fellow greeted us at the Cozumel Country Club this morning. Iguanas were pretty much all over the place as were basilisks (great footage from National Geographic on why basilisks are also called the Jesus Christ lizard is here).

Darwin-wise, we thought the lizard to the right needed to find a darker tree...

There was some excellent birding on the golf course at the country club. We id'ed northern jacanas, an American Bittern, a green-breasted mango, yellow-faced seedquit, bananaquit, and a Yucutan woodpecker, all lifers (I think). And the food was even great at the end of the walk.

At the end of the day, we got a rental car from a shop in Cozumel to make snorkeling easier. This is not to say we are testing the amphibious properties of the beetle. But it is easier to get to beaches with a car...

And snorkeling was excellent. The fishies were bright and as curious about us as we were about them. It is the quiet season in Cozumel, so beaches are not crowded, as I suspect they can be in high season.

Beetles were made in Mexico until 2003, and this one looks to be in about mint condition. It runs on nostalgia -- it has wing windows, no air conditioner, a 4-speed manual transmission, and about 2 buttons on the dashboard (lights, hazards). What more do you need? No DVD player, radio, GPS, fan...

Cozumel Friday

Headed north on the island today for birds. Although there was not a huge variety of species, this was the most amazing rookery I have ever visited.

The innkeeper at Casa Viento arranged a bird tour to a mangrove swamp. Although close to the populated areas of Cozumel, the swamp is accessible only by water, and we saw nobody all day. We went in a small boat, and Alberto, the captain, poled the boat most of the way. It was such a super way to go birding -- the quiet transportation did not scare the birds, so they allowed us to get really, really close. (See ibis below, really, really close.)

The rookery was incredible. The picture above is about right for density, but and the rookery was huge, with several large areas of intense nesting. Among the nesting birds we saw were: white ibis, glossy ibis, tri-colored heron, snowy egret, reddish heron, little blue heron. We also saw an ancient, huge osprey nest, green herons, Mangrove warblers, white crowned pigeons, royal and least terns....

Did I mention that we got really, really close? The little guys to the left are snowy egrets. They were adorable.

Finished the day with our second fabulous meal in Cozumel, then a nice, long stroll through town. Last picture is of the gazebo in the plaza.

White-rumped swift sighting

Wind is so strong that it just blew a white-rumped swift by us as we were out walking. Never expected to see one of those in our airspace!

Travel time: Galveston, 12/28

Good birding in Galveston!

Highlights included a Pacific loon, crested caracara, and lots of waterbirds: roseate spoonbills (pink birds in photo), tri-colored herons, stilts, oystercatchers, little blue herons, ibis (second bird from left, above), in addition to various peeps, gulls, and grebes.

And excellent views of dolphins from the ferry between Galveston and Bolivar (longest ferry crossing in Texas!). The Ferry was also where we encountered the security guard who recited his poetry to us. Love local color in all its forms...