tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28379069208224590982024-03-07T15:44:14.402-07:00 Prairie Ice A collection of thoughts
and photos of my life and
work in the northern
Great Plains of
North America
(and occasionally other
places in the world).John Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685565082296393942noreply@blogger.comBlogger602125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837906920822459098.post-49517024324444776782023-02-25T12:11:00.007-07:002023-02-25T12:18:14.301-07:00Well Hello There<p>A hand and dust rag deliberately move across the computer screen from corner to corner, wiping away the dust and grime that has accumlated over 6 years of neglect...... </p><p>Ah, there you are! I remember you. My blog. PrairieIce. My first foray into social media before the likes of Facebook and Instagram came along with their allure of of keeping in touch with old and new friends and throwing photos out into the world with just snippets of context. </p><p>I recently found myself longing for the chance to delve deeper into explanations and context for my photos and thoughts. And then earlier this week when I was trying to remember the dates when I carved out some travel time to visit Everglades National Park I realized I was blogging pretty regularly back then. That search for dates and my experiences in the Everglades brought me back here and I realized that I already had a spot to satisfy my desire for more - so here I am again. No promises, but I am hoping to keep the dust at bay for a while. </p><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">I completed another journey to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia Island, and the Antarctic Peninsula last November (2022) as a guide for Naturalist Journeys. I plan on revisiting that trip here in the next few months and I hope to have another couple of trips to write about this summer, including a trip to Svalbard, my first trip back to the high Arctic in nearly a quarter century. So, this is the first step in the promise to myself to dust off the blog, share some photos and stories, and get back into writing a bit more regularly. And share a couple of photos too. <br /><br /></div><table align="center" 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/AVvXsEi2zgWauElaRW0kahMrnGydsMNskhIk2BV9UlivBzNW4MBhT1TRo6Z05zE8JgKrgapIeVP-hvWIzy-ChAs_B63myO5zw3V-En5Z8dkUDuqz3EmBtWEsINOxdk5ZVx_EnsqbkXSzUqWznMmmp-9R-j05eiZmdkYvuFvl3txshaB9ox6fDhNbP-q_agqIqg/s1230/burrowing%20parakeet-.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1230" data-original-width="820" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2zgWauElaRW0kahMrnGydsMNskhIk2BV9UlivBzNW4MBhT1TRo6Z05zE8JgKrgapIeVP-hvWIzy-ChAs_B63myO5zw3V-En5Z8dkUDuqz3EmBtWEsINOxdk5ZVx_EnsqbkXSzUqWznMmmp-9R-j05eiZmdkYvuFvl3txshaB9ox6fDhNbP-q_agqIqg/w266-h400/burrowing%20parakeet-.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burrowing Parakeet</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/AVvXsEjE0yGUnW5HDQ737eOVrN6JA9MLlJoLG8io5jCu0K2uogrmGIz89oFU_9uc_KwRu1iTv4Bs9EK1_MfvwLi7MObiKH2AKokFcgLFmRC0i5SFeP3iC_UhQpJKQqMgeajBJGnH6RZrqIzld7wyOE5Ln7D-Z_NEl2vY1KCFcM97P2r7bWykjOnNhifiBZcsEw/s1230/burrowing%20parakeet--3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1230" data-original-width="820" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE0yGUnW5HDQ737eOVrN6JA9MLlJoLG8io5jCu0K2uogrmGIz89oFU_9uc_KwRu1iTv4Bs9EK1_MfvwLi7MObiKH2AKokFcgLFmRC0i5SFeP3iC_UhQpJKQqMgeajBJGnH6RZrqIzld7wyOE5Ln7D-Z_NEl2vY1KCFcM97P2r7bWykjOnNhifiBZcsEw/w266-h400/burrowing%20parakeet--3.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burrowing Parakeet</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>This <a href="https://ebird.org/species/burpar?forceLogin=true">Burrowing </a><span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://ebird.org/species/burpar?forceLogin=true">Parakeet</a> (<i>Cyanoliseus patagonus</i>) </span>one of my favorite observations from my trip. I had wanted to see this species since I first started heading south nearly 30 years ago. This trip was my best chance. Our trip was the first of the Southern Hemisphere summer season for the <i>Hondius, </i>the Oceanwide ship that was to be our home for the next few weeks. Rather than beginning our voyage at the usual jumping off point in the far north of Argentina, we started our trip much farther north at Puerto Madryn south of Buenos Aires. I was excited to see a new part of Argentina and see a few new birds, with this species occupying the top of the list. One of the members of our group had arrived a couple days early and relayed to me that he had seen a few along the way from the airport to the hotel. Unfortunately we had arrived too late in the day and that trip was in the dark for the rest of us to see much. The next morning we ventured out for a day of exploration further south (more on that later) and as we gathered for breakfast I found out that another member of our group had observed a couple of Burrowing Parakeets fly past the hotel window. Missed again. A full day of birding and exploring and still no Burrowing Parakeets to see. The next day we were scheduled to board the ship in the afternoon and I decided to make sure I rose early to have a few hours to myself before our group activities began. I headed up the hill just past our hotel where there were a number of previous observations. A few Chilean Flamingos foraging in the low tide waters, glowing pink against the deep blue waters caught my attention for a bit, but I knew this was my best opportunity to catch a parakeet close to their roost before they headed off to feed for the day. As I neared the top of the hill I caught a psittacine silhouette on a wire. It was still a bit further up the hill and backlit...was it what I wanted it to be? I hustled up the hill a bit further and soon confirmed that it was indeed a Burrowing Parakeet! I spent a bit of time watching it hang out on the wire, stretching and occasionally calling, until I decided to see what else I could find and I moved back down the hill, He was still sitting on the wire when I last saw him. It turned out that this was the only Burrowing Parakeet I observed on the trip despite looking more later in the day with the group. It was a good day already. </p>John Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685565082296393942noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837906920822459098.post-2078623272340444032017-02-26T19:42:00.002-07:002017-02-26T19:42:23.521-07:00WaxwingsLast year I took a quick trip home between Christmas and the New Year. While I was home the annual flock of Bohemian Waxwings finally got around to dining on the crab apples on a tree next to Mom and Dad's house. I was able to spend some time hanging out next to the tree and watch these birds descend in scattered groups into the branches of the tree and work their way up and down the branches until all of the apples were stripped from their stems.<br />
Bohemian Waxwings are common winter visitors to much of Montana, particularly where there is any sort of fruit remaining on the trees. Most often their fruit of choice is something like crab apples or Mountain Ash berries, but I have also watched them down the little olives from Russian Olive trees. They often form very large skittish flocks of 800 or more individuals that swirl around from tree to tree.<br />
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They often perform some interesting gyrations to get just the right fruit.<br />
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Last week a few showed up at the local city park to work over the last of the apples there. </div>
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<br />John Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685565082296393942noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837906920822459098.post-91102320818572104992017-01-29T20:29:00.005-07:002017-01-29T20:29:54.993-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYAFFgzmLvl3TEkJPl-tyeUnvgJg0FVu1fpuHSPtFnqxZn6_ZQqofk_H2RpL6kIQpc-NjGnJi63ZLSh7YPJpg5wW3eBafIRBmleFdPgukv66Tig8VJ6lOqwMyo6WaaPl3cS-lEBQRz6emy/s1600/wandering+albatross-4389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYAFFgzmLvl3TEkJPl-tyeUnvgJg0FVu1fpuHSPtFnqxZn6_ZQqofk_H2RpL6kIQpc-NjGnJi63ZLSh7YPJpg5wW3eBafIRBmleFdPgukv66Tig8VJ6lOqwMyo6WaaPl3cS-lEBQRz6emy/s640/wandering+albatross-4389.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i>
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<i>If the wild bird could speak</i><br />
<i>She'd tell of the places you had been</i><br />
<i>She's been in my dreams</i><br />
<i>And she knows all the ways of the wind</i><br />
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Gene Clark - Polly Come HomeJohn Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685565082296393942noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837906920822459098.post-64043448968852521102017-01-29T18:21:00.004-07:002017-01-29T18:21:44.717-07:00More MallardsWinter is not the most exciting time to be in Billings. I struggle finding places to wander around and take photos and look for wildlife without heading too far out of town. A couple of weeks ago while looking out my office window late in the afternoon I noticed that the resident Mallards were flying in to the small drainage ditch behind our office building. So for the last couple of weeks I have spent a few hours here and there trying to take photos of the Mallards flying into the ditch. It has been fun working on finding the right spot and angle to capture the birds descending to the water. It has also been a learning experience with my camera to get the autofocus setting right to best get in-focus shots of the birds. Yes, the are "just" Mallards, but sometimes you take what you can get and make it a learning experience. Here are some of the results.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJLNXniXsdlZN3dik9FJeTNJmBIhu1ySegkuj853z9aYiLga124VP3y7In72iNFlmdNuwuu0OXIvRZ7CaEp7rznThpesobLeyiURSmnpwIqsHCRuHrKqDAB7o83VKZeYN-kjkAd0GBhe-/s1600/Mallard-9319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJLNXniXsdlZN3dik9FJeTNJmBIhu1ySegkuj853z9aYiLga124VP3y7In72iNFlmdNuwuu0OXIvRZ7CaEp7rznThpesobLeyiURSmnpwIqsHCRuHrKqDAB7o83VKZeYN-kjkAd0GBhe-/s640/Mallard-9319.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOo5U1Z_59Z2oJNLqjSHShw6_h-pP6P0_ths-YUrn33MgYz4xX-JHGrFsm5Dc4QVyATvlGH9kokxImBIpNFF1eGePATryUgrewfpQwSPdN7SnFAdTZqfOT5d_BVtU-1E5V6LXluupMEA2z/s1600/Mallard-9325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOo5U1Z_59Z2oJNLqjSHShw6_h-pP6P0_ths-YUrn33MgYz4xX-JHGrFsm5Dc4QVyATvlGH9kokxImBIpNFF1eGePATryUgrewfpQwSPdN7SnFAdTZqfOT5d_BVtU-1E5V6LXluupMEA2z/s640/Mallard-9325.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdX0aT6sPj27EUiVTJ6kOoI5q3WAMD2SzdOx5f0NWepNvEP0TqwpldQTXRiQ32ZdNcQ-o3m49xBo5xPAWr7XzQGSI8q8PvNmJcWwrN8w_LhfPxRREiXE8aYIjvmMDEA8zb2HneWVKj6D2/s1600/Mallard-9330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdX0aT6sPj27EUiVTJ6kOoI5q3WAMD2SzdOx5f0NWepNvEP0TqwpldQTXRiQ32ZdNcQ-o3m49xBo5xPAWr7XzQGSI8q8PvNmJcWwrN8w_LhfPxRREiXE8aYIjvmMDEA8zb2HneWVKj6D2/s640/Mallard-9330.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0qJqP9WsV2CAeycztbkEr6Gh09yImgx7umuT61-EuAgGJ2ihXJ82NtK-nj9DOj3n6QUPAasSZAyVimT3x9SejtpcdeyN58xLRz6NKDkZMAM23zxWpVN2G8il8qx3G3J6loNUZg47SaO6/s1600/Mallard-9359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0qJqP9WsV2CAeycztbkEr6Gh09yImgx7umuT61-EuAgGJ2ihXJ82NtK-nj9DOj3n6QUPAasSZAyVimT3x9SejtpcdeyN58xLRz6NKDkZMAM23zxWpVN2G8il8qx3G3J6loNUZg47SaO6/s640/Mallard-9359.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8VLIuMgIt_lB6jDCnW9vtIVRAvJbcU8M4MWrrQzmqPIYXgvP-nJhp0IMEvD0Ab6E2VbazCs_MXM3-cAIfUsfdDESIHu-OWr1alMijhdWB3aFI5isuuk5iVq5zr-7dKwS3e-8uIkhlxD2h/s1600/Mallard-9360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8VLIuMgIt_lB6jDCnW9vtIVRAvJbcU8M4MWrrQzmqPIYXgvP-nJhp0IMEvD0Ab6E2VbazCs_MXM3-cAIfUsfdDESIHu-OWr1alMijhdWB3aFI5isuuk5iVq5zr-7dKwS3e-8uIkhlxD2h/s640/Mallard-9360.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIzD6aaAZ3RuZ5oKVaIpFsBM-YVlsJJpjaNvgvE6dvfMJ3csqvfmjjcHdT6k_ohNYK14rrBWsdMCMqv0gx-4kw9cBzepcu6Euha04t9aMH6HeATQnQqYTNW_6QdPmHjnp7LWMzvw3-9ZCh/s1600/Mallard-9441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIzD6aaAZ3RuZ5oKVaIpFsBM-YVlsJJpjaNvgvE6dvfMJ3csqvfmjjcHdT6k_ohNYK14rrBWsdMCMqv0gx-4kw9cBzepcu6Euha04t9aMH6HeATQnQqYTNW_6QdPmHjnp7LWMzvw3-9ZCh/s640/Mallard-9441.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4pRTpWQ5rmqRxWyLRWMIIwN2sIMCXbCbaBYQg4vHY4rGvSEsksNnN-MEJUtNNkdt3ti4hV1YjdZOLHbfD2Utdlj-BjtyqwUfswG925RuiUGVmz94OQnDbDj39vxZb1h8HzJDifa2fVpPt/s1600/Mallard-9812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4pRTpWQ5rmqRxWyLRWMIIwN2sIMCXbCbaBYQg4vHY4rGvSEsksNnN-MEJUtNNkdt3ti4hV1YjdZOLHbfD2Utdlj-BjtyqwUfswG925RuiUGVmz94OQnDbDj39vxZb1h8HzJDifa2fVpPt/s640/Mallard-9812.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I also found one male Wood Duck slumming around with the Mallards. He is a bit more photogenic.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5aYk2OaXrRaNj_tSlgickvWvsIaQY0TN-B8xwT8JzUY86LjooOF59l2nmguwXR1ecWKEimYOJzwRujPzxOF0RuTuPwaHb_z42SgiNcSyxhyphenhyphenQupCnD72HJgHsDkyrHx9Lj2nNydgJ2jjy/s1600/wood+duck-9060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5aYk2OaXrRaNj_tSlgickvWvsIaQY0TN-B8xwT8JzUY86LjooOF59l2nmguwXR1ecWKEimYOJzwRujPzxOF0RuTuPwaHb_z42SgiNcSyxhyphenhyphenQupCnD72HJgHsDkyrHx9Lj2nNydgJ2jjy/s640/wood+duck-9060.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsl5cn08M47tsuTUxQaisxmnMI6pA1JNTKB2E3oRXqLzK3_nXpd07BZbwmEpWARHkGMWjSvuTzELOYo4DpZHBoOc7RRbwoaW1bx1VsBOfdd_EYEJAxJG3-_XF83Og9Vzm5kMEXnqsMwAq6/s1600/wood+duck-9081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsl5cn08M47tsuTUxQaisxmnMI6pA1JNTKB2E3oRXqLzK3_nXpd07BZbwmEpWARHkGMWjSvuTzELOYo4DpZHBoOc7RRbwoaW1bx1VsBOfdd_EYEJAxJG3-_XF83Og9Vzm5kMEXnqsMwAq6/s640/wood+duck-9081.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />John Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685565082296393942noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837906920822459098.post-34409107968293931642017-01-22T16:49:00.000-07:002017-01-22T16:49:48.845-07:00Incoming!This afternoon I took advantage of the light and the weather to try for some photos of the Mallards that have been spending time in the drainage ditch behind my office. I have been watching them out my office window for the last few weeks as they descend into the ditch so I figured I would see how well I could do with my camera this afternoon. Turned out ok.<br />
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John Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685565082296393942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837906920822459098.post-17388094286688270672016-01-16T17:20:00.000-07:002016-01-16T17:20:15.837-07:00River WalkMy new pup Quill and I have been spending our lunch time walking along the Yellowstone River for the past couple of weeks. Quill gets his mid-day meal and a good walk, and I get a few minutes of away-from-the-desk therapy. We wander along the bank of the river, or through the Cottonwoods along the trails of a park near my office looking for whatever crosses our path. Sometimes it is beautiful patterns in the ice along the river, other times it is just a few moments of new experiences for a puppy. Most of our short journeys have been relatively devoid of birds except for the usual Common Goldeneyes on the river and an occasional Bald Eagle cruising along the channel. However last week we managed to find ourselves in the middle of a small flock of Black-capped Chickadees, a Brown Creeper, and a White-breasted Nuthatch. I always enjoy watching creepers and nuthatches work their way up and down tree trunks, prying little insects out from the cracks and crevices of the bark. They are always a challenge to photograph because most of the time you see only the back of the bird as they hunt the bark for food.<br />
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Sometimes you can catch them working the tree where you can see them better.<br />
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A couple of quick little White-breasted Nuthatch calls on my phone brought the nuthatch down to check me out.<br />
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Quill enjoys all of it.<br />
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<br />John Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685565082296393942noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837906920822459098.post-9376914782578708082015-11-29T08:20:00.000-07:002015-11-29T08:20:30.029-07:00River Ice IIAnother walk along the Yellowstone and more photos of ice patterns.<br />
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<br />John Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685565082296393942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837906920822459098.post-88246866902537163882015-11-27T17:07:00.000-07:002015-11-27T17:07:44.185-07:00River IceA recent cold snap across the northern Great Plains turned our rather warm Fall on it's head and the Yellowstone River is now sending large ice pans downstream. The patterns in the ice on the side channels always catch my eye. <br />
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<br />John Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685565082296393942noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837906920822459098.post-44731698967299903362015-10-03T10:06:00.000-06:002015-10-03T10:07:19.397-06:00September Rituals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It happens every September. Throughout North America (but mostly in the West), the Elk rut commences and the steroidal flute notes and belching grunts of male elk signal the change of daylight and temperature as we slip into fall. I also have my fall ritual which centers around the gathering of these hormonal beasts and their massive hood ornaments of bone. I go to watch their antics and listen to their aggressive music at a place where they have become accustom to having an audience - the Slippery Ann Elk Viewing Area on the Charles M. Russell Wildlife Refuge.<br />
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The viewing areas is closed to hunting, an artifact of the need to protect the area around a long gone work station. The elk took advantage of the closure and congregated in the cottonwoods along the river during the fall. When the work station moved to a more convenient location along the highway, the hunting closure and the resultant elk congregation persisted. A number of years ago I spent a portion of a summer working out of the work station before the last of the buildings were removed which gives my annual visits a tinge of homecoming to go along with the spectacle of elk.<br />
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It seems like I have only been able to carve out a day or two at the most for my trips north and this year was no exception. My oldest son got out of school early one day last week and we took advantage of the time to make the two hour dash to the elk. The day had been clear and I was looking forward to a well lit evening, but just as we arrived at the viewing area the clouds slipped in from the north and it appeared that the good evening light was gone for the day. However, for a short stretch of time the evening rays managed to find a gap in the clouds and lit up the riverbottom in some wonderful golden light.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is cow #154 - a participant in a study to see where cow elk spend the hunting season. I suspect she previously had a GPS collar around her neck which fell off last winter. </td></tr>
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<br />John Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685565082296393942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837906920822459098.post-47267637148092649792015-09-05T16:57:00.002-06:002015-09-06T19:16:40.437-06:00Falcons on the PrairieI was on a field trip in South Dakota last week and at our first stop near a prairie dog town on the Fort Pierre National Grasslands, our local guide Dan Svingen pointed out a Prairie Falcon flying across the dog town. The Prairie Falcon was soon attacked from above by a Merlin.<br />
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No sooner had the Merlin headed out when a Peregrine Falcon took a couple of passes at the Prairie Falcon. </div>
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Other interesting observations on the trip included the following insects - a bit tattered Regal Fritillary, </div>
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a bumblebee of undetermined species,</div>
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and this Praying Mantis, </div>
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John Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685565082296393942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837906920822459098.post-29245228322860666462015-06-27T15:28:00.000-06:002015-06-27T17:48:12.999-06:00Arctic Tern - A Life of Ice, Light and Flight<br />
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On the afternoon of January 12, 2015 I was immersed in a surreal setting of ice, snow and water. We were just west of Booth Island and north of Pleneau Island on the Graham Coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. Above me in the clouds to the east were Mt Shackleton and Mt. Scott, but I had to trust the map to tell me that. There were no mountains to be seen that day. The clouds were low and large flakes of snow floated from the what was left of the sky, seemingly spontaneously forming just above our heads.<br />
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We were there because of the icebergs. This area is a frequent stop of tour ships because the currents and islands conspire to push icebergs into this area where they slowly decay into constantly changing abstract sculptures.<br />
The day had started out with a curious Minke Whale checking out our Zodiacs as the staff prepared to transport guests to Peterman Island where we were able to visit colonies of breeding Gentoo and Adelie Penguins with a few Blue-eyed Shag nests in the mix.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sandra and her friend the curious Minke Whale.</td></tr>
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The afternoon was spent in the zodiacs, maneuvering through the shifting mountain ranges of icebergs, brash ice, and bergy bits to fully experience a true Antarctic spectacle of ice.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWVrXU4EMGO9QCkcPp032oJhLvULgCJR3-YlVpc33Z_S8EbIWdGSSlmCgjkFfvVPsf3w9rhD79k1k2SBkldAM_rulJINmuiNx7SMYyHJVBa1k5xNBiBO-GxgngSKvwGX6TcVN5rA7tdfg/s1600/Sandra+-+ice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWVrXU4EMGO9QCkcPp032oJhLvULgCJR3-YlVpc33Z_S8EbIWdGSSlmCgjkFfvVPsf3w9rhD79k1k2SBkldAM_rulJINmuiNx7SMYyHJVBa1k5xNBiBO-GxgngSKvwGX6TcVN5rA7tdfg/s640/Sandra+-+ice.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A chunk of bar ice where you can see how the water erodes small cup shaped divots from the ice. Photo by Sandra Petrowitz.</td></tr>
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Perhaps just as interesting for me were a number of birds we found perched on the icebergs and feeding in their shallow pools. They were Arctic Terns and there were more of them in one spot than I have ever found on the Antarctic Peninsula. </div>
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They were perched high on the ramparts of towering bergs in an Antarctic version of birds on a wire. </div>
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The migration of this species is quite remarkable. They breed in their namesake region - the Arctic, but then migrate south through the Atlantic Ocean (and probably the Pacific Ocean as well) to spend their non-breeding summer in the Antarctic Pack ice. We know more about the portion of the population the migrates through the Atlantic through some interesting research conducted on Arctic Terns in Greenland and Iceland known as the <a href="http://www.arctictern.info/" target="_blank">Arctic Tern Migration Project</a>. Below are a couple of maps that show the migration route and winter areas of the eleven birds they tracked (both images from the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ahHf-KDQSFIkhRjOMFRz0GXDRRuRWvnBc2LhwkX0OcYIORtBaCQ5Jue_UkIgiXonkNk8fHEJ0gJvyNPs6dGdzVm1T-yZMAifxxFx5mTnH3b6m_YihySBWPrDcHNbv21_nHYtK5pHmcWX/s1600/tern_migration_month.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ahHf-KDQSFIkhRjOMFRz0GXDRRuRWvnBc2LhwkX0OcYIORtBaCQ5Jue_UkIgiXonkNk8fHEJ0gJvyNPs6dGdzVm1T-yZMAifxxFx5mTnH3b6m_YihySBWPrDcHNbv21_nHYtK5pHmcWX/s640/tern_migration_month.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Simplified
figure showing migration patterns of the Arctic tern, from the breeding sites
in Greenland and Iceland to the winter grounds at Antarctica. After initiating
the southbound migration (yellow line) the birds paused their migration in the
central part of the North Atlantic (small circle) for almost a month before
they continue towards the wintering sites at Antarctica (large circle). In
spring, the northbound migration (white line) is conducted more than twice as
fast in a gigantic “S” shaped pattern through the Atlantic Ocean. Areas
particular rich in biological productivity are indicated by yellow and green
colors.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEl4CJfaZDyd18C6VXTAE_R87Iiq9eHNtCKtcNmlCIJwSXROgffzq-XK1MV-ywHKsb_0yySLI2dcduj5lBzJ_qndi-loXAGeM9GjGJNm9XSz_HsRSgMTQVlTdS3FnxGItg-6NH_Eix3tAN/s1600/ARTE_onemap+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEl4CJfaZDyd18C6VXTAE_R87Iiq9eHNtCKtcNmlCIJwSXROgffzq-XK1MV-ywHKsb_0yySLI2dcduj5lBzJ_qndi-loXAGeM9GjGJNm9XSz_HsRSgMTQVlTdS3FnxGItg-6NH_Eix3tAN/s640/ARTE_onemap+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Interpolated
geolocation tracks of 11 Arctic terns tracked from breeding colonies in
Greenland (n = 10 birds) and Iceland (n = 1 bird). Green = autumn
(postbreeding) migration (August–November), red = winter range
(December–March), and yellow = spring (return) migration (April–May). Two
southbound migration routes were adopted in the South Atlantic, either (A) West
African coast (n = 7 birds) or (B) Brazilian coast. Dotted lines link locations
during the equinoxes.</span></td></tr>
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As you can see from the map above, the wintering area for most of these birds is the edge of the pack ice in the northern part of the Weddell Sea. Presumably they spend their non-breeding summer much like I observed them - foraging among the ice in the open waters between the ice as well as the shallow waters formed by the icebergs themselves.<br />
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One iceberg in particular formed a spectacular eroded backstop for the foraging terns. </div>
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There were a few other creatures foraging in the same area with the terns. We observed another less inquisitive Minke Whale that afternoon as well as a Crabeater Seal lounging in an iceberg pool and a few Kelp Gulls. </div>
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So why did I see so many on this trip? One explanation is that I just hadn't been in the right place at the right time and they have always wintered in this area. However, I believe that this year the pack ice was so heavy in the Weddell Sea that there was essentially no open water and the birds wound up concentrating along the Antarctic Peninsula in numbers that would not be found during a "normal" year just to be able to find something to eat. </div>
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Perhaps a more fitting name for this bird would be the Polar Tern, since they spend a majority of their life in both polar areas where they also experience perpetual daylight. The distances these birds migrate is impressive and when they are not breeding or wintering in the polar regions they are flying in a twisted migration loop back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean. </div>
John Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685565082296393942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837906920822459098.post-3513777164688476752015-05-21T21:32:00.000-06:002015-05-22T12:05:34.747-06:00PenguinsI have been struggling to find time to complete more blog posts about my journey to Antarctica, the Falklands, and South Georgia, but I have also struggled with developing a non-linear framework to build stories of my trip around. I really don't want a regurgitation of a daily log book - we went here and we saw this, lather, rinse, repeat. Fortunately, International Penguin Day was earlier this month and although I am late with this post, it provided a seed for me to get started with a series of posts about my travels and the places I visited.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zodica cruise - Saint Andrews Bay, South Georgia 1/24/15</td></tr>
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Last night I pondered over the justification most people use to explain their travel to Antarctica and I came up with four main reasons (this is only for those on leisure travel to Antarctica, musings about those who travel to work in Antarctica would require a completely different discussion). The reasons I came up with are, in no particular order: to experience wild penguins, to visit the only continent they haven't been to, to connect with the place where Antarctic history occurred, and...polar bears (a tongue-in-cheek reason used to describe the people who really don't know where they are going, but the brochure looked really nice). Although "penguins" is a rather specific reason for a visit to Antarctica, the label can be used to represent the desire to observe Antarctic wildlife in general, but because penguins are the most obvious and unique representative of this relatively wild place, they get the label. Most of my subsequent posts can be categorized under "penguins" when we consider it more broadly to include the wildlife of Antarctica, but I will also touch on Antarctic history here and there. I probably won't venture into the realm of "last continent to visit" themes and I am certainly not going to touch the "polar bears".<br />
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I am going to stick specifically penguins today. There is plenty of information concerning penguins available from other sources, including very good new book Penguins: The Ultimate Guide (which I will review in greater detail in a future post), so I am not going to delve into details and facts on this post and I will stick to photos of the species we observed.<br />
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Many travelers to Antarctica come to specifically see penguins and this trip was good for those travelers.<br />
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The first species I am going to present is the Adelie Penguin. This is the species I previously worked with the most and I have a soft spot for these tough little creatures. Unfortunately we did not see many Adelies on this trip. They are declining rapidly on the Antarctic Peninsula and the only place we were able to observe them at a breeding colony was on Peterman Island, where a few pair still manage to hang on. We did find quite a few groups along the heavy pack ice edge in the Weddell Sea however. The Weddell was stuffed full of pack ice this last summer - more than I have ever observed and the ice loving Adelies were common along the ice edge.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adelie Penguins - Weddell Sea</td></tr>
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We were able to observe a number of Chinstrap Penguins on this trip. We visited breeding colonies on South Georgia and on the South Shetland Islands and also observed a number of individuals at scattered locations on the Antarctic Peninsula.<br />
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Gentoo Penguins are now the most common penguin encountered on cruises to the Antarctic Peninsula and we visited a number of colonies there, as well as in the Falkland Islands. In fact, unless all you want to see are Gentoos, it would be a benefit to pay attention to the detailed itinerary for your trip to Antarctica. Some agendas result in only visits to places where only Gentoos are found. </div>
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One of the high points for me was the chance to visit the King Penguin colonies on South Georgia again. We visited a number of locations in South Georgia where they breed and I enjoyed seeing them again. Unfortunately we were unable to visit the main part of the colony at Saint Andrews Bay this year because the glacial meltwater stream that we need to cross was flowing way to heavy and fast to get across. The high flows were due to the very warm temperatures we experienced for a couple of days leading up to our stop there. </div>
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Many of the birds were going through their annual molt, while others looked just fine. </div>
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We did find one lone Emperor Penguin too. As I noted above, the pack ice in the Weddell Sea was extraordinary this year so we were only able to cruise along the edge of the pack just east of the peninsula. As we were cruising along the edge the Captain exclaimed that he had found an Emperor just ahead. I was doubtful as was our other main naturalist aboard the ship because the bird in question just did not look big enough for an Emperor. Even when we got close it just didn't look right to us. However, once we were able to get better looks and zoom in on our photos we realized that it was indeed an Emperor - just a very young one that wasn't even close to adult size. Still an Emperor Penguin though and the Captain was right once again. </div>
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We had a great afternoon with Macaroni Penguins at one of our stops on South Georgia near Cooper Bay. There are a couple of colonies of Macs here and we were able to get wonderful views of these birds from the Zodiacs. </div>
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We observed quite a few Magellanic Penguins in the Beagle Channel every time we transited in or out of the channel. On our first stop in the Falkland Islands on Saunders Island, there were a few birds near a Rockhopper Penguin colony where we were able to observe them up close on land. </div>
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We also got to see a couple of colonies of Rockhopper Penguins at Saunders Island. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjYBSZKGXyJOBDr_Avtmpi6I87o5jLfBSskCF77VjaQPhQe3rJWi4rYBDrhPRWr47-hpOr_Vu5PqDRg2M3bTvCgOJuQEpcUpI3tIkgAULQSPWQxebuMbbmmi-fEhKme1OmQjVEt1Zl-OcY/s1600/rockhopper-5427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjYBSZKGXyJOBDr_Avtmpi6I87o5jLfBSskCF77VjaQPhQe3rJWi4rYBDrhPRWr47-hpOr_Vu5PqDRg2M3bTvCgOJuQEpcUpI3tIkgAULQSPWQxebuMbbmmi-fEhKme1OmQjVEt1Zl-OcY/s1600/rockhopper-5427.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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The photo above shows the grooves that have been worn into the rocks by generations of Rockhoppers digging in with their claws as they slide down these slopes. </div>
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<br />John Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685565082296393942noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837906920822459098.post-11591498873861303972015-02-20T21:49:00.000-07:002015-02-25T20:16:15.581-07:00Ice Land - Return to the Antarctic Peninsula<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/AVvXsEiQNZsl333-P62s_8raGhvO5b670_vzYUezRPrOo44uzeM1wJ8uyQx1G6dFGzzGY40GSyBYn_1KsL79vCe48vqLCtVb5C65G6V-XBwkOfIYwY4cRTTG8K7uWxqo-Q8oABMdlPATadLb-Vc_/s1600/iceberg-2991.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNZsl333-P62s_8raGhvO5b670_vzYUezRPrOo44uzeM1wJ8uyQx1G6dFGzzGY40GSyBYn_1KsL79vCe48vqLCtVb5C65G6V-XBwkOfIYwY4cRTTG8K7uWxqo-Q8oABMdlPATadLb-Vc_/s1600/iceberg-2991.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">64°28'31" S 61°42'34" W. January 30, 2015</td></tr>
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I started this blog nine years ago in part to share my photos and stories of trips to Antarctica to a wider group of friends and family than I could manage through occasional emails. That purpose was the genesis of the "Ice" portion of the blog name - I was working in the prairie as well as "The Ice." My trips to The Ice slowly faded away as other portions of my life took over, but I didn't realize how much time had passed without a trip to the far south until last year. It suddenly dawned on me that it had been six years since I had last experienced summer in the middle of winter. The desire to experience the smell of penguin guano in the morning (and everything else associated with the chance to experience that olfactory assault) began to fester. I had to figure out a way to return. The culmination of that desire resulted in an offer to join Oceanwide Expeditions as a guide for two trips on the Plancius, one of Oceanwide's two tour ships operating in the Antarctica, thanks to some friends who are still doing these journeys. The other factors that needed to align and allow me to leave Montana for 5 weeks - work and family - fell into place. Many times during the weeks leading up to my departure I had the feeling that this trip just wasn't going to happen and that there would wind up being something that would foil my return south. But then I was on the plane and before I knew it I was watching the full moon reflect in the dark waters of Florida on my overnight flight to Buenos Aries, Argentina. It really was happening again.<br />
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I intend to have a number of blog posts that will be based on this trip. I am not sure how long this material will last or how long it might take me to get these done (work and family are now taking back the weeks they generously donated last month). This rest of this first post is going to be an homage to The Ice with a number of photos of just that - the dominant feature of the Antarctic landscape and a factor in the life of any creature that inhabits that most beautiful continent - ice.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYRhbOT6vEm6NgxhdZ9BZgQl8Vg00py0mglk_QXCewHQJOGRcv7Rf-IMBW0DQE4i5SIICD7cWVwLzJK-7UjFLgJX1kEBD4Paz-tQmKrK9bAxEwzhMGssxWfFZlgbqEHkWZjLekaLTKAj5t/s1600/antarctic+peninsula-2367.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYRhbOT6vEm6NgxhdZ9BZgQl8Vg00py0mglk_QXCewHQJOGRcv7Rf-IMBW0DQE4i5SIICD7cWVwLzJK-7UjFLgJX1kEBD4Paz-tQmKrK9bAxEwzhMGssxWfFZlgbqEHkWZjLekaLTKAj5t/s1600/antarctic+peninsula-2367.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">64°48'8" S 62°42'26" W - Mouth of Neko Harbor. January 11,2015</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgev0BGM51vwy4paI82vr816an3hSIrB3KCb5zMNMjokPnxeRBhfB8hJ2GJSPcdaM3gJgnFLJ7foiF-f2cOFD09wL67rstZbLCTGH7O7g6kJnd0ug7edMEtP7lhBw43Tzba9nDL3BJHMSnG/s1600/arctic+tern+iceberg+-3450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgev0BGM51vwy4paI82vr816an3hSIrB3KCb5zMNMjokPnxeRBhfB8hJ2GJSPcdaM3gJgnFLJ7foiF-f2cOFD09wL67rstZbLCTGH7O7g6kJnd0ug7edMEtP7lhBw43Tzba9nDL3BJHMSnG/s1600/arctic+tern+iceberg+-3450.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">65°4'50" S 64°3'23" W - Large Ice Arch in an area with many large icebergs near Pleneau and Booth Islands. January 12, 2015</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKfcAoxcZgT3Oahz3S21aMdYPfU8_ceMU6s2C6rIr9g8FIfQ1x_vMfk7getN4R_MUMkaRDKZT8qEr0omtq5GlymGIVW1AUE5nzXXKy-eysw50fTqzMFmADEVRCvV6UOTYZm5Z20eAWDSI3/s1600/Brown+Bluff+landscape-2837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKfcAoxcZgT3Oahz3S21aMdYPfU8_ceMU6s2C6rIr9g8FIfQ1x_vMfk7getN4R_MUMkaRDKZT8qEr0omtq5GlymGIVW1AUE5nzXXKy-eysw50fTqzMFmADEVRCvV6UOTYZm5Z20eAWDSI3/s1600/Brown+Bluff+landscape-2837.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">63°30'10" S 56°53'9" W<span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">- Near Brown Bluff. January 29, 2015</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicSInU7a7A3IgsSs-vaSjUcCp0hHmBWoMf8jBiJRFAg8bi25nei8uh7PyYDfx1qzIjx_q3qkCGaoRILsGvp7nPDIOA751bbn30Lal6GIhoclwp8gvgwCUMq5QCM-HoxcP3h3vWwCfQyDh1/s1600/Brown+Bluff+landscape-2843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicSInU7a7A3IgsSs-vaSjUcCp0hHmBWoMf8jBiJRFAg8bi25nei8uh7PyYDfx1qzIjx_q3qkCGaoRILsGvp7nPDIOA751bbn30Lal6GIhoclwp8gvgwCUMq5QCM-HoxcP3h3vWwCfQyDh1/s1600/Brown+Bluff+landscape-2843.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">63°30'14" S 56°53'22" W - Near Brown Bluff. January 29, 2015</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVIqvtciabLUnmLI7n-VSdIadbcqBEPq93qyXPIU3UMrIzF2lUvmgfNVnYWZIVfY0NfLusQk-zCa9kMWbaFIjphFIeAVqFD5_iGFEUjKfMDq8OFCrccc8uG3UOzE2JUKF2UC9ikXTyhn2/s1600/iceberg-1908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVIqvtciabLUnmLI7n-VSdIadbcqBEPq93qyXPIU3UMrIzF2lUvmgfNVnYWZIVfY0NfLusQk-zCa9kMWbaFIjphFIeAVqFD5_iGFEUjKfMDq8OFCrccc8uG3UOzE2JUKF2UC9ikXTyhn2/s1600/iceberg-1908.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">64°27'55" S 62°14'10" W - Near the south end of Brabant Island<span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">. January 10, 2015</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj380PqAOnEM-nKcg-wRPeC1AaX0Pjjqhyphenhyphen4tekup9LXB3Pd_hNPXrruauIRl1q_lk_spVam9WhPlAwnxf72Gb5ExH2RaV2XO9M4JvzKgwu0ZNou2ooMmBDuuPbm9K86PV8VL19cyfLG18r4/s1600/iceberg-1915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj380PqAOnEM-nKcg-wRPeC1AaX0Pjjqhyphenhyphen4tekup9LXB3Pd_hNPXrruauIRl1q_lk_spVam9WhPlAwnxf72Gb5ExH2RaV2XO9M4JvzKgwu0ZNou2ooMmBDuuPbm9K86PV8VL19cyfLG18r4/s1600/iceberg-1915.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">64°28'10" S 62°14'49" W Near the south end of Brabant Island<span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">. January 10, 2015</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhecHiiY6m29FcNpX0bA6oGT4DCTiY26JqrkDcV0dpzhWKFcGJVhqcTCqj8nWgDnLW6YW0Qdtj0evGhnJ-CeO9NJCcEp-hmjbdaqfyL5yeaibc8DOIQkZOutWTUY2lCq3G-smybQnuCOuDk/s1600/iceberg-1936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhecHiiY6m29FcNpX0bA6oGT4DCTiY26JqrkDcV0dpzhWKFcGJVhqcTCqj8nWgDnLW6YW0Qdtj0evGhnJ-CeO9NJCcEp-hmjbdaqfyL5yeaibc8DOIQkZOutWTUY2lCq3G-smybQnuCOuDk/s1600/iceberg-1936.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">64°30'12" S 62°20'24" W - Near the south end of Brabant Island. January 10, 2015</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpt8ys4sg1hTC5a8CtmDbbGAdgNOIziE0tqtzD9-5dPD2rjJzQCIgSKKjI0iZIPg26A36v1Ziqhe9CYMdoz8BNBuC4H-WFbo3L9xpqoRULhnjw0uTu6mm09g1ZDTKYK33pzdoAfugPlQcK/s1600/iceberg-2377.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpt8ys4sg1hTC5a8CtmDbbGAdgNOIziE0tqtzD9-5dPD2rjJzQCIgSKKjI0iZIPg26A36v1Ziqhe9CYMdoz8BNBuC4H-WFbo3L9xpqoRULhnjw0uTu6mm09g1ZDTKYK33pzdoAfugPlQcK/s1600/iceberg-2377.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">64°48'42" S 62°40'4" W - Neko Harbor<span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">. January 11, 2015</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7tTWl3mV2fvvjwzb3Bm7V8rUcCnEdu_sVYkw3R8w4DeUiIxQoj2BZXHhWooo9UEBr0tilPfLVJ7NTuXfMF3oR9D0Pd66byj-8ioWzA7azH-ABdOFOaiCGJx7kXtt6I_10CzSLEcq3B962/s1600/iceberg-2411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7tTWl3mV2fvvjwzb3Bm7V8rUcCnEdu_sVYkw3R8w4DeUiIxQoj2BZXHhWooo9UEBr0tilPfLVJ7NTuXfMF3oR9D0Pd66byj-8ioWzA7azH-ABdOFOaiCGJx7kXtt6I_10CzSLEcq3B962/s1600/iceberg-2411.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">64°49'16" S 62°38'5" W - Neko Harbor. January 11, 2015</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2EPmcuWA0KqzRkzCwzijYZrZPKAj5sfaT3xhyvOBHusOuXPTBXnY2uuebMNrDf5ikzUxIbrUTfkVLK8gc4logJ18g5g6sU9BJjffV4wTMW50FIiNWMeUxQq6AMela1OAuv9OSuPTvYgw/s1600/iceberg-2925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2EPmcuWA0KqzRkzCwzijYZrZPKAj5sfaT3xhyvOBHusOuXPTBXnY2uuebMNrDf5ikzUxIbrUTfkVLK8gc4logJ18g5g6sU9BJjffV4wTMW50FIiNWMeUxQq6AMela1OAuv9OSuPTvYgw/s1600/iceberg-2925.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">64°8'51" S 60°57'41" W - Cierva Cove. January 30, 2015</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIwHjn6oqNslP5QWkT7kXJD2s8zbmZDpUG4GqeINWou2MD5DTs8_89hTVQ-SeTXdDGH2qYeQ3G2VaHi4L7evnQMrFqTqqOdoyJf9WpSeeyn_dtO6HloBSi3kzmwQj6lmzPNZ37DeLAdTGS/s1600/iceberg-2950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIwHjn6oqNslP5QWkT7kXJD2s8zbmZDpUG4GqeINWou2MD5DTs8_89hTVQ-SeTXdDGH2qYeQ3G2VaHi4L7evnQMrFqTqqOdoyJf9WpSeeyn_dtO6HloBSi3kzmwQj6lmzPNZ37DeLAdTGS/s1600/iceberg-2950.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">64°8'48" S 60°57'34" W - Cierva Cove. January 30, 2015</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgADWMPuuW-IPbIS6iobri-ZxcWJHaVpe9mWYAn2rY2-l5XKd28O6mvCyNKOvU5pdHAxdmHLFJ1d1iiT_2Fq7ODVCO5ST_h_zg2ERYxNyX-CyothuAZIF3BouLd8nW9P3dymEBzP3KMwejv/s1600/iceberg-3088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgADWMPuuW-IPbIS6iobri-ZxcWJHaVpe9mWYAn2rY2-l5XKd28O6mvCyNKOvU5pdHAxdmHLFJ1d1iiT_2Fq7ODVCO5ST_h_zg2ERYxNyX-CyothuAZIF3BouLd8nW9P3dymEBzP3KMwejv/s1600/iceberg-3088.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">64°30'9" S 61°45'43" W - January 30, 2015</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEVOgpui4X8_RjI4wjF6k6OYlsGa6lL-MQes9yD3HaGyMqp8VCuYElk30pzIGl7oFPtvYDWdIcKpOMc94n_W8mFnw-7ZZn7awcDXZIDpy6IC5_IUxv2oxjcVcM5zpIHAyxrNwwkrfHpbMA/s1600/iceberg-3189.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEVOgpui4X8_RjI4wjF6k6OYlsGa6lL-MQes9yD3HaGyMqp8VCuYElk30pzIGl7oFPtvYDWdIcKpOMc94n_W8mFnw-7ZZn7awcDXZIDpy6IC5_IUxv2oxjcVcM5zpIHAyxrNwwkrfHpbMA/s1600/iceberg-3189.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">64°30'9" S 61°45'41" W. January 30, 2015</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS43yUf9SQQejVpXq6LRM5VdMHhQcOx33BuvveYa7r7sPHLM7uI1THoc7why_aUJW7N8uPcfMs5oTKzWSv-ZWFxGyPrU4K7uV9Y4YulY8e0NlFm4oBeP7_DjKWzHNlxe2jMjak1bqCiUlJ/s1600/iceberg-3617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS43yUf9SQQejVpXq6LRM5VdMHhQcOx33BuvveYa7r7sPHLM7uI1THoc7why_aUJW7N8uPcfMs5oTKzWSv-ZWFxGyPrU4K7uV9Y4YulY8e0NlFm4oBeP7_DjKWzHNlxe2jMjak1bqCiUlJ/s1600/iceberg-3617.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">65°4'42" S 64°3'27" W - Near Pleneau and Booth Islands</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgBiOfyjTCU4raQKGokuMTybXlsrSq4WGuKfo5TyWYYPOtPdtSQ5gn7QyB95WPE9R5paSWm_mRu4z0slRp7aCrsKLaRkAI74QkPYoXIREqCxZIIELzamhpG_lAUz1Dvoa9Ti2-Vk_yRCo/s1600/penguins+on+ice-2341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgBiOfyjTCU4raQKGokuMTybXlsrSq4WGuKfo5TyWYYPOtPdtSQ5gn7QyB95WPE9R5paSWm_mRu4z0slRp7aCrsKLaRkAI74QkPYoXIREqCxZIIELzamhpG_lAUz1Dvoa9Ti2-Vk_yRCo/s1600/penguins+on+ice-2341.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">64°49'50" S 62°52'15" W - Near Waterboat Point. January 11, 2015</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Ic5xui_uY2zk3kbmEaGl7hRl_XZlhl_4egkQ3ucEv525r3MlRJq9-CNKZQ7lmOpAOnIl5O9JOBKKlQDesN2OjUSSALnwNX6B5PXXuIspZg-jfYx-Bfi7zSJDJcWFCd5sy07ZIK-j7638/s1600/peninsula+landscape-2277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Ic5xui_uY2zk3kbmEaGl7hRl_XZlhl_4egkQ3ucEv525r3MlRJq9-CNKZQ7lmOpAOnIl5O9JOBKKlQDesN2OjUSSALnwNX6B5PXXuIspZg-jfYx-Bfi7zSJDJcWFCd5sy07ZIK-j7638/s1600/peninsula+landscape-2277.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">64°51'12" S 62°52'32" W - Paradise Bay. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT556_W_0uNOPs6QO7tnwIkRoWvoCatjP6QNgq_svSvJA2fgcvg-l250OphG-gpXRt1DNlo6wFXq49aih2R-qjLVE7E06kVX-wxERqF6SAyQJoOYDZ4zy6dsT8lQtEI-PI6gdG_3J7ZxHY/s1600/peninsula+landscape-2390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT556_W_0uNOPs6QO7tnwIkRoWvoCatjP6QNgq_svSvJA2fgcvg-l250OphG-gpXRt1DNlo6wFXq49aih2R-qjLVE7E06kVX-wxERqF6SAyQJoOYDZ4zy6dsT8lQtEI-PI6gdG_3J7ZxHY/s1600/peninsula+landscape-2390.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">64°48'53" S 62°39'26" W - Neko Harbor. January 11, 2015</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUxeFuEkgtU08t-yOJXfyrt6JDMYCfHcKPuJBBWkt32tb71ACPSg39jvoRbvjReIvhWFSD3Kk1GrRtFdzxK1h3u30_EuBR2phu5rgjV_PBSHadJmJCse28wlPgkimyp7VrE44dtbIpcYMi/s1600/peninsula+landscape-2405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUxeFuEkgtU08t-yOJXfyrt6JDMYCfHcKPuJBBWkt32tb71ACPSg39jvoRbvjReIvhWFSD3Kk1GrRtFdzxK1h3u30_EuBR2phu5rgjV_PBSHadJmJCse28wlPgkimyp7VrE44dtbIpcYMi/s1600/peninsula+landscape-2405.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">64°49'16" S 62°38'5" W - Neko Harbor. January 11, 2015</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRtf0-YljEIMrsSkvrWzfTPxQgs10movilkYcCTPfM52rTSQ48sqFUnSBramuVUe9CgMyjpCk9XQcsEzABrEgtAglI91Hrdyb1zeJROXphoA892hklFVp1XRlwTpRqKvW0kWo0GsLnZJ3y/s1600/peninsula+landscape-2418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRtf0-YljEIMrsSkvrWzfTPxQgs10movilkYcCTPfM52rTSQ48sqFUnSBramuVUe9CgMyjpCk9XQcsEzABrEgtAglI91Hrdyb1zeJROXphoA892hklFVp1XRlwTpRqKvW0kWo0GsLnZJ3y/s1600/peninsula+landscape-2418.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">64°49'17" S 62°38'1" W - Neko Harbor. January 11, 2015</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_0UALYYj33Jok6c7Z5Y1Zlpxm6C2mG9PI68fgKLTTbYFOLIHBD-AN38xaFq0QvIZs5Zt7deYKEVJ_VOfQLSGZE6v42mOglwwnNDzkyBy0Uo54i0n8fdK8W0x1FC2eP39yPb0Xf8jjqfpX/s1600/peninsula+scenery-2365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_0UALYYj33Jok6c7Z5Y1Zlpxm6C2mG9PI68fgKLTTbYFOLIHBD-AN38xaFq0QvIZs5Zt7deYKEVJ_VOfQLSGZE6v42mOglwwnNDzkyBy0Uo54i0n8fdK8W0x1FC2eP39yPb0Xf8jjqfpX/s1600/peninsula+scenery-2365.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">64°48'8" S 62°42'26" W - Neko Harbor. January 11, 2015</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtlr-B2HSaRyN7s2LiYCZPEgsUQt8Z6DCeWZF4khW42mCddYyejmjd8wn3NVym2b7gLXz2iaG3HciGzaWWZyBwD5NlUjX-m3_Y63TLcIGLx8uaL7i69czRSYux5pdQDB5TJ6uRV5bo_w3l/s1600/peninsula+scenery-2396.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtlr-B2HSaRyN7s2LiYCZPEgsUQt8Z6DCeWZF4khW42mCddYyejmjd8wn3NVym2b7gLXz2iaG3HciGzaWWZyBwD5NlUjX-m3_Y63TLcIGLx8uaL7i69czRSYux5pdQDB5TJ6uRV5bo_w3l/s1600/peninsula+scenery-2396.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">64°49'0" S 62°39'1" W - Neko Harbor. January 11, 2015</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsxQFYjTuz1liYuydL8SeBJjN_Uygb7Yqp7U3KP9YXUT9rkSYTpbXHzuR3Fr8ss1hIXBJ3UZyu9bH9xTIPWiZlybCi_Zp9Qb46qNO-8dD5xzMPWAPk_cPIHNhDFAygh-lQG5DXI4qrBbFu/s1600/peninsula+scenery-2415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsxQFYjTuz1liYuydL8SeBJjN_Uygb7Yqp7U3KP9YXUT9rkSYTpbXHzuR3Fr8ss1hIXBJ3UZyu9bH9xTIPWiZlybCi_Zp9Qb46qNO-8dD5xzMPWAPk_cPIHNhDFAygh-lQG5DXI4qrBbFu/s1600/peninsula+scenery-2415.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">64°49'16" S 62°38'5" W - Neko Harbor. January 11, 2015</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sentinel. 64°29'57" S 61°44'8" W</td></tr>
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<br />John Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685565082296393942noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837906920822459098.post-16845638466384737822014-11-23T14:56:00.002-07:002014-11-23T14:57:15.874-07:00Defiant Goose<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS6PrAj7Q5mT7szOmCQTTsB1dxrYse0RxpqiV_8EYLYstcnQLLLpkNQ0vFlHTdLN-wtm6zra_P00LBy6RndnnEirAK9DeAqxyxjUhMhS11G_mQQzw53Iv_rpWZdWs6iheVV_Pzf5eV5vzG/s1600/bald+eagle-0208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS6PrAj7Q5mT7szOmCQTTsB1dxrYse0RxpqiV_8EYLYstcnQLLLpkNQ0vFlHTdLN-wtm6zra_P00LBy6RndnnEirAK9DeAqxyxjUhMhS11G_mQQzw53Iv_rpWZdWs6iheVV_Pzf5eV5vzG/s1600/bald+eagle-0208.jpg" height="408" width="640" /></a></div>
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This morning I was checking out the birds in the small open water area of Lake Elmo when this immature Bald Eagle took off from his perch on the ice at the middle of the lake and cruised over the open water area. The Mallards that were hanging out on the water scattered in front of the bird, but this lone Canada Goose had a different idea. He just turned towards the eagle, rose up in the water, spread his wings and hollered at him. It worked. The eagle just kept flying and returned to a spot on the ice of the lake. </div>
John Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685565082296393942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837906920822459098.post-28742607523534674922014-11-16T20:41:00.000-07:002014-11-16T21:11:51.174-07:00Book Review - Ten Thousand Birds: Ornithology Since Darwin<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><b>T</b><b>en Thousand Birds: Ornithology since Darwin</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-weight: lighter;">Tim Birkhead, Jo Wimpenny & Bob Montgomerie</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;">Princeton University Press (a review copy was provided to me by Princeton University Press)<br />544 pp. | 8 x 10 | 94 color illus. 60 halftones.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cloth | 2014 | </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">$45.00</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">/ £29.95 | ISBN: 9780691151977</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhIp3E7K53sftA77zH3ymdT-YuledAsOHUbsbBykBqdA1xAaBcO_sWaUOa_sQ5iePz3YVNknTzIMyPZH_Q9SVWxknjK51s45eFxA8cTcLgN90aOftprrF0X7kyTb4eFt6-sDB2mOZnEkj/s1600/ten+thousand+birds.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhIp3E7K53sftA77zH3ymdT-YuledAsOHUbsbBykBqdA1xAaBcO_sWaUOa_sQ5iePz3YVNknTzIMyPZH_Q9SVWxknjK51s45eFxA8cTcLgN90aOftprrF0X7kyTb4eFt6-sDB2mOZnEkj/s1600/ten+thousand+birds.tif" height="320" width="256" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; line-height: 20px;">I will get right to the point - I am enamored by this book. Although the title implies that it is a history of ornithology, the reader will notice that the word "history" does not show up in the subtitle of the book. Perhaps this was by design since this history book does not behave like a typical history book. Rather than the more traditional timeline approach, the book is broken into eleven topic based chapters, each with their story of how the topic evolved through time, an approach the authors thought would be "more interesting for both us and our readers and more meaningful in a broader biological sense." I believe the have done just that. As noted in the subtitle, the book only covers the history of ornithology since Darwin since "nothing in biology makes sense, except in the light of evolution."</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 20px;">Each chapter begins with a full page of wonderful bird art relevant to the chapter topic. Not just good art, these paintings are also a bit of a tour through the history of bird art. Ranging from Keulemans and Hart (the era when bird art was the only depiction of birds available), to field guide artists Pratt and Tudor, and on to the more modern fine art of Bateman and Ching, each depiction provides visual context for the following text. Each chapter also contains numerous well chosen illustrations and photos of relevant subject matter as well as an informative illustrated timeline of key milestones from 1860 though 2010.</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 20px;">Each chapter is based on the words of the prominent ornithologists working in that field using either direct quotes from published sources or from the authors own interviews with the researchers. These provide a rich mix of context across generations of ornithological professionals and helps frame the context of each discovery and revelation in a meaningful way, often including a description of the initial hesitance or outright derision of new ideas. I particularly enjoyed how this aspect of the book made the history come alive and showed the people and their ideas in the context of the time and state of the science when they were working as well as the fact that as a group they were no different than any other segment of human society and exhibited a wide range of human quirks and foibles . Each chapter also contains a more detailed interview with a couple of the prominent ornithologists working on the subject explored in that chapter. </span></span><br />
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Chapter one is, appropriately, a review of yesterdays birds - the paleontology of modern birds (otherwise know as today's dinosaurs). It begins just a few miles south of where I am writing this review and a few months before I was born, when John Ostrom and Greg Myer discovered the animal now known as <i>Deinonychus</i> - sometimes considered the most important dinosaur discovery of the mid-twentieth century. It is a good place to start. Chapter 2 continues with the Origin and Diversification of Species or how modern birds came to be; Chapter 3, Birds on the Tree of Life, explores the view of how modern birds are related to each other; Chapter 4, Ebb and Flow, delves into our understanding of bird migration; Chapter 5, Ecological Adaptations for Breeding, describes the emergence and development of our understanding of breeding biology; Chapter 6, Form and Function, explores our understanding of the internal bird; Chapter 7, The Study of Instincts, describes the journey to understand why birds do what they do; Chapter 8, Behavior as an Adaptation, integrates the discussion of behavior into the realm of the ecological context where the behavior is occurring (one of my favorite chapters); Chapter 9, Selection in Relation to Sex, takes breeding biology, behavior, and evolution and describes how the competition for mates makes many male birds look like they do (a very simple summary of this chapter, I would suggest reading it to get the full gist of the concept); Chapter 10, Population Studies of Birds, is pretty self explanatory - a journey through our understanding of bird number fluctuate what forces drive those fluctuations. The book ends with Chapter 11, Tomorrow's Birds, a sobering view of the conservation of birds and how our interest in birds have changed over the last hundred years.</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 20px;">The authors stated goal was to develop "the history of modern ornithology in a readable fashion." They more than succeeded in that endeavor - I have enjoyed learning of the intellectual journey each of these ornithological concepts has endured to arrive at our current state of understanding. In addition, the authors have also provided a primer on the current state of ornithological science. This book should be required reading for any student of Ornithology as well as anyone who has an interest in birds as the complex ancient creatures we share our world with. </span><span style="line-height: 20px;"> </span></span>John Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685565082296393942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837906920822459098.post-23085259286869640472014-11-09T20:59:00.001-07:002014-11-20T19:33:43.532-07:00When the Land Belonged to God - Charles M. Russell Late last week I was able to visit the Montana Historical Society and show my boys one of my all time favorite paintings. We only had a short while at the historical society museum in Helena, so we went straight to the Charlie Russell section to see this painting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuUII-Yc1HTnNIllZ5byCCmm7zOgrqlMZ65F35yCmzk7VX6MCh-QGmo6w9UdlWqgIzdZGlkiDF0UBGAhB4q0D6RgXsLjVGPzkE_424gP6fXF5M4FKvnYHiy3n0-vWnYTexCNeuftPy8hns/s1600/When+the+Land+Belonged+to+God+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuUII-Yc1HTnNIllZ5byCCmm7zOgrqlMZ65F35yCmzk7VX6MCh-QGmo6w9UdlWqgIzdZGlkiDF0UBGAhB4q0D6RgXsLjVGPzkE_424gP6fXF5M4FKvnYHiy3n0-vWnYTexCNeuftPy8hns/s1600/When+the+Land+Belonged+to+God+2.jpg" height="416" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When the Land Belonged to God - Charles M. Russell, Montana Historical Society, Helena, Montana</td></tr>
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I think I could probably find the spot depicted in the painting relatively easily from the horizon to the right of the bison - Square Butte and the Highwood Mountains. I had always thought of this as a depiction of buffalo as sunset, but now, after looking at the geography, I realized that this is in fact a depiction of sunrise, with the animals moving north across the Missouri rather than heading south as I had believed. If my geography is correct that would put the vantage point of this painting somewhere downstream of Fort Benton just before the Missouri makes a big bend to the south just south of the town of Big Sandy. Next time I am in that area I will have to pay attention to the skyline to the south of the river to see if I an pinpoint it a bit better than that. I would appreciate any other thoughts or comments on my speculation about this location.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9tqCKqQMMaQWziuEAJgzwMJCFcHGHp96o0LbHzgQNHClgeCGh2O2h0LfUGrgldYah04lT3cl0sRn_YXB_phm0v7aYaXvTTUmnXacypL4Y_zC9pvySxpq0w_UD752Btug259uVs97YDqu/s1600/when+the+land+belonged+to+God+detail+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9tqCKqQMMaQWziuEAJgzwMJCFcHGHp96o0LbHzgQNHClgeCGh2O2h0LfUGrgldYah04lT3cl0sRn_YXB_phm0v7aYaXvTTUmnXacypL4Y_zC9pvySxpq0w_UD752Btug259uVs97YDqu/s1600/when+the+land+belonged+to+God+detail+1.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When the Land Belonged to God (detail) - Charles M. Russell - Montana Historical Society, Helena, Montana</td></tr>
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I could look at this painting for hours. Not only to appreciate the way he used bold colors in this painting to make me feel like I am sitting there at sunrise with the golden Missouri River water still streaming from the bull's beard, but also for making me feel like I had just been noticed by the bull - his tail up and looking straight at me. It gives me apprehension of an imminent close encounter and a feeling that I need to start looking for an escape route soon.<br />
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It also represents the West that Charlie Russell longed for and a time in Montana that I can only vaguely imagine and get glimpses of through the remnants of bison horns still found in the prairie grass and the bones and skulls that litter the banks of the river. What a place this must have been.<br />
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It is also home for me. I can easily imagine a scene very similar to this occurring not that long ago at the site of the house I grew up in on the banks of the Missouri River, near the mouth of Big Dry Creek, as well as my current resident above the banks of the Yellowstone River near the mouth of Alkali Creek. <br />
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One additional detail I hadn't really paid attention to before is the appearance of a sage-grouse in the foreground.<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/AVvXsEhnCTjYBZZKJPuLVEqqK45-9BqAKt0eeuuyUI87WMWu0SWgeSI1RPJMptW-808Kh3IUnmf9F-4SVJzYpUZF9IlmOvdJvZr6f5yWZTINv8Rfx1GuV3FiL_jgSqAVGLwzr6mKqssHafVoYLsq/s1600/when+the+land+belonged+to+God+detail+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCTjYBZZKJPuLVEqqK45-9BqAKt0eeuuyUI87WMWu0SWgeSI1RPJMptW-808Kh3IUnmf9F-4SVJzYpUZF9IlmOvdJvZr6f5yWZTINv8Rfx1GuV3FiL_jgSqAVGLwzr6mKqssHafVoYLsq/s1600/when+the+land+belonged+to+God+detail+2.jpg" height="456" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When the Land Belonged to God (detail) - Charles M. Russell, Montana Historical Society Helena, Montana</td></tr>
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<br />
There, hiding in the branches of a beaver cut log, is a Greater Sage-Grouse. Just to the right is a wolf. How prescient Charlie Russell was to depict the three greatest wildlife challenges in the state of Montana right now. First it was the reintroduction of wolves into the Yellowstone region and re-colonization from populations to the north; then it was bison and recent efforts to fine a place for wild bison in Montana outside of Yellowstone National Park; and most recently it is the impending Endangered Species listing decision for Greater Sage-Grouse and the recent Governors executive order dealing with sage-grouse management in Montana.<br />
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I sometimes wonder what he would think of his Montana now, but I think I have a pretty good idea.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
God made Montana for the wild man<br />
for the Piegan, and the Sioux and Crow,<br />
Saved His greatest gift for Charlie,<br />
Said "Get her all down before she goes,<br />
You gotta get her all down<br />
'cause she's bound to go. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Ian Tyson - The Gift</blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I was raised with the West around,<br />
Enough to hum her tune,<br />
But I never know the place like the old boys did,<br />
Chinook to Mountain View.<br />
Cause this was all a cathedral then,<br />
And the cowboys they all knew,<br />
That you can't keep a loop on paradise,<br />
but she disappeared so soon,<br />
She disappeared so soon. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Corb Lund - Especially a Paint.</blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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John Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685565082296393942noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837906920822459098.post-60755718327191593422014-10-08T05:26:00.001-06:002014-10-08T06:35:43.901-06:00Lunar Eclipse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />John Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685565082296393942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837906920822459098.post-72469911652385527112014-10-05T12:53:00.000-06:002014-10-05T12:53:03.127-06:00Red-throated LoonYesterday I received a report of an immature Red-throated Loon at Lake Elmo State Park, which is just a few minutes away from my house. I headed out to see what I could find and had a great morning birding around the lake. It included good looks at the Red-throated Loon.<br />
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Most of the time he was towards the middle of the lake, but late in the day when I returned he was foraging close to shore. This is the 16th recorded observation of this species in Montana.<br />
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There were quite a few Yellow-rumped Warblers around the lake too.<br />
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<br />John Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685565082296393942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837906920822459098.post-79719264692544614402014-09-30T21:05:00.000-06:002014-09-30T21:05:26.278-06:00Autumn Evening BirdsFall migration is happening in my backyard. I finally was able to spend a couple of hours after work just watching to see what has shown up. I also managed to get some photos of a few migrants passing through along with a couple of more permanent residents of the neighborhood.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black-capped Chickadee</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black-capped Chickadee</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chipping Sparrow</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harris's Sparrow</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRsjaI3-8a8RYytsimzzrZUPR1zdEC5WcWo9AvodfVRKjjuQXkfPBMDCB8R5GPJorrtYILtMEAj-Y53pnVfNb7BrOHmUOPTCJz8lkhdSoGFd-x6ESw2Xu9W16W34ZxRXTZd3Mb00GAArc/s1600/White-throated+sparrow-6578.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRsjaI3-8a8RYytsimzzrZUPR1zdEC5WcWo9AvodfVRKjjuQXkfPBMDCB8R5GPJorrtYILtMEAj-Y53pnVfNb7BrOHmUOPTCJz8lkhdSoGFd-x6ESw2Xu9W16W34ZxRXTZd3Mb00GAArc/s1600/White-throated+sparrow-6578.jpg" height="428" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White-throated Sparrow</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White-throated Sparrow</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White-throated Sparrow</td></tr>
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<br />John Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685565082296393942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837906920822459098.post-20413754608744171222014-09-17T20:04:00.000-06:002014-09-17T20:04:41.065-06:00Elk EveningMid to late September is the peak of the elk rut in Montana and over the last few years I have managed at least one trip to spend some time at the <a href="http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Charles_M_Russell/visit/visitor_activities/elk_viewing.html" target="_blank">Slippery Ann Elk Viewing Area</a> on the west end of the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. This year I made the trip last night. <div>
I had planned on making the two hour trip north from Billings on a weekday night to avoid the large crowds that form on weekend evenings and the weather this week looked favorable. </div>
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The viewing areas is a section of the refuge bordered on the south by the Missouri River and a gallery of large Cottonwood trees and willows. A dirt road runs roughly parallel with the river and in between the trees and the road is a rather large open meadow area that I believe used to be irrigated hay fields. There are also large patches of greasewood bordering the meadow and trees. The elk spend the bulk of the day out of sight along the river under the trees, but as the sun sinks low in the evening they begin to filter out of the trees to forage in meadows and the hills on the other side of the road to the north. Some nights the road is completely lined with vehicles waiting for the elk to emerge. When I arrived there were only a couple other vehicles near my usual spot. I turned off my vehicle and immediately heard elk bugling in the trees and there was also a noticeable high pitched whine in the air. I had managed to avoid the crowds of people, but not the crowds of mosquitoes. They were horrible due the some recent heavy rains. Even the Boreal Chorus Frogs were singing again. </div>
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The elk action started out slow. Even though I could hear a few bulls bugling in the trees, it seemed that there were fewer elk in this portion of the viewing area than in the past. I visited with a few folks I knew from Billings and after a while with only a couple of distant bulls moving in and out of the trees, they decided to move further down the road to where there were more cars parked and it appeared a herd of elk were moving closer to the road. I stuck it out at my spot and soon a rather rough looking bull and a couple of cows emerged from the trees in front of me. </div>
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They were soon joined by a few more cows and calves and the bull continued to move back and forth behind the cows between them and the other bulls I could hear back in the trees. This situation didn't last for long. Soon another group of cows emerged from behind the curtain of trees and on their heels was a bull. </div>
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It was apparent rather quickly that he ruled the area. As soon as he emerged, my rough looking bull turned tail and headed away from the cows and he was quickly escorted out of the area by the new bull. </div>
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The cows slowly fed out of the greasewood to an open area directly in front of me and soon the bull joined them. I kept an eye on the bull as he patrolled the area between the cows and the treeline and was privileged to an evening of elk before the daylight faded. </div>
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John Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685565082296393942noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837906920822459098.post-34103680426923138902014-09-08T22:29:00.000-06:002014-09-08T22:29:36.468-06:00World Shorebird DayLast Saturday (September 6th) was the first annual <a href="http://worldshorebirdsday.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">World Shorebird Day</a>. That, along with a recent email describing the shorebirds found during a recent visit by another Montana birder (thanks Ed), finally got me to prioritize some time to get to Spidel Waterfowl Management Area near Broadview, MT. It is a rather shallow water body and it often doesn't have much if any water in it, but this spring it filled up good and summer rains have kept the water levels fairly high with enough exposed shoreline to continue to be attractive to migrating shorebirds. I had hoped to get to Spidel much sooner than this, but life conspired against me for planned outings for much of the summer. This time I made it work and it was well worth it. The wetland area sits to the east of the access road so afternoons are best for viewing. The weather Saturday was gorgeous too. No wind, sunny, and pleasant temps. We arrived late in the afternoon and had great light and there were lots of birds. Most of the birds were molting waterfowl sitting on the far side of the lake, but there were scattered bunches of small sandpipers and American Avocets along the near shoreline.<br />
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There were also mixed flocks of a variety of other shorebirds, including Baird's Sandpipers, Stilt Sandpipers, Least Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs, and Greater Yellowlegs.<br />
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Even the Killdeer were photogenic in the golden evening light.<br />
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We weren't the only ones there looking for shorebirds.<br />
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This Peregrine Falcon was chasing shorebirds at the far end of the lake and generally causing a ruckus wherever he was including a few passes at a Northern Harrier passing through. There were also a few California Gulls hanging around and as the sun set a large number of Franklin's Gulls flew in to the lake from the south.<br />
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It was great to finally get out and look at (and photograph) some wildlife.John Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685565082296393942noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837906920822459098.post-57975257347482094552014-07-19T15:35:00.001-06:002014-07-30T13:33:36.826-06:00Just a Leaf<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It is just a leaf. A Plains Cottonwood leaf to be more precise. But that morning it was much more. That morning I was sitting in the backyard with my dying dog. The cancer had finally closed it's fist around her body and was squeezing hard. We knew out time together was reaching the terminus of the arc projected that April day we were joined together 12 1/2 years ago in central Alberta. </div>
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I was spending a few last precious moments with her that morning reminiscing over the overlap of our lives and what she meant to me and my family. She joined us when our family was composed of me, Laura, Kiela our golden retriever, and Luna the border collie. Benton joined us less than a year later and Crean a few years after that. She was the youngster causing problems with the old dogs and eating baby socks. Then she was our only dog. My boys have always had her as a companion and that was about to change. </div>
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As I stroked her back I noticed a cottonwood leaf next to her. It had also reached the terminus of its life and fallen from our backyard tree. That connection in death - my dog and this leaf - struck me and I placed it on her side. The fallen leaf triggered autumn memories of days hunting sharptails in the Eastern Montana wooded draws and sage-grouse in the barely green washes of the dry sagebrush flats (where she always amazed me by finding water to immerse herself in no matter how dry it was - she was a water dog). Then the bitterly cold morning when she retrieved three Canada Geese from a slushy Missouri River and then stood in the river, decked in jeweled ice waiting for more. </div>
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Then it dawned on me that I was looking at a golden heart with a black hole in it and the leaf became even more. It was me and my family. We have lots of family memories that include that dog. Her little walkabouts in Fort Peck that left us scrambling to find her only to have her stroll home when she had had enough (or announce her presence in the back of the pickup where I had forgotten her when we got home) to a week on a Minnesota lake where she spent 90% of her time either leisurely paddling around the cove or flying off the dock to retrieve something the kids had thrown for her. She had integrated herself into our hearts from the first five hours of crying during our initial ride home to her last hours crawling into the backyard pool for one last dip (she was a water dog). She is gone now. There is a hole in our lives somewhat filled by the spunky pup Sage, but she is gone.<br />
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I got up and the leaf slipped off her back and into the grass. </div>
John Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685565082296393942noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837906920822459098.post-33111850411293512002014-06-25T19:05:00.001-06:002014-06-25T19:05:54.972-06:00Mid-Winter Party Invitations from Antarctica - Davis StationAs I noted in my previous post, a number of the Antarctic research bases host a mid-winter party to celebrate the (southern hemisphere) winter solstice and they send out invitations to the other bases scattered around the continent (which is bigger than the continental US - see the photo from NASA below for a relative size comparison).<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>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/icebridge/multimedia/fall11/antarctica-US.html</td></tr>
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The invitations often mention various amenities the station can provide to guests, the menu for the mid-winter dinner, as well as other activities visitors could enjoy while at the base - knowing full well that there is now way in hell anyone is ever going to show up in response to their invitations. My kind of humor.<br />
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My favorite invitation from this year's bunch was the invite from Davis Station; an Australian base located near where Connecticut is on the US map above. There was a lot of work that went into this invitation without the expectation of any response - at least a response of attendance. Here it is:<br />
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John Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685565082296393942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837906920822459098.post-45285126377031603772014-06-25T18:14:00.000-06:002014-06-25T18:14:14.497-06:00More Mid-Winter Greetings from AntarcticaHere are some additional mid-winter greetings from various bases and outposts in and around Antarctica. You may notice that a number of the images are not just greetings but are actually invitations to join the base solstice party. I find these greetings/invites quite humorous and I will show my favorite in the next post.<br />
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John Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685565082296393942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837906920822459098.post-28068481965316749392014-06-21T15:29:00.000-06:002014-06-21T15:29:38.370-06:00Mid-Winter GreetingsThe following photos were sent to me from a good friend spending another winter season in the deep south. Today is winter solstice in the southern hemisphere and from now on it will get progressively lighter. This is an important occasion for the winter over staff at a number of the Antarctic research bases and they all exchange mid-winter greetings in the form of electronic solstice greetings. Here are a few that were shared with us.<br />
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<br />John Carlsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685565082296393942noreply@blogger.com0