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Borrego Springs, CA

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Plan B for this summer

The rain continued to pour down this morning as I was assigned to rove.  I must say that unlike yesterday afternoon, there weren’t any people on Swamp Island Drive this morning in the rain.  We’ve had enough rain in the last two days that I was reluctant to drive down any of the sandy unpaved roads.  There were deep puddles everywhere. 

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You can tell by these two pictures of a turkey vulture just how dark and overcast it was.  This bird was trying to dry off its feathers, but wasn’t having much success.  I figured my rove time would be pretty much a flop as far as seeing any wildlife at all, but I was wrong.

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As I made my way around the loop and back to where I had started, a bunch of little birds flew across the road.  One stuck around, so I lowered the passenger’s window and got my camera into my hands.  Low and behold, it was a brown-headed nuthatch sitting on the branch of a dead tree.  If you look carefully, you can see an old woodpecker hole to the left of the nuthatch.  I noticed this hole early on in my time here, and wondered if a chickadee or titmouse might use it to nest in once spring arrived.

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I never expected a brown-headed nuthatch might use it.  They are usually so high up in the pine trees.  As I sat there, this little bird hopped in and out of the hole and was giving me a vocal thrashing for not moving on. 

I know the pics are a little dark, but that’s the best I can do under low light circumstances.  I have to use a shutter setting of 1/1000 of a second to be able to hold the camera still enough to get a shot.  I have tremors in my hands, and holding the camera still is a real challenge.  That means I generally need sunny days in order to use the telephoto lens.  It made my day to make this discovery!  I moved on quickly, and won’t bother this bird very often, as I don’t want it to abandon the nest.

71 Okefenokee NWR 2012-1348The rain stopped for a bit, and I noticed a short shrub beginning to bloom.  I haven’t figured out what it is yet, but I sure was wishing I had Jack’s macro lens to capture the raindrops on the blossoms.

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The candy roots are also beginning to bloom.  The color of the flower is determined by the acidity of the soil, I believe.  These blooms look like they’ll be yellow, while I’ve found others that are orange.  The orange ones were next to those sundews that I posted on a previous post.

Since I turned down the opportunity to volunteer at the National Elk Refuge in Wyoming for the summer because they were looking for someone to work four days a week in the visitors center, I did send out my resume and letter of interest to another refuge.  That was plan B for the summer.  I will have a phone interview for this position this coming week.  It is at Tamarac NWR in northwest Minnesota.  Quite a change from the mountains, but I do love the northern woods and haven’t been there in seven years.  It’s the land of lakes and loons.  I miss hearing the eerie call of the loons.

I’ll let you know how that goes.  If I get the position, I’ll fill in the pluses of this location.  If I don’t get it, I’m just going to be a bum for the summer.  One way or the other, I’m going to enjoy myself.

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                                                                              THE END!!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

26 comments:

  1. I'm sure that wherever you land, you will find plenty to entertain yourself, and also those of us that like to follow along via your blog. Good luck.:-)

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  2. The turkeys look like they are high stepping through high water. Ours are high stepping through inches and inches of snow.

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  3. Minnesota can be very nice in summer. We lived there the first couple of years we were married. We were in The Iron Range in Hibbing, which is about 40 miles from Duluth. I miss the loons!

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  4. Neat find on the little bird. You are so observant. Any refuge would be very lucky to get you.

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  5. Fingers crossed for you Judy! I love the Northwoods and falling asleep listening to the loons sing across a lake. Pure magic!

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  6. Good luck with Plan B. We agree that any refuge would be lucky to have you on board.

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  7. The brown-headed nuthatch is so cute!

    Cant wait to hear what you do this summer...Im sure you would enjoy the refuge, but being a bum has advantages too. Either way...you will be doing what you need to be doing! And the rest of us will be along for the ride!

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  8. We had the same dark gloomy weather this morning, and then it spit on us for a few minutes. Send some of that rain down this way, we certainly need it.

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  9. I saw the raindrop on the leaf of the flowers. beautiful

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  10. We were looking at NWR for summer but Wy state called and we are going to be doing tours and others things at the Teriatory Prison. It sounds like a lot of fun. Stop on by.

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  11. There is much to be said for northern woods, lakes, & loons. I do look forward to our change in scenery as we head home shortly. It's possible your Minnesota location could be even further north that our Bayfield southern Ontario location. Better keep lots of bug spray handy in those northern woods.....

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  12. You always get lucky catching the little interesting and hard to find bird and other critters.
    Hope your interview goes well.

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  13. Were we sit now we are in the midst of tall pine trees. I notice small birds that look like the ones you have pictured. I was wondering what they were. I am going to have to take a closer look tomorrow. We are in east Texas. Gosh, you are an encyclopedia of knowledge.

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  14. Darn good photos for such a dreary day. We've visited a couple refuges in Minnesota but never worked at any. We don't even have a Plan A, let alone a Plan B, when we return to the States next week. Bill's been checking the FWS gov volunteer site but we haven't even inquired about anything. I too love the call of the loons... hope it works out for you.

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  15. Either option sounds great to me!

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  16. Nothing wrong with being a bum for the summer. Too bad the Elk refuge did not work out.

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  17. We applied to Tamarac NWR last year, but they waiting until late March to make their calls and we'd locked in our summer gig before we heard back from them. It looks like a great place and we'll be keeping our fingers crossed for you!

    Mark

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  18. Minnesota is one statewehavenever visited. Friends live there and say the summers are wonderful. Good luck with the interview.

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  19. Wherever you go, they will be lucky to get you and we'll enjoy your pictures.

    Wish you'd hurry up and go buy that macro lens or extension tubes!

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  20. Gee, I hope you get that position in Minnesota. The amazing way you are able to capture the coolest things on camera, you'll certainly get a few good shots of Bigfoot... ;c)

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  21. There is nothing quite so haunting (in a good way!!) as the call of the loon. I know you will enjoy your summer whatever happens.

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  22. You have a great attitude...If nothing develops, just bum....Nothern Minnesota WOULD be a great gig...We have good friends who host at Lake Bronson in Northwest MN, waaaay up in the corner almost...They are full-time also and a great couple...Minnesota is an awesome wild and beautiful state..Den and I need to get there..

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  23. I took a peek at Tamarac; "wildlife consists of over 258 species of birds", that will keep you busy this summer!

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  24. Personally, I love the darker shots of the Nuthatch. Gives them drama!

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  25. If Plan A doesn't work out, it wasn't in your best interest. Plan B might be just the ticket. Thatz our MO anyway.

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  26. I have been a bum so long, I am not sure I would know how to to become useful anymore:)

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