May 07, 2023

Blue Angels Cruise

May 07, 2023/ Gwen Morrison

We made reservations for a Dolphin Cruise before we left home…but were notified that there were not enough people for the cruise so we were rescheduled for the same time the following day which happened to be the time the Blue Angles practiced!

It was a coolish April morning – sunny. We were boarding at Quietwater Beach (in the Pensacola Beach community). I took pictures of birds before the boat arrived: A immature ring-billed gull (past its second winter),

Laughing gulls (the last two on the pier as we were walking down it to get to the boat that had arrived!),

A Royal tern,

And a sandpiper (maybe a sanderling).

The boat headed out going under the Pensacola Beach Bridge. The older bridge minus its central section (lower than the new one) was retained as a fishing pier. I looked for bird nests in the structures but didn’t see any.

The boat headed toward the Fort Pickens (on the barrier island) and the Navel Air Station (on the mainland)…past seaside developments.

The Coast Guard Station and lighthouse (mainland) and Fort Pickens (barrier island) were recognizable landmarks from the water when the boat reached the viewing area.

Soon the Blue Angles C-130 known as ‘Fat Albert’ appeared to begin the show.

I noticed that the lighthouse had people on the viewing deck! They would have a unique view of the Blue Angels!

The F/A-18 Super Hornets of the Blue Angels appeared. There were 5 planes in all but most of the patterns were done with 3 or 4 planes.

Evidently the lighthouse is the landmark for many of the stunts. It must have been loud and a bit scary for the people on the viewing deck of the lighthouse.

The brown pelicans flew low over the water while the Blue Angles practiced above.

And then it was over and everything was quite again.

We made the return trip under the bridge. The only dolphins we saw were the ones painted on the sides of storage tanks.

As we crossed under the bridge, I took two pictures….I was surprised to see the damaged support beam at the end of the old bridge!

Overall – it was an excellent morning to be on the water. The passengers were a wide range of ages. One little girl fell asleep on the top deck and her mother simply moved into position to shade her while she slept! A family with an elder in a wheelchair and a baby probably about 6 months old enjoyed the trip but the elder, grandfather, and child also snoozed for part of the trip. A group of women from Tennessee were talkative and took pictures of each other and the views from the boat; they were keen on restaurants. Everyone enjoyed the Blue Angels practice!

May 03, 2023

Fort Pickens

May 03, 2023/ Gwen Morrison

We visited the Fort Pickens area of Gulf Islands National Seashore twice during our visit to Pensacola. We looked at the fishing pier area first --- searching for birds. Brown pelicans were searching for breakfast…not minding the fishermen on the pier nearby. They are probably in the area year-round.

Some of the structures were derelict. Water and salt are hard on concrete.

Several immature red-breasted mergansers were also finding food in the surf. They might continue north even though they are not breeding this year.

Willets and a great blue heron were wading in the surf.

Immature Bonaparte’s Gulls were on the beach…resting.

Looking toward the mainland from the Fort (on a barrier island), a lighthouse is visible. It is on the Naval Air Station which limits tours to people with military IDs.

We heard and saw small birds in the grass near the historical buildings/discovery center. Looking closer we saw that they were blue grosbeaks! They were probably refueling before they continued their migration northward.

Two osprey were building a nest at the top of a chimney nearby.

On the drive away from Fort Pickens after our first visit, we spotted a mature bald eagle in a tall pine. I’d spotted a large nest as we had driven toward the Fort….so we were looking closely for the bird!

We joined a ranger-led walking tour of the fort to learn a little about its history. Fort Pickens was built after the War of 1812 and before the Civil War….built with slave labor (many were skilled laborers specializing in brick structures). It was the largest brick structure on the Gulf of Mexico after it was finished and was a deterrent to conflict for a time. Its only active use was during the Civil War; it stayed in Union hands for the duration. Much of the brickwork has survived. The Fort was modified for other purposes over the years…with part of the structure used to store land mines! It served as a prison for Geronimo before he was sent to Fort Sill (in Oklahoma). Today – plants grow on the structure and in areas that were once busy with military preparations. The tour was a bit long (1.5 hours); I enjoyed the first hour but was tired for the last half hour.

December 05, 2020

Gleanings of the Week Ending December 5, 2020

December 05, 2020/ Gwen Morrison

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

Climate change presents new challenges for the drinking water supply -- ScienceDaily – Studying the Rappbode Reservoir in Germany and applying models….helping to predict what happens with warmer temperatures and increased drought…and what tweaks in reservoir management can mitigate.

The Lanterna of Genoa, the oldest lighthouse in Europe – The current Lighthouse of Genoa was built in 1543. The article includes some pictures of the technology used in the lighthouse from the 19th and 20th centuries.

Pollution and pandemics: A dangerous mix: Research finds that as one goes, so goes the other -- to a point -- ScienceDaily – Studying the relationship between along term ambient particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less and the spread of COVID-19….using air quality data and COVID-19 case across the country. There is a correlation – more pollution….higher COVID-19 transmission. Also: "We found black carbon acts as a kind of catalyst. When there is soot present, PM2.5 has more of an acute effect on lung health, and therefore on R0." This is an example of how air quality degradation has adverse health consequences.

Leila Jeffreys' Elegant Bird Portraits Show Feathery "High Society" and Photographer Tim Flach Captures Emotive Portraits of Fascinating Birds – I prefer birds in the wild…but sometimes portraits show the bird with more detail…certainly with less distraction. These two series were quite different but full photogenic birds.

Two centuries of Monarch butterflies show evolution of wing length -- ScienceDaily – Looking through museum collections and island populations of Monarchs, the researchers discovered how migration selects for longer, larger forewings….non-migrants have smaller wings! And they have determined that the effect is due to genetics rather than the rearing environment.

Photography In The National Parks: Birdy, Birdy In The Sky – Almost half the gleanings this week are about birds. I think this is my favorite. National Parks…great places for photography and birds add some action in the scene!

Top 25 birds of the week: Coastal birds – Some I’ve seen (particularly the ones in this group that were photographed in New Jersey). Others are totally new – like the Great Stone-curlew found in coastal areas of southern Asia…striking head pattern…and eye.

Tens of thousands of 12,000-year-old rock paintings found in Columbia – Found in an area previously inaccessible to researchers due to Columbia’s 50-year civil war. Made with red ocher.

Vitamin D regulates calcium in intestine differently than previously thought – Still new discoveries to be made about how our bodies work…how complex and interconnected the chemistry is….a system of systems.

Newly Discovered Underground Rivers Could Be Potential Solution for Hawai’i’s Drought – The potential for water wells off the coast of islands…supplementing fresh water available on the land to support the population living there.

June 05, 2019

South Cape May Meadows – Part 2

June 05, 2019/ Gwen Morrison

Continuing about South Cape May Meadows…

There were snowy egrets in many places we went

As well as osprey

And shorebirds.

The cliff swallows were very active as dusk neared. They look very similar to tree swallows in silhouette but are easily distinguished if their color can be seen.

A red winged blackbird was making its mating calls in some reeds near us….the breeze swaying his perch.

As we neared the end of hike there was oystercatcher on a nest. This one had even less protection than the one at Two Mile Beach. I was zooming in as much as the light would permit so we weren’t close enough to alarm the bird…but it was watching us very carefully.

2019 05 IMG_8118.jpg — The moon was visible about the wetlands as the light shifted to dusk.

The lighthouse at South Point was visible from the trail too.

And then I couldn’t resist some sunset pictures…stopping for a few seconds several times as we continued hiking back to the cars.

It was a great way to end a day that had started with wake up at 3:30 AM and in the field by 5:30. So many habitats (forest, beach, wetlands) and birds…all in one day!

November 29, 2017

South Padre Island and Bay Cruise – Part 3

November 29, 2017/ Gwen Morrison

The last part of the field trip was a cruise on the bay. The first ‘sight’ was a lighthouse with scaffolding around it as we neared the dock on our bus.

Then we were off and looking for Peregrine Falcons under the bridge. We spotted several but there was only one that was positioned for pictures.

There were mud flats with Laughing Gulls,

An Osprey surveying the scene, and

A Great Blue Heron walking awkwardly in the mud.

There was an island that provide roosting sites for Great Blue Herons (7 of them in the foreground) and Roseate Spoonbills (8-10 of them in the background).

This is the best picture I got of the Roseate Spoonbills as we cam around their side of the island.

Brown Pelicans, Double-crested Cormorants, and laughing gulls were groups on the sandy beach.

What birds to you see in these two pictures? So you see the Green-winged teals (2 males and a female), Black-Necked Stilt (2), Great Egret, Laughing gulls.