“Catch of the Day!”
(They call this a chamy fish.)
Headlines of winter storms make me grateful to live along Ecuador’s Pacific coast. Those of you who are enduring brutal weather, stay warm and safe and well. I wish I could send some of this climate in your direction. Yesterday I pondered how we fell trees for timber or we leave deep scars on Mother Earth so that we can produce concrete – how does one build homes without impacting our planet’s struggling health?
..S.ometimes Mother Nature bites back!!!!
As we peer over the groundhog’s shoulder to see his shadow – or not – take time to peer into Mother Nature’s wetlands and ponder their importance on our planet.
The ponds are off limits before the harvest. After the harvest, the feathered feast begins with no stress!
Today I’ll be driving along Ecuador’s Pacific coast with a great tour group, but wanted to wave a token banner in honor of our precious wetlands. Hop over to SerenitySpell for a refresher course! Preserving Our Future – World Wetlands Day.
Have a good week, everyone! Z
Zeebra Designs & Destinations 
Good question! How do we build homes with minimal impact to our planet? She’s fragile these days.
thanks; yes, that’s something that bothers me a lot is there such a thing as bamboo plywood?
Have a great outing! I do believe that the trees will continue to disappear and the concrete poured until we realize that the human population simply needs to slow its growth.
you are right, and i have noted an increase in clear-cutting for agriculture in the province where i ive, and an increase in drought seemed to parallel the desecration. rains seem to cintinue where most of the area is intact w/old-growth forests.
What a fabulous photo of the white herons. I’ve never seen so many of these birds in the one place. We have herons here in South East Queensland but I only ever see one at a time picking it’s way along the river bank fishing for dinner.
Yes it’s time we turned the corner on cutting down trees. We need to live sustainably.
reading your comment makes me very grateful that these lovely birds are so plentiful here! at sunset, there are so many that i cannot count them— zooming and careening home while others leave.
the trees need more spokespersons! z
A great new week to you too, Z and a beautiful February! 🙂 xx
same to you, lovely multiple-talented artist!
Z, good luck on the tour. Here in the Carolinas, we have seen the lack of foresight, where people built their homes too close to the shore or on wetlands. The ocean and wildlife need those buffers. When you see homes being devoured by the sea and cannot get new insurance, it shows what poor planning looks like. But. building in the wetlands or further away from the ocean has to be done delicately, otherwise we are destroying so much wildlife.
At Bald Head island in NC, the lights from the houses cause the baby sea turtles to go the wrong way when hatched, so they die in huge numbers. Volunteers are there to steer them to make up for human intervention with the houses built too close. Sorry for the soapbox. All the best, BTG
a tiny percentage of people understand the curse of lights along the seacoast. a neighbor on the shrimp farming area uses huge lights that are as strong as stadium lights. they are used to help deter thieves that sneak in at night and steal a large percentage of the mature shrimp.. i have no right to complain, but i wonder how those lights affect the environment. the birds stopped roosting in an area where the ‘spotlights’ filled the usually-dark area with all-night light.
thankfully the trees in my yard have just reached a height and mass where they buffer the lights when i am on the balcony or outside at night.
Bald Head Island was in the paper yesterday as they are building these groins which jut out into the ocean to preserve the sand from washing away. Yet, it causes problems for the folks south of them. Some of the owners can no longer get insurance as too many houses of been consumed by the sea.
Safe travels, L. See you upon your return! R.
i was home for two nights then back on the road again.. will reach guayaquil in about four hours – after a stop-over in a cheesy hotel along the route.. yikes, i won’t stop in this town again!!!
I may be a bit slow, z, did you explain once what you do? Tour guide? Itinerant wine maker, copper mine inspector? Travel safe in any event. R.
Having just returned from the beautiful Florida Everglades, I can surely agree with the importance of wetlands. While visiting there, I learned that the Everglades are disappearing at the rate of about FIVE ACRES each day. This is so very distressing. If the Everglades, along with it will go many animals, fish, birds, trees, orchids, and more.
oh emily! 5 acres per day! that’s horrible, but i suspect that many areas are losing a lot, and most of the people are unaware and do not see the destruction. our planet is not well, but what can we do that would make a difference?
Same to you Z! These birds are so beautiful.
yes, and you know my retort by now.. your reindeer are equally beautiful to me!
Wonderful images!! I’d love to visit one day…. 🙂 Here’s to preserving the future of these magnificent ecosystems!
you’d be in heaven, from the hummingbird-rich areas of the rain forest to the birds along the shorelines – and whales in the ocean – yes, you’d be in heaven!
*sigh*…. ONE DAY!!! 🙂
Have a wonderful trip. As to the wetlands, humans seem hell-bent on destroying the only home we have.
and we’re doing a grand job of destroying that home.. thanks, barney!
Have a great week Z!
A timely post, and you are so right, we need to think about how we, human beings, can build our homes and lives without destroying the delicate balance of Mother Nature – in which wetlands are a very important element. As happy as you are to be in the tropic and not facing winter, I wish I could have had some of the winter they are experiencing on the East coast. Enjoy the tour.
ha! we’re prepped for different climates, and my fingers turn blue when the temps are below 50 degrees F. when they reach 20 or lower, my teeth start chattering! i fear i would perish in cold climates if left too long outdoors!
You have a good week too Z!
We also wish you a happy day and great week. But, as for that first photo – They may call that a chamy fish, but it looks like a crow to me! Looks like that fish has a beak.
Great pictures and sentiments. We are lucky here (so far at least) that they have limited development along the Portoviejo River mangroves. Our recent trip up that river shows that wildlife is still abundant there. Hopefully the world will get the message to preserve the wetlands before it is too late. JandM
ha
! if you want it to be a crow, we can have fun with that and create a fun story! no, i was standing right there, and it was so close i was scared to move for fear it would fly away. i watched for a while before reaching for my camera…
Hello, Amiga! We just returned from a brief visit to Cozumel Island, Mexico, and the nearby mainland, and of course I thought of you…so much nearer than usual, yet still so far! The weather was wonderful, especially having left with the snow falling on our plane as we took off from BWI! I have missed visiting here and hope to catch up soon.
oh it is so great to hear from you, lovely julia! warm weather and tropical settings cn be such a healthy tonic for the body, spirit and soul… thank you so much for sending your loving thoughts in my direction!
Hope that you have had a wonderful trip Z. and I agree that we should look more closely at our wetlands and the green belts generally around our ever growing cities. Town Planners on the whole are all to often more concerned with the making of money, appeasing the politicians and not the consequences of continued town or city expansion. Hope you have a great week ahead. J
thank, james.. i’ve been unable to view most of your photos b/c of slow internet… i’m sure you’re posting some grand ones of the waves/weather… i try to open them here, and the connection isn’t strong enough. every so often i can see them, and then the comment won’t work! i’ll be back when possible! z
It’s so lovely to hear from you Z. and to know all is well with you is important. I do hope you have a great week ahead. Best regards, James