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ebird october big day, Equinox noon shadow, lisa brunetti - a journey, Nomadas en Manabi, october big day
Equinox Shadows
Poza Honda/Manabi/Ecuador – I’m still a big baffled, here just south of the equator. The sun was still in the eastern sky at noon on the September Equinox. It reached ‘zenith’ around nine minutes past noon and began tipping into the western skies around 12 past noon.
“Amigos!” I called a few days later, when the sun repeated its high-noon stage fright. “Check your watches and help me understand why the sun is late for our noon date!” Jorge pulled out his fancy phone then gave everyone a mini-equinox lesson!
It’s easy to rationalize and say well, we’re not exactly on the equator or maybe all world clocks are running fast and should be re-calibrated with the sun! It will be another six months before the next opportunity, but I plan to start measuring the sun’s shadow about a week early and follow it for another week past the equinox!
(The March 2018 Equinox was more tardy for the high-noon absence of shadow!)
11:57 March 20, 2018 – Equinox shadows – east is to the left; something’s not right!
Equinox Noon Smiles 2014 right on schedule!!
Many of you have surely seen (and hopefully read) the Scientists’ Second Notice to Humanity: World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity: Second Notice
It opens with this sentence: Twenty-five years ago, the Union of Concerned Scientists and more than 1700 independent scientists, including the majority of living Nobel laureates in the sciences, penned the 1992 “World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity”
Using easy-to-understand graphs, they state,“On the twenty-fifth anniversary of their call, we look back at their warning and evaluate the human response by exploring available time-series data “ and then express their concerns. For the sake of a planet that’s obviously very unwell, please read the warning from these 15,364 scientists.
Thank you, and our fragile earth thanks you!
Whopping Motmot
The Endangered Gray-backed Hawk (Poza Honda/Ecuador)
Tomorrow is October Big Day! Spend ten minutes, one hour, four hours or all day enjoying our feathered friends. If possible, share your bird sightings with ebird.
Go here for ebird’s October Big Day info: OCTOBER 6 – Oct. Big Day
All is going well; the Nomadas en Manabi show has one more month at Museo Portoviejo, then “Lisa Brunetti-a Journey” will open on November 15th. There’s lots to do between now and then, so I will remain quite silent.
Thanks as always for your support!
Are your clocks and watches set to local solar time or to a standard time? I see that Ecuador is in the Eastern Time Zone. If you’re set to standard time, then clocks won’t show true solar time as you move east and west from town to town.
Train schedules in the 1800s showed local solar time, but things got so crazy that standard time zones were instituted to eliminate the chaos.
Thank you so much for this comment, Steve. You bring a very good point to this mystery! There is a solar ‘noon’ calendar at one of the Middle of the World sites. This one, Quitsato, uses a towering ‘tube’ that looks like a smoke stack. At noon on the Equinox, it shines straight down the tube. I think I might plan to visit in March and watch what happens!
Lisa, good to hear from you. I hope you figure out what’s up with the equinox timing, because I know it’s going to drive you crazy. 🙂 That Whooping motmot is quite a handsome bird, as are the others you photographed. I’m not seeing a lot of bird activity around here lately but I’ll keep the Biog Day in mind – you never know. We did have a Great egret up here a week or so ago, way out of range, but it happens. I missed him though, as well as the long-billed curlew that wandered off course. Sigh.
Where is the “Lisa Brunetti – A Journey” show going to be? The printed materials look great. Enjoy the limelight, my friend!
You are often on my mind when I’m walking/watching nature/photographing or just admiring what’s there. On Saturday I took surely 200 iimages of the Southern Rough Winged Swallow – they fly soooo fast and were zipping high and low – perhaps it was a game to them to see how close they could come to me and yet I still could not get a focused shot! The Whooping Motmots are lovely, and the three that come to the feeder are almost pets. A squirrel raids the bananas, and sometimes the birds land on the feeder and stare at the windows as if to say, ‘Ahem, we’re going to write a negative Trip Advisor review if you don’t bring food soon!’
Beautiful birds and I’m excited to read about your show. I’m sure it will be wonderful. As for the time, I have no idea. Perhaps you’ll have a few extra minutes of time. 🙂 Have a most productive month!!
janet
Ha! yes a few more minutes of time would be great! Perhaps each day at noon I should stop and pause and wait for the sun to catch up… I think I might start doing that – and contemplating our earth and galaxy and how we are part of a grand work of art!
I just listened to Jane Goodale’s speech at the Simon Fraser University convocation ceremonies yesterday. She was a honorary degree recipient. Her words were a call to action, much like the 15000 other Scientists. Everything we do is important she said. Our choices affect our environment, and will determine the course of human destiny. Always a joy to stop by… Hugs coming your way.
Wow; that would have been a great listening opportunity! I;m sure that when she speaks, people pay attention!
Thank you so much for your suport – it would be so great to spend time with you in person and swap stories!
I have a feeling that one day we will meet! Serendipity has amazing ways to bring people together! Hugs and Love coming your way.
How do I get a copy of your book? What a treat!
It’s an itty bitty booklet, and hopefully I’ll get a larger one ready before the show opens in six weeks. I see where Central America has received a lot of rain – hope all’s ok in Pueblo Nuveo/Bejuco!
Just out of curiosity, how did you get so interested in the equinoxes and solstices? You’ve been so consistent in your experimentation that I’m not sure whether it’s just the challenge of documenting “the moment,” or whether there might be more to it.
What I’m sure of is that those birds are glorious, and your exhibition will be, too. So many details to be attended to — don’t get worn out.
I’m not sure when it started, though I’ve always enjoyed ‘involving’ whoever is nearby when the sun approaches the Summer Solstice ‘end-of-the-line spot.’ Several days before we would set up a line of rocks or sticks and mark the change from day to day, June 17, 18, 19, 20, 21….. then the sun ‘stops’ and then retreats along the same trail. I always marveled that many people were not aware that the sun changed – and sometimes marveled when I mentioned a new moon, they asked, |”Isn’t the moon always up there overhead?|’
One friend in Ecuador once stated that the sun was always straight overhead at noon on the equator, so the knife in the apple on June 21st was an easy lesson to illustrate that no.. the sun was not straight overhead in June!
The show is going to be a lot of fun.. six weeks to go, and soooo much to do between now and then!
My fear is that we’ll (being humanity) only catch on to what we’re really doing the planet when it is too late…
On a positive note I am really looking forward to a glimpse of what’s in store for those visiting your exhibition, Lisa – I would have loved to come admire your work there in real life!
It seems that more people are noting and making adjustments. I think that the children seem to be more sensitive to nature – or else totally oblivious —- but you have one very talented and special young one that will definitely leave a positive impact on the world. Thanks to his dad, who is also his public relations agent, he will give nature a voice!
Clocks are after all a human contrivance devised to make life more or less organized.
The Maya were very involved with the study of time and had several ‘clocks’ used for observing the movement of celestial planets.
My question is: are you exactly on the equator? You know what I would say next if
you are not. Another thing to consider is, has the equator moved,
even slightly, North or South of its current position? (Earth wobble
or reference: Chandler wobbler)
A visit with you in person would be so interesting! No, I don’t know about the Channdler wobbler but have now opened three links and will read them when at home tonight!
The 2016 7.8 earthquake definitely tweaked our area. The solar calendar on my former house wa 3 days ‘late’ after the earthquake, when comparing the sun’s shadow to previous years. Friends at the beach said that the beach ‘raised’ by many meters overnight. One day (before the quake|) the beach was gone due to coastal erosion, and the morning after the quake, the beach was ‘back.’
Lisa, south isn’t south. You need true south. Here’s a map for you. Looks like true south is 3-4 degrees east (if I’m reading it right) of magnetic south.
http://www.everythingselectric.com/magnetic-declination-map/
Thanks Emilie; the link is opening now. There have been some interesting comments about this mystery, and hopefully we’ll emerge with a greater understanding of how the earth and sun react to each other!
I’m in a food court right now so it’s loud and not easy for research. Which species is your book about? Friends of mine study the Eastern Hawksbill; Ingrid is from Peru, and I met her/worked with the Olive Ridley program when I lived in Costa Rica…
The book is called Luisa the Green Sea Turtle. It’s bilingual, set in the town in Mexico where I help the tortugueros. I just learned there’s a new nest there and hope to head down to watch them emerge!
I read your post last night when offline, and yes, forgive me for not remembering it was the green sea turtle story. Still, I predict the book will be a great choice for ecology-conscious people, who might pass it on to those who are not so attentive to our natural world.
You’re forgiven, of course!
When online, I load the gmail dedicated to WP notificationis, then read them offline. The images usually don’t load, so next time online, I load the pages, then return home.. and finally get to see the images, wow! Today the cyber is not open so I am at the park – the natural light is so bright it’s hard to see the screen! As you know, there are negative impacts for living in paradise!
That is truly shocking to read. Of course, most countries in Europe (for example) take it seriously and continue to take steps to unburden our earth and support its regeneration. (For example, even Funds in the EU are planned to be labeled how well they support the environment with their investments. So, even asset managers are in charge.) But it needs everyone to turn the clock back.
Regarding the time. Isn’t the difference in the time the reason for leap years in order to catch up again?
Yes, I’ve seen several good reports about proactive people in your country — it needs to be a lifestyle/attitude for society to embrace – as easy as ‘don’t pollute’don’t toss trash out the window.’
Your leap year concept has merit. Let me put that in my incubator so I can chew on that food for thought for awhile!
I think there are more people willing to be more active in saving our planet and resign luxury than we might think. It just needs a global agreement. But until that we need to do our best in our own little worlds.
I know that the leap year exists in order to catch up with time since the earth is turning a little faster than exact 24 hours a day. But I don’t know if there is more about your observation. That would be really interesting!!
Love your photos of the birds. You somehow give them so much individual character!
Ah, perhaps those birds know that under my watch they are VIPs and the best of neighbors! I’m working right now on study of a Tropical Gnatcatcher, handsome in its monochromatic attire – yet oh so handsome. I realized that in order to paint a bird, I first have to know it well – all the nuances of its character. The really special VIP Brown Wood Rail is still waiting – as I know it, but need to know it better before painting that one. They stop by daily – this morning I walked up the hill and there was one eating Carambola fruits.. it dashed for five or so meters, slowed and looked back as if to say, ‘Oh. it’s just Lisa.’