Manabi Province, Ecuador – The approaching weekend brings us two birding events – October BIG Day and Global Bird Weekend.
As my Colorado friends remain silent as they witness the Cameron Peak Fire, I will keep them in my heart while spending the weekend at Poza Honda.
The image below is from 9news.com Read about the fire, starting here – ( https://www.9news.com/wildfires )
I nudge you all to spend a little time with the birds – and nature – this weekend. We so often take our natural landscape for granted, and it’s heart breaking to witness our planet’s signals of distress.
If you have not seen Nemonti Nenquimo’s letter to world leaders, please take time to read her heart-felt plea. I cried – and most likely many others have as well.
This amazing woman opens her letter by stating she is a Waorani woman, and “… I am a Waorani woman, a mother, and a leader of my people. The Amazon rainforest is my home …” – Go here: “This is My Message to the Western World.”
Saturday, October Big Day is for observing and sharing the bird-observation data with eBird, and the Global Bird Weekend (this is the first year) – is about sharing your photos, drawing, experiences – while also being sensitive to others regarding Covid risks.
The outdoors is a perfect place to social distance, and I definitely look forward to breathing some very-pure air at Poza Honda! Heading there tomorrow!
Signing off and sending love to you all,
Lisa (PS – this new WP platform took me through many redundant prompts, even for uploading an image. Is this truly better and more streamlined than Classic?!)
Zeebra Designs & Destinations 
Is that your design on the shirt, Lisa? It’s really pretty. I’ve been spending more times with bird since we moved. Evidently the Tucson area a bit south from us is one of the best birding places in the US but this area seems to be pretty good as well. Of course I love spending time in nature, whether there are birds or not. Good to hear from you, LIsa.
janet
Si, this one was a challenge – trying to arrange two events and the art without it seeming crowded. Leaving off the dates 16, 17, 18th helped a lot, and just using the October’ from the Big-day and placing 2020 on the edge.
I’ve been watching teh sky-high temps where you are – not a very nice ‘welcome to Tucson’ greeting, but I’m so glad you’re there to be near your parents..
I continue to enjoy your posts, but unfortunately I read them off line after loading at the restaurant – and then later unable to comment!
Lisa, we’re actually in the Phoenix area, but have visited the Tucson area a few times and will again tomorrow. But Phoenix has had recording breaking temperatures, which I didn’t need to be part of 🙂
I’m glad you’re enjoying the posts and don’t worry about commenting if you can’t. My parents are thrilled to have us so close and we’ve been able to spend a lot of time with them, which is really nice.
Hope all the events, art, and whatever else you have to do go smoothly.
janet
I chuckled at that “We’re actually in Phoenix area” = as I knew that and am not sure why ‘Tuscon’ popped out. Perhaps for the same reason ‘Muscovy Duck’ appeared on my ebird list for last Saturday and I did not report one! Oddly I did see Rosette Spoonbills for the first time at Poza Honda that Sunday, and then saw that you also saw them! That page link was opened, but I’ve not gone there yet today.. It’s pending my scroll through open tabs!
This was the meteorologist’s interview from Phoenix:
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We did go to Tucson and up Mt. Lemmon and had a wonderful day, finding not only cooler temperatures and alpine flora at the top but also the Stellar’s Jay which was part of my post today. The speculation on the spoonbill’s time here is that it came up because of the hurricane’s, but since it hasn’t been answering any questions, we can’t know for sure. I’m just happy to have seen it!
Today, Sunday, has been lovely from a temperature POV–in the mid-sixties this morning and only getting to the mid-eighties, which meant I had the windows and doors open until almost noon! I love that although there’s a fair bit of noise at night, so I use a white noise app of rain. 🙂 We’re getting a bit of a cold spell for a few days, with lows dipping into the 40’s. Can’t wait to get out some heavier clothing for a day or two, especially for my morning walk in the Preserve.
That’s a powerful message from the Amazon, Lisa. It didn’t make me cry but it does make me feel ashamed. We are unaware of so much that happens ‘in our name’! Last night we watched a documentary about plastic and how it is silting up our planet and ultimately ourselves. It’s everywhere, the wrong doing. And who listens? I’m sad for our world, beautiful as it is.
Yes, very powerful… And she prompts us all to look inward…
The plastic documentary surely gives the same ‘guilty’ result.
when I ponder building anything in the future, I think, ‘Use discarded shipping containers and bamboo…. I would hate to destroy even one tree….
You published a lovely photo of a desert over a week ago, and it still makes me want to go buy an assortment of desserts. You’re clever at punching our buttons – and then you take us on lovely treks. Glad to see you’re still sharing those outings – so lovely to see your world.
Am heading to Poza Honda ahora!
Thank you! Thank you!!! Thank you!!!l. I love your post full of delicious photos and insights. I especially appreciated you adding the link to “This is My Message to the Western World.” Sending many hugs your way.
Yes, her message is a strong one. Thank YOU as well, and there are several pages of yours on the screen – the Audubon and Van Gogh were definitely appreciated, but then they all are!!
Here in MN I am afraid our bird watching is just a short stop over on their flight south.
I think I am in the majority that likes the classic WP.
Sometimes I wish that all of us who prefer the Classic would protest and stop using WP until they roll it back. But then it would be robbing us of spending time with others from afar, and your posts are always a joy to receive.
I think I’ve read all of yours, unless you’ve published one in the past week, and of course they are all wonderful – it would be hard to select a favorite!
It was a great Global Bird Weekend, and I stayed up late on Friday to record the owls after midnight, when the ebird count began, then slept til 5 and was ‘full throttle’ until dark. We discussed birds, sighting, identifications over dinner, then I worked on photos — and the next day up and rolling, then home at dark. The next day I did little except rest!
Hurray for WP Classic. Why doesn’t WP listen?
I thank you for your kind words about my log, Z. I haven’t put any out lately. I try to write and the medical and political crisis is just too much. Maybe things will be better soon. I can’t imagine my children and grandchildren having to live in a world like today’s.
That said, I am about to finish a blog post I started weeks ago.
Stay Safe and I, too, love owls.
That makes a lot of sense; to stay in positive zones, and avoid negative ones. Your post about that ‘other’ Don was a fun one, but I forgot to mention how much the dog story meant. How amazing that the dog went to the hospital! (?) yet in the past we’ve had Australian Shepherds, and wow what intelligence — makes me wistful to have a dog like that, but I keep my life simple and cannot imagine the extra challenges for caring for pets in this crisis. I think of the people dodging the wildfires and how they must struggle with concerns for their pets.
These next few weeks will be interesting.. climate changing, etc, though here the weather stays the same year round, gracias a-Dios!
Oh I miss having a dog, Z. Just too much work for old people.
Like you I feel so bad for the victims and their pet of those wildfires, new ones every day. And now a hurricane is hitting Mexico and New Orleans tomorrow.
Stay Safe.
I was going to stay if it was your design because it looked like one of yours. I love it! I didn’t hear about birding day here. It wasn’t promoted here the way it is in Ecuador.
As of today, there are 63 active large fires in the US West. 63! Most of them are in California, I believe, but they are still throughout the West. And in Arizona, at least, we had the worst drought on record this summer. I fear fire season will not really end this year and will just merge on into next year’s season.
Enjoy the bird count and please tell us all about it.
We had a great birding weekend, though with little time online, I’m not sure when there will be an update… I think there are three posts now pending to publish and zero time to wrangle with the new editor, upload images, etc… I’m lucky to have lots to do off line, the biggest is working on art!
The fires in Colorado – ugh – it’s hard to watch/read, but with sensitivity and worry about my friends, I try to check every day or every other day. I hope that this snowstorm will be what stops the fires, but ugh, how horrible it must be if the power is off – or lines destroyed, and now it’s freezing…
How can people continue to say they are not sure about climate change? They must not spend a lot of time in nature – or do not observe well.
Things got away from me, and I didn’t remember to participate in Global Bird Weekend, but I hope you were able to get out and see your friends. 😉 I did get out Saturday, and yesterday, too. Bird life around here is still very quiet but soon we’ll see more winter residents – ducks, geese, etc. Thanks for the Waorani woman’s message. If only people in power would listen. Stay strong and healthy, Lisa! 🙂
Yes, the Waorani message is powerful. I see there’s a new movie doc about Greta, which should also be powerful.
Here’s a bit of an irony: I’ve gotten out twice to the Attwater Prairie Chicken Refuge, which apparently is quite a hot spot. The eBird list of species for the place is, I believe, up to 157 species sighted. The irony is that I saw a couple of vultures flying, a very few little brown birds in the prairie grasses, and — nothing more! Even at the lake and along the creek, I didn’t see anything. Of course, it’s three hours from home, so simply getting there means that most of my time there is mid-day, rather than the early morning or evening hours when the birds might be more active. I’ll try again in three or four weeks. I think as autumn strips some of the leaves, and as more migrants arrive, it will be far more satisfying for birding. Right now, the plants are the primary attraction, and they’re beautiful.
I wish I were there to ride copilot with you; if the birds did not show up, we could attempt silly ‘calls’ and see if they are curious to find out what made that strange sound! (It worked twice for the humpback whales on Ecuador’s coast!)
There have to be 60 or more windows open on the screen, and a few of them are yours… The drop-down comment window has not worked in weeks, and today it’s working… Thanks as always for your support!
We’re always here, Z!
It would be so wonderful – when life is normal – to take a longer-trip ‘back home’ and spend time in your area — or coax you to go on an Ark/La/Miss road trip with me! I suspect it will be spring of 2021 before my next trip back, but who knows?
It would be great. All of those areas are ones I’ve experienced, and that appeal. Who knows where things will be in six months? (Better, I hope!)
One of these years I’d like to take a Mississippi River Canoe trip, starting in Memphis and finishing in Natchez… Hmmmmm…
Dear Lisa,
Thank you for sharing this heart-rending plea by Nemonte Nenquimo. I fear that only people who already believe what she says will listen to her and try to change their ways of life. Those who are the aggressors and perpetrators are unlikely to. I hope I’m wrong, but my outlook is very cynical.
Take care,
Tanja