Tawny Frogmouth Janet de Morgan The nocturnal Tawny Frogmouth is most easily described by saying it is Sesame Street’s Oscar the Grouch with feathers, a big mouth and rather sloppy looking. The name alone demands attention. We were fortunate that the bird felt right at home in a camp ground resting after a night of […]
Forty Spotted Pardalote Birds of Australia, Ken Simpson, Nicolas Day Seeing this bird is a big deal for anyone, even the people who live on Bruny Island, the dot of land that dangles off the southern tip of Tasmania. Once birders get past jokes about how many spots were really counted on this tiny foliage […]
Sarus Crane (l) and Brolga (r) Birds of Australia, Ken Simpson, Nicolas Day These tall cranes, grey with red on their heads, bring to mind our own Sand Hill Crane. The two species often are found mixed together in flocks and look similar, with long crane legs and a heavy, silver-grey body. Through a spotting […]
Harriet with a Baby Wombat Birding offers more than just seeing a new species of bird to add to a list. At home and in exotic places birds can seem as complex as people and occasionally the behavior of birders themselves add richness to the experience. A bird plays a key role in these memories […]
Cradle Mountain Janet de Morgan In northern Tasmania we encountered the raven-like Black Currawong, a cousin to the Grey Currawong we had seen in Sydney. The bill is heavier and longer, the body leaner with some white on the end of its tail. They hung around the lodge and picnic areas in search of meals […]
Spa Party In the Antarctic region, there are two reasons to go ashore: to see a penguin colony or to see a spot of historical interest. Men and penguins look for the same thing for a settlement: early snow melt and some protection from the elements. Penguins also want a good food source, which the […]
Aboard ship with tabular icebergs Antarctica: remote, inhospitable and alluring. I didn’t want to spend a winter in a stone hut eating boot leather and penguins, as stranded whalers had to do, or slogging over chunky ice pulling a boat full of supplies, like the Shackelton expedition, but I did want to walk where they […]
Tuesday, August 30, 1966 Mwanza Dear Mom, Sukuma Chief’s House (abandoned) For the three days after I got back, the weather was cool and rainy or overcast. On Sunday, twenty-seven teachers from Mwanza, including six from Bwiru, were going of a field trip to learn about the local culture, so I hoped we would not […]
Saturday, November 26 Dear Carol, Banded Mongooses The girls are off for home, and we have almost two month’s break. Kay and I are staying here for a while before driving to Kampala, where she will visit friends and I will go to the Peace Corps doc and dentist. Thence to Nairobi to meet you […]
Monday, September 18 Mwanza Dear Pop, Mom and Carol, Girls doing their needlework assignment. (AF) We shifted classes around, expecting three teachers would leave for National Service but then the plans changed and they are still here and teaching, which is great for the rest of us. Right now I’m only teaching 20 periods a […]
Wednesday, February 1 Dear Mom and Carol, More Letters I hope you’re enjoying Rome, and your feet are holding up. Things are getting back to normal after the break. It was so nice having you here. Now you can understand what’s up when I write. Miss Inkpen is getting over the loss of her beloved […]
Sunday, April 9, 1967. Dear Mom, Letter 9 April Happy birthday to you tomorrow. Wow, 52 years! The boat to the little town of Bukoba, on the east side of Lake Victoria near the Ugandan border, shoved off at 11 a.m. last Thursday. My job was to escort the Bwiru girls from Bukoba home for […]
The Author at Sea on Valhalla After hours of trying to sail in a calm ocean with nothing to see but water and sky, the senses are dulled and the brain can be easily fooled. At sea, that can be fatal. Robert and I are anchored in our twenty-five foot sloop behind Punta San Hipolito […]
Chapters: Escaping the Heat | El Salto | Into the Valley | Dogs in the Night | Hiking the Valley, Hunger Lurks | Discovery | La Ciudad Waiting Out the Heat in Mazatlan Harbor July weather in Mazatlan can be unbearable, even if you live on a sailboat as I did with my husband. The […]