Firewatcher’s Daughter

March 6, 2015March 6, 2015 / R. P. Hancy / Leave a comment

Brandi Carlile’s new album, The Firewatcher’s Daughter, was a shock to me. I don’t think I live under a rock but perhaps I do because I don’t think I’ve ever heard of her before. So, while working at my desk, I started to snoop around the ITunes store as I normally do. She just released this album a couple of days ago so it’s on the cover page. I clicked on it for some reason. The song titles looked intriguing. The reviews were phenomenal. I sampled “Mainstream Kid,” and in two seconds it took me back to 70’s classic rock. Mean, angry, fast. Janus Joplin is back – and her pants are on fire. She has 20 gallons of talent in a brass jar of bees and honey. Don’t know what I mean? Listen to that song. I’ve heard many artists in my nearly 50 years – many of them amazing. She puts most to shame. She apparently has several albums – I don’t care, I just want to listen to this one over and over.

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The smallest kingdom in the world

March 4, 2015March 6, 2015 / R. P. Hancy / Leave a comment

This was one of the best posts I’ve read for a long time – I’m reblogging it on mine, hopefully with your permission. My favorite photo, though difficult to choose, was the Hay Bluff. I’m a sucker for sheep for some reason, perhaps I was a shepherd in my previous life in the valleys of Norway. Thank you for your post!

iago80

Some believe that the tiny Island of Tavolara off the coast of Sardinia was the smallest kingdom in the world. They are wrong. The smallest kingdom is on the border of Wales and England.

It lies on a river. The fifth longest river in the UK to be exact. A river which helps form the border between England and Wales. The river Wye:

River Wye

A much smaller tributary of the Wye also forms the border between England and Wales and runs through our pocket-sized kingdom: it is called Dulas Brook. As I stood on a bridge this weekend gone, straddling England and Wales with a leg in each and peering through a curtain of vines, I saw a pair of some my favourite British birds, the water-bound Dipper:

White-throated Dipper (Cinclus cinclus)

The Kingdom is nestled in a valley overlooked by the northern outpost of the Black…

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Three Days, 40 Pounds And A Full Thermos…Birding Humboldt Refuge

February 28, 2015February 28, 2015 / R. P. Hancy / Leave a comment

Arcata Marsh Bird List
February 11, 2015

With fresh coffee in the thermos, dog in car and the GPS pointing toward Arcata Marsh, California, we headed out. This marsh was one of the best places to bird on the west coast, and you can very well bet I was ready to see a lot of birds and a lot of strange things I’ve never seen before…

Arcata Marsh is just north of Eureka, and luckily for me, just 15 minutes from my kabin. I arrived at 8:23 a.m. and proceeded to get my equipment together. This was to be the first time I field tested my new heavy-duty tripod. So, with backpack on the back, digital camera with 200mm lens around my neck, 20×80 binoculars securely on the new tripod and the tripod resting on my shoulder, small binos in my pocket (dog in car, sorry Joey), and coffee cup in the remaining free hand, I headed for the trail. If you are new to birding – remember, NEVER leave any equipment behind that may cost you a bird! When in doubt, bring it! This includes food, because if you’re hungry, you’ll be impatient, and you can never be in a hurry when birding. Continue reading →

In The Land Of Redwoods And Scoters, The Big Year Continues…

February 26, 2015February 26, 2015 / R. P. Hancy / 1 Comment

This is how far this little scoter is from home: 5,278 miles. He is from Holland and he took a very wrong turn.

Needless to say, I had to go see this bird. It is the first ever sighting of the Common Scoter in the United States. Ever. I left Scappoose, Oregon on February 10, 2015 very early in the morning and arrived at Crescent City, California at about 3pm. The ten hour drive down Interstate 5 was like my backyard, but once I turned right at Grants Pass, I saw something I’ve never seen before. The Redwoods National Park is something everyone should see – I mean everyone. These trees were so big that I couldn’t even photograph one in the frame. You seriously need to back up a long ways, but you can’t because there are these monstrously beautiful trees everywhere. Continue reading →

Birding Petaluma

February 10, 2015February 10, 2015 / R. P. Hancy / 1 Comment

Driving into Petaluma at sunset.

After the driving rain came the warm California sun and the promise of expanding Big Year list. The eleven hours of driving down Interstate 5 and then west on the 505 to San Francisco brought me to the KOA kabin in Petaluma. I didn’t have any trouble falling asleep, except for the swans and wigeon dancing in my head.

The first stop was the famed hot spot of Shollenberger Park from 8am till 10am. The walk around the lake and marshes was slow and thorough. I expected to see more people toting around tripods, spotting scopes, backpacks and cameras but instead there were nice joggers, moms with strollers, an occasional man with lifted eyebrows, and solitary quiet walkers enjoying (perhaps) the surroundings as much as I.

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Signs Of Spring

January 29, 2015January 29, 2015 / R. P. Hancy / Leave a comment

The morning light seemed brighter when looking out over the Multnomah Channel early this day. Right away a Double-crested Cormorant eyed me as I opened the hatch to my sailboat. Over in the large oak tree sat a beautiful Bald Eagle, proudly looking over it’s vast countryside. This was going to be a good birding day, because well, they are all good birding days.

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In Search of Two Lifers

January 28, 2015January 28, 2015 / R. P. Hancy / Leave a comment

January 27, 2015 Bird List

After my San Francisco Rustic Bunting trip was scrubbed this morning, I decided to head out and find a couple of more local lifers. The weather was cloudy but pleasant, it stayed in the 40’s all day, rained some, some fog, some mist but no wind. I arrived at Marine Park in Vancouver just after 11:30 (with chestnut praline latte in hand). The first bird of interest was the rare and mysterious Tufted Duck. It is a common and friendly bird of the United Kingdom and surrounding countries, but not so common over here in Oregon! Below are photos of my findings. This duck was photographed at quite a distance, but I managed to capture him here. Continue reading →

Birding in Scappoose

January 21, 2015January 22, 2015 / R. P. Hancy / Leave a comment

“There was an old man with a beard, Who said: ‘It is just as I feared! Two owls and a hen, Four larks and a wren Have all built their nests in my beard” Edward Lear

This morning while Joey was at the groomer, I walked down Crown-Zellarbach Trail for about ninety minutes. With coffee, camera, binoculars (and other essentials in my EDC), I headed out in the billowing fog.

I first discovered the ducks. They were the usual suspects of mallards, Green-winged Teal, Gadwall, and American Wigeon. I tried desperately to turn one into a Eurasian Wigeon but the color wasn’t there. They all seemed to be quite vocal this morning – and except for the mallards, I don’t even think any of them noticed me. Continue reading →

Highflying Geese Save Energy By Swooping Like A Roller Coaster

January 17, 2015January 17, 2015 / R. P. Hancy / Leave a comment

Bar-headed geese tend to follow the sharp ups and downs of the Himalayas as they migrate, research finds.

The bar-headed goose is famous for its long, annual migration from the Indian subcontinent to central Asia, a flight that takes it over snowcapped Himalaya Mountains so high and dangerous that human climbers struggle just to stay alive.