Owls, sunset and GPS
Thank you for the nudges, lesliepear! It really helps to be reminded to get back to posting ... and even more, to know I'm missed.
And I've been wanting to post about something for a week, so I was grateful to be nudged into writing this. :-)
Last Friday I drove up to a very rural area near the Pennsylvania border hoping to see the two Short-eared Owls that had been reported hunting over a particular field at dusk. The drive was around 60 miles, the last third on a series of increasingly narrow, curving country roads.
When I got there at about 4:45 there was only one other car there. but more soon arrived and eventually there were about eight birders standing at the bend in the road across from the field where the owls were expected, waiting hopefully to view the rarely-seen birds. Two spotting scopes were set up and pointed southeast. The temperature was barely 30º, so it was cold just standing around, but there were a lot of interesting things to look at all around us while we waited.
A big flock of about two dozen lovely White-crowned Sparrows and one Song Sparrow foraged busily next to the hedgerow behind us, only about 20 yards away. A mockingbird was there too. A couple of Red-tailed Hawks flew around, and one landed in a tree at the far end of the field to the west. Two red foxes romped around the field we were watching, and I got a great view of them through the scope. A few deer appeared in the field to the north, and one of the birders watching them noticed that the lights on the slopes of the Liberty Mountain ski area in Fairfield, PA, could be seen with binoculars. (Later, as the light faded, they were easily visible with the naked eye. I'm not used to such good visibility, since trees or buildings keep most views much shorter, and the humidity and pollution in the air cut the visibility drastically even when nothing interferes with the view. But the air out there was crisp and clean, and there was nothing to block the view of the mountain 14 miles away.)
While we waited in the cold and watched the other birds and animals, I turned to the southwest every so often and took a photo of the sun setting over the fields.
Northern Harriers had also been reported, and after awhile three of the beautiful hawks arrived and swooped over the field. They were gorgeous in the light of the setting sun, just like the one in this photo. Sunset came and went at 5:19, but the owls still hadn't appeared. "I hope they come," I said. "I don't mind driving so far and standing around freezing to see a Short-eared Owl -- but I do mind driving so far and standing around freezing to not see a Short-eared Owl!"
At last someone said "There it is!" -- and there was a gorgeous owl! It landed in a tree near the abandoned farmhouse, and the scopes were quickly trained on it. It kept turning its head this way and that, searching for prey, obviously hungry for its first meal of the day. I got a great view of it through the scope, including its striking face.
Soon another owl appeared, and the two of them coursed over the field, this way and that, coming close enough to see really well through the binoculars. It was definitely worth the drive and the wait in the cold! Not only were they a new life bird for me, they're magnificent to see. I'd never had an opportunity to see an owl flying before, and here I was standing there watching them hunt for a good five minutes.
Unfortunately, one birder had parked at the abandoned farmhouse and walked right into the middle of the field. I'm sure he got a better view than the rest of us, but it's extremely bad practice to disturb a bird -- especially a sensitive bird like an owl, which may feel its home is threatened and feel the need to relocate. Not only is it harmful to the birds, but it's extremely rude to the other birders. If someone gets too close to a bird and it leaves -- temporarily or permanently -- no one else will get to see it.
And that's exactly what happened. While there was still enough light to see fairly well, the owls took off -- one to the south and one to the west. We waited a few minutes, but they didn't return, so we all said goodbye, packed up our scopes and binoculars, and headed out.
Normally I'd have been concerned about finding my way through the intricate maze of back roads to get to the highway. But Meredith gave me her old GPS for Christmas, and I love it! I've been using it, but really just for practice, since I haven't been anywhere I needed directions for. It made getting to the location where the owls were considerably easier, since I didn't have to keep referring to the map, estimating distance and watching for signs, to know where to turn. But I could have followed a map without too much trouble.
But driving home in the dark was another story! I couldn't have just glanced at the map in the dark -- I would have had to stop, turn on the light, try to figure out where the heck I was on the map, then strain to find each turn. But there was no place to pull over on the narrow back roads, so I would have been blundering around blindly, and I know there were some turns I would have missed. Eventually I would have come to a numbered road and found my way home, of course -- but I was already tired and not in a mood to drive miles out of my way around the dark countryside. But all I had to do was listen for Griselda to announce, in her British accent, "In point four miles, turn left." "In point one miles, turn left." "Turn left, then turn right." "In point three miles, continue straight, then bear left onto the freeway."
The unit is a Navman iCN 330. It's about two years old, and software updates aren't available any more, nor are updated US maps (though they are for several other countries). In trying it out over routes I'm familiar with I haven't been impressed with Griselda's navigation -- she tries to get me to take a less efficient way much of the time, though I have the setting on "fastest route", not "shortest route". I usually just ignore her and go the way I know is best, and she silently recalculates the route and gives me new directions.
It also does odd things with house numbers. You put in a number like 428, save it, and it says 430. Or you put in 3916, and it takes you to 3912. Not that it's accurate to within one or two houses -- Griselda just announces "Destination" when you get to the right block. But it's disconconcerting to put in an address and have it display a different address, especially if you're using the display for reference to where you're going!
But it would get me where I'm going eventually, and it's great for picking up freecycle items where I can get to the neighborhood but don't know any of the local streets. And it really came through last Friday, faithfully (and accurately, as it turned out when I went over the route on the map later) guiding me from one rural road to another in the dark until finally, with a sigh of relief, I got on the interstate. It was the first time I'd really needed a GPS, and Griselda did an outstanding job! I'm really thrilled to finally have one of these things!
And I've been wanting to post about something for a week, so I was grateful to be nudged into writing this. :-)
Last Friday I drove up to a very rural area near the Pennsylvania border hoping to see the two Short-eared Owls that had been reported hunting over a particular field at dusk. The drive was around 60 miles, the last third on a series of increasingly narrow, curving country roads.
When I got there at about 4:45 there was only one other car there. but more soon arrived and eventually there were about eight birders standing at the bend in the road across from the field where the owls were expected, waiting hopefully to view the rarely-seen birds. Two spotting scopes were set up and pointed southeast. The temperature was barely 30º, so it was cold just standing around, but there were a lot of interesting things to look at all around us while we waited.
A big flock of about two dozen lovely White-crowned Sparrows and one Song Sparrow foraged busily next to the hedgerow behind us, only about 20 yards away. A mockingbird was there too. A couple of Red-tailed Hawks flew around, and one landed in a tree at the far end of the field to the west. Two red foxes romped around the field we were watching, and I got a great view of them through the scope. A few deer appeared in the field to the north, and one of the birders watching them noticed that the lights on the slopes of the Liberty Mountain ski area in Fairfield, PA, could be seen with binoculars. (Later, as the light faded, they were easily visible with the naked eye. I'm not used to such good visibility, since trees or buildings keep most views much shorter, and the humidity and pollution in the air cut the visibility drastically even when nothing interferes with the view. But the air out there was crisp and clean, and there was nothing to block the view of the mountain 14 miles away.)
While we waited in the cold and watched the other birds and animals, I turned to the southwest every so often and took a photo of the sun setting over the fields.
Northern Harriers had also been reported, and after awhile three of the beautiful hawks arrived and swooped over the field. They were gorgeous in the light of the setting sun, just like the one in this photo. Sunset came and went at 5:19, but the owls still hadn't appeared. "I hope they come," I said. "I don't mind driving so far and standing around freezing to see a Short-eared Owl -- but I do mind driving so far and standing around freezing to not see a Short-eared Owl!"
At last someone said "There it is!" -- and there was a gorgeous owl! It landed in a tree near the abandoned farmhouse, and the scopes were quickly trained on it. It kept turning its head this way and that, searching for prey, obviously hungry for its first meal of the day. I got a great view of it through the scope, including its striking face.
Soon another owl appeared, and the two of them coursed over the field, this way and that, coming close enough to see really well through the binoculars. It was definitely worth the drive and the wait in the cold! Not only were they a new life bird for me, they're magnificent to see. I'd never had an opportunity to see an owl flying before, and here I was standing there watching them hunt for a good five minutes.
Unfortunately, one birder had parked at the abandoned farmhouse and walked right into the middle of the field. I'm sure he got a better view than the rest of us, but it's extremely bad practice to disturb a bird -- especially a sensitive bird like an owl, which may feel its home is threatened and feel the need to relocate. Not only is it harmful to the birds, but it's extremely rude to the other birders. If someone gets too close to a bird and it leaves -- temporarily or permanently -- no one else will get to see it.
And that's exactly what happened. While there was still enough light to see fairly well, the owls took off -- one to the south and one to the west. We waited a few minutes, but they didn't return, so we all said goodbye, packed up our scopes and binoculars, and headed out.
Normally I'd have been concerned about finding my way through the intricate maze of back roads to get to the highway. But Meredith gave me her old GPS for Christmas, and I love it! I've been using it, but really just for practice, since I haven't been anywhere I needed directions for. It made getting to the location where the owls were considerably easier, since I didn't have to keep referring to the map, estimating distance and watching for signs, to know where to turn. But I could have followed a map without too much trouble.
But driving home in the dark was another story! I couldn't have just glanced at the map in the dark -- I would have had to stop, turn on the light, try to figure out where the heck I was on the map, then strain to find each turn. But there was no place to pull over on the narrow back roads, so I would have been blundering around blindly, and I know there were some turns I would have missed. Eventually I would have come to a numbered road and found my way home, of course -- but I was already tired and not in a mood to drive miles out of my way around the dark countryside. But all I had to do was listen for Griselda to announce, in her British accent, "In point four miles, turn left." "In point one miles, turn left." "Turn left, then turn right." "In point three miles, continue straight, then bear left onto the freeway."
The unit is a Navman iCN 330. It's about two years old, and software updates aren't available any more, nor are updated US maps (though they are for several other countries). In trying it out over routes I'm familiar with I haven't been impressed with Griselda's navigation -- she tries to get me to take a less efficient way much of the time, though I have the setting on "fastest route", not "shortest route". I usually just ignore her and go the way I know is best, and she silently recalculates the route and gives me new directions.
It also does odd things with house numbers. You put in a number like 428, save it, and it says 430. Or you put in 3916, and it takes you to 3912. Not that it's accurate to within one or two houses -- Griselda just announces "Destination" when you get to the right block. But it's disconconcerting to put in an address and have it display a different address, especially if you're using the display for reference to where you're going!
But it would get me where I'm going eventually, and it's great for picking up freecycle items where I can get to the neighborhood but don't know any of the local streets. And it really came through last Friday, faithfully (and accurately, as it turned out when I went over the route on the map later) guiding me from one rural road to another in the dark until finally, with a sigh of relief, I got on the interstate. It was the first time I'd really needed a GPS, and Griselda did an outstanding job! I'm really thrilled to finally have one of these things!