On Saturday Tom and I took Vivi to the Alaska Zoo. It is a nice little zoo, with a fabulous sense of humor. One summer they had an empty enclosure with the sign "off exhibit." Being the height of bug season, they put lots of "Off" in there, every variation of the bug dope they could find.
This time they had a purse loaded with stuff for the ravens to pilfer. Or perhaps it's a place for the ravens to stash their pilfered stuff. The ravens seemed to appreciate it, and I liked the homey look. Just for the record, all birds at the Alaska Zoo are unable to live in the wild for various reasons.
While at the zoo there was so much bird song all around. It was a lovely, warm (50F) day with only a few fluffy clouds in the sky and a slight breeze. I kept looking to the trees, trying to find who was making what noise. I had an epiphany. One of these uber-birder types needs to make an a#@ end bird guide. How many times do you get to glimpse the underside/backside of the bird? Hmmm....you do not see that angle represented in too many guides.
We wore out Vivi. She is still suffering from the never-ending illness. She napped in the car as we drove to Eagle River to pick up her sister. While there, we talked Tom's dad and brother into taking a walk at the Eagle River Nature Center. It is a lovely trailhead into the Chugach State Park. You can hike it all the way to the Crow Creek Mine and into Girdwood. It is a national historic trail.
While in the park I got a nice earful of a varied thrush, but did not get to put my eye on it. We wore Vivi out again, but she was happy to hike with us.
2 comments:
OH, Trixie, you said 50 is warm but I guess it's all relative. I love zoos. Haven't been to one since Gina was as young as Vivi and Zoey but I look forward to the zoo with grandchildren one day (not in the near future, though!!!)
How many times have I took a photo of the underside of a bird? Too many times. 90% of the time, probably. I get tired of looking UP.
I hope your girls are going to feel chipper soon. Maybe some warm sunshine will help.
You always see that side of the birds and you know the Peterson's Warbler Guide does show the underside tails of all of the warblers! Very helpful book but not easy to have out in the field!
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