KASET OKREK

75 Years And Counting

A trip to New England this past week led me to meet up for some great food, family, and a little wildlife observation outside of the state of Florida.

Though it was great to see all, most importantly was in mom, Marie, celebrating her 75th birthday August 14th, 2010.

My sister Nancy spent dozens of hours researching rental properties on Cape Cod with the help of my sister-in-law, Maria, and niece, Krisztina (labor possibly induced this coming week).

The property chosen in East Sandwich was pulled off the rental market at the last minute and a beautiful alternative was found in New Seabury on Cape Cod.

Uncle Mike arrived on the scene with a pair of feathers in his hat.

He described his stop at an Osprey nest on the way in which explained one of the feathers, but it was undecided which species the other had come from.

When I told him of my personally exciting sighting of Wild Turkeys recently made, he pulled out his camera and showed me the same species that he had photographed the day before.

Nancy and her husband Jack told of their experience of observing a bird eating a rabbit on their way in.

An Osprey was heard and seen every day at the property while a Great Blue Heron made its way overhead on a few occasions.

The first day was the most active for birding by ear with a lot of action though it became quieter thereafter.

Brothers Jim and Jack were at the helm of a day trip to the east while a stop was made at a few points of interest.

Jim brought to my attention a bird collection at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History.

Nancy had made her way to the marsh there overlooking Wing's Island Conservation Area and advised me of an Osprey nest she had seen.

The historic Lighthouse Inn, approaching its 73rd year, overlooking Nantucket Sound at West Dennis Beach, offered Double-crested Cormorant that shared a jetty with Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, and gulls.

In addition, a solitary Least Tern working the surf over several hundred yards showed evidence of its bill turning black as the breeding season ends.

On 13 April 2010, a Piping Plover egg was observed on a private beach in Hyannis Port which was the earliest seen plover egg by four days in Massachusetts.

A bumper sticker at a local t-shirt shop noted that Piping Plover tastes like chicken, in reference to disruptive beach closures, while none of the stickers were observed on any vehicles in the area.

My nephew, Larry, and his wife and children had made a trip to South Cape Beach State Park early in the week to amazingly observe a small plane crash in the water which is still under investigation as to the cause as of this writing.

On the final morning of the trip, I observed a Carolina Chickadee at close range at the rental house which I remember mom favored in her porcelain work with the delicately painted birds perched on Dogwood.

The flight home offered a great view of Fort Myers Beach, Estero Lagoon and Lovers Key State Park on the plane's final approach to the airport.

The camera was stowed away as I had used up all the memory on the 2GB card.

Happy 75th Birthday Mom!

Happy Weekends

Huh!! What a tiring day for me yesterday..But, luckily I got enough rest today..Sleep and eat for the whole day...Yesterday was Mentor Mentee Day for juniors and i was there being theirs facilitator..The weather was very hot but i have to withstand it..So many activities been conducted and thanks God that the program going on smoothly without any trouble..Hurrmmmm...What else i gonna say tonight? Actually, I still dun hv any idea what to say..hehe..:-) I still need some more rest..And my mind was still blur..Tomorrow got Lecture at 11 am..

Shontelle-Impossible

I remember years ago

Someone told me I should take

Caution when it comes to love

I did, I did
And you were strong and I was not
My illusion, my mistake
I was careless, I forgot
I did
And now when all is done
There is nothing to say
You have gone and so effortlessly
You have won
You can go ahead tell them

Tell them all I know now
Shout it from the roof top
Write it on the sky love
All we had is gone now
Tell them I was happy
And my heart is broken
All my scars are open
Tell them what I hoped would be
Impossible, impossible
Impossible, impossible

Falling out of love is hard
Falling for betrayal is worst
Broken trust and broken hearts
I know, I know
Thinking all you need is there
Building faith on love is worst
Empty promises will wear
I know (i know)
And know when all is gone
There is nothing to say
And if you're done with embarrassing me
On your own you can go ahead tell them

I remember years ago
Someone told me I should take
Caution when it comes to love
I did

Quotes:

Wanting him is hard to forget,

loving him is hard to regret,

losing him is hard to accept,

but even with all the hurt I've felt,

letting go is the most painful yet.

Feature: Black-necked Stilt

The Black-necked Stilt is a species of bird that should not be expected to be seen at any time unless you are somewhat certain to find it.

The Red-shouldered Hawk above was photographed at Exit 131 Rest Stop, Interstate I-75, Fort Myers, Florida USA in July 2010.

Well, with that said, how might one expect to find a needle in a haystack?

In my case, I was informed of the elusive species' location by reading the wildlife blog of Tom Obrock.

The Red-shouldered Hawk above was photographed at Exit 131 Rest Stop, Interstate I-75, Fort Myers, Florida USA in July 2010.

I've come to realize the benefit of a full understanding of the preferred habitat of the species you are looking for.

In addition, it helps to have a great familiarity with the area if you're going to find an elusive species on your own and then perhaps simply get extremely lucky.

The Glossy Ibis above was photographed at Exit 131 Rest Stop, Interstate I-75, Fort Myers, Florida USA in July 2010.

Although I was never specifically making a diligent effort to find the Black-necked Stilt until this past week, I was disappointed that I had not observed it before.

The Black-necked Stilt is considered a shorebird and having spent countless hours at wildlife parks and preserves that constitute suitable habitat for the species had me believe that I should see the stilt at least occasionally.

The Killdeer above was photographed at Exit 131 Rest Stop, Interstate I-75, Fort Myers, Florida USA in July 2010.

But that was not the case as the Black-necked Stilt remained an elusive creature with it a member of the family Recurvirostridae which includes the American Avocet.

In my three plus years of Florida wildlife observation, I have only once seen the American Avocet with it in the surf at Lovers Key State Park in early May 2008.

The Anhinga above was photographed at Exit 131 Rest Stop, Interstate I-75, Fort Myers, Florida USA in July 2010.

As has been my experience, I consider Recurvirostridae extremely rare relative to other shorebirds in my area of southwest Florida.

On the morning of my attempt to see the Black-necked Stilt for the first time, it was with great fortune that Tom Obrock drove through the Exit 131 Rest Stop off I-75 as he was headed home from work while continuing his search for migratory species and specifically "lifers."

The Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Exit 131 Rest Stop, Interstate I-75, Fort Myers, Florida USA in July 2010.

As we chatted about photography and our recent observations, it became clear he found me very misguided as to where I thought I might observe the stilts and gave me more specific detail of his observations of the species.

Tom also told me that he needed some shut eye before meeting up with the Birdpatrol at Bunche Beach later in the day.

The Mottled Duck above was photographed at Exit 131 Rest Stop, Interstate I-75, Fort Myers, Florida USA in July 2010.

I think we are both in agreement that Harns Marsh Preserve needs another access point to negate what I certainly feel is an extraordinarily long walk around its perimeter.

Since I had to work very early in the morning the following day, I regrettably couldn't attend the Birdpatrol event.

The Cattle Egret above was photographed at Exit 131 Rest Stop, Interstate I-75, Fort Myers, Florida USA in July 2010.

I chose to continue my attempt to observe the Black-necked Stilt where Tom had told me he had observed it in the recent past.

Approaching my third hour of observation at the Rest Stop site, I was literally in my car with the engine running already having given up when a few of the stilts flew into view.

The Black-necked Stilt above was photographed at Exit 131 Rest Stop, Interstate I-75, Fort Myers, Florida USA in July 2010.

It was infuriating to me that I missed flight shots of the incoming Black-necked Stilt as I had been planted at the ready with the camera for such an extended period of time.

Three Black-necked Stilts were observed to fly into the flooded (due to seasonal rains) undeveloped commercial property from the south at the tree line immediately east of the Rest Stop.

The Black-necked Stilt above was photographed at Exit 131 Rest Stop, Interstate I-75, Fort Myers, Florida USA in July 2010.

David Sibley's Guide to Bird Life and Behavior indicates that the avocets and stilts, classified as shorebirds, will frequent fresh water environments.

The field had a water depth of between four and 12 inches of water over an area I would guess at ten acres which allows for favorable, though fleeting, ecosystems.

The Black-necked Stilt above was photographed at Exit 131 Rest Stop, Interstate I-75, Fort Myers, Florida USA in July 2010.

An unusual anatomical detail of Recurvirostridae shorebirds is that they have partial webbing between the three primary toes in the avocet while the stilt has webbing between the middle and inner toe.

While I was mobile in my observation of the stilts, with an effort to have the birds with the sun behind me, a neighbor of the property stopped to tell me that the water level seemed to be at an ideal depth as the birds might not otherwise be seen.

The Black-necked Stilt with Greater Yellowlegs above was photographed at Exit 131 Rest Stop, Interstate I-75, Fort Myers, Florida USA in July 2010.

The gentleman also noted that he was pleased that others cared about what we could behold before us.

In my next two hours of observation of the Black-necked Stilt, there were a total of four of the species seen.

The Black-necked Stilt above was photographed at Exit 131 Rest Stop, Interstate I-75, Fort Myers, Florida USA in July 2010.

While I originally thought there was another group of six stilts, a review of my photographs taken proved to show that the birds I thought were stilts were actually Greater Yellowlegs.

I had observed the yellowlegs into the sun and was only able to photograph them somewhat successfully using a very high exposure bias to avoid the capture of the birds completely in silhouette.

The Greater Yellowlegs above was photographed at Exit 131 Rest Stop, Interstate I-75, Fort Myers, Florida USA in July 2010.

While there were only three Black-necked Stilts initially seen together, the fourth bird would ultimately make its way onto the scene from a direction I failed to observe.

With my little understanding of the Black-necked Stilt species, I speculate that the group of four included two juveniles.

The Black-necked Stilt above was photographed at Exit 131 Rest Stop, Interstate I-75, Fort Myers, Florida USA in July 2010.

The juveniles might easily be mistaken for adult females on the ground as they are very similar in appearance.

When the four birds were captured in flight together, it's seemingly obvious that there were two juveniles as their size appears significantly smaller than the adults.

The Black-necked Stilt above was photographed at Exit 131 Rest Stop, Interstate I-75, Fort Myers, Florida USA in July 2010.

Of the four birds in tandem, I believe the adult female to be the laggard.

Wildlife species I consider notably observed near the company of the Black-necked Stilt included Greater Yellowlegs, Glossy Ibis, Little Blue Heron with 1st year juvenile, Killdeer, Mottled Duck, Anhinga, Great Egret, Cattle Egret, and Red-shouldered Hawk.

The Black-necked Stilt above was photographed at Exit 131 Rest Stop, Interstate I-75, Fort Myers, Florida USA in July 2010.

This retreat for the Black-necked Stilt at the Rest Stop will be further determined by the unpredictable rains this season, the dry season ahead, and future development.

Black-necked Stilts are thought to migrate to and from Argentina at the southern end of their range.

The visitor of the wildlife venue above was photographed at Exit 131 Rest Stop, Interstate I-75, Fort Myers, Florida USA in July 2010.

The most spectacular sunsets I've observed in my life, regrettably without an ability to photograph them, were observed this past week.

Who Him?

My heart was taken by you... broken by you... and now it is in pieces because of you.

Wondering who is that guy?? He was my first love though not really the first in reality..But, he was the first to make my heart beating rapidly..huh! How I wish i could turn back time so that i can undone my silly mistake.

There was so much memory of 'him' and me that could drive me crazy like HELL now...I miss all the little thing we once had together..:-(

Walk home drowning these memories in the rain biting my lip to transfer this pain, your gone and I'm still going through withdrawals, next time around I'll build a stronger wall.

Arrghhh!! It just look like i gonna spend the rest of my life with our sweet memories..And it sure hurt me each and every time i miss him..I've tried so many times to think positive bout our break up thing but in the end, i just can't accept the truth that we're over now..I just wish that we can start it all over again..But you seem so far away to know my feeling, to know how much i hurt since that day u leave me...

It's not my fault if I can't help looking at you.
It's not my fault if I can't stop calling you.
It's not my fault if I still do like you.
My only mistake was to fall to much in love with you.
If your gonna make me cry, at least be there to wipe away the tears.

I'd like to think I'll be happy again, but I really need to just stop and cry now, and sometimes I wish I could just scream at you, and show you what you do to me.

P/S: Today was just one of the days where everything I did reminded me of you and every song I heard somehow related to you. I hate days like today, because they remind me of the one thing I don't have.

First Time

First time u kiss me, First time ur fingertips...bla..bla...hurmmm...this day, on this night,it'll be my 1st time of blogging..n it also be my 1st time as a blogger..When actually i'm interested in this kind of blogging? It is when i hv so many thing to say, so many feeling to express but then there is no one to hear it..So i take into a consideration to involve in this blogging world..formal for the introduction i think..hehe..:-)

I'm not gonna talk much as it is my first trial of writing , but in the future u'll expecting a lot of thing to be write here..i'm not gonna promise what sort of thing that i'll write here...but for sure, it comes exactly from the bottom of my heart..So, for those who read my blog from now on, n u think that my blog is quite irritating or annoying, i shud say this early..i'm not forcing u to read my blog thus it ur choice to dislike what i might do with it..no hard feeling ok??

And do not feel funny bout my grammar..broken-English..I'm not good enough in English but i do like to challenged myself..And i treat this blogging thing as some sort of assignment for me to improve my English...Wink*

But then, i will like to hear ur criticize..:-)

Quote:

princessathy