Mixed Bag

You can even see Rainbows at Sunny Isle

There are all sorts of things i could write about today, the economy shrinking because of a reduction in defense spending, the fact that under the Obama administration non defense domestic spending is heading to historic lows...lows not seen since the Eisenhower administration, electoral vote rigging losing it's steam in Virginia and Minnesota, America's gun problem and hey what about those six guys that all got shot at gun shows what's up with that? Then there is China burning nearly more coal that the rest of the world combined, the link between higher flu rates and climate change and a new report out that Texas wind and solar are highly competitive with natural gas.

Hibiscus Show beauties

The world is falling apart as usual if you pay attention to the media. So today is a photo blog one i hope will make someone smile.

Sandy Point Wildlife Refuge

 The park does bird banding out here along with turtle monitoring.

Beach side of Sandy Point Refuge

An injured Brown Booby getting fixed at the Avian Sanctuary.

Mist Nets

Black Whiskered Vireo getting measured

The mist nets are used to catch birds that are later weighed,measured, banded and released.

Dawn  at Sandy Point

See Ya Next Week

St. Croix Birding

Antillean Crested Hummingbird

St. Croix doesn't have any endemic(found within a specific geographical area) species but we enjoy a wide range of Caribbean and migratory birds that make their homes here for parts of the year. Although we are limited as far as numbers are concerned we still have many species that avid birders on vacation may never have seen before.

Hiking the back trails to Annaly or the baths at Wills Bay may be an opportunity to hear or see a Bridled Quail Dove. These birds keep to themselves and forage on the ground but can be found along the guts or in the underbrush.

The always charming Lesser Antillean Bullfinch makes its home on the more woody parts of the North Shore and can be observed sucking nectar from hummingbird feeders or eating sugar set out for the more ubiquitous Banaquit. Whenever i hear the male Bullfinch call it reminds me of a squeaky toy and is very easy to recognize once you have been alerted to its unique sound.

The Antillean Crested Hummingbird, our smallest hummingbird can also be found around feeders. It loves the nectar from Hibiscus, Ginger Thomas and most flowering plants. The crest on its head is very distinctive and you may even find it perched on an electric wire overhead. It's very hard to photograph and the pics I have don't do it justice.

Shore birds

The Least Terns come in to nest in the summer from South America. Their habitats have been compromised so an attempt has been made here to cordon off their nesting areas to keep the human impact to a minimum. We have a few White Tailed Tropicbirds that nest on the south shore but again an effort has been made to keep their nesting spots out of prying eyes. Magnificant Frigates can be found around the Christiansted harbor along with Brown Boobies and Brown Pelicans.

We do have one American Flamingo that has been frequenting the larger ponds and protected areas on the island. The bird spent some time at the Southgate preserve but you can't count on it to stay in anyone place for long. In years past before St. Croix was industrialized we had flocks of them so just seeing the one is a real treat for locals.

American Oystercatchers can usually be found along the rocky shores anywhere around the island. They tend to be in pairs and when in flight call to each other as they move on to find tasty crustaceans.

Migratory shorebirds of all types stop in on their way south but some stay for the winter such as our famous Hope the Whimbrel, Lessor and Greater Yellowlegs, Plovers, Willets etc.

St. Croix, although small, can surprise you with unusual duck sightings and raptors such as Ospreys, Merlins and Peregrins that come for the winter. The always colorful warblers of all types delight local birders throughout the migratory period and you never know you might just see a Caribbean Martin on the end of the pier in Fredericksted when your cruise ship lands. Lots of Royal Terns, Boobies, Pelicans, Herons, Frigates and shorebirds can also be found there.

You never know what you might find at the pier

Blackpoll Warbler

I've been thinking about the birds here a lot because this is the time of year when we do the Caribbean Waterbird Census. The counts have been low but as usual we can't put our finger on exactly why that is.

If you are looking for something different to do on island start noticing our bird life but watch out you may get hooked.

See ya next week.

Love is where its at

Today was a funeral and not having anything prepared for the blog i'm thinking about the pastor's words that he must have repeated a million times during the service. He was saying that we are just visitors here...passing through.

Life is short he said, we may think living to 100 is a long time but in the overall scheme of things it's a blip in the universe. He admonished all of us in attendance to try and get along. He asked the husband's to make a special effort to take care of their wives. He asked if there were any people out there in the audience that hadn't spoken to each other in a long time. He told them not to wait another minute to do it now to patch up the hole. He said pick up those phones and call those people before they die.

He said stop arguing, stop accumulating, start paying attention to your loved ones, spend time with them because that stuff you are stocking up you can't take with you. He asked if we thought the coffin was stuffed with things the deceased had stored up. He wanted us to realize it is relationships that should be front and center and that that was what was in the coffin.

He was a bit long winded but his message was clear. Love is where its at.

Ironically a two days ago i was in Frederiksted taking pictures of a church. Its not the one where the service was held but i thought they could only add to the group shots.

See ya next week.

Things to Hoard

i always check the conservative websites to see what they are up to and i subscribe to a few of the main e-mail lists...like Red State, Town Hall, Focus on the Family etc. i have to say i feel really bad for conservatives because the use of alarming scare tactics to get you in line is pervasive. You are made to fear everything.

Today is a perfect example. In my in box is a piece addressed to Dear Fellow Patriot from Town Hall. It advises you to watch a video about the 37 things you should hoard in case of a disaster. It announces that you will not be able to get food and will starve in the event of a disaster so you should start stockpiling.

My first thoughts before even looking at the video was what do they want me to buy. The video is hand drawn and wants you to believe that right now your life is in peril, you could be hit at any moment and you are not prepared.  i made it through about 3 minutes before the videographer said he had written a book about this very topic....trying to turn it off...it wouldn't let me...warning that i was making a mistake. 

FEMA is of course the bad guy and it used New Orleans as an example, which i found hilarious because it was President Bush and his administration that fiddled while Rome burned as they say. The promoter couldn't use Sandy because FEMA actually performed under President Obama.

Anyway these types of alarming scenarios land in my in box every day from the conservative sites. Its mentally exhausting having to read day in and day out how terrible everything is. You are most positively on your own if you are conservative...the idea is no one is going to help you so you have to help yourself. Luckily my experience is balanced by the liberal offerings that had one on Rockaway Beach and their experience after Sandy. It's also balanced by actual experience after a major disaster.

An association called You are Never Alone which works with the unemployed in Rockaway to find jobs and build careers kicked into high gear and mobilized people to clean up. Other groups fed people,tended to their wounds, supplied dry housing, clothes etc. If you viewed the hoarding piece you'd think the world was coming to an end, you are going to starve and you are shit out of luck unless you follow instructions in the video. 

My experience was that it was the most gratifying time of my life in the after math. It was a time when everyone kicked in to help and the sense of community the most i'd ever felt. i think all of us could use a dose of disaster just so they could see the things we can all achieve when we work together. It's unfortunate to go to such extremes but the reality of what happens in the aftermath really needs pointing out.

Before Hugo we were just residents of St. Croix, after the storm we were having communal meals, talking to each other and working together. There was more real community in the aftermath than before the disaster.

And that is where i'm going with this. At the top of this page on the right is a banner to create the US Dept. of Peace. It has been there for years. It says that our country needs a cabinet level Peace Department. We need folks to urge their Congressmen to become a sponsor of Legislation that will create a place at the cabinet level so that when issues of War and Peace are discussed Peace has a place at the table. Community has a place at the table.

The Department of Peace would work on violence prevention, it would save lives and money by promoting effective policies that address the root causes of violence and develop conflict resolution skills. If we had more of this going on in our communities and at the upper echelon of government instead of you are on your own bud we might be enjoying a whole different world.

Today we have no such place or voice...and when i read the constant fear mongering coming out of the right it's no wonder we live with so many fearful individuals that will act violently. There is a better way. We can work together. i know it, i have experienced it and so can you if we just change the mind set. Visit this site and make your voices heard.

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/696/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=12206

See ya next week.

St. Croix Christmas Parade 2013

Rising Stars

Baton Twirlers

Kiki and the Gypsies

Spectators

Young Spectator

Taking a rest

Spectators

Hang on to your hat...it was windy!

I want to be in the parade too

Mom and son

Lovely Girls

Yep thats me

The End!