Heavy Traffic on the Beach

One of my favorite birds are the Sanderlings (Calidris alba).  These little ones feed on the sandy beaches.  When the waves hit the shore, the Sanderlings run around them, never getting wet, even though they are so close.  They never seem to move their head or body, just their legs. I would guess that they may take as many as 5 or 6 steps per second so their legs look like little blurs as their bodies float by.  I can walk with them for long periods of time, but if I pick up my camera to take a photo, they fly away.

One of our neighbors here at Bahama Palm Shores, Ann Capling, did a painting of them that we have hung in our hallway.  Part of her painting looks like this.

The Sanderling tracks are everywhere on the beach.

If this were the only beach traffic we got, it would be wonderful.

"Jingle Bells" Parrot Style

Their feathers don't match the song.  These parrots are beautiful to look at with their bright green, yellow and orange feathers.  But they sure could use a singing lesson.  I posted their song for you to hear

Birds in our Backyard

We are going to participate in the December 18th 2010
Friends of the Environment
 7^TH  Annual South Abaco Christmas Bird Count


I thought it a good idea to start reading up on what we might see and found this great report from the Cornell Lab or Ornithology that talks about all the birds in our area here in the Abacos.
Birding in Bahamas - Spring 2009 Living Bird, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Hanging out the laundry to dry in the backyard is a joy. There are the sounds of parrots squawking and the chatter of little birds of various sizes at times perched on branches just a few feet away from the clothesline.  They are so close that sometimes I duck when they fly by.  If I come out early in the evening, the Night Heron screams at me and rushes her feathers hoping to keep me at bay.  I hear her at night from time to time as she squawks at other intruders, I guess most likely feral cats.

Took a Walk, Met a Crabby Friend

He got up and greeted me..

Then, I went on my way.

It's the same sun, but.... a different temperature.

New York Sunset.

Abaco Sunrise.

Starting tomorrow,  I am  moving to the Abacos for the winter months.  I wonder if there are any bananas on the banana tree?

Hastings High School and Hudson River

To all you graduates out there, this is what the school looks like from Hudson Heights.  The  Hudson River dominates the background. We can hear the distant cheers from soccer games, football games and of course, the first day of school when all the seniors show up to scream and shout and bang on drums notifying the school system that they are only here for 8 more months.



Here is a larger view of that same scene showing Hastings-on-Hudson and its High School from Hudson Heights. Our children walked to and from school every day with their books on their back, trombones, trumpets, violins in hand.  The trip was straight up and down.

Formal terraces drift into rugged footpaths

We work with this garden so that when people walk into it they sense that they have entered the edges of a wilder area, perhaps a meadow.   The formal terraces near the house drift into softer terraces that become simple footpaths entering into the woods.  The farther terraces are naturalized rather than formal and well-defined.  These  varying locations are gardened differently and provide constantly changing colors and textures with each season.