Have you ever had one of those weeks where everything seems to be going in the right direction? When you feel valued and appreciated and lucky? I hope so because they feel sinfully good. That is how it's been going for me this past week. I am lucky to be rich with friends and to spend my time doing things that I enjoy. Today I went to a Minnesota Ornithological Paper Conference at the U of M Bell Museum. We had power point lectures from 9 until 4:30. Topics changed every half hour to 45 minutes and the day sped by. I met people I have met before from my birding classes or my master naturalist classes. The Bell Museum building is something to see. One fellow mentioned he could see Dorothy and the Tin Man walk in here. As I looked around, I did see an Art Deco resemblance to the Emerald City - very 1939. The dioramas are very interesting. There is even one diorama depicting Inspiration Peak - a place I've been to many times. I wish I could remember what animal was featured in that diorama. I guess I was so impressed with the location that I overlooked the rest of the display. We listened to many speakers during the day. Today made me realize that I have lived in an amazing time. During my lifespan the birds I observe have changed significantly. When I was a child, it was a "once in a lifetime" experience to see a bald eagle. Now we see them all the time and the bald eagle is off the endangered species list. Same with the peregrine falcon and trumpeter swans. In the 1960's
we had zero wild turkeys in this state. Now I see turkeys perched on my deck and posturing at me through the patio door glass; acting like they own the place. In the 1960's red-headed woodpeckers were common. Now they are very rare. I did see a map of their nesting sites. Next June it is my intention to see one of these woodpeckers. Purple martins numbers are way down as well. I really enjoyed the conference today. Some of the information was pretty challenging for me but I like to be challenged sometimes. At one point they elected officers for next year and remembered birders who died in the past year. They read the names and short biographies of the deceased. At the end of the list of deaths, the speaker asked for a moment of silence to honor their "final migration." Final migration?! The strange thing about a snort of laughter is that it starts with a sharp intake of breath. If you hold your breath, you can abort the snort. I am SO glad I held my breath. This was not a Possum Lodge moment.
we had zero wild turkeys in this state. Now I see turkeys perched on my deck and posturing at me through the patio door glass; acting like they own the place. In the 1960's red-headed woodpeckers were common. Now they are very rare. I did see a map of their nesting sites. Next June it is my intention to see one of these woodpeckers. Purple martins numbers are way down as well. I really enjoyed the conference today. Some of the information was pretty challenging for me but I like to be challenged sometimes. At one point they elected officers for next year and remembered birders who died in the past year. They read the names and short biographies of the deceased. At the end of the list of deaths, the speaker asked for a moment of silence to honor their "final migration." Final migration?! The strange thing about a snort of laughter is that it starts with a sharp intake of breath. If you hold your breath, you can abort the snort. I am SO glad I held my breath. This was not a Possum Lodge moment.
No comments:
Post a Comment