In 1994 the pepino (sea cucumber) fishermen in Galápagos created a floating city that harvested and processed pepinos on boats, without the need to go ashore. At this time it was legal to harvest pepinos, but going ashore in protected areas of Galápagos National Park was not allowed.
Continue reading “Galápagos floating city”The hurricane, mountain bike, and flamingo revisited
This is an updated post for the second anniversary of the arrival of the Flamingo at St. Marks NWR.
I was fortunate enough to be the first person to see and photograph a wild American Flamingo at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge on October 31, 2018. This was the first verified sighting of a flamingo at the St. Marks Refuge since 1995.
It was by serendipity, that a hurricane, a mountain bike, and a flamingo combined to enable this sighting. By happy coincidence, it was on the anniversary of the establishment of the Refuge (Halloween 1931)!
Continue reading “The hurricane, mountain bike, and flamingo revisited”
Storm at St. Marks NWR
On 7/21/2020 I headed down to St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge to get some sunset pictures. I knew rain and storms were possible which sometimes can make sunsets more interesting.
As I was driving along lighthouse road near the “T-Dike” I saw to the east one of the yellow construction vehicles used to repair the levee sitting near a structure sometimes called the “bus stop”.
The sun was low in the west and illuminated the scene very nicely and there were some dark clouds forming in the east. I left my tripod in my white van (the Vana White) so I could walk faster.
Continue reading “Storm at St. Marks NWR”How I became my own uncle (a very short post)
I was raised by my grandmother who eventually adopted me which made my mother my sister and I became her brother.
She was still my birth mother of course and I realized my mother’s brother is my uncle. I was therefore my own uncle… Life is strange sometimes.
It made me the man I am today.
My Apocryphal YouTube Video Series
When I want to gain new skills I assign myself a project that will force me to learn those skills. This focused approach works well for me.
My current project is to extend my knowledge and skills in making videos.
Continue reading “My Apocryphal YouTube Video Series”Warning about video camera at St. Marks NWR
St. Marks NWR recently installed a WeatherSTEM station with two streaming cameras. One camera points to the south end of the lighthouse and the other points toward the old pier.
Both of these streams are viewable online and are cross posted to YouTube.
Continue reading “Warning about video camera at St. Marks NWR”YouTube video on pollinators
My latest YouTube video shows Trigonopeltastes delta (Delta Flower Scarab) and Trichiotinus lunulatus (Emerald Flower Scarab) nectaring on Viburnum dentatum (Arrowwood Viburnum).
This is my first video recorded in 4K which was downsized to HD 1080P for faster upload to YouTube.
A shorter version of this video without titles and credit page can be download from my Wikimedia page at:
Covid-19 and building a new computer
My last post was about my grandmother Meynel Clowney Cato and how she survived the 1918 Spanish flu at Winthrop college.
We are all now living under the threat of the the Covid-19 virus and my wife and I have been following the guidelines and avoiding unnecessary travel.
Continue reading “Covid-19 and building a new computer”Surviving the 1918 Spanish Flu at Winthrop College
My Grandmother Meynel Clowney Cato was attending Winthrop College for Women in 1918 when she became infected with the “Spanish Flu”.
She told me the deceased students were secretly taken out through the back doors to avoid panic in the dorm. Her fever got so high she started hallucinating and thought the walls were covered with Praying Mantises.
Continue reading “Surviving the 1918 Spanish Flu at Winthrop College”Sky lantern at St. Marks NWR
On New Year’s Eve 2019 a sky lantern burned down the Krefeld Zoo, in Krefeld, Germany.
The fire killed more than 30 animals including apes, monkeys, bats and birds, many of whom are close to extinction in the wild.
Sky lanterns (AKA Chinese lanterns) are small hot air balloons made of paper with a small flame providing lift.
I first became aware of the damage these balloons can cause when I was picking up trash along the Cedar Point Trail at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. I found a burnt sky lantern lying on vegetation along the trail. Fortunately, it had not started a fire.