Celestial Ramblings

Snow at Last!

2012-01-15T19:58:00.014-06:00

We have been dodging the inevitable bullet for two months now - where was winter? The sky was clear and blue, the sun was shining and we hadn't frozen. The jet stream that usually dips straight down from northern Canada to us and delivers a hefty whack of snow, ice and frigid temperatures has been staying far to our north but we knew that couldn't last.

Last week it finally arrived. The city with all its sharp edges, hard angles and loud noise is suddenly softened and quietened by a soft white blanket. The world is suddenly monochrome and gentle. My walk home from work was very peaceful.

Even the geese on the pond were wearing a coat of white snow.

2011 In Review

2011-12-31T17:44:00.033-06:00

When I did this last year, it seemed quite fun, I was surprised how much I had managed to cram into the year and there seemed to be a good balance of business and pleasure. This year, by contrast seemed to be far too heavily weighted towards work but I have tried to create a balance here so as not to bore you too much!

The year started out with a bang with 'The Blizzard' or as we prefer to call it, 'Snowtorious BIG'. Even Chi Town which is used to dealing with snow was no match for this one. Over two thousand cars were buried in drifts on Lakeshore Drive and the usually bustling city streets were silent and swaddled.

I had a small patient at work with a broken leg so I had to stagger/wade/swim/slide/dive my way through the massive drifts to go into work to give him his medications. It was kind of fun being at work totally alone, just me and the animals in peace and quiet.

The first few three months of the year seemed to be filled with working on the creation of our first in house temporary exhibit, Nature's Architects a look into the world of animal builders. It seemed to be very popular and ran all through the summer.

In June we took our annual trip back to England to visit my family, taste the salt of the sea air, drink some 'real' beer and enjoy those seemingly endless summer evenings - bliss.

It was also a great opportunity to catch up with old friends - Hey Arthur!

And a first for us - take part in a Guinness book of Records attempt for gathering the most pirates in one place!

What a blast! We did it by the way, smashed the record by several thousand - OOO ARRRR!

Meanwhile back in the big city, I got to hear my first tornado siren for real! I must admit I felt a bit of a wally sitting in the stairwell of our highrise waiting for the all clear to sound. Especially when I found out that my mate was outside on his bike and hadn't even heard the siren!!

We took our usual department trip out to collect some critters for exhibits and had a good laugh and got wet and muddy in the process which is all part of the fun of course.

I made my annual pilgrimage down to Indianapolis Motor Speedway to see the best motorcyclists in the world 'do their thing' in the second US round of the Moto GP championship. Damn those guys know how to handle a bike!

At the end of the summer we said goodbye to two wonderful interns who had been with us for almost three months. These two young people definitely go a long way towards restoring my faith in the next generation. Joe, crazy as they come but a great worker and totally devoted to the animal kingdom.

And Amy, what a sweet person. She is going to be a kickass entomologist one day I am sure. We certainly miss them both but because they are so awesome they came back in and helped out over Thanksgiving and Christmas when they were home from college.

Another major departure was our wonderful colleague Vincent who migrated back to his native habitat of New Orleans. He blew in our general direction after hurricane Katrina but he decided that enough time had passed and he wanted to head back to his home and family after several highly productive years getting our butterfly conservation work up and running.

Other departures for the year were of the non-human variety and of a more permanent type. Dear Spike, who had recovered fully from his broken leg lived the course of a natural rat life-span which is an all too brief two years.

Little Caboose who was being sold illegally through a petstore and who we had no information about although it was apparent he wasn't in the best of health. We did our very best for him but he survived a sadly short few months but won everyone's hearts.

On a personal front, the biggest loss of the year was without doubt our beloved Winston. One day he was his usual wonderful self and the next day he was gone. After only two years of a potentially fifteen year lifespan. We still miss him hugely. We gave him a grand burial under a tree overlooking Lake Michigan with champagne under a full moon. Farewell Buddy, we miss you.

On a happier note we have some wonderful new additions to our menagerie. The quite splendid Patsy McNasty a little four year old Alligator Snapping Turtle. She is a state listed endangered species and her 'serious attitude problem' has ensured that she has rapidly become a favourite.

Another two state listed additions of an altogether milder disposition have also joined the gang. Ornate Box Turtles, Onyx

And the impossibly cute, Opal. No one can resist her, absolutely no one.

In what has felt like a less than stellar year there has been one very bright ray of light. Our beautiful little piece of heaven in the desert. A frequent bolt-hole and wonderful way to relax and recharge.

On the sporting front I think the less said about our football team this year the better!

Our splendid Blackhawks are more than making up for it though, especially the sublime
number 81. My throat is still sore from cheering at the game we were at last night! Great win.

To end the year a rare treat indeed, the first Christmas my mate and I have spent alone since we met! What a delight.

And so 2011 draws to a close and 2012 looms. I wish it is all things that you want it to be.
Happy New Year.

Our Southwestern Christmas

2011-12-22T20:07:00.019-06:00

This post is really for my Mum and Dad because they wanted to see how we had decorated the house for Christmas but, of course, anyone else who is into Christmas is welcome to read on too. Where else to start but at the front door, festive with red bow.

Where does that messy wire on the left of the picture lead too? To our little baby Saguaro Cactus who is decked out for the holidays. It looks very pretty at night all lit up, however during the day the hummingbirds get very angry when they can't get any nectar out of the red bulbs and they keep buzzing it.

Inside the front hall we have a pressed metal Christmas tree from Mexico

My mate was a little perturbed when he saw me dragging a large branch in through the front door (it barely fit) but he liked the end result.

A place to put all the 'fuzzy' animal decorations that we have collected over the years.

They seem much more in their element in a natural wood setting rather than amongst twinkling Christmas lights.

There is a very brief nod towards the concept of a white Christmas but nothing remotely chilly here.

I didn't clear the wrapping stuff off the table for the photo but you get the general idea, simple and red.

Chilli's always feature strongly and they make a very festive wreath (smells pretty yummy too!)

The fireplace is swathed and I was so excited when I managed to find Christmas stockings with Saguaro Cactus on them! Who would have thought?

Last but not least is of course the Christmas tree and I have had a great time over the last couple of months scouring ebay, shops and farmers markets looking for appropriate ornaments.

A buffalo

Prickly Pear Cactus

The omnipresent chili peppers

Reptiles of numerous species and colours

The Wily Coyote howling at the moon

And of course, no tree would be complete without several different Saguaro Cactus ornaments

Happy Christmas everyone and I hope you all have a very Happy and Healthy Festive Season wherever you may be in the world.

Friday at Last

2011-11-04T20:38:00.009-05:00

What was with this week? It just seemed to go on and on and on! On Tuesday I thought it was Wednesday, on Wednesday I thought it was Thursday and by Thursday I was done. It is not as if it was a particularly stressful week, well no more than usual anyway. It just felt like it would never end. So by the end of the work day today I felt in need of a little 'me time'. I meandered slowly through the park on my way home, making the most of the soft, evening sunlight

and enjoyed the soothing colours of the remaining Autumn foliage

When I got home I raided my stash of English chocolate (sorry but American chocolate just doesn't cut it!)

And then a total 'veg - out' in front of the TV while the mighty Blackhawks kept me entertained.

And my final reward for surviving the week? - a 'wee dram' of the wonderous Laphroaig. Cheers! Here's to the weekend :)

Going, Going (But Not Quite) Gone.

2011-10-25T17:09:00.009-05:00

The pond has a strong population of herons during the summer months with three species represented. The weather is changing and now the numbers are thinning out fast. This seems to be the last Great Blue Heron.

All the mature Black-crowned Night Herons have moved south but there are still a few juveniles making the most of the masses of Blue Gills living in the pond to feast on and fatten up before they fly to warmer climes.

A heron fishing is the definition of focus.

Do not disturb!

Nature Notes hosted by Michelle at Rambling Woods

Sunlit Seed-heads

2011-10-18T21:37:00.006-05:00

I love how many different forms of seed-heads grasses produce and the late afternoon autumn sunlight shows them off perfectly.

Nature Notes hosted by Michelle at Rambling Woods

The Wonderful Wood Duck

2011-10-14T17:06:00.008-05:00

Is there anything more opulent than the glorious male Wood Duck in his magnificent breeding plumage? He just looks so handsome.

Siesta Time

2011-10-10T17:48:00.010-05:00

The animals in the park certainly seem to be making the most of the beautiful autumn weather we have been having. Happy, sleepy ducks :)

This squirrel had obviously just been wading on the waters edge and was using the warm afternoon sun to dry off and warm up.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Autumn Colours

2011-10-08T10:49:00.009-05:00

I have a kind of love/hate relationship with Autumn. I love the season for itself, the colours, the smells and the crunch of dried leaves underfoot but at the same time I can't help but feel that it is a harbinger of doom. It indicates that very soon the temperatures will plummet to minus who-knows-what and we will be layered in ice and snow for months on end. That just takes the edge off all the beauty of Autumn for me unfortunately.

As Busy As A .......................

2011-10-06T16:59:00.006-05:00

Well September may have been lousy but we are being blessed with a few beautiful autumn days now that October has arrived. The honey bees from our hives are certainly making the most of the sunshine and gathering the last of the years pollen to tide them through the long, cold months ahead.

Changing Things Up

2011-10-05T17:54:00.007-05:00

I am amazed how many of my friends' blogs I have read recently who have either been considering no longer continuing their blog or just feel like they have nothing to say. What is going on? I have felt as if my blog has been in extended death throes for months now but rather than pull the trigger I have been trying to work out why I wasn't spending time blogging any more.
I have another blog which I thoroughly enjoy and, of course, there is also the dreaded facebook. So what gives? Why is 'the rambling' just not happening?
I think I have come up with a solution - I am always posting about work!!! All work and no play............. so a new leaf has been turned. I am going to try to do shorter posts, some photos of something that catches my eye, something that makes me smile during my day and leave it at that for a while. If this involves something at work then fine but we'll see.
And so with that in mind, today's post - fun with fungus.

Fun in the Field

2011-08-01T14:55:00.017-05:00

So it seems my resolution of trying to post every week has degenerated to the point where I post once a month! Oh well, it is better than nothing I suppose.
We have been trying for several weeks to schedule our annual department field/collecting trip but it seemed every time we set a date the weather thwarted us. Firstly there were monsoon level thunderstorms, then there was excessive heat which our team member who harks from Alaska couldn't quite face, then there were various vacations to work round but finally, rather like the proverbial herding of cats we managed to all get together on the same day.

The primary objective of the day was to collect some more native fish species to replenish our tanks, on display in the 'Riverworks' exhibit. This is most successfully done using a seine net to scoop the fish gently out without injuring them and then selecting the species we need from the net before releasing the rest.

Another activity that I always encourage is the gathering of crayfish. There is a very aggressive invasive species throughout Illinois called the Rusty Crayfish which is out-competing many native species. We scoop up as many of these as we can because we have lots of aquatic turtles in our collections who like nothing more than hunting and eating crayfish! Boy did they get a big treat - a whole bucketload!

I have been particularly lucky to have some really fantastic interns this year so it's always a great pleasure to be able to give them the treat of a day out in the field. And as you can see they were extremely enthusiastic about joining in with whatever was going on.

Here is Alex proving that chest waders are optional!

And also proving that 'girls rock!!' Because Amy didn't feel the need for them either :)

So who the ones wearing the waders? Our two male interns!!! YOU GO GIRLS!!
It wasn't all water though. We did get the chance to see some beautiful butterflies mud-puddling along the shores of the river.

These are Giant Swallowtails Papilio cresphontes
and this is a Red-spotted Purple Limenitis arthemis astyanax

A little less flamboyant but no less beautiful is this Hackberry Emperor Asterocampa celtis. Drove me crazy trying to get it to stay still enough for a photo though.

And of course, the damselflies were not to be ignored either.

Another highlight of the day? I finally got to 'christen' my new wellies on their first ever field trip :)

What a great day. We all came home hot, sweaty, muddy, tired and happy. What more could we ask for?

Photo Credits - CJT

Sabino Canyon

2011-07-19T20:00:00.002-05:00

I downloaded these pictures over a month and a half ago and I never got round to finishing the post - what on earth possible excuse have I got for neglecting my blog for so long? Umm none really. Every time I had some free time I just didn't feel like sitting in front of a computer (I know, lame, but that's all I've got.

Whenever we visit Arizona I have a little personal wishlist of animals I really want to see. Last time we were there I managed to see two that were really high on the list. We were visiting Sabino Canyon. I am not a big fan of hiking when it is hot so my husband had used the incentive of visiting the hummingbird monitoring site at the bottom of the valley to entice me. As we were heading out to it, this delightful little horned lizard scuttled across our path - check one! Somehow I had always thought they were bigger but I was quite entranced. It seemed as though he was so confident of his camouflage on the rocky ground that he just ignored us and went about his business which gave us a great opportunity to photograph him. However with the sun directly overhead and him being the same colour as his surroundings it was surprisingly difficult to get a good shot. Now I will have to pour over my reptile books and try to find out which species of horned lizard this is.

The very top of my wishlist, surprisingly wasn't a 'herp' but a mammal. I love pigs, always have and while this next character isn't actually a member of the pig family it bears enough of a resemblance to pigs to have won my heart. I have so wanted to see a Javelina and when we arrived at the hummingbird monitoring area there it was rooting about in the undergrowth! Perfect.

Ironically the hummingbirds were a bit of a let-down because the only two species that I saw were the two I most commonly see at my own feeders and the light was nowhere near good enough to get decent pictures. (You'll have to visit my other blog to see what they really look like.)

However I was so delighted with the Javelina that it really didn't matter. The classification of the Javelina is that it belongs to the same order as pigs and even to the same sub-order but it is from the family Tayassuidae which is (ironically) the 'new world pigs!' Their outward appearance is obviously very 'pig like' even down to that lovely snuffly snout but the foot structure, digestive process and the dental structure distinguishes them from true pigs.

By now it was really starting to warm up and most wildlife was very sensibly lying low and avoiding the heat, apart from the silly humans of course. The few exceptions were the endless array of beautiful lizards striking the pose as they thermoregulated on various rocks along our path. Again - one of these days I will get down to trying to work out the species of some of these but for now I just want to get this post out!
Check out the length of the toes on the hind feet of this guy.

Eventually even the lizards realised that it was too hot to be out in the sun and as they disappeared into the undergrowth we made our way back to the car and to a long, cold and much needed, drink. But hey - I got to see two new species on my wishlist so the sweating was worth it.

Photo Credits - CJT & DominickV

SAVE THE FROGS!

2011-05-18T20:03:00.014-05:00

I am rather fond of frogs. I even share my home with one rather splendid Ornate Horned Frog called Winston.

So a couple of years ago when I was asked to organize something at the Museum to recognize Save the Frogs Day, (Yes I am blogging about work again :( ) it wasn't too much of a stretch. We have several species of frogs as a permanent part of our living collections

and it provided us with the perfect excuse to sneak an extra couple of days of field work to go out and collect the remaining species so that we could display all thirteen species that are native to the Chicago region.

Well now Save the Frog Day has become a permanent fixture on our calendar and each year we try and change things up a bit. This year we decided that as well as displaying all the native frogs we would also show some exotic species too. In my totally unbiased opinion Winston stole the show!

As well as having over 25 species of frogs on display, we had an information table for visitors to find out about all the threats that amphibians are facing and what they can do to help.

We had representatives from the Frog Monitoring Network recruiting volunteers to partake in their citizen science program.

And we had numerous art and craft activities and games that children could partake in, all frog related

We got some great coverage from local TV channels too, here is the clip of the WGN Coverage

And here is a cut down version of the NBC Coverage and Winston won over everyone at the studio and ended up being friended by a couple of the presenters! (Yes, Winston Packman has his very own facebook page!!) They even used him at the end of the program when they were running the credits too :)

Hopefully we got our message out that many amphibians are facing a lot of threats in the modern world and they are an enigmatic and delightful group of species that are well worth protecting and conserving.

Photo Credits - CJT

TURTLE TIME.

2011-04-15T14:14:00.022-05:00

So much for my New Years Resolution of posting something on my blog every week - hah! I never was any good at New Years Resolutions that's why I don't usually bother making any. I must confess I have been seriously thinking over the last few weeks of just not doing my blog any more. I never seem to find the time to sit down and write well and I end up being dissatisfied with my posts, especially when I read other peoples wonderful blogs. I also seem to write too much about my work and not much about anything else, god what a dull person! But then I speak to my parents in England on the phone at the weekends and they tell me how much they enjoy reading it and miss it when I don't write and I remember the reason I started the blog in the first place. So here I am again, trying to catch up with myself and yes, I am blogging about work again :(
As some of you know, I am involved in Blanding's Turtle Conservation. Last fall we began what I hope will be a long term survivorship study of turtles that we have been headstarting and releasing. We release somewhere in the region of 200 young turtles per year but we really have no idea if any of them are actually surviving, hence the need for the study. Our headstarted turtles are two years old when we release them, at that age they are about four or five inches long. In order to track them we have to equip them with a radio transmitter. Because they are so small the transmitter has to be tiny in order not to hinder their movement at all and because the transmitters are so tiny, so are the batteries that power them. These batteries last for approximately six to seven months. We release the young turtles in October, they go into hibernation, usually until late March, early April and then we begin tracking them. Of course with the winter we have had, everything is running a little late this year and so it was late April before we could get out to track them and then we are up against the end of the battery time for the transmitters.
Anyway, we finally got out. The weather was great even if the water was still frigid! But hey that is when neoprene chest waders really become your best friend. 'We' consists of yours truly and my two partners in crime, Jamie and Dan.

We met up bright and early at an 'undisclosed location' (one of the plethora of protocols involved with working with an endangered species is not discussing specific site locations) and waded off into the marsh to begin searching for radio signals transmitted from the young turtles we released last year.

It is always good to start the day on a positive note and we were very fortunate that the first few individuals we tracked were found alive and well.

Each individual was thoroughly checked over for injuries and the GPS location it was found at recorded.

One of the reasons that this project was started in the first place was because when the Blanding's turtle habitats were surveyed there was a reasonably steady population of adult turtles that would appear annually but there was never any hatchlings, juveniles or sub-adults found and it became very apparent that they were falling victim to increasingly heavy predation. So we knew that we were not going to only find fit healthy turtles. The first casualty of the day that we found was something of a mystery because it appeared as if this little turtle had literally died five minutes ago.

It had no marks on it that suggested a predator attack, it was in water and yet showed no signs (or smell) of decay and its transmitter was still intact and signalling strongly. We kept it to conduct a necropsy but I suspect we will never know what happened to that one.
More common casualties were victims of predation, the primary culprits being raccoons and mink. Sometimes we found a twisted and chewed transmitter, minus the turtle

And sometimes we found a twisted and chewed transmitter attached to a shell, minus the turtle! Which is always a very sad moment but, of course inevitable.

In amongst tracking the young turtles we checked in on some of our resident females who were also just coming out of hibernation. We will be monitoring them over the coming weeks and when they are found to be gravid we will put them into laying pens so that they can lay their eggs without fear of predation.

All the females that we found seemed to have come through the long hard winter in good health which is always positive news as they provide us with future generations.

In amongst tracking the Blanding's Turtles we did happen upon a good size Snapping Turtle and I just couldn't resist checking him/her out!

Now in case you are wondering, for those of you not familiar with this species, there is a very good reason why these turtles are so named and with an individual of this size there is really only one really safe way to pick them up if you value your fingers!!!

With most turtles you can hold the edges of the shell between the front and back legs quite safely. Lets just say the Snapping Turtles have extremely long necks................

Having returned the snapper to his basking spot and kept all ten of my digits we returned to the business in hand and continued tracking the young hatchlings.
We had a great day, nine hours out in the sun wading about in a marsh isn't a bad days work and from initial findings we seem to be currently getting a forty percent survival rate for our newly liberated turtles which is a huge improvement on zero percent.

Our next task will be tracking the survivors again and equipping them with new radio transmitters to last them through the summer.

Photo Credits - J. Forberg & CJT

A Sneak Peek

2011-03-30T19:24:00.022-05:00

Well it has been a long time coming. It was well over a year ago when I first sat down in a little meeting room with our exhibits team and members of the education department to begin planning our next big 'in house' exhibit and now we are just two days away from opening it to the public. And although the boards are still up

I am going to give you a sneak preview of what we have been toiling away at for so long.
The title of the exhibit is Nature's Architects and, as the name suggests, it showcases all the incredible structures that creatures create. It explains the techniques, the materials used and why the structures are created. It has been a long, and at times painful process but now the opening is upon us we are feeling quite happy with how things have turned out.
The centerpiece of the exhibit is a huge termite mound (a little homage to my favorite place in the world!)

which towers 15 feet high. The signage explains all the amazing features of these structures (if you want to know more you will have to come and see the exhibit!)

I think the exhibits team did an amazing job of creating such a realistic representation, it was fun seeing it slowly growing out on the loading dock of the museum. There is even a little area that allows you to see inside.

You can explore a Prairie Dog town and learn what all the different tunnels and chambers are used for.

And visit with that most industrious of North American species, the beaver and learn how he builds things just to his liking.

We have a working beehive. They are currently being fed in the hive but when the weather finally warms up, that little pipe at the back of the hive gives them direct access to the outside world so that they can go and gather nectar from our surrounding prairie areas.

While you are with the bees you can learn the dance steps that they use to communicate to each other.

We have incorporated some of our extensive collections to highlight the plethora of different birds nest designs and materials

I just can't resist the hummingbird nests, they are too perfect.

And as for new charges that will come under my care. We couldn't really do an exhibit about builders and not include spiders could we?

So we have got trapdoor spiders and the beautiful orb weavers too

Although we are still working on a better way to light their display so that you can see the webs better.

Ants also just had to be included

And the mysterious caddisflies

But by far the noisiest new animals I have got are the Monk Parakeets

They are an exotic species that have established themselves very successfully in and around Chicago in recent years. They build massive communal nests usually on power lines so we tried to recreate their Chicago environment in the exhibit.

Another little personal homage was the inclusion of a section about weaver birds. The footage of the industrious males constructing their masterpiece nests made me feel quite winsome for the colony who used to build over our lagoon every year.
And if you fancy your chances as a weaver bird you can even try your nest building skills but you can only use a beak and a foot (hand puppet)! Don't worry, abject failure is perfectly acceptable. It just makes what these little birds create even more spectacular.

Other tests of skill include trying to move as much soil as an aardvark does when it digs (are you noticing another African link here? Well lets face it, all the coolest animals live in Africa!!!)
Have I left anything out? Probably, but I have been working on this project for so long now I am starting to see nests and webs and burrows in my sleep!

The press gets 'let in' tomorrow and then on Friday we finally take down the boards and open to the public. Phew! It has been a long journey but we've almost made it.

Photo Credits - CJT

SMALL DELIGHTS

2011-03-11T20:07:00.006-06:00

I have a real soft spot for cactii and succulents. One of the advantages of our apartment is that it faces south so all through the summer it provides ideal conditions for growing these spiny characters. I have also noticed that certain species will only flower after they have gotten really cold during the winter.

My stone plants flower frequently and the flowers follow the direction of the sun.

But this little guy has sat quietly in the corner of my window for years now. Then a couple of weeks ago I noticed some little yellow dots on one of the limbs and after another week they burst forth into bright blooms.

In case you are overwhelmed by the magnificence of this floriferousness I have put a dime on one of the branches of this cactus to give you an idea of scale!

Good things come in (very) small packages :)

Photo Credits - CJT

The Story of Spike

2011-02-28T20:14:00.002-06:00

Two of the numerous animals under my care at work and the sole representatives of the mammal group, are Spike and Diesel, two rats. In this picture, Spike is the one on top. As you can see they are pretty much inseparable but they couldn't be much more different in personalities.

Spike is very nervous, very anxious, very shy and a total home body. He likes to spend the majority of his day tucked up in their cage, occasionally peeping out if a treat is offered. Diesel on the other hand is a total extrovert, he is into everything and demands attention from anyone who happens to be passing. He sulks if he doesn't get to ride around on my shoulder in the morning as I walk around the Museum checking on all the other animals and if he doesn't get his way he squeaks like a spoilt child! They have a very luxurious two storey cage set up, with a ladder between the two levels. During the day we take the top level off the cage and they have a free run, in and out of the cage and around the surrounding counter top where they have various tunnels and boxes and other little hide-outs. Of course if we ever try to work at this particular counter top then Diesel is immediately right in whatever it is we are trying to do, stealing pens, sheets of paper or anything else that takes his fancy!
Four weeks ago, on a day when I wasn't at the Museum, Spike had an accident. Someone startled him when he was sleeping and he panicked, ran blindly into the ladder, got stuck between two of the rungs and snapped his leg, really badly. Of course I took him off to the vet and the x-rays revealed that the tibia was in three pieces and the fibula was, well lets just say, pretty much a lost cause the two ends were so far apart! I was given three options, euthanasia, amputation or attempt to set it and try and let it heal. Rats are not long lived animals and so I did consider the first option but I just couldn't quite reconcile that because he had been injured through mishandling. I couldn't really cope with the thought of amputation either as it was his hind leg so that left me with the final option. But nothing is that simple really is it? What is the one thing that rats are renowned for? Chewing! Of course. The chances of a rat keeping a cast on long enough for a broken limb to heal are slim at best but I felt I owed him the chance to try at least. And so Spike came back to the Museum with his leg in a cast from the hip all the way down over his foot (he had also managed to dislocate his ankle when he broke his leg!)

I had to give him pain-killers and calcium medication twice a day for the first two weeks (remember my post about going to work in the blizzard? He was one of the reasons!) I also had to be meticulous in keeping his cage as clean and dry as possible. For any of you that haven't had a pet rat, trust me when I tell you they are prodigious pee-ers and poopers! And, of course, I had to keep one step ahead of him when he chewed the cast. We did a pretty good job and all the extra handling that he had to endure actually made him a lot more calm as the days went by. We developed a great bond, which is always one of the most rewarding parts of my job. The worst part of the whole thing was that he had to be kept separate from Diesel because Diesel would have chewed the cast off in two minutes flat! It was heart breaking to see Diesel spending hours each day sitting on top of Spikes little 'hospital cage.' I did let him drop in - quite literally - for brief visits from time to time but they had to be closely monitored because it was usually about thirty seconds before he started chewing on Spikes cast!

After two weeks, we went back to the vet to get a progress report, he had another x-ray and we could see that the tibia was starting to heal slowly but surely. It was only on this return visit that I learned that the vet techs had been taking bets on how many days Spike would take to chew his cast off! It gave me great pleasure to be able to prove them all wrong!
Another two weeks past. We stopped the pain killers but continued with the calcium and today, after four weeks, we went back to the vet again. This time Spike was sedated and x-rayed again. I was waiting to hear the outcome when I heard a cheer - Good Job Spike! The vet returned smiling, carrying a rather woozy Spike, just waking up - with his cast removed! His x-ray showed his leg healing well and they had taken his cast off for him. Needless to say I was delighted and couldn't wait to take him back to see his buddy.
First order of business - give the leg he hadn't seen for four weeks a very thorough clean.

Then - luxury of luxuries - he finally got to scratch his own ear (if a little tentatively) I have been doing it for him for the past four weeks and I am sure I didn't do anywhere near as good a job as he would do for himself.

And finally after all the rest of us had made a big fuss over him, he got to snuggle up with his best friend and take a well earned nap.

It will take him a while to strengthen the muscles in his leg again and put his full weight on it but he is certainly heading in the right direction.
And why did I wait until now to do this post? - well I wanted to be reasonably sure that the post would have a happy ending :)

Photo Credits - CJT

COUNTING IN THE COLD.

2011-02-20T11:18:00.007-06:00

As I am sure many of you already know, in Canada and North America, this is the weekend of the Great Backyard Bird Count. I always have very mixed feelings about the event because while I realize it is a very worthwhile project which gathers really useful information each year, inevitably, in Chicago when this weekend comes around the weather is totally frigid and the last thing you want to do is stand outside looking for birds.

However I do try to do my bit, even if I do have to dress up like the abominable snowman to do it. This week teased me, with temperatures in the 50's on Wednesday and Thursday but of course as soon as Friday came around and the count began, we plummeted back into the 20's with a brisk north easterly wind thrown in for good measure.

I lasted for an hour yesterday before my feet went numb and my fingers would no longer function well enough to focus my bins but I came home feeling very virtuous because I had done my count!
Lets just say, I don't think Cornell is exactly going to be set alight by the number or diversity of species I saw. The Goldeneyes were pretty though, bobbing around in a very churned up Lake Michigan.

Ring-billed Gull - 37
European House Sparrow - 26
Canada Goose - 21
Mallard - 16
Starling - 22
American Crow - 1
Common Goldeneye - 5
Rock Pigeon - 1
Lesser Scaup - 1
Common Merganser - 1

It Had To Happen.................

2011-02-03T18:18:00.000-06:00

Chicago is known for its horrible winters, endless weeks of sub-zero temperatures, lots of ice and gritty, lake-effect snow. I didn't really appreciate the difference in types of snow before moving here but trust me, lake-effect snow just feels like a total rip-off. It doesn't float down in big, downy flakes, it is tiny and hard. Not 'fun' snow at all. We don't usually get big snow storms, just almost daily bothersome blusters of this nasty old lake-effect.
This year has been quite amazing, we have watched as the east coast of the US has been pummeled with one monster snow storm after another. I think New York City is well over 50 inches so far. Even down in the far south, states that never normally see snow have been belted. We were in our usual state of permanent freeze but there was a definite lack of snow, a couple of inches here or there that quickly turned into ice but that was about it.
And then, this weekend the media started talking about the monster storm that was headed our way. A big blizzard that was going to envelope us for at least 24 hours. The hype built and built, names like 'snowmagedon,' 'snowpocalipse,' 'snowtorious B.I.G,' and even 'snowprah' started doing the rounds. Of course many people were very skeptical about the impending onslaught. My husband told me on a daily basis that the weather people didn't know what they were talking about etc, etc. And so we waited. Well it seems that the weather people did know what they were talking about after all because Tuesday at 3pm (exactly when they said it would) the storm arrived. And my oh my what a storm it was. I left work at 4pm for my short walk to get home and by the time I got in I was exhausted. I am usually totally wrapped up whenever I set foot outside at this time of the year anyway, with just my eyes visible peeping through the layers but as I struggled through the storm, the wind and the driving snow was so bad I actually got an 'ice cream headache' by the time I got home. My eyes were burning from the snow being blown so hard and it was a good job I knew my route by heart because I couldn't see the path at all.

So, safely ensconced at home we let the weather do its worst.
The main road along Lake Michigan in Chicago is the legendary Lakeshore Drive and by 8pm it was a parking lot of unimaginable magnitude.

Hundreds and hundreds of cars stuck in the ice and snow and the poor drivers unable to get out or go anywhere.

Then the thunder snow started - yes really a snow storm with thunder and lightening - quite impressive. The monster storm beat us hard all night and when we woke up next morning it was still howling with 70 mph winds whipping the snow into huge drifts.
Well my spoilt animals at work don't really care what the weather is like outside, they still expect their servants to come in and tend to their needs so, although the Museum was closed and no other staff would be coming in, I had to get out there and find my way into work! 'Oh joy - why am I not a librarian!!??' I put on as many layers as I could manage and set out to do battle with the elements.

The road outside our building was deep in snow and there were several buried cars

My first hurdle (quite literally) was to get over the massive wall of snow that the ploughs had pushed across the road junction.

Once I had swum/waded/waddled through that, there was only one route and that was straight down the middle of the road. Usually at this time of the morning this road would be a constant flow of heavy traffic.

When I had trudged down the road I was presented with this! Oh goody - another drift for me to swim through to get to the door of the Museum.

The wind had sculpted the snow into some beautiful dramatic shapes so when I needed to stop to catch my breath I got chance to appreciate them.

When I finally got inside, my first task was to go back outside - we have bird feeders which are used for various programs and there were some very desperate birds who were pretty pleased to see me. I filled all the feeders and then because I felt so bad for them I scattered a few scoops of seed on the ground too.

As I went about my daily tasks I carried my camera everywhere and tried to get pictures from all the windows. It was so peaceful having the Museum to myself :)

And then through the blizzard came an arctic explorer!

Actually it was my husband dropping by to say Hi as he made his way into work.

It was a perfect photo op'

Looks pretty dramatic doesn't it?

Back to work and snapping shots as I go along.

I worked through the day and tended to all my charges and by the end of the day as I set off home, the weather had cleared and the snow looked really beautiful.

The skies cleared and the beauty of it all was quite stunning.

The ducks even managed to find the aerator in the pond and looked quite content.

When I got home I was surprised to see from the window that Lakeshore Drive was still closed and there were still over 200 cars to be dug out.

As the sun set the high rise buildings cast shadows onto the snow on the frozen lake

The calm AFTER the storm.

We ended up with 20.2 inches of snow but because of the hurricane force winds it drifted in many places to be several feet deep. Definitely one for the record books, apparently the third worst storm in Chicago's history!

Photo Credits - CJT & DominickV

PATTERNS OF MOROCCO - PART 2

2011-01-26T18:03:00.020-06:00

I started this series last year and so here is a somewhat overdue second installment. I always over use the term sensory bombardment when I talk about Africa, maybe it is just a personal feeling but seriously I just didn't know what to photograph first when walking around Fez. No further commentary needed, just enjoy these exquisite patterns.

Photo Credits - CJT

The Winter Gymnast

2011-01-21T20:07:00.006-06:00

Who is the winter gymnast swinging on the suet feeder?

Those pointed tail feathers are a definite clue

a flash of yellow under the tail and a red crescent at the back of the head

The beautiful speckled breast and black bib

Of course! It is the handsome Northern (Yellow-shafted) Flicker.

Photos - CJT

Was it something I said?

2011-01-19T08:28:00.002-06:00

Hi Lisa from Laughing Orca Ranch, I hope you get to read this at some point because I can no longer access your blog and I miss reading about all your wonderful animals and life in NM.

Whitewater Draw

2011-01-14T18:29:00.019-06:00

We were down in Tuscon over Thanksgiving and as our own personal revolution against the endless hype surrounding 'Black Friday' we decided to do something as far removed from the materialistic madness as we could so we packed some snacks and drinks into the car and headed south to Whitewater Draw. This is a beautiful area that was recommended to me by my dear friend Kathie from Kathie's Birds.

In the autumn Whitewater Draw fills with thousands of beautiful Sandhill Cranes. These magnificent, elegant grey birds stand between three and four feet high and their main distinguishing feature is the bright red forehead patch. At the time when we visited there was believed to be somewhere in the region of thirty-two thousand cranes in the area.

We parked up and walked down to the main wetland area. It couldn't have been a more perfect day, the sky was a spectacular clear blue and there was a slight chill in the air. The sounds of the cranes carried across the water towards us and although they stayed on the far side of the reserve from us we could see hundreds and hundreds of them strolling through the reeds and picking up morsels as they went. Other groups were resting up in small groups, feathers fluffed up against the cool air.

In amongst the cranes were a group of Snow Geese and also several Tundra Swans. The geese are the smaller white shapes further back in this shot, the swans are the bigger white blobs in the foreground :)

A little closer to the viewing areas there were numerous other waterfowl paddling around. A personal favorite of mine, the Northern Shoveler was very much in evidence.

This is a wonderful area that has been maintained very much with the avian population in mind, large areas are not accessible to the public. However because it is very flat with predominantly low wetland vegetation, with powerful binoculars or a scope it is easy to view all the birds without disturbing them. (That little blue dot is me!)

We watched the cranes for a long time, it was such a treat to see and hear these beautiful birds in such huge numbers it was hard to tear ourselves away and explore the rest of the area.

A vivid speck of red in a low bush caught my eye and as I drew closer I was thrilled to see a glorious Vermillion Flycatcher watching me.

In true flycatcher fashion, he had staked out his hunting area and flew repeated circular forays out to grab a flying insect before returning to the same spot.

We made our way round to a small cluster of trees marked with a large sign which read 'Great Horned Owl Roosting Area - Quiet Please!' We walked quietly along the path, I was staring into all the trees and Dominick walked on ahead when I spotted an extra woody lump on a branch.

I was trying to attract Dominick's attention whilst being quiet (not easy) lots of jumping up and down and hissing!! Eventually he got the idea and turned around. He came back to where I was standing, I said 'look at the owl' he said 'what owl?' Eventually he spotted it though.

In spite of all our walking back and forth and stage whispers the owl refused to be disturbed! I am sure he was thinking 'pesky humans!'

We had one more treat in store before we got back to the car, a Loggerhead Shrike. These ferocious birds are great hunters and their somewhat gruesome habit of storing captured prey by impaling it on thorns or even barbed wire fences has earned it the slightly daunting name of the 'Butcher Bird.' I was thrilled as this was the first shrike I had seen since leaving Africa.

He followed us along the path towards the car park before finally alighting on top of a post.

Who needs to queue for hours outside a big box store to fight over bargains anyway? This was my idea of a perfect day :)

My Bird List for the day:

Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Cinnamon Teal
American Widgeon
Tundra Swan
Sandhill Crane
Snow Goose
American Coot
Vermillion Flycatcher
Says Phoebe
Lesser Yellowlegs
Virginia Rail
Black Phoebe
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Loggerhead Shrike
Great-horned Owl
White-crowned Sparrow

Photo Credits: CJT & DominickV

The Other Christmas Project

2011-01-08T20:01:00.000-06:00

What to do for the Mom-in-law's Christmas tree? My Mom-in-law loves Christmas decorations and so when she spends Christmas with us I try to give her her own tree in her room, as well as our usual one in the living room. She loves the sea so I decided to go with a sea life theme.

First off some wooden dolphin cut-outs.

Drill a little hole in them, attach a hanger and then paint them.

Add some blue beads for eyes

And then go crazy with the glitter!

Same idea with some seahorse cut-outs.

And then onto the shells. I picked these up the last time I visited my parents - not many seashells in Chicago!

The trusty glue-gun comes into play to attach hangers and beads. (The glue-gun is such a great invention!)

And then the glitter comes into play again! For some reason I was having camera issues here, so sorry for the blurry images.

Some of the shells need just a touch of glitter to enhance them and make them look festive

The plainer ones lend themselves to a more generous coating of sparkles

I tried to follow the natural patterns on these with the glitter

These were really fiddly and I think I probably ended up wearing more glitter than the shell!

It is only at Christmas that you can get away with all this glitter, and it is fun :)

Finally all the glittering was done

And it was time to put everything onto the tree

I hid the ugly tree stand with a piece of material and scattered more shells around

And voila! Sea side tree

Not sure if my Mom-in-law liked it, she didn't say but I had fun getting in touch with my inner five year old and getting covered in glue and glitter :)

Christmas Fare

2011-01-02T15:38:00.010-06:00

One thing about me - I am about as artistic as a teabag! Never could draw, paint, play a musical instrument or do anything else remotely creative. That being said, as Christmas draws near each year, I feel the urge to 'make stuff'. It is definitely a seasonal thing and when the new year comes around the urge has passed. But each November, December the urge has to be satiated. Good old Martha usually has a few suitably simple projects that I can adapt. This was one of this years.

Take a dark green Christmas ball

Add a little snowfall

and some snow-covered trees

a flight of festive cardinals

Finally a gentle snow storm

And then hang the finished item on the Christmas tree.

2010 In Review

2010-12-31T19:18:00.030-06:00

I am finally trying to get back into my blog again, a three month hiatus seems suitably inexcusable so I won't try. I'll just start at the end, of the year that is, and hopefully 2011 will inspire me. In the mean time, a whistle-stop tour through 2010.

The year began with a blue moon

We slowly crept our way through the seemingly endless Chicago winter

We welcomed a new member to our family! This is Winston II, he is an Ornate Horned Frog and he is very handsome.

And just when it seemed like the interminable winter would never end

We took a trip to somewhere slightly warmer

Wonderful, spellbinding, spectacular, beautiful Morocco

I fell totally in love with this magnificent country

I ticked off something that has always been on my bucket list - to ride a camel into the Sahara

And I discovered there was something else that needed to be added to my bucket list, and also ticked off! Racing a Land Cruiser along part of the Paris - Dakar route, awesome!!! I did that too.

We had to say goodbye to a dear member of our team at work, sweet, little Scabbers left us.

And when we got over his passing we had to look for replacement(s) - this is Diesel and Spike

I purchased a new steed - Shatan

Our beloved Chicago Blackhawks held us on the edge of our seats all the way through the playoffs

And finally won the Stanley cup

We attended their spectacular victory parade, along with a couple of million other folks

And whilst we weren't watching, summer finally sneaked into Chicago

The tall ships paid their annual summer visit and looked right at home on Lake Michigan

We got plenty of good conservation work done with the endangered Blanding's Turtles

For my birthday I received a truly special gift which I hope I will enjoy for many years to come.

The Bears season was at times rather hard to watch, yes we were at the New England game!

But it certainly had some redeeming moments

Including a new NFL record

And in 2011 the playoffs begin.
And so another year draws to a close

Happy New Year everyone.
And my New Years Resolution? To get back into the saddle with my blog and try to do at least one post per week! Gulp - what am I letting myself in for?
Oh, and that birthday present? Here is a little clue - My Backyard

BLOGGERS BLOCK

2010-11-03T15:43:00.002-05:00

Is there such a thing as Bloggers Block? If there is then I have most definitely been suffering from an acute bout of it. Not motivated, not inspired and, knowing me, just too lazy. Hopefully normal service will soon be resumed but in the mean time I have been stalking my usual favorite blogs, even if I haven't been leaving any comments.

GOING BATTY

2010-09-05T12:12:00.007-05:00

I know you are probably going to say that this next statement is defunct because I love all animals but 'I Love Bats!' I am not really quite sure why, maybe having lived in close proximity to them in Zambia for several years did it, although I don't think so, I think it goes further back than that. Maybe it is because they eat mosquitoes! (OK so maybe I don't love ALL animals!) I am not really sure what it is but safe to say, they fascinate me and I find them incredibly endearing and not even the remotest bit 'gross' as so many people seem to.
So imagine my delight when Andrew, our seasonal gardener at the Museum came in on Friday to tell me he had found a bat out on the Museum grounds. I grabbed my camera and hurried outside. And there he was snoozing quietly in the bushes, occasionally opening an eye to make sure we weren't getting too close.

A beautiful Eastern Red Bat Lasiurus borealis, just trying to get some peace and quiet after a busy night of eating bugs. Unlike many other species, the Red Bat is often found roosting alone and he had found the perfect little spot to hang out, until we came along to disturb his peace! We kept a respectful distance (yes I used full zoom), took a few photos and then left him to his sleep.

During September and October this species uses the storms that blow around the shores of Lake Michigan to hitch a ride further south as they journey to find warmer areas to spend their winter. And, coincidence or not, we had had a violent thunder storm the night before our little furry visitor was spotted.

Photo Credits - CJT

BLANDING'S TURTLE CONFERENCE

2010-08-17T18:49:00.033-05:00

How is it that something I feel like I did yesterday is already two weeks ago? Oh well, better late than never I guess.
I have done various posts about the Blanding's Turtle conservation work I do. A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend a conference devoted solely to this species. As with any group work focusing on an endangered species you tend to swing between being wildly inspired to keep on doing what your doing and being hugely depressed at the seemingly impossible odds you seem to face to preserve this species.
I won't bore everyone with an account of the numerous lectures, I'll just skip right to the fun stuff - the field trips. On the first day we visited Nachusa Grasslands. This is a huge, beautiful rolling expanse of restored prairie.

There have been numerous reptile species sighted here but we were on the lookout for one particularly elusive little gem, the Ornate Box Turtle.

And, as you can see, we were lucky. This delightful little creature is listed as threatened in Illinois so it really was a privilege to be able to see one in it's natural environment.

This little female was carefully examined and aged at approximately six or seven years old. When we had all admired her she was replaced gently back into the clump of grass where we had found her.

Our second field trip, at the end of the conference was to the Richardson Wildlife Foundation. This is a piece of land that has been bought up over several years by a private individual.

It was initially intended to be a private hunting area but over time the owner came back from the dark side and now focuses on conservation of the species on his land and restoration of the native habitat.

There have been a few sightings in recent years of Blanding's Turtles on this land so a couple of days before we arrived the resident ecologist had been kind enough to set up a series of turtle traps in the various wetland areas.

These are fairly basic, humane contraptions that are anchored semi-submerged and baited with tinned sardines (!) and are extremely effective. Of course they are also totally indiscriminate and will lure in anything with a taste for sardines! - like gargantuan catfish

Or very cranky Snapping Turtles

But most commonly, Painted Turtles

In fact one trap in particular held enough Painted Turtles that we all got one for our group photo!

One Snapping Turtle had managed to force its way out through the side of one of the traps and get stuck so by the time we got it, it was having a serious sense of humour failure!

And was just about ready to amputate any fingers that got too close

We did manage to extricate it without anyone loosing any digits though

When we released it, it did stay around long enough to pose for the cameras!

Eventually our patience was rewarded and the real stars of the show put in an appearance.

Two mature, relatively unmarked female Blanding's Turtles.

As these were previously unrecorded individuals the first priority was to get a DNA sample from each of them so a small amount of blood was drawn from each turtle. One of the problems of working with endangered species is very often with a greatly reduced population comes the inevitable issue of a lack of genetic diversity so it is important that a genetic record of every known individual is kept.

As neither of the turtles were equipped with radio transmitters we also needed a record of identity for each of them. The most effective way of doing this is to take a photograph of the plastron.

Then, just because they are so beautiful we took a picture of their more photogenic angle!

Then we released them back in the same spot from were they came and watched them quickly slip below the waters surface and go back to their precarious existence.
I really do hope that this charming and elusive creature will be around the Midwest for a very long time to come.
I came away from the conference with a very long 'to do' list and the cautious hope that maybe we can save this beautiful turtle species.

Photo Credits - CJT & J Forberg

PATTERNS OF MOROCCO - PART 1

2010-08-11T19:41:00.021-05:00

One of the things that really captivated me on our trip to Morocco was the incredible detail on every surface of so many of the buildings, whether it be mosaic, carved stone or wood or metalwork. These photos really don't need any words so I'll just say, they all were taken from the exterior of one building, the Hassan II Grand Mosque in Casablanca.

Photo Credits - CJT

DEPARTMENT FIELD TRIP

2010-08-07T16:57:00.024-05:00

Usually in the summer we have a three day camping trip together as a Department, which we combine with collecting specimens to replenish our living collections. Unfortunately this year, everyone's schedules were so crazy that we were never able to find a three day gap that suited all of us. I sent a couple of my staff out on a one day collecting trip, mainly to collect native fish species for our Riverworks Exhibit but that was about all we had done in the way of getting out in the field.
Last week we finally managed to get our entire Department together for a quick trip to Indiana Dunes State Park. As if to continue the theme from last years trips, the day started with dark skies, thunder, lightening and heavy rain. We all studied the weather sites closely and determined that at the time we had planned to arrive in Indiana, the rain would have just about stopped. So we loaded into several vehicles and headed out.

One of the local rangers had kindly agreed to meet up with us and give us a tour of an environmentally sensitive area which is usually not open to the public, Pinhook Bog. Indiana’s only true bog it is a special geologic feature of this region. The Bog is a glacial kettle. At the end of the Wisconsin Glacial epoch, (14,000-15,000 ybp) a large chunk of ice remained buried at this location as the ice retreated northward. When the ice melted, the clay soil sealed the basins. The runoff from higher ground around the bog is the only water source. There are not streams or groundwater inflow or outflow. Evaporation from the open water and plants is the only loss of moisture. A bog is different than swamps, marshes or ponds because of this limited exchange of water. The water in the bog is stagnant, acidic, and nutrient-poor.

The outstanding feature of Pinhook Bog is the tree covered mat of sphagnum moss. Sphagnum moss is a stringy, delicate moss of a light-green color. The mat floats on top of the water and can become three to six feet thick, yet it can have a pocket of a few inches in the middle. As the mat thickens, larger and larger plants take root and grow. Under the mat a peat bed develops. The acidic water slows the decay of the sphagnum moss and other plants. In its current state the plants that are growing there have to be tolerant of an acidic environment, like the magnificent Pitcher Plant.

Although it was a little late in the season for orchids there were still a number of Orange-fringed Orchids in bloom and their characteristic shapes and delicate blooms were very appealing.

There was also an occasional Touch-me-not or Jewelweed peeping out from amongst the foliage. Called Touch-me-not because when the seed capsule is ripe, the slightest touch will cause it to eject it's seeds.

There were very few signs of vertebrate life, except for us but this one Green Frog did hang around long enough for me to grab a quick photo.

After having walked around the bog we headed out through some dense woodland and it was then that I began to realise just how much rain we have had in recent weeks. Apart from the obvious, copious quantities of mud, there were so many fungi of every shape, size and colour.

Having left the Bog, we headed to a nearby picnic area to have some lunch. Vincent, our department culinary expert was in charge of getting us all fed and in spite of the fact that somehow none of us had remembered to pack cooking utensils (!) A solution was found and soon we were all fed.

Even the picnic area had it's own crop of fungus but don't worry, we weren't tempted to add them to the menu!

One little visitor who spent a long time hanging around was this pretty little Hackberry Butterfly.

Our boss had gone all out on the treats! We had a choice of chocolate, red velvet or vanilla! This is the real outdoor life!!!!

Before we all fell asleep from a sugar coma from the cup cakes, we decided that another walk to explore some more of the local habitat would be a good idea. By now I was on a mission - fungus hunting!

It is a fascinating life form because it really does come in a seemingly endless array of forms.

There were a lot of Stink Bugs around too but I totally failed to get a clear picture despite numerous attempts (and one or two swear words thrown in for good measure.)

After we were done with the dark, dampness of the woodland, our last stop was the shore of Lake Michigan so that some of us could roll up our trousers and wade in the water.
It wouldn't be strictly true to say that we didn't collect anything on this trip (apart from the obligatory mosquito bites of course.) I made sure that no one left the beach without carrying at least a couple of nice flat stones with them as they always come in useful when we are setting up habitats for our animals at the Museum.

All too soon it was time to head back into the city but it was lovely to have spent the day outside, and the best part of all? It didn't rain on us!!

Photo Credits - CJT

DUMPSTER RESCUE

2010-08-06T16:45:00.000-05:00

Whenever anything animal related occurs in or around the Museum it is always the Biology Department who gets called upon to sort it out and yesterday was no exception.
We have several large metal dumpsters on the loading dock at the back of the Museum which are emptied by city workers early each morning. Around lunchtime Andrew, our seasonal gardener, discovered that a certain furry someone had got stuck in the bottom of one of them.

It was a very hot day and the heat inside the dumpster was very extreme so we knew we had to get this little guy out as promptly as possible.

Raccoons make look irresistibly cute but, as with any wild animal, they are likely to react rather unfavorably if you try to touch them! So we had to provide him with a means of getting himself out.

A wooden pallet provided a perfect raccoon step ladder! And within less than a minute out he came.

He made his way precariously around the top lip of the dumpster

Took one last look back inside his steamy prison

Before scrabbling his way down the side and trotting off to find a shady spot to cool down.

A good deed done and an unusual use found for an old wooden pallet!

Photo Credits - CJT

SKYWATCH FRIDAY (Sunrise on the Lakeshore)

2010-08-05T17:21:00.000-05:00

I can take absolutely no credit for these photos, that all goes to my husband. A few weeks back he decided to partake in an event called 'Bike the Drive.' When the entire length of Lakeshore Drive in Chicago is closed to cars for several hours on a Sunday morning and given over completely to cyclists. Needless to say this is an early morning thing which is how he managed to capture these beautiful shots of an unusually empty beach lit by the gentle light of dawn. I, of course, was still asleep at this point!

For sky views the world over, go to Skywatch Friday.

Photo Credits - DominickV

THE DIESEL FAN CLUB

2010-07-19T18:07:00.028-05:00

The vast majority of my work day to day involves animals of numerous different species and that is just fine with me. One species I am not so keen on is Homo sapiens so I tend to avoid spending too much time with them if at all possible. In particular I find the juvenile form of this species particularly daunting but such is the nature of my job, occasionally I have to step into the spotlight and actually talk to groups of children about my work. I would far rather spend my morning working with my venomous snakes and spiders than do this but sometimes it just can't be avoided. Luckily I can usually rely on some pretty cool back-up troops to help me out on these occasions. Last week I had to go to a summer camp on the west side of Chicago to do a presentation for a couple of groups so I packed up some Hissing Cockroaches, a Hermit Crab, an American Toad, a Box Turtle, a Corn Snake and my little buddy Diesel, the Rat.

Diesel is still very much a celebrity in training and this was actually his first trip off site to see a large group of children, although truth be known he was probably far less apprehensive than I was! Anyway we traveled to the site and did our 'thing'. All the animals behaved impeccably, no one pooped or bit or did anything untoward and the kids all seemed pretty happy and so it was with a large sigh of relief that I headed back to the Museum with my mini menagerie, quite happy to have got that task behind me.
A few days later I was checking my mail box which rarely has anything in it except for bills and was astonished to find it bulging with mail. What a surprise!

Dozens and dozens of notes and pictures from all the children! I read through them all and although I would like to show them all that would just go on for ever so I just tried to select some of my favorites.
The Hissing Cockroaches

The Hermit Crab

The American Toad

And the Corn Snake

And the group pictures

But of course there is always one mega-star in any group who gets a disproportionate amount of the fan mail and that was our little rodent friend Diesel.

But just in case he gets too full of himself, in amongst all the wonderful letters that the children wrote there was one from a little girl who very sweetly explained that her favorite animal is a giraffe and that rats make her throw-up! Hmmm how come I didn't notice that happening during my presentation!!??

Photo Credits - CJT

SUMMER IN THE CITY

2010-07-12T18:15:00.027-05:00

I took a walk in the park at lunchtime to see what I could find in the way of nature, not an easy task when surrounded by concrete and steel. But I did pretty well, fish, bugs, birds, butterflies and even a sunbathing turtle.
The prairie plantings around the Museum are looking beautiful now and with so many plants in flower the butterflies are spoilt for choice. As usual though, the milkweed family always sees the most activity with the iconic Monarch Butterfly taking precedence.

When the Monarch moves off the beautiful Tiger Swallowtail gently flutters in to feed briefly before being moved on by the more dominant Monarch.

Although much smaller, the Red Admiral uses its speed and agility to grab a quick drink of nectar before being chased away too.

It beats a hasty retreat to a nearby Purple Coneflower.

Tent caterpillars are considered a pest by many but their unique structures which are believed to serve a number of purposes including thermal regulation and communication centres, are certainly eye-catching.

Moving away from the prairie and down to the edge of the pond it is spawning time for the numerous Blue Gills. They work hard to clear a little area of open ground on the pond bottom and then fiercely defend it from all comers (although the neighbours are pretty close!)

Of course a condensed food source like this does not go unnoticed!

Our little pond is usually only big enough to accommodate one or at most two, Great Blue Herons but we have Black-crowned Night Herons and Green Herons by the score.
I am not sure if a pair of Green Herons bred successfully somewhere around the pond this year or whether the juveniles just found their way here after fledging but I have noticed a number of small fluffy individuals who are clearly just getting rid of their last vestiges of downy baby feathers. (Check out the top of this ones head.)

I watched this particular individual for quite sometime

I couldn't quite work out why he kept pointing his beak straight up in the air. I know Bitterns will take a similar posture when they are amongst tall reeds in order to make themselves less conspicuous but I had not heard of herons doing it.

I finally worked out that he was actually watching the numerous dragonflies that were buzzing over his head. I watched him make a few random grabs at them but not with any degree of success.
Most other birds have fledged and grown now but there was this single Mallard chick that was obviously a late hatchling and as always they walk away with the cuteness award.

And then of course there are the Night Herons, which I can just never take enough pictures of

I don't know what it is about this particular species, I just find them so photogenic

and we certainly have no shortage of them around the pond. Maybe it is the stunning ruby red eyes

or the fancy yellow stockings.

Whatever it is I always end up with far more pictures than I could ever post!

and while we are on the topic of footwear fashions for the summer (?) Don't forget the more practical option for those rainy days!

The array of dragonfly species continues to impress although most of the really bright coloured ones refuse to land anywhere near the strange lady with the camera who keeps creeping about in the undergrowth at the waters edge!
This is the underside view of a male Widow Skimmer Libellula luctuosa

I would have loved to have got a good shot of the top side but short of wading out into the pond which I just didn't feel inclined to do (!) I had to make do with a very blurry maximum zoomed image at an angle from Terra firma.

The only other member of the Odonata order that was prepared to be photographed was this Common Whitetail Plathemis lydia which gave me about two seconds to get a shot before flying away and of course I managed to chop the edge of the image off! But you get the general idea I hope.

And finally, as promised, just to confirm that it is summer, the sunbathing turtle!

Photo Credits - CJT

hic sunt dracones (HERE BE DRAGONS!)

2010-06-26T14:18:00.018-05:00

The pond in the park is alive with dragonflies at the moment, probably something to do with the tropical monsoon type weather we are having this summer. We have had 8 inches of rain so far in June! Everything is very green and lush and there are literally thousands of little flying insects for the dragonflies to prey on.

I don't know if you have spent any time trying to photograph dragonflies but it is one sure fire way to drive yourself rapidly insane. They alight on a twig or a leaf in perfect light and before you even get chance to raise your camera into position, they have flown away. Of the numerous species flitting around, only two actually stayed still enough for me to photograph.

The Eastern Amberwing, Perithemis tenera

there are no prizes for figuring out why that name came about. You can't tell from my photos but this is one of the smallest dragonflies in the US with a body length of barely an inch.

But it's colour is so vivid that it is hard to miss. The male selects a stick or twig sticking just above the surface of the water and defends a territory of approximately 3 to 6 meters around it, repeatedly returning to alight on the same spot.

And the Blue Dasher, Pachydiplax longipennis, (how is that for a scientific name!!!) The males are distinguished by their chalky blue abdomen

And their white head and metallic green eyes.

The Blue Dasher is also a small dragonfly with an average body length of just over an inch. The males spend a lot of time chasing each other along the edge of still or slow-moving bodies of water.

The stunning blue abdomen is brandished as a threat to territorial opponents. I personally prefer the alternative name for this species, The Blue Pirate! Especially if they are waving their abdomen around to ward off all comers.

Quite apart from the fact that they eat numerous mosquitoes in their average day (and what is not to like about that?) It is hard to imagine why such a stunning and delicate insect is regarded with such foreboding in so many cultures.
Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Øyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "Tira-olhos" (Eye snatcher). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured.

I don't know about any of that but I think they are very cool and when I saw this last photo I had to wonder, if this wasn't the inspiration for the original design for the bi-plane, what was?

Photo Credits - CJT

DEPARTURES AND ARRIVALS

2010-06-20T11:22:00.002-05:00

So what has been going on in my little world during my break from blogging? It is hard to know where to start but this will do for today.
I have blogged in the past about our lone representative of the mammal group in our Living Collections at the Nature Museum, Scabbers.

Scabbers the rat came to join our animal family on September 11th 2008. I had read about what great animals they were and how smart and affectionate they were but even I was impressed with this guy. I had also read about the very short life span of rats and how if they go beyond two years that is a bonus, so as the months flicked past Jamie and I started having discussions about the fateful day when it came and how we would deal with it.

When I left for Morocco I said to Jamie, maybe Scabbers could choose his time when I was away, that way I could avoid the trauma! Not being super mean to Jamie but Scabbers was very much a one woman rat, and I was that woman. So I figured being eminently more sensible than me she would be far less likely to be reduced to a weeping wreck than me! But of course life (and death) never tends to go to schedule and one week after my return, my dear sweet friend Scabbers had some kind of a stroke or something overnight and when we came in the next morning he was unable to move the left side of his body. Well tears or not, my job is my job, so Jamie and I immediately headed off to the vets, knowing in our heart of hearts that this was a one way trip for one member of our group and after using many Kleenex we said goodbye to our little rodent buddy.

Scabbers, during his brief time at the Museum had become an extremely popular character and would often attend meetings, sitting happily on my shoulder, greet visiting VIP's and take trips to local schools with members of the education department. One price he had to pay for his celebrity status was an occasional bath. Boy rats can get a little pungent sometimes! They are clean animals, they just have a rather distinctive scent! But even the bathing was taken in good grace. (This is his best 'Mom do we have to do this?' face.)

But he endured it, largely, I suspect because he got a big cuddle in a nice warm, snuggly towel afterwards!

When we returned from the vets I sent out a brief all staff email explaining what had happened and then we were barraged with emails and phone calls from all his friends - lots more Kleenex were used!
We let our emotions heal for a few weeks and then, sure enough, questions started getting asked about 'another Scabbers.'
Jamie and I shop at a local pet store once a week to pick up various live food items and other small bits and pieces and before we found Scabbers we had never seen a 'natural' coloured rat there. I would regularly look at the rats each week after we bought him too and they were always fancy coloured ones that looked nothing like him. So we went on our weekly trip to the store and, for the first time since we lost Scabbers I went and checked out the rats. I suppose you could call it fate or just plain old random luck but I looked in the tank and there he was.

Scabbers 2 looking back at me, large as life! Same grey black colour, same little white feet, same white belly. The only difference was a tiny little white dot on the top of his head!

I called Jamie over and she started to laugh. It was just too big a coincidence!
One lesson we had learned from having Scabbers was that rats really enjoy having a friend and we were in luck there too.

Well you know were this is heading don't you? We headed back to the Museum with not one but two new little friends! Diesel and Spike, the latest additions to the menagerie!
When they first arrived they were clearly still quite young and rather nervous little guys so we kept them in there two story cage for a week or so just so that they could get used to the new sights, sounds and smells around them but I was anxious to open it up so that they could start to have the free range of the area of the lab that had previously been Scabbers domain. When I first opened the cage up they were definitely too scared to come out but gradually each day they started to explore. Diesel (the Scabbers double) is definitely the bravest of the two and always first to do everything. I suspect Spike will play more of a companion role going forward, as he definitely prefers the safety of his cage.

As the weeks have gone by Diesel has certainly come out of his shell in no uncertain terms! When I come in in the morning he is waiting for me. He rides around on my shoulder as we do our rounds to check all the other animals. When I sit down to switch on my computer he likes to climb off my shoulder and run up and down the back of my chair.

Then as I start to type he climbs back onto my shoulder and carefully makes his way down my arm onto my desk.

I don't have a mouse pad, I have a rodent pad!

We check for phone messages.........

And then when the business is out of the way it is time for a spot of breakfast. So we go to the fridge to choose what type of fruit or veggie we would like. And before you freak out about a rat in the fridge, this fridge is used for storing animal food supplies only!

When breakfast has been selected and consumed

It is time to kick back and relax for a while to sleep it off

And then cuddle up with the best buddy, Spike.

Both Diesel and Spike have started to earn their keep now by doing public programs for our Museum visitors and needless to say, they are a hugely popular double act.
I think it would be fair to say that Scabbers has found a worthy successor and we have acquired double the fun and or trouble depending on which way you look at it.

Photo Credits - CJT

TO BLOG OR NOT TO BLOG

2010-06-14T16:52:00.005-05:00

That is the question
- that I have been wondering about for the last few weeks.
After we returned from our Moroccan trip I spent literally hours sorting through our thousands of photos, choosing the ones I wanted to use, uploading them and then putting the posts about our trip together and honestly, as long as I was still doing that I could somehow fool myself into feeling that I was still there but when it was finished so, it seems, was I. Hence the long hiatus.

How did I manage to fool myself into believing that going back to the continent that so surely has stolen my heart and soul would be different this time? I fed myself all the lines about it being North Africa, totally different from the region I lived in, more 'Arab' less 'African,' no big, beautiful flora and fauna, a Muslim state, blah, blah, blah! Yeah right! IDIOT!!! Who was I kidding?

So the past several weeks have been a tough time. I have been trying hard to readjust to the utterly materialistic world of living in a tiny glass box, twenty-one floors up in the air with nothing but concrete, steel and glass for hundreds of miles around me. But it does not come easy. I have been a nightmare to live with and probably pretty miserable to work with too, although I have tried my best to keep that on an even keel at least.
I yearn for the open spaces, the sensory bombardment, the brutality, the grittiness, the realness, the uncompromising feel of Africa that I have yet to find replicated anywhere else. In short, the feeling of being alive. And no, the local gang wars and drug induced violence on the streets of Chicago is not the same thing at all!! It sounds so corny but Africa truly is like the strongest drug imaginable, once you are hooked you live for the next fix. And let me tell you, cold turkey sucks! And so here I am, mangled, battered and bruised in true junky style but still hanging in there. One of the steps I needed to take was to get back to blogging. It will certainly be a little spasmodic for a while but hopefully this is a first step.

And just to add a little salt to the wounds a friend from when I used to live in Zambia recently found my blog and left me a very sweet comment asking me to visit her blog. She is a beautiful person, inside and out, living in Tanzania with horses, dogs and a view to die for so reading her blog was pretty eviscerating (Sorry 'J' you know I love you really!) but it will give you a pretty good idea of the beautiful/brutal, spellbinding/stark, vivid/violent and utterly unique way of life that is Africa. Here it is http://ngorobobhillhouse.blogspot.com She writes beautifully so her blog is really a pleasure to read. If you are not a blubbering mess like me :)

Enough wallowing for today, now I must go and catch up on reading some of my favorite blogs that I have sorely neglected visiting recently. I promise to try and make my next post a lot less self-pitying!

MOROCCO TRIP - Farewell to all that.

2010-05-01T12:53:00.011-05:00

Our departure day and I can't bear the thought of leaving this amazing country.
We check out of our Riad at 7am and get on the road to Casablanca. Dominick and Said are chatting away about a constant stream of random topics, Brahim is focused on driving and I am just wishing he would turn the car around and drive back to the desert!
We stop at a service station before the airport and sit out in the warm morning sun drinking coffee. Before we get under way again we take a final round of photos with the trusty Land Cruiser that has served us so well on this trip.

This is Said (on the left) and Brahim. What a great pair of guys, we couldn't have wished for better traveling companions on this wonderful trip.

Said was the perfect guide for Dominick, talk about like minds! They both have a fascination for history and Said's English skills were quite remarkable. His endless patience with our often totally opposing requests (Dominick more historical sites, me more nature oriented!) was pretty amazing too! Dominick is a great one for the minutiae and Said was more than happy to accommodate his endless questions about which dynasty came from where and in what order and every other totally random question too!

And Brahim, what a wonderful person. Very quiet and a little shy, one of life's gentle souls but as we gradually got to know him we discovered a whole other person. His line of 'I am just a driver' proved to be very wide of the mark and an early indicator of his great sense of humour. He didn't have the same formal education as Said but his language skills and his ability to absorb knowledge was fabulous. If there was ever an occasion on the trip when things didn't go quite as planned and tempers got a little frayed he was always the one who stepped up and sorted things out and soothed the situation. By the end of the trip he had every single bird we had seen written down in English and Arabic, he had mastered the use of my binoculars and he was even getting enough confidence to start pointing birds out to me.

Photos done, we got on the road again to the airport. We checked in and sat and had a final cup of coffee together before saying our fond farewells and boarding our flight for London and then on again to the US.

Goodbye Morocco. I WILL be back!

Photo Credits - CJT, DominickV, Said & Brahim

MOROCCO TRIP - Day Ten - Marrakech

2010-04-25T14:30:00.048-05:00

After an insane week at work I am finally getting back to finishing up posts from our Morocco trip which seems so long ago now I wonder if maybe it was just a dream. But I don't usually take this many photos in my dreams so I guess I really was there!
Our last full day in Morocco and unfortunately I am trapped in a city. But I do need to try and make the best of it, not everyone is lucky enough to get to see such amazing parts of the world.
We enjoyed breakfast on the roof at our Riad and then set off to see another round of historical buildings.

On our way we visited the city square Djemma El Fna. This has the same sort of vibe as any city or town square, people come here to socialize and hang-out. However there are a few attractions that you probably wouldn't find in your average American city square!

Needless to say I made a bee-line for the snake charmers.

However I steered well clear of the local dentist! Eeeeeek! Snakes I'm fine with, tooth pullers, not so much!

We walked through a warren of narrow streets crammed with a colourful range of merchandise.

We made our way to the Bahia Palace. Another architectural masterpiece which provided great insight into how the privileged lived in the 19th century.

Once again I could feel a sense of indignation rising up in me as it was explained that this is the area where the concubines got to 'get outside'

But when the wives wanted to get outside they had this minute space to roam around!

But I didn't rock the boat, even when it was explained that the 'favorite' wife had the smallest outside space of all - 'for her safety!' OK then!!

Personal feelings aside it was extraordinary to see how every single surface area was elaborately decorated.

Having escaped the close confines of this palace we visited the ruined remains of the 16th century Badi Palace. I was quite happy to ensconce myself in a shady spot whilst Dominick and Said strolled around.

Because I wanted to check out some of the palace's current residents.

There were several pairs of white storks perched up high on their nests of sticks and for me they gazed down with just as refined a regal air as any previous grand royal resident.

While I was sitting quietly enjoying the quiet and the cool, a familiar squeal broke the peace and peeping out, right above where I sat, was the culprit - a kestrel. The pair had found a perfect little niche in which to nest and they were voicing their displeasure at my proximity to it.

House Buntings were also much in evidence and this particular individual, braver than the rest seemed quite convinced that I was going to produce something tasty for him to eat as he hopped around very close to my feet.

It is always fun when you get to do some birding in the most unlikely of places or should I say palaces! But soon we were on our way again.

Our next stop was the Herboriste El Andalouss. We were served with the now obligatory mint tea while the owner delivered a well practised account of all his numerous herbs and potions with often rather amusing lists of their properties. Who knew that there were so many different types of Moroccan Viagra!?

Then on our way again. Try as he might Dominick just couldn't get a picture of this gate way without a taxi cab stopping in the middle of his shot!

We slowly made our way back towards the Riad with various photo stops along the way.

I was pretty much done with my quota of historical sights at this point so Said and Dominick visited the Saadian tombs while Brahim and I sat and chatted about (you guessed it!) birds! He is going to be quite an expert by the end of this trip!

After that we retreated back up onto the rooftop of the Riad for a delicious lunch. We have been served so much wonderful food on this trip I am sure we have both gained several pounds.

After our large, leisurely lunch we strolled through a couple of gardens in the city and then headed back towards Djemma El Fna. It is at it's most lively during late afternoon and early evening. The array of fruits on display were so beautiful we just had to take some pictures but we had to be careful, many of the stall holders want to charge you for that privilege! Once again my high power zoom came in very handy.

I do think the prize for the best outfit has to go to the local water seller - what do you think?

We indulged in a little retail therapy. Dominick almost reduced the merchant to tears with his ferocious bargaining on the price of this beautiful hand embroidered tunic. Said explained rather sheepishly to the merchant that Dominick worked in finance so there really wasn't anything to be done about it!!

Then I paid a visit to the henna ladies.

Shopping done we retreated to one of the terraced cafes to watch the square from above.

As the sun started to sink we made our way slowly back through the streets towards the Riad, soaking up our final genuine Moroccan moments.

Later in the evening Said and Brahim collected us to drive us to Chez Ali which was a very touristy show that seems to be the standard end for every trip that they do. We both would have far rather been somewhere much quieter with far less people but we decided we had probably been quite demanding enough during the course of our trip and so we would just go along with it! Lord knows that doesn't happen too often :)

So, show over, we headed back to the Riad for our last night in Morocco.

Photo Credits - CJT & Dominick V

MOROCCO TRIP - Day Nine - Ouarzazate to Marrakech

2010-04-22T18:31:00.041-05:00

This morning we didn't have a particularly early start so Dominick visited the hammam within the hotel. A hammam is a traditional 'spa' type facility. He thoroughly enjoyed it and came back looking gently boiled!

We went and ate breakfast on the hotel terrace overlooking the river before meeting up with Said and Brahim.

Our first stop of the morning was a nearby lake which was teeming with birdlife. Once again I was thrown into the role of bird guide but by now I was getting into my stride a little more and so was able to do a reasonable job with ID's. There were lots of Crested Larks hopping around on the track in front of us. As you can see their cryptic colouring is a great advantage to these birds that spend so much time on the ground.

The water birds were as shy as ever but we did manage to get a quick shot of this beautiful Shoveler working the shallows.

In the distance were numerous cormorants and it wasn't until I put my binoculars on them that I spotted the interloper!

An Osprey! Brahim had quite got into this whole 'birding' thing by this stage so I was explaining to him the differences in fishing techniques between a cormorant and an osprey. With such a limit on English vocabulary this really put my miming skills to the test! It's that crazy English lady again - we'll just humour her she'll be going home soon!!

With my birding ration over for the day we were back to the kasbahs!

Ouarzazate was a very odd mix of the traditional Moroccan structures

And bizarre remnants of film sets and locations!

After we had seen our share of Gladiator movie posters we headed for the Ait Ben Haddou, a traditional pre-Saharan habitat from the eighteenth century. For me the highlight was the means of travel to get to this particular kasbah that appealed the most.

Riding a donkey or mule across the river!

Not such a highlight for Dominick though.

Although in this particular instance my sympathy was with the poor old mule! That is one heck of a load he is carrying!

I got to go across solo which was a great relief to me and probably to the donkey too!

There was an alternative means of transport but I don't think any amount of money would have got Dominick back on a camel at this point!

When we had safely made it across we began the climb up through a labyrinth of narrow streets and stairways.

All the way to the very top where we were rewarded with spectacular views in every direction.

Then we strolled back down, caught our four-legged transportation back across the river and went back to the vehicle.

The next section of our drive involved going off road through an area of the Atlas mountains called the Ounial Valley.

Once again we were bombarded with endless expanses of spell-binding scenery. In stark contrast to the desert, it was cold enough up here that even some of the donkies were wearing coats!

We eventually rejoined the tar road and continued to climb.

We stopped at the signpost marking the highest point of the road to take the obligatory photo.

That is in meters of course!

Somewhere along the way we were supposed to visit another kasbah but we were both feeling a little 'kasbahed out' by this stage, apart from the fact the scenery was just so spectacular we were more than happy just to spend time enjoying it.

Having gotten over the highest point we started to wind our way slowly back down. And what am I photographing here?

Well this handsome fellow of course! Although I don't think he really appreciated my interrupting his courtship of the lady frogs!

I was now beginning to feel very sad as we were heading back to the city and the end of our trip. It was hard not to feel a little winsome at the aching beauty of everything around us and the magical moments we have experienced over the last few days.

As we descended out of the hills the land suddenly flattened out completely and we found ourselves in the outskirts of Marrakech. We drove to our Riad which was another spectacular establishment, our room was beautiful but somehow we didn't remember to take any photos of it! Sorry.
Later in the evening Said and Brahim led us through the maze of streets to a private house were we had a delicious dinner. (Brahim and I had hatched a plan earlier in the day to arrange an 'oriental dancer' for Dominick after dinner!) So Dominick got an excellent belly dancer as his after dinner entertainment which I think he rather enjoyed! We then made our way slowly back to our Riad for the night.

Photo Credits - CJT & Dominick V

MOROCCO TRIP - Day Eight - Erg Chigaga to Ouarzazate

2010-04-20T16:45:00.037-05:00

OK, OK I know, by the time I actually get round to finishing my posts about our Morocco trip you could have gone there and back yourself! Sorry, life does tend to get in the way of blogging! So anyway, back to the desert.

We both slept like rocks in our Berber camp in the dunes, clearly this environment works for both of us. Dominick, being a goal driven kind of a guy got up at dawn specifically to climb to the top of the highest dune (300 meters) to get some photos of the sunrise.

Me, being a lazy creature, stayed in bed for an extra half an hour! I then got up and walked around the perimeters of the camp, reading the stories left in the sand by visitors during the night, seems there was quite a lot of traffic passing through from tiny beetles to lizards and various mammals that remain a mystery.
Dominick got his sunrise shots.

This has to be one of the most spell-binding places to wake up.

It was a real wrench to even think about leaving.

We ate breakfast in the midst of a sea of sand

And then it was time to climb aboard our trusty camels and set sail again. I think that Dominick would have been quite happy if he never had to sit on a camel again in his life but credit to him he did, in spite of some vicious saddle sores acquired the day before!

He was actually far more comfortable this time because we didn't have the baskets attached to the saddle.

I, of course, was just sitting there grinning like an idiot and wishing that this moment never had to end!

We even began to almost look as if we knew what we were doing, don't worry it is all an illusion and Muhammed was standing close by to grab hold of the lead rope after the photo was taken.

What makes you think I might be enjoying myself? (Told you I was grinning like an idiot!)

If you look carefully at this photo you will see that the camel beside Dominick's left knee does not have a lead rope on. That is Mkhanter, living up to his name again and strolling into the middle of the photo, well he didn't want to get left out and of course he then proceeded to get wonderfully tangled in the rope between Dominick's and my camel! You have got to love this guy, he is such a clown :)

All too soon our wonderful morning ride was over. Brahim and Said had driven out to meet us so we said our goodbyes to Muhammed and his wonderful team. With, inevitably a few more photos.

We got back into the Land Cruiser and set off. One area we drove across was a 40 kilometer stretch of dried lake bed which is part of the Paris Dakar route and is a highlight for all drivers. Those little dots you can see are several vehicles all racing each other.

Well those of you who know me will know that I have a bit of a 'thing' about driving and racing (blame my Dad!) so I was positively salivating at this point.
The distant dot is Brahim (our driver), in the foreground, to the left, is me, working out if I can run faster than him and steal the Cruiser!

However I actually didn't need to steal it. Can you believe this amazing guy actually handed it over graciously! So Brahim if you ever want to sell a couple of camels for a new wife - sign me up! Never let it be said that I'm a push-over, unless you are prepared to hand over your three month old Land Cruiser to me so that I can race it on the Paris Dakar route in the Sahara! In which case, I'm all yours! Who needs diamonds anyway??!!

So after I had stopped squealing like a school girl, we got on our way again.

Sadly we did have to leave the desert behind us but I have sworn, I will be back. This place has definitely captured my imagination and I must spend some more time here one day.

Of course the scenery everywhere in this amazing country never fails to impress.

We were heading for a town called Taznachkt but of course we kept having to stop for photo op's because the land was just so beautiful.

We were going to Taznachkt to have lunch at Said's sisters house. It was a very odd experience for a mouthy, 'in-your-face' western woman to visit someones house, eat delicious food that they have clearly spent a lot of time and effort preparing especially for you and yet never actually get to meet the person. I do try very hard not to pass judgment on other peoples cultures and traditions but being the only other woman in the situation this was a tough one for me. I did manage not to comment though! Dominick did ask after we had left how come we didn't get to meet his sister and thank her for the wonderful lunch and the explanation given was that she was too shy! R-I-G-H-T!!!
After lunch we visited a carpet making co-operative as Dominick had decided he wanted to get a couple of small carpets to give to friends. He was now extremely comfortable in the Moroccan mode of haggling over prices for everything you buy so I left him to drive a hard bargain and waited outside until he was done!

Our destination for the night was Ouarzazate, also known as the Hollywood of Morocco! Just before we reached the outskirts of the city Said explained that we were going to stop to get some gas at a gas station we were approaching. This in itself was quite unusual because throughout our entire trip all refueling and car maintenance had been done at times when we were not around. But as we pulled up to the gas station the mystery was solved, and this time it was Dominick who was squealing like a school girl!

Now this will only have relevance to those of you who are into really nasty horror movies, which I most definitely am not but the gas station was a total fake and had been built specifically to shoot a film called The Hills Have Eyes. Dominick loves horror movies so he was delighted to see this and rushed round taking pictures! Score for Brahim and Said - you've managed to delight both of us with two totally random things, in one day!

We eventually arrived at our riad in Ouarzazate after dark, with the slim new moon riding low in the night sky. Brahim was intrigued to know why I like looking at the moon so much so I explained to him that we see the moon sitting at a totally different angle in America and Europe compared to how you see it in Africa. He was very understanding with the crazy English lady and her moon fixation!
Our riad was a delightful maze of passages and stairways that were guaranteed to confuse but our room was beautiful and felt very opulent after the desert.

Photo Credits - CJT & Dominick V

MOROCCO TRIP - Day Seven - Erg Chigaga

2010-04-11T19:25:00.055-05:00

There are certain rare days in your life that as you are living them you want to remember every sight, sound, smell and sensation for the memory banks, these precious days we hope will last for ever are few and far between but when they happen they are a gift indeed.
We awoke early in the desert and climbed into the dunes next to our camp as the sun was rising. There was a beautiful untouched freshness to everything around us.

The sand readily gave up its secrets of what had passed by during the night with a myriad of different tracks. What small amounts of vegetation there were, were all blooming in soft, delicate shades and catching the morning dew.

Most remarkable of all, I discovered a fungus growing in the desert! I see I have a lot to learn about this extraordinary ecosystem.

We made our way back into camp to find that breakfast was served

And, like the previous night, we had several visitors. This wheatear was collecting fibres from the roof of the dining room, presumably for nesting material.

And the Desert Sparrows would probably have landed on our breakfast table given the opportunity! This is the female

And this the far fancier, male.

During the night our ships had come in - ships of the desert that is.

They were waiting patiently for us to begin our journey.

This is the lead camel who took his job very seriously indeed.

We packed up our few bits and pieces, each camel was equipped with a saddle and two baskets. Our supplies were loaded into the baskets and then we sat on the saddles with our legs in front of the baskets. We all know the rather laborious process of a camel standing up, a three stage process where you are thrown backwards and forwards. Finally we were ready to go.

I was actually quite comfortable and soon settled into a rhythm (all those years of horse riding have to help somewhat!) Unfortunately Dominick was a little less secure, apparently he couldn't get his legs in front of the baskets and so he had to sit with them over the baskets which certainly didn't look very comfortable.

Zaid was our guide for the day and Mohammed was in charge of the camels. They both walked in front leading Dominick's camel.

My camel was attached to the back of Dominick's

And the third member of the team was a young one who just wandered along behind us at his own pace.

My camel was no where near as focused on his work as Dominick's and would wander around on the end of his rope, calling to other camels, going slowly then speeding up and biting Dominick's camel. At one point he had the entire tail of Dominick's camel in his mouth!

Hmmm how did I end up with the naughty camel??!

None the less this is an incredibly peaceful form of travel. The camels huge, soft feet make barely any sound and the gentle rocking motion as they walk is really comfortable. I can totally see why they are called ships of the desert.
I had to keep reminding myself, I am riding a camel in the Sahara Desert! This is so amazing :)
We rode for about three hours and then found a large tamerisk tree to rest under.

Time for a lunch break

As they were the ones doing all the work, I should formally introduce our camels I think. This is Dominick's camel, Hanafi, which means a well known, respected camel. He was a very serious fellow.

This is my camel, Ba3rouri, which means the lazy or naughty one - imagine that!

And this is the baby of the bunch who trundled along behind us, he is called Mkhanter which means the one who plays tricks or jokes! (More on that in a minute!)

So now you have met the camels, time for lunch. Mohammed led the camels away to another area to browse

Whilst Zaid prepared lunch and the essential mint tea and Dominick struck a pose!

After a delicious lunch we all partook in a very peaceful siesta

And then after a couple of hours we were ready to hit the road again. Mohammed gathered up our trusty steeds and brought them back to be saddled up and at this point Mkhanter (living up to his name) decided it would be a good idea to steal a loaf of bread out of one of the baskets!

How could you possibly be angry with him? Instead we sneaked a quick kiss! FYI anything you have heard about camels being nasty, these three sweeties would total dispel that. They were gentle and soft and extremely friendly.

Then we hit the road again and rode for another three hours until we arrived at our camp at Erg Ezzahara (The Screaming Dunes). Said and Brahim were waiting on a dune for us, both looking very cool and relaxed. This is the area they both originate from so they are totally at home in this stunning environment.
I, of course, didn't want my camel ride to end but Ba3rouri wanted everyone to know just what an arduous a day he had had (also living up to his name!) good job he didn't have to carry Dominick, then he would know what tired was!

But we soon made friends :)

Hanafi remained stoic throughout, check out the grimace on Dominick's face! He was hurting far worse than Hanafi at this point!

Dominick hobbled off in great discomfort whilst I hung around with the guys and the camels, trying to learn how to pronounce the camels names properly. I also discovered that Brahim's nickname is Mkhanter! Fair warning we have another joker in the pack!

And nestled in amongst the dunes was our home for the night

Now I am as happy as a pig in 'you know what'. Although as it's a Muslim country I should probably go with a different species of farm creature!

The view from our camp wasn't too shabby either!

That is if you like sand of course!
We watched the sun sink down amongst the dunes

And cast a glorious glow across the sky

As darkness fell the African new moon appeared again and we sat around the fire whilst the guys sang and played drums. It was one of those times when I thought, if I were to die now, I would die totally content. I have just lived through the perfect day, and this spellbinding place truly is my idea of heaven.

Photo Credits - CJT & Dominick V

MOROCCO TRIP - Day Six - Zagora to Erg Chigaga

2010-04-10T11:40:00.043-05:00

We had planned to get up early this morning and enjoy the gardens at our riad but we both slept so deeply I have no idea when we would have woken up if the alarm hadn't gone off. We went to get some breakfast but unfortunately we arrived just after a French group had been there and it was if a plague of locusts had been through - there was nothing left! So we had to wait for a while for the kitchen to rustle up some more food!
We eventually got on the road. Our first port of call is a library in a town called Tamegrout. The library houses about four thousand books dating back to the 11th century, sadly all in a very poor state of repair. It seems that although there is a treasury of religious texts and historical documentation here, the government has no interest in using any money to preserve them so they are quietly crumbling away. Some of them are really beautiful, illuminated in gold leaf and so detailed. I was a little spooked by our elderly guide, when we got to the section on astrology, he turned to me and said 'You are Scorpio, yes?' How the hell did he know that!?? We had barely exchanged a dozen words! Very cool!
Next we went to an original kasbah which would have been built originally to protect families from marauding tribes. It was amazingly dark and oppressive but we could imagine when the desert outside heated up to fifty degrees in the height of summer that the cool, dark passageways would feel pretty good.
On our way again we were once more bombarded with endless breathtaking views, this really is an amazing country.

As we were heading for the Sahara Said and Brahim had donned the appropriate attire, don't they look great? Can you spot the American tourist? Don't worry, we are working on that as you will see later.

We drove into a little town called Tagounite so that Said and Brahim could get something for that nights dinner

You could tell we were heading nearer to the Sahara, everything had the red sandy hue and the Berber blue textiles are the perfect compliment.

After getting the food shopping done we continued on towards M'hamid. Oh yes and there is all that stunning scenery again!

We eventually get to M'hamid which is the last town before we drive out into the desert.

We walked around and got a little taste of desert town life

And (yeah!) I got to make friends with a very sweet little donkey :)

We went to a beautiful riad for lunch and enjoyed some lush green and shade as we were going to be seeing a lot of sand from here on!

Not a bad lunch spot!

Remember I said we were working on transforming the American tourist? Well here he is after Said and Brahim had finished with him! He quite looks the part doesn't he? Apart from the fact that he is about a foot taller than everyone else!
And so, now properly attired we head into the desert.

We drive for about two hours through washes and over dunes, Brahim skillfully negotiating his way and only briefly bogging down once, nothing a little low ratio 4wd couldn't solve.
We eventually arrived at our camp and, joy of joys, there was no one else staying there so we had the place to ourselves. Here is our tent. We ended up christening this our Colonel Qaddafi camp because it was so luxurious!

For example, here is the 'wash basin' in our bathroom! Oh yes I could definitely get used to 'roughing it' like this in the desert :)

We had divided up our luggage so that we each had a small bag to carry on the camels tomorrow. Everything else stayed with the vehicle and I must admit it was a slightly odd feeling watching Said and Brahim drive away into the distance with everything else in the vehicle, assuring us that they would be waiting for us at the end of our camel trek! But also extremely liberating.
We checked out our tent, gathered up our camera equipment and headed into the dunes to catch the colours as the sun set.

From our elevated spot we could see for miles and in the distance a seasonal river was flowing. As we watched a large herd of camels came into view, does it get any better than this?

The sand is incredibly fine, more like powdered sugar than sand and it really does have that legendary red Sahara hue.

And the American Berber was right at home! Doing the whole Laurence of Arabia thing :)

As darkness fell we headed back to camp for dinner. Here is our dining tent. The guys had built a little fire for us and were cooking the meat that Said and Brahim had bought earlier in the day.

After dinner we sat on a blanket outside by the fire with the African new moon lying on her back in the inky night sky, but we were not alone. This beautiful big dung beetle decided to fly in and join us. I, of course, was delighted. Dominick, not so much!

However our next visitor had him leaping to his feet uttering some choice expletives! I don't know who was more startled, Dominick or the spider. After dire threats of what I would do to him if he carried out his threat of squashing the spider I settled down to a game of chase to try and get a decent photo. Not bad considering how fast the thing was motoring!

After that little interruption we decided it was time to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day in the saddle.

Photo Credits - CJT & Dominick V