Road trips are lots of fun, with a weekend off for some birding. But this upcoming weekend has already been stressful for a few months, now. I’m asking for your prayers. The destructive personality I mentioned in a previous posting (“And Yet I’m Writing”, I think) continues to make things miserable for lots of good people. But it will be over Sunday.
God, you know what we need, and I trust you for it. Prevail among us, please.
Spooky, huh? …like some aquatic version of the Grim Reaper.
It’s called “paddle-boarding”. I first became aware of it when I visited Ocracoke last October because the Surf Shop had the equipment on display. It involves a massive surf board, longer and wider than even the old longboards of classic surfing fame. And there’s a paddle, an extra long single-bladed version with a T-grip handle. This guy, in the 40-degree weather of Folly Beach, was the first person I have seen actually doing it. He used a kayak paddle (double-bladed) that was too short and too flexible, but he seemed to know what he was doing — I never saw him lose balance.
So, who’s going to try it?
This inadequate photo is as close as the camera could get to the Vermilion Flycatcher that Lex and I located where it has been for the past few weeks. Our spotting scopes gave us sharp views of all the details, though. A man tending cows laughed at the ongoing attention such a tiny bird could elicit, telling us he had made soup out of it. He was friendly, with an authentic curling Charleston accent, not haughtied-up by pride in his own sound, as many seem to be. We answered his questions and gave him a brilliant view of the bird in my Celestron C5, his first view of it. He thought he recognized me, but nothing stuck when we exchanged names.
It’s been a long time since I had a new species in South Carolina. Another new one was in the same area but on private property and not accessable today. Hopefully it will stay put until my schedule and the home-owners’ schedule coincide.
