A Look Back on 2010

Sunrise
November at Green Lake, WI

I must say, this year went by so fast! I can't remember every event that has happened throughout this year, but the one that really stuck out to me was the bp oil spill. It was the only time this past year that I was truly angry. How the government and the company handled the situation was terrible, the economy and the ecosystems of the Gulf Coast were devastated, and locals felt like nobody cared about them as the weeks went by. Despite how the situation was handled, I did forgive them once they plugged the hole (with a crappy design) and I have moved on. Hopefully, the wetlands of the Gulf Coast will recover from this ordeal. Also, 2010 was the 2nd warmest the planet has ever been since we started to keep records (as I'm currently writing this, the temperature for my town of Lombard, IL it is currently 51 degrees outside. But it's for one day only and then winter will return). A very warm spring jumpstarted many spring wildflowers to blooming a few weeks ahead of schedule, and a hot and wet summer made working outside difficult for me. Hopefully we'll get a break this coming year.
As for me, I did quite the bit of traveling. I went to North Carolina in March, Texas in June, and Washington state in August. In between I did my excursions throughout my homestate of Illinois and Wisconsin. So many cool birds and unique plant life were abound in these regions but I can write a book on everything I saw. I also worked at the Morton Arboretum for the summer. This living tree museum has many gardens within the park and I had to tend them for my internship. I had an awesome bird feeder setup in my college town of Platteville, WI, and I'll never forget all the birds that visited it during my last semester as a sophomore.
As for my hike with God, It was better then previous years. Sure I went through time of growth and dormancy like a tree through the seasons, but He is always there waiting for you to talk to Him and He will guide you through the good times and the bad times. What I love about God is that He will never change. Years come and go with their events, but God has stood through all of these and still has His love, judgement, and His gift to the earth. I pray that I can read His word more often and understand what He wants for me in 2011. he has shown me so many great things and has provided for me throughout the year, and I can't wait to see what He has in store for 2011!
I do want to thank my Platteville family for being there and being awesome friends, my friends at home, and my wonderful girlfriend. Thank you for making 2010 a great year!
Here are some of my favorite photos from 2010:

Bur Oak at the Morton Arboretum
January in Lisle, IL

Milkweed pods with frost
January in Platteville, WI

Beaver Damage
January in Platteville, WI

Highbush Cranberry Viburnum with frost
January in Platteville, WI

Downy Woodpecker
January in Platteville, WI

American Goldfinches
January in Platteville, WI

Glaucous Gull
February in Winthrop Harbor, IL

American Hazelnut flowers
March in Lombard, IL

Sunrise
March in Pisgah Forest, North Carolina

Eastern Fence Lizard
March in Pisgah Forest, North Carolina

Sharp-lobed Hepatica
March in Platteville, WI

White-throated Sparrow
April in Platteville, WI

Bloodroot
April in Platteville, WI

Bellwort
April in Belmont, WI

Jack-in-the-pulpit
April in Belmont, WI

Striped Coralroot Orchid at Cedar Campus
May near Cedarville, MI

Indian Paintbrush at Cedar Campus
May near Cedarville, MI
 

Black-footed Albatross
August 20 miles off the coast of Westport, WA

Sunset and Sooty Shearwaters
August in Westport, WA

American Chestnut leaves
September in Platteville, WI

 

                                                                                                         

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

Everyone you can think of anticipates this time of the year. Commercials and other forms of advertisement brainwash our minds on what to get our loved ones as gifts, and you become part of a rat race that sweeps malls and stores across the nation  like a devouring swarm of locusts... oh Christmastime.

White-breasted Nuthatch

Going out and shopping like this isn't bad at all. We get an extra boost to our economy (because we so desperately need it!), we actually have to be creative on what we get our friends and family... or just get them the new iphone to "Keep up with the Jones's," and you try to make someone happy with what you put your though into... or be lazy and get them a gift card (which there's nothing wrong with). Over the years, the commercialism of Christmas has become a huge deal in the United States and around the world. Companies plan on when to release some of their products for the holidays, and they advertise them with holiday jingles earlier and earlier each year. In fact, they make it seem like that Thanksgiving isn't a big deal! It scares me sometimes. However, there is one Christmas gift that you can give someone. It doesn't cost anything and it keeps giving for the rest of your life. Plus, it's the root word in Christmas.

Long ago (not in a galaxy far far away), God sent His son, Jesus Christ to earth. He didn't come dressed elegantly or power hungry for the latest and greatest, but came in the most humble way: a baby. He also was born in pretty much a dumpy place to house domestic animals, not a castle or palace. Yet, He would grow up with the people around him and teach those how to love their fellow brother and sister. In fact, He loves us so much that he gave his life for us. We are destined for eternity in Hell because of our sinful nature. But, Jesus saved all of humanity through His blood. All we have to do is know that He did this for us and accept Him as our Savior. Through this, He changes our hearts when we follow him so that we can love those around us... I guess you can say it's a gift that keeps on giving.

If you know someone you really care about who needs this gift more then any material thing, share them the real Christmas story and the real true meaning of Christmas. Because one day, we will lose all our possessions of earth, and what will you have then?

On that note, I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and safe travels to y'all!

American Bittersweet

Praise

Savannah Sparrow near Bemidji, MN

Whenever I observe a bird singing in the springtime, I'm always amazed at how he gives it everything he has. Feathers ruffled, bill pointed to the sky, and a loud song explodes from those small lungs of his. Sure, birdsong is mostly about finding a date and telling nearby males about his home turf, but God has shown me a lesson that I though I'd never learn through a songbird (Love how He does that by the way).
Song and worship has become one thing I enjoy in my christian hike. I never use to sing that much on a Sunday morning or even at all. But then I realized what He has done for me. Jesus Christ lived a perfect, sinless life, and He paid the ultimate penalty of sin through death so that all of humanity has the chance to be free from the slavery of sin. Plus, He will never give up on you, never judge you, bring you great blessings, fight battles with you, and He actually wants to hang out with you too. So, when you think about all of what He has done for you, way more then what we deserve, How do I react? I sing my heart out like a bird chanting in the spring, giving it all I have to exalt the King of kings! And, I'm joined with all of creation, including those little birds who praise their Creator.
So, I challenge you the next time you are in worship, think about that bird in your yard who sings loud to wake you up at 3am. If he can praise the Creator of the universe with all of his little heart, then why not try it yourself? Remember, if you have a relationship with Jesus Christ, your chains have be broken! Exalt Him like a bird would.

Verse of the day: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life i now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." - Galatians 2:20

Why do Leaves Change Colors in the Fall?

Fall color at Devil's Lake State Park

I went on a hike at Devil's Lake State Park the other day as a stress reliever, but I also knew that it was the peak time for fall colors in central Wisconsin... and boy was there a colorful palette across the Baraboo hills! It was one of the most beautiful drives and hike I've ever taken. Many of you probably wonder driving by on a autumn day why would trees change such striking colors? Amazingly, scientists still cannot fully answer that question, but some of the factors have to do with weather throughout the growing season and day length.

Red Maple leaves

As you know, nearly all plants contain the pigment Chlorophyll. This is what makes the leafs green and helps the plant take in energy from the sun to aid in photosynthesis which is how the plant makes food (with the added components of water and oxygen in the equation too). with the coming of fall, the length if nights becomes longer, and this triggers a biochemical change within the leaves. This is a sign for the tree to seize photosynthesis, stop producing and destroys the Chlorophyll in the leaves. As a result, other pigments in the leaves are revealed like Anthocyanin (gives the leaves a deep red color) and Carotenoids (gives the orange and yellow colors). After that, the tree goes through senescence or detaching of the petiole (leaf stalk) from the node.
Weather also plays a role. The key ingredient is warm, sunny days and crisp, but not freezing nights. This mixture specifically produces the striking reds in leaves. Also, intense colors also need a warm spring, normal summer, and adequate moisture throughout the growing season. This year, Wisconsin had a warm spring, wet and warm summer, and cool nights in the fall... the perfect combination for fall colors! And now you've learned something today.

Smooth Sumac leaflets

What's astonishes me is that the tree knows. Think about it, here is an organism that has no brain or central nervous system, and yet it goes through this whole thing because it "knows" that winter is coming... this is a plant folks. It's events like this that made me realize that everything didn't happen by chance or accident. Something to think about when you're zoning out at class or work. Anyway, you can now enjoy the fall colors even more this autumn!

Verse of the day: "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." - Proverbs 4:23

Witch Hazel: The Procrastinating Shrub

Witch Hazel flowers

With the arrival of October, plants are preparing for the long winter ahead. Shades of reds, oranges, yellows, and browns color the landscape with plants going through senescence, and vivid and unique fruits are dispersed through every way in the book. Yet, the crisp air and shortening days triggers one shrub to flower? Yes I said that, even later then the goldenrods and asters.
The Common Witch Hazel, or Hamamelis virginiana, is a understory shrub or small tree found in rich forests east of the Mississippi. It is also a procrastinator, unfurling it's ribbon-like yellow petals after the first frost, and can continue blooming even into December! But why would a shrub want to bloom at a time when pollinators are dying out or going dormant for the season?
Ironically, there are still small flies, midges, and gnats out flying around in search of food. So by making itself the only food source out there for that time of the year, the flowers are bound to get pollinated. Witch Hazel has a few tricks up it's sleeve for dealing with the cold. The flowers are only active during a warm spell when insects wake up and attracts them using a strong fragrance for the few buzzing around. Once pollination is complete, the fruit doesn't develop until the following spring. Pretty nifty huh?
The hard capsules ripen throughout the spring and summer. Once they are ripen in the fall, the pressure from the capsules opening shoots the seeds out as much as 30 feet! This is a good trick in the plant world because the "mother plant" doesn't want competition from it's children. Extract from the bark and leaves are used as lotions, hemorrhoid treatment, and treatment for acne. The name was from the fact that the branches were  supposedly the best for "witching" or dowsing, a trick used to find ground water.
I'm a student in horticulture, so trust me on this one. This is a great landscaping shrub for your yard. It adds interesting yellow flowers late in the season, and has great fall color. It likes shade to part sun, but if you want a lot of flowers, full sun is recommended. The only downside is that, because it's a woodland plant, it will get sunburned. This is shown through browning leaf edges and discoloration of the leaves. Otherwise, this procrastinator is one of my favorite shrubs for the home garden.

Verse of the day: "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" Romans 5:8. It's never too late to know Christ as your personal savior, just like it's never too late for the Witch Hazel to bloom in the coming winter.

Complete Metamorphosis

Monarch Butterfly

Here's probably one of the best magic tricks in nature. Okay, we're going to take a plump caterpillar, let it melt in it's own skin, and have it come out as a beautiful butterfly!... I guess I need to explain it.
Butterflies, as well as moths, flies, bees, wasps, ants, and beetles go through this process called complete metamorphosis. This is where the larvae look completely different then their parents and go through a pupa stage to transform into their adult form. Let's take the example of the butterfly. After the caterpillar hatches from it's egg, it becomes an eating machine consuming it's own body weight in plant material each day... That's like me eating 580 quarter pounders each day! Anyway, as it matures into it's final stage during it's life as a caterpillar, it begins to find a good place to hold itself to a leaf or stem and throws it's skin over it's body. This form's a chrysalis (in the other insects, it'll be a pupae). Now, here's where it gets crazy. The caterpillar melts, yes melts, inside of the chrysalis into a soup. Then, all of the parts of the adult butterfly begin to form and assemble together, and after all the tissues, organs, wings, legs are in place, the end result is a butterfly. That's quite the magic trick right?
As a christian, we've all gone through a complete metamorphosis, but we don't turn into a soup during the process. You could have a past that is just downright ugly or a heart just heavy from events in your life. However, once you allow Jesus to enter your heart, He will transform you. You old heart just melts down and turns into something beautiful, and you change completely. Like a caterpillar, you transform from the inside out. Who would've thought you could learn something from an insect.

Verse of the day: "But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31

A Bird's Funeral

A little ceremony for a Common Yellowthroat

I talked about being a volunteer for a bird collision organization in my previous post, but I did forget to answer one question: How can I relate that to my christian walk?

There was one verse that stuck to me on one of my readings. "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father" Matthew 10:29 (ESV). During the age of the Roman Empire when this was written, a sparrow was pretty much worthless in the eyes of a human being. However, the second part of this verse says that our huge and powerful God cares about His creation so much that He even has time to attend the funeral of a songbird. I think this is pretty cool! So if He cares for such a small event such as the death of a sparrow, think about how much He cares about you! Yes you, the reader of this blog! Think about that for a while.
Anyway, during those mornings when I collect the bird casualties that died from a window collision or rescuing the ones recovering at the base of a building, I know that I am right there with my Father paying my respects for a victim or feeling the heartbeat of a bird alive in my hand.
It's a short post, but I think it gets the point across.

The Bittersweet Mornings of a Bird Collision Monitor

Blackpoll Warbler

Imagine yourself as that Blackpoll Warbler pictured to the left. You were born and raised in the treeline (where forest meets tundra) of northern Canada. No civilization around you for miles, and you enjoyed your days of basically learning about being a Blackpoll Warbler (I'm guessing that's a first year bird in that picture, as the adults do acquire this nonbreeding plumage too). The days grow shorter and you begin to feel this instinct to fly south. Luckily, you have this built-in GPS system in your mind, which is great because this is your first time on this journey and you have no idea where you're going. Knowing about your long journey, you fatten yourself up, doubling your body weight with insects. Now that you're fuel gauge is on full, you wait until the sun dips below the horizon to begin your migration. On your way south, you read the stars, the timing of sunrise and sunset, and even follow the magnetic field of the earth with your innate compass to know that you are going the right direction. In fact, your fuel supply of fat allows you to fly as much as 300 miles in a single night! You feel good about yourself, until one night you come across a foreign landscape. It's looks like the starry sky above you laden with lights, but there are towers everywhere. Lights are reflecting in every direction, and you soon become disoriented. You try to escape and see a tree to land in... but it was only a reflection off a window, and before you know it, you're on the ground with the worst headache ever. But, you were lucky enough to be alive.

Window collisions are the #1 killer of migrating birds in the United States. Millions of birds lose their lives trying to navigate through cities. However, there are many who manage to survive a collision, but they are then vulnerable to many dangers. Hungry gulls and crows, even rats, take the opportunity of an injured bird for an easy meal. Cars, bikes, and people might crush them, vacuums and street sweepers will suck them up, and they can get trapped in doors and alleys. There is hope for these travelers, and this is where I come in the picture.

Wood Thrush

I get up early, usually two hours before sunrise so that I have enough time to get to Chicago before hungry gulls and crows wake up. I'm equipped with a net and a backpack containing paper bags, paper clips, Ziploc bags, a sharpie, tissues, a flashlight, and gloves to wear for a bat or bird of prey. If I come across a live bird, I try to sneak up on it so it doesn't fly away. Many birds just recover from a bang in the head and are not injured, so I have to chase them down until I pin them against a building with the net. Others are still dizzy and I can easily grab them. I then take out a bag and record the date, time, the address of the building, what side of the building I found the bird, my initials, and the bird species. I then place the bird in the paper bag with either a tissue or napkin on the bottom so it can grip to something, and close the top with a paper clip. If I come across a dead bird, I record the same info and put the body in a Ziploc bag. All this information is recorded to help buildings to become more bird friendly, while the dead birds are used at the Field Museum for research. Because of all this, Chicago was the first city to start out a "Light's Out" program in which some buildings turn off their lights during the spring and fall to help birds safely navigate the city. Collisions have decreased since this program was started. This past weekend of September 25-26th, 2010, I rescued 25 birds, 21 of which were on Sunday. These included a Wood Thrush, Virginia Rail, Eastern Wood-pewee, Lincoln's Sparrow, Blackpoll Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Red-breasted Nuthatch, 3 Golden-crowned Kinglets, and many White-throated Sparrows and Brown Creepers. I also had roughly the same number of dead birds too. It has been my busiest weekend of bird collision monitoring so far.

Golden-crowned Kinglet

So why do I do this? Well, back to you being that Blackpoll Warbler. You would now be able to head to the Atlantic coast to refuel for another crazy journey ahead of you that only Blackpoll Warblers do. Get this, you'll have to go on a 48 hour nonstop flight from New Jersey to South America... that's a bird that weighs 25 grams flying 3,000 miles over the ocean for 2 days! Holy crap that's amazing! A total of 5,000 miles for a bird that fits in the palm of your hand, and that's only a one way flight... Once spring comes, that bird has to come back ( I don't think I even put 10,000 miles on my jeep in a year). The Wood Thrush and the Wood-pewee have to fly 18 hours over the Gulf of Mexico to the tropics. And the other birds are heading to the southern United States for their vacation. I rescued them so that they may be able to complete these amazing journeys. I wish them the best of luck on their long journey, and I hope to see them again. Only this time, I want to see them singing their hearts out in the trees and not at a base of a building.

Verse of the day: "Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" Matthew 6:26 (ESV)

Brown Creeper

White-throated Sparrow

Lincoln's Sparrow

Dead Northern Flicker

The Prodigal Son

Sunrise in the mountains of North Carolina

On Saturday night, I went to Greg Laurie's Chicago Harvest crusade in, well, Chicago. It was a great night of worship and just hearing about the Gospel all over to reassure my faith in Christ! He also shared my favorite parable (story) that Jesus told: The Prodigal Son.
For those of you what are not familiar with Luke 15: 11-32, it's about a father with two sons. He divides his estate to both of his sons. The younger one runs off with his share and goes onto the party life. Gambles, spends his money on fancy items, gets drunk, sleeps with prostitutes, does drugs, and the rest of the whole shebang. Meanwhile, the other son helps his father at home. A drought strikes the land and the younger son has absolutely nothing to get him through it. He decides to go home, but he feels so ashamed about the life that he chose to live because he knew that would offend greatly. How will he react to me? What do I tell him? Will he still love me?... When he gets home, his father runs out to him, and before the son can say he's sorry, His father gives him a hug and kisses him and was so happy that he came home and threw him a big dinner party.
So, what was the meaning of this? We are the prodigal sons (or daughters for women). Our sinful nature has made us run way from God for a "better" life in the eyes of the world. Yet, we are scared to come back to God and admit to our wrong doings because many of us feel that He will punish us. Folks, God loves us! In fact, He loves us so much that He sent His Son to pay the ultimate price and die for the sins of all mankind! So why would He punish you? He wants you to come back to Him, and He will embrace you with open arms when you come back home!
Listen, there was a time in my life where I was a prodigal son. I was growing in my faith during my latter years of high school, but when I went to college, that all changed. I was in the party situation my freshman year and I screwed up bad. February came when I was at a huge low point in life because I did stupid things, and I thought that I ruined my whole christian hike forever... Guess what, God knows we will screw up in life. So I repented my sins that I did and I asked Him to fill my life again! Well, to put in my terms, a tree will break and fall over during a bad storm. However, it reacts to the disaster by shooting up sprouts that grow even faster then it's previous growth. I had a bad storm hit my tree, but it resprouted quickly once it saw the light again.
Let's be honest, we've all screw up at a point in out lives right? We all are tempted to the "party" life and think it's way better for us. In the end of all that, we still feel empty and realize who've we hurt: Our Father. But remember, he's waiting for us with open arms and a great feast! I came home, and I'll never regret that. Have you come home yet?

If you ever want to come home, I'll be more then happy to give you directions.

The Autumn Equinox

Sugar Maple in fall color

Thursday was the official beginning of autumn! It is a time when nature prepares for the long and depending where you live, cold winter ahead. About 3/4 of the birds in North America migrate south to climates that have their needed food sources, and many of them travel hundreds of miles to get to their destination. If you're a birder like me, fall is one of the best times to see lots of bird species as they take a breather in a local park or backyard, fattening up on insects, fruit, and seeds to build up their fat reserves for their long journey ahead.
For insects, they try to live out their final days. Many adults die at the first frost, but some will produce an antifreeze in their body and will hibernate for the winter. Bees, wasps, ants, some butterflies, and other insect species apply this trick in their lives. Most insects are in the form of eggs. Adults lay their final brood so that the nymphs and larvae will hatch in the spring when food is abundant. Some, like many butterflies and moths, go into a pupa stage during the winter. When spring arrives, they will arrive as adults into the world.
Many plants put on a spectacular show in autumn. Cooling air chemically reacts with chlorophyll in the leaves of deciduous trees, and this accounts for their array of colors in the fall. Dropping your leaves is a way to reduce water loss in the winter time, which is hard for broad thin leaves. Plants also produce an abundance of fruit in the fall. Once the seeds are spread, they will remain dormant in the soil until the warmth of spring triggers them to grow.
For us, well, this is when we go outside to enjoy all of the fall events happening! Whether it's fall colors, apple cider, corn mazes (or a corn "maize"), pumpkin patches, fall migration of birds, hunting, football... whatever makes you happy, go out and enjoy it! But please, don't stay curled up on the couch all day because it's only here for a limited time only. Otherwise, you''ll have to wait until next year!
Verse of the day:
"So that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it." Isaiah 41:20

Imagine

Snowy Egret

I've been on this earth for 20 years now, and there's one thing I never get tired of: Nature's beauty. Whether it's the eternal flute-like song of a Hermit Thrush echoing through the mountains, carpets of wildflowers on the forest floor in May, a massive thunderstorm that cries with crackling thunder, or something as humble as delicate moss on a rock, they are all truly pieces of beautiful artwork made by an amazing designer. However, what I have realized is that creation isn't at it's full potential. It is under a curse.
At a church service a couple weeks ago, the pastor really explained a verse that I read about last year. "For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now" Romans 8:22 (ESV). When sin entered the world, all of creation was cursed and not just human beings. The world is in the pains of childbirth, and all plants, animals, rocks, clouds, whatever God made is groaning and awaiting the return of the King.
So, what does this have to do with what I said in the beginning? Well, many of us can agree that the nature around us is beautiful, but can you imagine how vibrant the colors of birds would be in heaven? Or massive trees in autumn leaves? A meadow blushing with wildflowers? Even all of the insects? Or the songs of birds? I'm not saying that they are going to heaven because they don't have souls to save them, but God is preparing a place for His children heaven as we speak, and I'm sure He will have His artwork. It would be His creation before the fall. I can't even describe or imagine how beautiful the woods will be when I birdwatch with Jesus in the best place ever! So next time you see that bird singing on a branch, think about that same bird after Christ has returned to earth, and how awesome it's song will be praising it's Creator forever.

A Servant for Christ

Silver-spotted Skipper

For the past week, I've been reading through the Book of James and trying to get the deeper meaning from it. James was very confusing when I first read it because it seems like he was contradicting many of the teachings that Paul wrote earlier. One verse that caught my eye was James 2: 14-16, " What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says " Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." (ESV). When I first saw this, it confused me because it contradicts what Paul says in Ephesians 2: 8-9 ( For by grace you have been saved through faith... not as a result of works). However, this is a different kind of works that is a result of Jesus entering your heart. Once a Christian, you  have this feeling of wanting to do works for God's glory and not works to save your soul (because those works, no matter how many you do in you life, will never get you to heaven. Only the free gift of Jesus will allow you to see Him one day).
Being a servant for Christ doesn't have to be extreme as in doing missions work overseas. Something giving back to the community or volunteering is great too! Me, I try to give up time to hang out with new freshman within my campus community or help them by providing rides to church or Wal-mart. At home, I try to go to a PADS program at a local church to set up beds and hand out food to the homeless. I also volunteer to help God's creation through restoring native ecosystems with Citizens for Conservation or helping injured migrating birds with Chicago Bird Collision Monitors. Some of my Christian friends up here in Platteville go to the senior home to hang with and love seniors who don't have family anymore or their family doesn't see them anymore. My mom volunteers at a thrift store in Naperville once a week. What we all have in common is that we give up our time in our busy lives to humble ourselves and serve our Savior! Not for our own prideful self to make us look good to the world.  I do these things so that people may see God in my soul. Matthew 5: 16 says it perfectly, " In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your goods works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

If you are wondering, I do take the pictures that I put up on my blog

My First Pelagic Trip

Black-footed Albatross

I need to tell people about this because it was amazing! Even though I'm talking about it a month later (oops better late than never). If you didn't hear about it from me already, I went to Washington state on my final weekend of summer, and my main focus was my first pelagic trip! Now, some of you are thinking "What is that?" For a birder, a pelagic trip is a rare opportunity to find seabirds that spend most of their lives traveling the open ocean in search of food. They know to follow boats and ships because the refuse and discarded bait and/or catch is an easy meal for such a lone traveler, and this allowed for some close ups of amazing birds! Not to mention the whales, sea lions, and other marine life that you may see. Now I can write a whole novel on my trip if I wanted to, but I wouldn't want to bore y'all, so I'll try to simplify it as best as I can.

Pink-footed Shearwater

I was at the boat at 5am before the sun rose, and the seas were rough on the way out with good 10 foot waves. This shallow water area was a haven for hundreds of Common Murres and Pigeon Guillemots (relatives of puffins), Sooty Shearwaters, Heermann's Gulls, and Brown Pelicans. We also passed huge Oceanic Sunfish (google it!) sunning themselves on the surface before diving into the depths to feast on jellyfish. We then started to get into deep water species, the real oceanic birds, about 15 miles out into the Pacific. Pink-footed Shearwaters began to outnumber the Sooties, and Northern Fulmars were more abundant then the gulls following the boat. We even saw several Flesh-footed Shearwaters which were a rare treat for all of us on the boat. Shearwaters and Fulmars belong to a family of birds called Tubenoses. Their nostrils make a funnel at the base of the bill and helps them smell out a potential meal from miles away, a nifty adaptation for life in the open sea (this is a rare gift because most birds lack a sense of smell). Then I saw my personal favorite of the trip, the Black-footed Albatrosses! Large seabirds with a wingspan up to 9 feet, they are an endangered species that breed on the islands of Hawaii and spend years out in the ocean. There were many long distance travelers from opposite ends of the earth. The Shearwaters breed in New Zealand and other islands of the southern oceans, and the Fulmars probably bred on islands off western Canada and Alaska. Other long distant travelers I saw were South Polar Skuas spending their Antarctic winter in our summer while Sabines Gulls, Arctic Terns, Long-tailed and Pomarine Jagears, and Red-necked Phalaropes flying south to avoid our winter. And my Father made them to navigate thousands of miles of ocean... just amazes me! There were also pods of Pacific White-sided and Right Whale-dolphins that followed our boat, and to see them out in the wild and behind a tank at SeaWorld was awesome! We reached our point 35 miles out at sea to chum for birds. Here, small Fork-tailed Storm Petrels darted around like swallows (they're roughly the same size too). On the way back, we encountered several Humpback Whales. They were truly behemoths! One of them breached for all of us, and the sight of a giant animal lifting it's body out of the water and crashing back into the waves made my adrenaline run! We finally were back in port where I was greeted by pelicans, gulls, and cormorants. It was truly an experience I will never forget!

Humpback Whale

I'm sure I'll tell you more details in person, but if you ever want to see marine life and amazing seabirds, book a pelagic trip, and don't be afraid of seasickness (hint: move with the boat not against it). I guarantee you'd never regret it!

Verse of the day: " But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way; and the LORD laid on him the iniquity of it all." Isaiah 53: 5-6 (ESV)

More of my pics

Northern Fulmar (dark morph)

Pigeon Guillemots 

Right Whale-dolphins

Northern Fulmar (light morph)

Black-footed Albatross

Sabine's Gull