Note to Self #2, I'll get there.
Before I get to the birding I want to share a story with a very important
moral.
A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away I was a skier. It was Sunday
something in February 1979, I had just returned a couple of days earlier from a
2 1/2 month mainly business trip to Korea via Alaska and Japan. Then at
Christmas from Korea to Japan to Australia where I spent 3 weeks in Brisbane then back to
Korea via Darwin where Quantas went on strike, then several hours later to a
night stop in Singapore. Next day back to Korea via Taiwan and another night
stop. After another several weeks in a Hyundai factory making tanks I returned
home via a few days in Japan, Alaska and finally home. In all that time, in
several countries, eating all sorts of weird and wonderful food I not once had
a #2 problem, not once. I was always working away somewhere and still living
with my parents. I was desperate to go skiing and after a marvelous Sunday
lunch of Roast Pork, Apple Sauce, Thyme and Parsley Stuffing, Roast Potatoes,
and Brussel Sprouts I headed up to Aviemore in Scotland for a weeks skiing.
With me so far? My journey was up the Western side of England on the M6
motorway to the Scottish border. In those dim and distant days the A74 road
towards Glasgow was about 100 miles of single carriagway road mostly through small
villages and small towns. It being a Sunday evening everywhere was
closed. I was a good way along this road in the hills and moorlands leading to
civilization when I felt a stirring in my nether regions. Ok I thought there’s
a large 24hour service station just outside Glasgow, I’ll stop there I
thought. This road is desolate, there’s sheep and that’s about it. So I’m 50
odd miles from the nearest rest stop and the stirring in my nether regions
became much more urgent. I was most definitely not going to stop by the side
of the road as it was now dark, wet and cold and I didn't want to get molested by a
sheep or horny ram while I was indisposed. I increased speed….a lot. Finally I
reached the start of the motorway towards Glasgow, a sign saying Motorway
Services x miles was a huge relief in a way, I clenched my nether cheeks even tighter. I screeched into the services like a bat out of hell, rushed
to the bog, I just sat down, relaxed and voided. I think it must have been the
highest pan splatter factor of all time, Biblical in fact, ( if I have to explain it, you don’t
wanna know). After that I was fine. Where am I going with this lavatorial saga
you might ask, but wait, there’s more.
So, this Sunday evening I cooked a nice joint of Beef and had a Sunday dinner,
Kelly doesn’t like Brussel Sprouts so I had a half opened packet to myself,
quite a lot actually. I like Brussel Sprouts. Ok. Monday morning 5AM,
load the car in the snow flurries and off to New Jersey. On to the
Interstate towards Philadelphia, once you get past Valley Forge there’s isn’t
another services in the North of Philly. Once you turn off the Interstate onto
the New Jersey roads there’s usually plenty of places to stop and go if you
know what I mean. I needed to go, badly. I had gone before I left but I needed
to go, again, urgently. Unusually my route was lacking in McDonalds or filling
stations or anywhere with a Rest Room. The need to go became much more urgent.
#1 and in particular #2. Oh crap. I saw lights ahead, it was a WaWa Market
(WaWa is a chain of filling stations, it’s an Indian name for flying geese). I
pulled in and thought it’s a bit small for a WaWa. I looked around and finally
asked. No they didn’t have a rest room. Okay, walking cross legged out the
door, gritting my teeth. A few miles up the road another huge new WaWa, fuck
me! It was under construction. This was 1979 Deja Vu all over again but 3500
miles West. Eventually I came across a fully fledged WaWa with a fully
functional rest room. Why are they called Rest Rooms? Needless to say I was
most relieved in many ways when I left. Not quite as high a score with the Pan Splatter Factor but impressive.
The moral of this early morning rambling is Don’t eat Brussel Sprouts before
a long car journey.
Now on to the pictures from yesterday, there's a lot of them.
 |
female Bufflehead
didn't see a male |
 |
| Common Loon |
 |
| Common Loon |
 |
| Common Loon |
 |
Harlequin Duck
The light was all wrong but I couldn't get to the other side of him. |
 |
| Harlequin Duck |
 |
| Long-tailed Duck |
 |
| female Long-tailed Duck |
 |
Hooded Merganser
at Brigantine |
 |
| Herring Gull |
 |
| Herring Gull |
 |
| Long-tailed Ducks |
 |
| Long-tailed Duck |
 |
| Long-tailed Ducks |
 |
Distant Northern Harrier
at Brigantine |
 |
Pintail
at Brigantine |
 |
Ring-necked Duck
at Brigantine |
 |
Ring-necked Duck
at Brigantine |
 |
Ruddy Turnstones
sheltering from the Arctic icy blast. |
