thanks

CHINA!

 Police segway in Jackson Michigan. A little over $5,000.

 Golf?

 Luggage.

I need one with a seat or something to lean against. I want to be a segway dealer…

 One of the first birds I saw the first time I visited Point Pelee National Park was a black-throated blue warbler. I was amazed and awed. Conservationists have recently made a profound discovery while obseving these birds as they nest. Males of this species sing, not only during courtship and nestbuilding, they sing throughout the summer as well duing the time they are raising their young. Single males who are not paired with females stop singing after failing to get a female. However, these males spend the rest of the summer observing what successful pairs have done right. A conservationist decided to play courting songs of these birds in areas that had poorer habitat choices. The next year several pairs nested in that area. The amazing conclusion was that these warblers, and perhaps many other species, choose nesting sites, not based on habitat selection, but on the approval of site choice by other pairs who have raised young there. Good sites in habitat did not necessarily yield observations of nesting. Only those sites which had had singing pairs before. Most incredible!

Located only one hour from the Windsor/Detroit border, near Leamington, POINT PELEE NATIONAL PARK has more rare and endangered plants and animals than anywhere in Canada, thus making it the most popular park in Canada’s National Parks System. It is a nature lover’s paradise with over 700 species of plant life and is renowned as the finest place in North America for birdwatching. There are 22.5 km of sand and pebble beaches, a mile long boardwalk and nature trails.

 I have camped at Pte. Pelee many many times, before moving to the East. This is where I learned the bulk of my repertoire of songbirds. Point Pelee is the southernmost tip of Canada, and about 40 miles southeast of Windsor, Ontario and Detroit.

ADDED: [Pte. Pelee is the southernmost tip of Canada. The very long narrow point of this peninsula, the non-vegetated sandy part, has encountered some significant problems in recent years. Even during the years I visited the park point could be vastly different from year to year. Often the sandy point after a nasty winter had eroded to almost nothing, only to be reincarnated a year or two later. During most years of my visits, a line of birders would stretch across the sand a few hundred meters from the tip to watch for unsual shorebirds. Many were almost always seen. This line of birders, for the most part, would include people with telescopes and spotting scopes. Only high powered binoculars were strong enough to recognize species from such a distance. Observers nearly always were more than willing to share their finds, however. Over many of the decades of the 20th century, sand excavating took place offshore in areas near the park. The result today is that the sandy long point is probably a sad relic of the past. The tip has receeded even into the vegetated areas. I have not visited this park since my relocation to the east coast. I am sure it would look vastly different to me now.

Point Pelee National Park is a really great place for an interested but inexperienced birder to visit. There are thousands of users from late april to mid/late may of all levels of experience with birding. Always people are willing to help spot and identify migrating birds. The whole peninsula juts into Lake Eire from  the Canadian side. Slightly visible when looking across the lake from the park is the large Pelle Island in the miidle of the lake. The park is directly across from Sandusky Ohio, famous for it’s Cedar Point Amusement Park. Migrating birds usually fly at night. If they have had a tough flight, depending on weather patterns, you might be able to get as close to tiny warblers as you would in any other place in North America. Often during migration peaks, the park will be loaded with newly arrived songbirds. It is such a  delight. Many very high-level professional people are more than happy to help a novice.

Over about 9-13 years, often making visits 2 or 3 times per year, I obseved that the park and area were highly used prior to birding peaks (march/april), by smelt fishermen. I felt like I wanted to be there for that, however, I was not able to do that. Smelt dippers would get smelt by the bucketfulls during smelting spawns along sandy shorelines. After birding season, and during Canadian holidays close to our own Memorial weekend, Sun worshipers and vacationers would descend by the thousands. Constant action at Point Pelee Park. Reverse bird migrations in the fall are interesting for those interested in the more drab winter plumages of songbirds. Reverse migration, however, is over a much wider span of time. Fall is really the good time for raptor visitations. Hawk migrations can be stunning! This is always paralelled by migrating butterflies (monarchs).

Below are pictures of smelt dipping:

A bogger’s comment:

Smelt are kind of like little fried gold fish that taste like potato chips.

 They ARE pretty tasty.

Water and sun worshippers at Pte. Pelee…

No offense to any Chinese people, but I couldn’t resist this tidbit from “PRAVDA”. (they’re the Russians, if you don’t know)

China to stop eating dogs for August Olympics  (this is a link)

HeartOfPandora is in the running for Miss XangAmerica. I know, I know. I have others friends running as well. You can take your pick. However, Pandora is my old friend Blondie

and lovely through and through and I’d like to see her make the final cut. [she is a different Blondie with other connections - this one is in Minnesota]

@ theblackspiderman   Please hit this link and  vote for your choice: Kestral is also running. thx

JtheP

If the links fail to work, please just look for theblackspiderman on xanga and connect that way. thank-you

RIP Bozo! What! Bozo??

Spanish gymnast Anna Paula Ribeira in full flight at the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championship in Baku

Xiao Yiming of China competes during the ribbon exercise of gymnastics rhythmic women’s individual all-around final at the Doha Asiad, Qatar, Dec. 10, 2006. Xiao won the bronze medal with a total of 58.525 points. (Xinhua Photo/Wang Lei)

 Biba Golic living in Chicago and from Yugoslavia…

PHOTO: Adam Levin

Adam Hugh serves during his match at the USA Table Tennis Olympic Trials.

Tan Xue, China’s fencing star.

Luan Jujie: Asia’s First Olympic Gold Winner in Fencing

Updated：2008-04-07   By：

Luan Jujie [File photo: ynyd.gov.cn]

Luan Jujie was the first Asian fencer who won an Olympic gold medal. She, at the age of 25, claimed the title in women’s foil individual for China at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Equestrian Steeplechase:

  

AND BADMINTON:

  

Beijiang, I can hardly wait!

 Comic icon and counter-culture hero, George Carlin. RIP

North Yungas Road, aka “Road of Death”, Bolivia:

 This road cuts through the Bolivian Andes, running almost 70 km from La Paz to Coroico. It travels nearly 3,600 meters down and is comprised almost entirely of narrow hairpin curves. Unfortunately, their is no safety net below off the side of the road, and as you can see from the picture, the drop is quite severe. While you’re smart enough to read about this road before attempting to travel it, between 100-200 people a year over estimate their driving abilities, leading to their unfortunate death. Constructed in the 1930’s by Paraguayan prisoners, it would be easy to assume that they built it to be this treacherous on purpose. North Yungas Road is most frequently traveled by trucks and busses, which makes it’s span of merely three meters wide almost as terrifying as looking out the window when on it. If you still don’t fear the “Road of Death” be warned, these conditions are only what you would experience in the dry season. Let’s hope you don’t get stuck there in the rain.

A mountain road in Bolivia considered one of the world’s worst. Most of it contains narrow road with drop-offs hundreds of feet at the edge. This road is one way for the most part.

Try this one in northern Siberia, frozen in the winter and in spring….. it thaws!!

If your looking to travel to Yakutsk, this is road is the only option you have. As you can see, you’ll be traveling on more mud than actual road so let’s hope you’re friends with a local tow truck driver! Expect traffic to come to a stop as many will wait for this 30 km long road to dry enough to considering driving on. But being a mud road isn’t the only thing that makes it dangerous. Many expects suspect underground gas leaks, supported by the reports from a majority of motorists who have survived car accidents on this road claiming that they can’t remember what happened. Perhaps Yakutsk isn’t worth visiting after all.

China anyone??

Guoliang Tunnel in the Taihang Mountains, China 

Before May 1st 1977 the only hope of making it to the small village on the other side of the mountain was to follow the along the rock foot path. In 1972 workers began a five year process of creating this 1,200 meter long tunnel, spanning 4 meters wide and 5 meters high. Wear and tear over the years has caused this tunnel to become uneven, but don’t worry, the view from the thirty plus windows will make your journey on this road even scarier.

Contribution from the Alps:

Philipines –

WHEW! TAKE CARE…

p.s. April saw the passing of this master of ”smooth” rock…

I GO CRAZY!, COOL NIGHT, 65 LOVE AFFAIR and others. I loved his music and looked forward to each new release.

 Paul Davis was 60. RIP

Da’Tara

Lovely spirited horse wins Belmont Stakes! Cool!