travel – Michael's Place

Back in Ann Arbor

I’m sitting back at home writing as the temperature is 65F and there are thunderstorms on the horizon, On our trip to the southern states we traveled 3553 miles. So now it’s time to sit back and relax for a few days. Time to get caught up with appointments – doctor appointments and a carContinue reading “Back in Ann Arbor”

Chariot of the Gods?

Erich Von Däniken died two days ago. I read his book Chariot of the Gods? soon after it came out many years ago. With an undergrad major in anthropology I was both intrigued and appalled by the book. He managed to turn his fanciful look into ancient structures and their construction into a cult following.Continue reading “Chariot of the Gods?”

Brazil: Birds, Food and People

I’m sitting here writing this on Halloween in Ann Arbor, but thinking about the last days in Brazil which was two weeks ago. Surucua Tanager. on our final day of birding before heading back to the USA. Sayaca Tanager. White-winged Becard. Fawn-breasted Tanager. Golden-crowned Warbler. Pinnated Bittern – our last bird of the trip. OverContinue reading “Brazil: Birds, Food and People”

Pantanal, Brazil: Day-6

It was time to move lodges and settle into a new place. The feeders here were covered with Nandy Parakeets and finches. Campo Flickers made good use of old termite mounds for nesting. Chestnut-bellied Guan. I really like finding nests. The bird on the left is a Crested Oropendola at a nest. On the rightContinue reading “Pantanal, Brazil: Day-6”

Pantanal, Brazil: Day-4

It’s time to get out onto the rivers and head into the marshes in search of jaguars. There were a number of these floating hotels along the main river near Porto Jofre. The sandbars often had interesting birds like this Large-billed Tern. There were Jabiru everywhere. Giant River Otters were seen in small groups lurkingContinue reading “Pantanal, Brazil: Day-4”

Pantanal, Brazil: Day-3

Amazon Kingfisher, one of the first birds of the day. Staying close to wetlands we continue to find a lot of birds. Capped Heron on the left, Striated Heron on the right. Wattled Jaçana. Red-legged Seriema. Another Black-collared Hawk, a bird that I never get tired of. Unicolored Blackbird male. Yellow-olive Flatbill, formerly known asContinue reading “Pantanal, Brazil: Day-3”

Pantanal, Brazil: Day-1

Here’s where the adventure started. My friend Sue took this photo. Every trip that I take is full of promise. Some deliver quickly. This is a Guira Cuckoo, a bird that I wanted to see. Getting it quickly and easily made the first day a success hours into the day. Shiny Cowbird on a capyberra.Continue reading “Pantanal, Brazil: Day-1”

A busy three weeks

We’ve been on the move more or less since late August, We spent a week at Whitefish Point, then went to visit Martin and Catherine in Douglas and give a talk on the Yukon to the Holland Audubon Society. After a few days in Ann Arbor we had to get back to Whitefish Point sinceContinue reading “A busy three weeks”

Western Canada: Day-8

We started our day early, got breakfast then went to the Dawson City airport for a flight to Inuvik in the Northwest Territory. Since the weather for the next day looked iffy we decided to drive to Tuktoyaktuk as soon as we could, which was a great decision. We made it all the way toContinue reading “Western Canada: Day-8”

Western Canada: Day-1

The first day of our trip north to the Arctic Ocean in Canada started in Edmonton, Alberta. We drove north to Fort St. John, British Columbia. The next day we drove to Fort Nelson. Driving north west we saw a lot of rolling hills and low mountains as well as large grasslands. Many of theContinue reading “Western Canada: Day-1”