Swap Tupelos

 

It is hard to appreciate what you are walking through when visiting Congaree National Park. At one level (the one on the boardwalk, where you stay (mostly) dry), it is just a swampy forest full of trees and bugs. But on another, it is one of the last old growth (meaning not logged) forests on the east coast. The only other areas are on mountain slopes like in the Great Smokies or Adirondacks of New York or hard to get to like the Boundary Waters Canoe area in Minnesota. That's it. So, while it is a walk in the woods, it is the only one you can easily drive to see out east. This article tells the story quite well: 

https://www.americanforests.org/article/congaree-where-the-trees-are-still-tall/

14 Visitors

 

Got a record 14 species to the feeders this morning, including our first "official" visit for the Hairy Woodpecker, not seen in the backyard before. These pics aren't from today but these are the visitors to the feeder this morning. Hairy Woodpeckers and Downey Woodpeckers are very hard to tell apart--unless you see them together, as the Hairy Woodpecker is much larger. Otherwise, you need to look at the overall size and especially the size of the bill with the Hairy, as it is more like the overall width of the head. The Downey is just much smaller overall. Anyway, interesting day as the Red-winged Blackbirds and Grackles both just showed up this week--a definite herald of the spring. I am not a huge fan, as they, like the European Starlings, are a bunch of bullies, pushing the other birds out (and they eat a lot of seed!!!). Anyway, quite the backyard party. 

Congaree National Park

 

National Park number 29 for me. A nice walk in the swamp. Actually, Congaree is not a swamp as it is dry during parts of the year. It is a 25,000 acres old-growth bottomland forest and therefore the oldest and largest wetlands left in the United States. Had a wonderful two days walking the wood planks and forest trails. Saw and photographed a lot of birds, but none new to the catalog, which was a bummer. Great time of the year to visit as the weather was mild and the bugs non-existent. Glad I got to see the park and record number 29 for my life list!!!

Our Future Overlords

 

Sometimes a mistaken setting and some adjustments present an interesting picture. In this case of my imagined future overlords. 

It is an Island

 

Manhattan from the air. Although blocked by the wing, it is an island after all. New Jersey on the other side of the Hudson River. 

Art Installation at Louis Vuitton

 

You get a bit of a weird vibe (as intended) when you look at the Louis Vuitton window display on 5th Avenue in New York. The model looks alive and although it is not, it is very realistic and a bit creepy. This is a lifelike representation of a famous Japanese artist, Yayoi Kusama, who created this pop-art display. Gets a lot of attention on the sidewalk with a lot of others around me also taking pictures. Here is a straight-on shot. She will wink at you as you stare at her. Takes a few seconds to realize it is not real. 

 

Today's Visitors

 

I set up the camera outside today on a tripod and a wireless shutter release so I could get shots of all the visitors to the newer box feeder. Blue Jays are rare-ish visitor to the backyard feeder but my bird store said they will visit this type of feeder and they were right, we got two of them today--a record. Other visitors were (all pictured below) Mourning Doves, House Finches, White-breasted Nuthatch, European Starling, Cardinals, Dark-eye Juncos and a Red-bellied Woodpecker. Away from this feeder, we also got a Downey Woodpecker, American Goldfinch and House Sparrows on the other feeders. 

Coit Tower, San Francisco

 

Another cell phone shot taken through a very dirty office window of Transamerica Tower and Coit Tower in the distance. Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill is a pretty cool place to view both the city and the bay and is a highly recommended tourist stop. If you are walking (and San Francisco is a very walkable city) it is a bit of a hike to get up there, but a fun workout. Taken on a work trip from last October. 

Transamerica Building

 

 

Weird seeing all of those wires above ground but they are for the electric busses that still run on the streets of San Francisco. Some parts of Chicago still have them, at least I think so. More on the Northside so I haven't been there in a while. That's the Transamerica Building in the background and I am standing right near the area between Italian Village area and Chinatown. This was back in October and I was walking around looking for a place to eat. I chose a Chinese restaurant. Next time, Italian for sure. 

Left my heart....

This is a cell phone shot through an office window of a dense cluster of housing and the Golden Gate Bridge from last fall's trip to San Francisco. Whenever I see buildings like this I always think that humans must really like each other to live so close together!!!

Chinatown, San Francisco

 

Chinatown, San Francisco from October 2022. I hadn't been there since right before Covid hit the United States. The town was just like me at the time--a little tired, a little worn out, but full of color.