In Scotland, I think. See correction below:
CORRECTION: Herman himself offers up this information:
This is along the western (southish) coast of Ireland. Look west of Kenmare, the lower finger and we were about near the tip. Sheep farms everywhere, a few cattle and goats. Sheep get out on the road, but they are super curvy, so you aren’t going too fast. I guess the grass looks greener to them as well. They’ve had a lot of rain, so the grass was quite lush. H
Until ill health interfered, we had planned to make some field trips in connection with the annual Ladd Marsh Bird Festival in May. One of its field trip destinations was “Rinehart Canyon”. Never knowing of such a place, and failing to find it on local maps, we asked around a bit. Janet, remembering from her birding days, generally placed it along the Grande Ronde River between Imbler and Elgin. Someone also said that it was in the vicinity of Mt. Harris. So Sunday morning, we set off driving up the Elgin Highway until we came upon a small sign for Rinehart Lane, just past the Summerville turnoff and with Harris to our right. While we never saw any formal Rinehart Canyon signage, we followed the rough gravel road that called itself Rinehart Lane along the river and up over the hills.
The river area was teeming with airborne critters and more, so we guessed we were in the right place.
Following Rinehart Lane for a few miles, we saw rugged, rocky hills and irrigated farm fields and livestock and plenty of dogs. And Kim watched for more birds with her binoculars.
And the river itself …
NASA and the European Space Agency now have evidence that the universe is expanding up to 9% faster than previously believed.
Btw, is anyone watching Stephen Hawking’s Genius series on PBS (with National Geographic)? This has to be the most ingeniously lay-approachable thing yet from Hawking and is just another testament to his … well, genius.
A day of action and surprises, at least by the usual standards of our quiet life.
First, hardly sooner than we decided to seek quotes on trimming dead limbs (see yesterday), it turns out that our desired tree surgeon just happened to be working on our neighbor’s trees across the street and consented to working our needs, bypassing a schedule that would normally require an appointment at least two weeks out. So the large dead limb that was hanging precariously over the front of the house, along with some other defunct appendages in both trees, were expunged. And the tree guys also had along their remote control “grown-ups / man-toy” stump remover to reduce the backyard ex-walnut tree remains to a mere hole in the ground (that Charlie later found fascinating).
Next, we took a late afternoon walk around the nearby EOU campus, paying particular attention to the relatively new flower plantings around the library. Tried to get the wind to back off, so that the flowers and bees could be passably photographed …
And while doing so, a braver person than me was flying overhead in some sort of ultra-light aircraft. But Charlie paid little attention.
And, finally, back home.
Was the Western Tanager id from the other day wrong? Kim is now wondering, based on some American Goldfinch sightings yesterday by birders at Rinehart Canyon …
About four miles of a long snaking S-shaped loop; discovered a gash in the sidehill that would make for a great music concert venue, complete with echo; encountered cattle, presumably domesticated.
Remember the unidentified yellow bird from yesterday? Kim thinks it might be a female Western Tanager, based on this:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Western_Tanager/id
UPDATE 5/30/16: Kim now suspects this thing might be an American Goldfinch.
Gangloff and Pioneer Parks, under intermittent sun and clouds and sprinkles.
Nik joins us for a trek up Bushnell, then we cut off on a new nearly-invisible trail up a far ridge and through a wide meadow to an overlook of the valley. And after we return … Ivi connects with Kim.
