Here's some photos I took up in Bayfield a few weeks back, on the shore of Lake Superior. The ring billed gull in the second picture actually has only one leg (seriously—I saw it from underneath). One thing I'm going to miss when I leave Wisconsin is the lake; I like having an expanse of water so close. I never get over to the beach when I'm in DC, and the Potomac just isn't that big.
I was very excited to hear last week that the ivory-billed woodpecker, which has been presumed extinct for many years, has been definitively spotted after many unconfirmed reports. My dad is a birdwatcher, and I remember very well when I saw my first pileated and he told me about its probably-extinct relative, the ivory-billed, which was one thing in a long list of depressing things about environmental degradation. And having taken ornithology last year, I am actually somewhat more interested in birds than I used to be. So it is very pleasing to hear that this rare species is still out there — and from what I hear, there has been a lot of work on protecting its habitat in the last few years, which may be at least partially responsible for its survival, and at the very least has been proven worthwhile now that it's known there's a population.
But let's not get too ahead of ourselves, here. Even if there are a few individuals out there, that doesn't necessarily mean the species is back from the brink — it might well still be on the way out. The population must be fairly small, and who knows if it's viable? Also, the preoccupation on this species has always sort of bothered me, given the large number of other equally endangered species out there. The only reason so much attention has been given to to the ivory-billed is because of the popularity of birdwatching. Most of the endangered species in the world and in the US are insects, plants, shellfish, and other categories that don't really capture the public's imagination, not the big mammals and birds that you always hear about (like Florida panthers or bald eagles). And unfortunately, public interest determines how much effort goes into saving each species.
That said, I am energized by this announcement, and hopefully this will encourage interest in preserving habitat for other species.
The moon looks so cool tonight, it reminded me that I have several moon photos I haven't posted. The first one is (I think) from December 2003, based on the lack of leaves and the fact that that's the only time I was in DC. You can't really see the moon very well, but it's the tiny white dot on the left side of the trees. That one I took with my old film camera and scanned.
The second is from this past January, when I was in DC. My parents and I were walking back from the movie theater (Sideways, a great movie) and the gibbous moon was just floating up there the whole way back, looking so cool, so when we got home my dad helped me set up his tripod so I could take pictures, and of the dozen or so I took, this is my favorite.
The third photo was taken from my dorm room window exactly a lunar month ago. I really like the way the clouds look in that one; I always see such amazing clouds from my window because it faces Lake Superior, which somehow causes interesting cloud formations above it. I can't actually see the lake from my window because there are too many buildings and trees in the way, but I can always see the effect it's having on the atmosphere.
As you may have gathered, I'm quite obsessed with the moon. I love taking photos of it, and my digital camera is proving much better for that than my film camera. My film one can't zoom nearly as much, and can't seem to focus correctly for the moon's brightness, unless it's evening and the sky is partially lit. My digital camera also can't get a clear shot of the full moon, but other phases come out relatively well.
