My oh my, the last couple days have been filled with some fun things. Here's a brief run down....
Yesterday, Mary, David and I went to a state park in nearby Idaho that we recently became aware of. Of course, on the top of the agenda was seeing some cool birds (it's been so nice to have my bird watching buddies around again). By the end of the excursion we were not let down. Below are two of the most exciting and memorable birds of the day, the Varied Thrush (kind of like a fancy Robin) and a whole bunch of funny little Rosy Finches. Also, of note were three Bald Eagles, and my first identification of a Flicker strictly based on its flight pattern. Good stuff. (pictures borrowed from google images)
Wednesday night we decided to go to our favorite coffee shop in Moscow to get some work done, which we did, but we were also pleasantly surprised by some live music. The band is called Whispertown 2000 (take a listen
here) They were fantastic, and I immediately downloaded their album. They also inspired us to go home and practice our own music, so stay tuned for my new life as a musician.
Last, but not least, we went back to Idaho (apparently that's where all the good stuff happens) last night to see a presentation by Gary Ferguson, co-author of Decade of the Wolf. I was captivated the entire lecture, and am inspired to figure out how I can find a place within the wildlife biology field. I was also shocked by some very ignorant comments from the crowd at the conclusion of the talk. I guess I had never realized how deeply rooted some people's hatred for wolves is. Some of their concerns are understandable, but it's amazing how much they want to hold on to their anger and fear, and completely ignore the information and facts given to them by Ferguson that clearly pointed out why their fears are based on misunderstandings.
Anyway, I bought a book and had it signed by Ferguson. He wrote, "May you never be far from wild places," advice I think will weigh heavily on my next step in life.
