GO GALAPAGOS

Wildlife of the Galapagos.  Pocket Guide. By Julian Fitter, Daniel Fitter, David Hosking.  Princeton Univ. Press.  Second edition. 2016. paperback. 272 pages.  $19.95.

This new, updated, handy field guide will  fit in your pocket.  It describes over 400 species from insect to mammal. It uses colored photos, not drawings.  There are range maps only for Darwin’s finches.  It also has good advice on photography (flashes are banned) and other practical travel advice for the naturalist.  It also explains the different climate zones that exist on the larger islands depending on direction of slope and elevation.

This small guide will fit even into your carry-on luggage for in-flight study.

There are Short-eared Owls on the Galapagos as there are in Hawaii.  Those guys sure get around.

WHATTA BIRTHDAY, CALL US FOR YOUR CONDOR VISIT

Here’s email I got from good friend and fellow birder:  “We went to Big Sur for my birthday this week.  While have a massage in the room, the masseuse told us that she saw 3 condors fly by our window.
“She mentioned it after we were finished….otherwise I would have grab[bed] the bins and started following them!  We generally walk to the hot tub which is
about two minutes away near the room after our massages.  So I say to R that we should go to the hot tub and soak for awhile…..as we are walking there and told her “I wish I could see a condor…..that is my birthday wish” (it has been around 8 yrs since I’ve seen one…I sent you those photos)……so I keep looking up at the sky hoping to spot one……so one minute later as we approach the hot tub…….I can’t believe what I see…..3 condors pecking at the thermostat for the pool….right by the pool…..I whisper to R that I’m going back to grab my camera and try to capture this moment……I looked like Usain Bolt running the 100 mm race at the Olympics going back to the room…..I dash back as fast as I can and started taking some photos…..now they are pulling the towels from a high stack of towels for the guests!  They were hilarious….as the towel in the middle was being pulled out….they jumped back to avoid having the whole stack fall on them….two of them had tags, while the young one was untagged….their wing span must have been 7 to 8 feet wide [adults are near 9 feet, longest in U.S.  White Pelicans #2]…..incredible! I could have got closer, but I didn’t want them to fly away. so I’m going to send you the pics for your enjoyment…….I mentioned what happened to the staff and there is a website called “condorspotter.com” which tells you information about the specific condor……wow, what a birthday gift!”

If the towel had been dirtyIf the towel and been dirty and smelly would it have held more interest for them?  Or are they simply curious?  Adults do collect shining objects and carry them back to the nest sometimes.I