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Cache Critters of Antarctica (#21 in a series)

Deception Island is part of the South Shetlands. The Island is volcanic caldera. This caldera has an opening to the ocean, called "Neptune's Bellows", which is large enough that ships can sail into the caldera. The island is still considered to be volcanically active. It last erupted in 1969 and it is due to erupt again soon. The island is home to an Earthcache named Deception Island. The last cacher to log this cacher before us is named Gary Samad. Small World.

 

Chinstrap Penguins Swimming, Deception Island, Antarctica

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Cache Critters of Antarctica (#22 in a series)

 

Antarctic Tern, Deception Island, Antarctica

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Antarctic Terns can be nasty little blaggards. We were warned to stay away from where the terns were nesting. The photo below shows the remains of a bunch of whale oil barrels. This is where the terns are nesting. If you get too close, the adult birds will fly up about 30-40 above you and then dive bomb you. So, I thought I was staying well clear. Apparently not clear enough and I got swarmed. I backed off. Way off. Apparently not far enough because they just kept right on diving on me. The photos above were taken when they were setting up for their next dive. I didn't take any photos when they were diving because I was too busy waving my arms to keep them at bay. I felt like I was in a Hitchcock movie...

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Cache Critters of Antarctica (#23 in a series)

 

More Penguins Than You Can Shake A Stick At, Deception Island, Antarctica

Kind of hard to see the penguins but every little bump that looks like a white rock is a penguin...even the ones high up on the hillside...

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Thanks for all the photos James. Most of us don't even get to see this much interesting photography in National Geographics.

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;)Just a quick pause in the Penguin Parade for a local snake we saw at Hollenbeck. We have no idea what it is, but it had no rattle and it's skin was almost iridescent so we took a picture95c1ce3d-64b6-468e-8d5b-b02e3648d400.jpg.

Chuy and I ran into one of these in Horsethief Canyon once and Ginger almost stepped on it without even seeing it. I think Chuy knows the name of the snake. I think it was Mike or something.

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I think Chuy knows the name of the snake. I think it was Mike or something.
;)

Back when I was a boy nobody named snakes, we just 'et 'em. Taste

like chicken. :P

 

As a young boy I had an older pal that collected snakes in ground pits.

Now and then we would get a snake out of a pit to play with it. I had the

crazy idea to poke the tail of one snake down into its throat to see what

would happen. Once a snake has something well into it's throat it just

keeps on swallowing so that, in the end, that darned snake flipped inside

out. Now that was something to see. Luckily I knew how to reverse the

process 'cause my momma always made me flip my socks right-side-out

before puttin' 'em in th' warshin'.

Edited by SD Rowdies
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:DJust a quick pause in the Penguin Parade for a local snake we saw at Hollenbeck. We have no idea what it is, but it had no rattle and it's skin was almost iridescent so we took a picture95c1ce3d-64b6-468e-8d5b-b02e3648d400.jpg.

 

Aww heck! You guy's could have probably petted that guy. :) That's a Rosy Boa(Coastal?) of some sort (Gecko Dad insert comment here :D ) Very cool snakes, sweet to see a healthy one out there in the wild... nice find!

Not sure what he(?) is doing out so early in the year though, seems kinda cold for those guys still.

 

J&J&j

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:lol:Just a quick pause in the Penguin Parade for a local snake we saw at Hollenbeck. We have no idea what it is, but it had no rattle and it's skin was almost iridescent so we took a picture95c1ce3d-64b6-468e-8d5b-b02e3648d400.jpg.

 

Aww heck! You guy's could have probably petted that guy. :laughing: That's a Rosy Boa(Coastal?) of some sort (Gecko Dad insert comment here :blink: ) Very cool snakes, sweet to see a healthy one out there in the wild... nice find!

Not sure what he(?) is doing out so early in the year though, seems kinda cold for those guys still.

 

J&J&j

Hey!! That was sneaky!! You slipped in the extra j... Details, please!! :P

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I went out and did the "Nun" series today, and this beautiful hawk flew down in front of me and landed on the side of the trail. S/he allowed me to take about 35 pictures or so, and some of the better ones are posted here.

 

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Maybe someone can identify what type of hawk this is? I'm afraid its wing may be damaged, but I couldn't really tell. It did fly down to me, but its right wing looks a little funky in some of the pictures...

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Cache Critters of Antarctica (#25 in a series)

Apologies for the gap in the Penguin Parade. Life's been a little full right now. But in the meantime, there've been some other great cache critters. Love that hawk...

 

What's Going On Here?, Petermann Island, Antarctica

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AWESOME...and note the pink hue to the snow....if ya all want to know what causes that....... :D ok never mind...

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Cache Critters of Antarctica (#26 in a series)

 

Ms. LLOT's Close Encounter of the Penguin Kind, Petermann Island, Antarctica

This is unusual. Penguins are not, for the most part, afraid of humans but at the same time, it's pretty rare that they have enough curiousity to approach a human. This one is young though (note the dark halo around the eye) so maybe it's the curiosity of youth...

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AWESOME...and note the pink hue to the snow....if ya all want to know what causes that....... :D ok never mind...

Inicidently, if you look, in the 2nd to last shot, at the breast of the penguin in #25, the pink there is caused by the light reflecting off of Ms. LLOT's jacket.

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Cache Critters of Antarctica (#26 in a series)

 

Ms. LLOT's Close Encounter of the Penguin Kind, Petermann Island, Antarctica

This is unusual. Penguins are not, for the most part, afraid of humans but at the same time, it's pretty rare that they have enough curiousity to approach a human. This one is young though (note the dark halo around the eye) so maybe it's the curiosity of youth...

b02b5312-abd7-45bf-9c73-e1a58b89087b.jpg

 

AWESOME...and note the pink hue to the snow....if ya all want to know what causes that....... :D ok never mind...

Inicidently, if you look, in the 2nd to last shot, at the breast of the penguin in #25, the pink there is caused by the light reflecting off of Ms. LLOT's jacket.

Great photos James! I'm going to have to show these photos to my daughter. She LOVES penguins! :D
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Hmmm, Pygoscelis antarcticus, the Chinstrap Penguin. Pretty easy to see where they get their name. Mrs LLOT must have been thrilled at the close encounter . . . unless the guy picked that moment to poop, of course. :laughing:

Initially, Ms. LLOT was reluctant to lie down on the ground due to penguin poops but the naturalists who were with us said not to worry as it will clean up easily with water.

 

By the way, the photo in #26 was taken by Frank Todd, who was one of the naturalists -- and who, in an earlier life, designed the Penguin Experience exhibit at Sea World San Diego.

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Cache Critters of Antarctica (#27 in a series)

OK, time to close out the Antarctica series. Jodi, this one's for you. :laughing::huh:

Full Disclosure: Not my photo. It was taken by Kevin Morgan, another of the naturalists on the expedition.

 

A Parting Shot, Petermann Island, Antarctica

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If anyone is not completely penguin'd out by now, there are a truckload of penguin photos as well as quite a few non-penguin photos of our expedition at OldHundred.org

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Cache Critters of Antarctica (#27 in a series)

OK, time to close out the Antarctica series. Jodi, this one's for you. B):D

Full Disclosure: Not my photo. It was taken by Kevin Morgan, another of the naturalists on the expedition.

 

A Parting Shot, Petermann Island, Antarctica

2008%2012%2020_0040.JPG

 

If anyone is not completely penguin'd out by now, there are a truckload of penguin photos as well as quite a few non-penguin photos of our expedition at OldHundred.org

 

 

 

:D:D:D:D The really funny thing is that I had to point it out to John :D:D:D

 

 

I hate to see the Penguin Parade end. They are so cool. Thanks for all the great photos Jim and Maria!

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Finally getting around to loose ends. This is the second lizard that I found on a Dalmatian cache -- in this case it was on Tippy - 101 Dalmatians - GC1H0XJ. It was a cold morning and this guy was real sluggish. Hence the reason that we were able to pick up the ammo can without him running away. We set him down gently across the trail from the cache.

 

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A hike this morning on the Santa Rosa Plateau turned up this Southwestern Pond Turtle, that we rescued from certain death along the road. He was a bit shy and refused to come out and say "Hi"

 

 

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This fellow was in the vernal pools looking for breakfast. Unlike the turtle, this garter snake was kind enough to swim over to us.

 

 

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OK, while not a "critter", it is still alive.

 

 

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I went out and did the "Nun" series today, and this beautiful hawk flew down in front of me and landed on the side of the trail. S/he allowed me to take about 35 pictures or so, and some of the better ones are posted here.

 

9b948514-a812-4018-a983-01690e8d6337.jpg

 

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Maybe someone can identify what type of hawk this is? I'm afraid its wing may be damaged, but I couldn't really tell. It did fly down to me, but its right wing looks a little funky in some of the pictures...

Tom-

An interesting encounter. Very surprising it would land so close to you. The dark leading edge on the underside of the wing and the white breast/mottled pattern suggest a light morph juvenile Red-tailed Hawk. The heavy beak and size also suggest a young Red-tailed Hawk. As you suggest, it may be injured or possibly is still learning to fly. Thanks for sharing.

-GD

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I went out and did the "Nun" series today, and this beautiful hawk flew down in front of me and landed on the side of the trail. S/he allowed me to take about 35 pictures or so, and some of the better ones are posted here.

 

9b948514-a812-4018-a983-01690e8d6337.jpg

 

fedb8578-a02f-495c-b949-fd7a8883e92d.jpg

 

969b737e-d988-413a-a70a-eea5ff0f476d.jpg

 

Maybe someone can identify what type of hawk this is? I'm afraid its wing may be damaged, but I couldn't really tell. It did fly down to me, but its right wing looks a little funky in some of the pictures...

Tom-

An interesting encounter. Very surprising it would land so close to you. The dark leading edge on the underside of the wing and the white breast/mottled pattern suggest a light morph juvenile Red-tailed Hawk. The heavy beak and size also suggest a young Red-tailed Hawk. As you suggest, it may be injured or possibly is still learning to fly. Thanks for sharing.

-GD

I'm with Don, a red-tail fledgling.

 

When living in Alpine a fledgling red-tail flew first-flight from a nearby

nest to our patio late one evening. Worried that skunks or possums

would kill the fledgling I picked it up and placed it on a low branch of

the pine tree that sheltered our patio. Spent some time talking to the

fledgling and smoothing it's feathers. It survived and would now

and then return to the low branch of our pine tree and allow Sandy

and I to approach very near and speak to it face to face.

 

First-flight bonding I suppose, and a thrill for Sandy and I. Our life-

list for the Alpine property was something like seventy-five species.

 

Great shots by the way, well done.

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...

Up close and personal.

I got your “Up close and personal”.

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Fore more:

Twin Peaks Cache I (GC8008)

'Tis the season once again ... for spring flowers and rattlesnakes.

Don't pick the flowers and don't step on the rattlesnakes but have

a nice day along the trails.

 

First rule to avoid snake-bites is to take a friend along on your

hikes and make sure to always walk behind your friend. That

way you can go for help when your friend steps on a snake.

 

For maximum protection sign your friend up for snake-avoidance

training just before before the spring-flowers bloom.

 

You're welcome,

Harmon

SD Rowdies

Edited by SD Rowdies
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