Shuttles, Pinewoods and Peanuts

A space shuttle launch is an experience that I don't have the ability to express in words. I can throw out some apt descriptors, if you'd like. We can try words like awesome and sublime, or toy with superlatives like incredible or spectacular. But those words seem cheap and hollow in comparison to the simple memory I carry of a bright light arcing across the Atlantic and dipping into the sunrise.

Maybe I can't express the moment because I don't know why it was so powerful. What is it about space travel that fascinates us so much? Is it national pride? Pride in human accomplishment? Could it be a hubristic impulse in my lowly human nature? Did the U.S. build a new tower of Babel on the sandy beaches of Florida's Atlantic seashore?

Maybe it's the naked power of the event. The glaring fireball that rises into the sky does so with a sort of labored deliberateness that belies its cataclysmic power. The only appropriate metaphors for the sound - the rumbling tortured roar - are from natural disasters. It's like a continual thunder, a volcanic belch, or an earthquake's deep rumble.

Maybe it's the aesthetic wonder of the thing. The glooming dark and the enlivening light on the fringe of a peaceful deep sea; the soft white sand under our feet and the gentle sky embracing the scene; the sunrise and the delicate wake carved in it by the spacecraft as it became a distant star; All were gentle touches that contraposed themselves to the power of the thing. Even the glowing cloud floating in its wake and catching the first light of a new day was something wonderful.

Or, maybe, it's the archetypical meaning of the event. Has Icarus' ambition succeeded? Or has Phaeton learned how to handle his father's steeds? Mankind seems to defy sacred laws when he leaves the shelter of his given home. Ultimately, I may never know. But I'll always have that moment to revisit.

Sunrise and shuttle contrail.

The amazing thing about this sort of experience is that it ends, and even more amazing is that it left us most of the rest of the day for other things! So now it's time to shift gears and just record the rest of the day for posterity. It was a good thing it was still early because we were heading south to Miami. We started out heading south on the Cocoa Beach barrier island in order to avoid the crowds. This took us by Patrick Air Force Base's long sandy stretch of beach, so we stopped to take in our first Atlantic sunrise (in picture above).

While we were there we picked up a few shorebirds for our list, mused over whether or not distant Royal Terns could be Northern Gannets, and missed a lifer when a dark-backed gull flew by in the middle distance. We didn't know if it was a Lesser or Greater Black-backed Gull, but either would have been new to us. We also got overflown by a landing C-130. Pretty sweet!

Then we were off again! We soon turned inland and made for Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area. This was an area designated to protect a virgin Longleaf Pine forest and its game inhabitants (White-tailed Deer, Wild Turkey, Northern Bobwhite, and feral pigs). We were there for something else, though. It also contains a large population of Red-cockaded Woodpecker, an endangered species that uses Longleaf Pines for nesting. We were also shooting for Brown-headed Nuthatch and Bachman's Sparrows - two other southeastern species that use the pine forest habitat.

We did great! We got all three very easily despite dire warnings from a game warden at the entrance. The thing is, the Red-cockaded Woodpeckers only visit their nest holes around dawn and dusk, but we were there mid-morning. Despite the improbability, we got the birds in a big mixed flock within a few minutes of entering the reserve. Singing Bachman's Sparrows were common to within a few feet of our car, and the Nuthatches were mixed into the foraging flock that contained the nuthatches. We also go a great look at a Pileated Woodpecker here.

Unfortunately, not many pictures. But here's a nice one of Libby after we got the birds.

A happy lady

Since it was so easy for us to find the birds, and we'd given ourselves all day to do it - this was our only opportunity on the trip - we decided to explore the rest of the area a little further.

Our first stop was for gas and a restroom. While waiting for the bathroom to open up, I discovered that they were selling boiled peanuts. This being such a southern specialty, I knew that we had to get some. So we did. And they were amazing! Soft, fatty, salty, perfect! Oh yum!

We then birded Joe Overstreet Road, which is a fairly well known birding location. It took us out to Lake Kissimmee, providing views of Florida Crested Caracaras along the way, along with Sandhill Cranes, Wood Storks, Kildeer, and other grassland loving species. It was good fun, but after lunch it was time to hit the road. Destination: Miami.

We took the Ronald Reagan turnpike south through miles and miles of flat country. We saw big citrus orchards stretching off to the horizon, and Swallow-tailed Kites playing above the freeway. After what seemed like forever, we arrived at our motel in Kendall. This was our base for three nights, and we headed out to check it out.

Miami is well known for its big populations of established exotics. They have even more parrots than southern California or south Texas, an introduced tropical oriole (Spot-breasted), Red-whiskered Bulbuls, and Common and Hill Mynas (though only Common is currently countable). On our first foray through the town we found Monk Parakeets in a CVS parking lot. We got Common Mynas in the gutter outside a Wendy's parking lot (the guide recommends fast-food parking lots for this species). But the best bird of the afternoon was our first Prairie Warbler. These were very common in Florida, but it was a pleasure to get to know such a beautiful bird so well.

Our next day was planned for more Miami birding. Pictures from the day can be found on Flickr.