Yellow bird, we have no banana tree

Trees on the Galapagos Islands are scarcely more than large shrubs. Birds like this Yellow Warbler have adapted to the harsh terrain of the islands.

This juvenile Yellow Warbler is looking for lunch on the beach.

Yellow legs get dirty in the dark volcanic rocks of this Lava Heron's neighborhood.
                                                                                             Photos by Richard Schear, Kay Davies and Karina Lopez, 2006

The fluffy head of this young Frigate Bird won't stay yellow for long.

(If my heading doesn't make sense to you, listen to this song by the ever-popular Brothers Four)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlcPGKhIQaU

Posted for  Mellow Yellow Monday hosted each week by

Drowsey Monkey.

To see other yellows from other places, please click

HERE!

To all my blogger friends, I haven't been able to comment very much as we have been traveling, and won't be home for a while yet. However, I'll try to drop in on some memes when and where I can. No, we're not in the Galapagos Islands again. We're in Paris now, and heading for the south of France later this week. Please don't feel sorry for us, just forgive me for not commenting on your posts. - K

Penguins and friends are great camera critters in Galapagos

Above, and below, Galapagos Penguins

Sanderlings

Oystercatcher

The elusive short-eared owl

Photos by Karina Lopez and Richard Schear

Posted by Kay Davies for Misty Dawn's

CAMERA CRITTERS

For more cute critters from around the world, CLICK HERE

I Understand U is for umpires and U is for umbrellas

Photos by Richard Schear, 

Kay Davies and Karina Lopez

Posted for the ABC Wednesday meme. Bloggers around the world are

finding uses for the letter U. To find out how they did, click

HERE




Ken Griffey, Jr., talks to the umpire about the call, as he bats for the Seattle Mariners in Safeco Field, Seattle.
Catching for the Toronto Blue Jays at that time was Rod Barajas.



The giant umbrella I took to the Galapagos Islands hides both of us. (Photo by Karina Lopez)



A black umbrella in the hot July sun in China is NOT a good idea!
It kept the sun off me so I didn't get a sunburn, but it was so hot under there I almost felt burnt.





Dick claimed umbrella rights in the rain in Alaska because he was carrying his camera case.
My camera and I had to take our chances with the downpour. (Photo by Kay Davies)

 

A very special kind of skywatching

Blue-footed boobies (above) and a flightless cormorant (left) exhibit a behavior known as sky-pointing. Male blue-foots sky-point as part of their courtship rituals, and also to impress other males with their superiority.
The flightless cormorant, found only on the adjacent Galapagos islands of Fernandina and Isabela, is shown here sky-pointing to dry his feathers following an underwater courtship or a search for food in the shallow waters of the islands' shorelines. The Galapagos cormorant is the only cormorant in the world that doesn't fly.

Photos 1 and 3
by Kay Davies

Photos 2 and 4
by Karina Lopez



Posted for the Sky Watch Friday meme

Getting in and out of a panga

As mentioned in an early chapter, getting into and out of a panga and onto a yacht isn't always easy for the unfit among us. Unfortunately for my readers, I have documented evidence only of the times I did it in a reasonably dignified fashion. Once, however, while snorkeling, I did manage to get into a panga (with assistance from the young man at the helm) when I couldn't swim any farther. Fortunately for me, no photographic documentation of that exhausting event exists, anywhere. Take it from me, I have never done it unassisted, and have never done it gracefully. But, if I can manage, with some help, so can other unfitties, even you.