Blue Footed Booby

When ever I go on a trip to a far off place I like to think about what I have learned. To me the important things to keep on learning are not so much facts ( I did learn a lot of these!) but what I call life lessons.

Sometimes these lessons are not so obvious. I need to put my mind to thinking about them.  One of the  lessons I seem to relearn with every new experience is that of patience,  tolerance and acceptance of differences. There are so many things about other’s behaviors that we don’t understand and often disapprove of. However, it seems to me that  when you understand more of the circumstances and situations of others (walk in their shoes)  the more their actions, if not approved of, are at least are more clearly understood.

Poverty, the need to feed oneself and one’s family, and anger at injustice,  often leads to desperate actions. I saw this in Africa and again in Ecuador. No matter what you do or say most indigenous peoples  think US citizens are rich. And by their standards we are!  Some times this belief leads to your feeling like you are being taken advantage of or made a fool of.  ( I had a group of teen approach me with hands out asking for $5.00 tip, they seemed suprised when I shooed them away in no uncertain terms.  I also had an elderly women tried to cheat me out of $20.00, I confronted her and she sheepishly moved quickly away) After I did this I found I was not so angry at these people but was able to understand somewhat their feelings .

I did not let these incidents effect me for more then a minute or two.  I reminded myself for every one of these experiences there were ten instances where I was treated with respect and genuine caring. I am getting so much better at not letting negative experiences outweigh the good things in life and ruin my mood! I think this is also  a lesson of aging that is well worth it.

I Have some  pictures of my trip that you can view at http://amazongalapagos.shutterfly.com/

Blue Footed Booby

Dancing for the Ladies

I’m off to the Galapagos islands in search of the blue footed booby. This bird has always fascinated me and long been on my list to see. This seems like a good year to visit Galapagos because it is the 200 anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth. He has always also been of great  interest to me.

Here is some information on the Blue footed booby for those interested.

The Blue-footed Booby is strictly a marine bird. Their only need for land is to breed which they do along rocky coasts.

The Blue-footed Booby is on average 32 inches long and weighs about 3 lbs. The females are slightly larger than the males.  The Blue-footed Booby’s eyes are yellow. The male has more yellow on its iris than the female does.  The booby’s eyes are placed on either side of their bill and oriented towards the front.

The Blue-footed Booby has permanently closed nostrils specialized for diving. They breathe through the corners of their mouths. Their feet range from a pale turquoise to a deep aquamarine. Males and younger birds have lighter feet than females do.

 The Blue-footed Booby male flaunts his blue feet and dances when he wants  to impress the female. During the dance, the male will spread his wings and stamp his feet on the ground. The Blue-footed Booby is usually a one women man and reunites at the breeding grounds with his true love.

Working on My Bucket List

 Above is a picture of me in Grand Manan Novia Scotia touring a fish factory