Today, was my first "real" day where I started my plan of reading Plato in the morning (as Great-Granddaddy did) and birding in the morning (the best time to see them).
Plato & Socrates
Confession: I have never really read Plato. I only just recently figured out a way to remember who came first, second and third -- Socrates, Plato, Aristotle (SPA!). This morning, I read Euthyphro from Five Dialogues. Socrates is challenging Euthyphro on his definition of piety. I found it interesting, and I also felt a bit like I did when my kids were three years old. Socrates will just NOT STOP with the questions and challenges. I can see why Euthyphro ends the conversation with, basically, "See ya, Socrates. Got to run. I ain't got time for this." By the end, nothing has really been solved or decided. I DO like to have philosophical conversations and debates, but Socrates did seem a bit like an incessant three-year-old, at times! (Corrected: My earliest readers of this post had to suffer through my error of referring to Socrates as Plato. Egads. My only excuse is road-weariness.)
Birding
This morning, I was feeling the urge to get on the road and almost decided to skip the side trip to Clayton Lake State Park. I had mentioned my hesitation to Brian last night and he encouraged me to go -- and I am SO glad he did, and I did!
On the road to the park, I heard Western Meadowlarks -- which I LOVE. Their call is so loud and beautiful. On the way out of the park, I managed to catch a photo of what I thought was a Meadowlark. I noticed it didn't have the big yellow belly I was used to, so I did some research this evening and it turns out it was a Horned Lark. Yay! A lifer (never seen before) for me! They don't have the same call as the Meadowlark. I feel certain I heard Meadowlarks -- just didn't get to see one.
The other birds I identified were Dark-Eyed Juncos (after MUCH patience; they don't stay still), Robins (posers), and Canada Geese (too big to miss). I also saw ducks in the distance but could not identify what type.
Ancient Birds
Yesterday, I was on a remote road that felt like the middle of nowhere, but when I looked in the sky, I saw over a dozen contrails. So, it was evidently not the middle of nowhere for planes. Today, I think I really did find the middle of nowhere -- at least "nowhere" in February of 2023. It was bliss to hear only nature and the sound of my feet hitting the gravel trail. I did not hear even one plane the whole time I was there. However, 100 million years ago, it was definitely "somewhere." It is the southern part of the "dinosaur freeway" which extends up into Colorado.
The Clayton Lake was damned in the 1950's. The tracks did not become visible until a storm in the 1980's when a large amount of water flooded the spillway area and washed away the last layer of rock that was covering them. It is one of the best sets of tracks in the country.
So, along with the live birds, I also saw evidence of the "ancient birds" which once roamed New Mexico.
Today's Letterboxes
Five letterboxes in one day! Three at the state park, one in Clayton near my coffee stop, one in Amarillo and one in Claude.
Lessons from Today
1. It is SO great to get out into nature where there are no man-made noises.
2. Birding takes patience and keen observation skills -- both of which are valuable life skills. Perhaps a birding class should be required in elementary, middle and high school. I think kids would get something different out of it at each age.
3. Letterboxing and birding are similar -- both are like a scavenger hunt with a great treasure to find!
Greatly enjoying the vicarious journey. Thanks for taking us along!
Just getting started. Piking my interest.