I woke up to a downpour at 6:00 this morning. Although I had planned on sleeping more I decided to get up to head out to the hack site early for fear of flooding roads. Last time we got this much rain from a tropical storm the bridge just past the gate flooded over and was a bit of a scary crossing. I hoped to avoid that today. So I grabbed the quail and jumped in the truck for one last trip to the hack site.

You know you are from Washington State when you find the sound of windshield wipers soothing. Regardless, I was on edge the whole drive, trying to avoid hydroplaning in some spots, dodging around fallen branches, and keeping the car from fishtailing in the mud. I really had no problems though. Thank goodness for four wheel drive. When I reached the scary bridge I laughed with relief. The water on one side was about a centimeter from washing over the bridge. I am glad I left early.

As I arrived at the hack site the rain became harder falling in grape sized drops. I stayed in the truck for a few minutes until it lightened up a little. Then clad in my rain jacket I grabbed the small cooler of quail and climbed up the wet metal ladder. Atop the platform I placed five whole quail. I doubt the falcons will be able to do much hunting in this weather and will probably be hungry. I wrapped one arm around the trunk of the tree as the platform swayed in the strong gusts. It felt like being on the deck of a boat. I took a quick glance around, saw no falcons, and climbed down. The birds probably found some place a little more sheltered and dryer to wait out the storm.

Heading back to the Inn I felt like I was racing the water to the scary bridge. When I arrived at the bridge I found it flooded over by a centimeter or two. I stopped the truck to take a picture. Even in the few minutes I sat there the water over the bridge rose a little more. I quickly stashed my camera and crossed the bridge. No problems.

Safely back at the Inn I stripped off my wet clothes, donned dry ones, and gave my wet garments (including my shoes) to the staff who kindly dried them for me as I ate breakfast and finished packing. I paid off my tab and said good bye to the staff. Many of the Inn staff asked me if I would be returning next year. I don’t know. I will see what opportunities head my way and where I end up next year. I am barely home and I am beginning to miss it already.

We stopped at a gift shop on our way to the airport for some last minute souvenirs. At the airport Sean and I split up to go through security because we had flights on different airlines. When going paying the country exit fee, the man at the counter flirtatiously asked why I was travelling alone. I gave him a brief synopsis of my work with the falcons. Then he asked me if I was going home to Seattle. I said yes. Was I living with my parents in Seattle. I said yes. He said good. Then he asked if my boyfriend also lived in Seattle. I do not currently have a boyfriend, but I said yes just so he would stop asking me questions.

Even though I left Belize only ten minutes before he did, I arrived in Seattle about 14 hours before him due to layovers. It was kind of odd to be surrounded by so many people in the American airports. And it is kind of odd being back home. I guess partially because I don’t really feel like my work with the falcons is over since they have not all dispersed yet. And probably partially because the main part of the house looks super different now that the remodeling of the kitchen is basically finished. Looking in the windows on my way in, I felt like I was peering into a stranger’s home. I was here for the beginning of the remodel, but I still have the old image of the kitchen in mind whenever I think of home. It will take a bit of getting used to.
 

Sean accompanied me to the hack site today. It was nice having some human company out there. We played Settlers of Catan which is my favorite board game, besides Scrabble. While the falcons were away or just sitting around, we also played Bowling Dice and Quiddler.

The falcons themselves provided plenty of entertainment today too. Everyone showed up again. I changed the feeding schedule, so today was the second day without placing any quail. When Sean and I first arrived E5 swooped low over us. He was either scoping out Sean to see who he was, or trying to get our attention so that we would give him quail. About an hour or so after our arrival A0 showed up with a dead juvenile barn swallow. We watched while he ate the little bird, bones and all. Later I saw E5 wiping his beak on a branch and with a small crop. So, he probably caught some of his own food too. D2 stopped by with a crop. C3 might have had a tiny crop this afternoon, but I really could not tell. Maybe his feathers were just a bit fluffed up. I am hoping he started providing for himself, but I am not going to jump to conclusions. One thing about science is that you cannot make an assumption without hard evidence to back it up. Tomorrow I will put out food and see what kind of response I get.

I unfolded one of the lawn chairs while setting up the hack site and saw a tiny scorpion resting on the blue fabric of the chair. It was no bigger than my fingernail. Its body was bark brown and its legs and pinchers neon orange. I blew on it to see if it was alive and the little thing scurried around with its tiny stinger raised ready to strike. Trapping it in a water bottle cap, I slipped paper underneath it, and released the little critter outside. Sean noticed a brown spider resting in the center of its web against the blind. Upon further inspection we saw the spider had a light green spot the color of Mayan jade upon its back. The green was in the shape of a hamsa, or two hands placed over one another with the thumbs on each side. Everyday I notice something unexpected. Perhaps this is a result of living moment to moment and not planning too far ahead. It leaves me open to the wonders of the unexpected. I hope this continues when I return home.


A0 looking regal.