First Blog: "what we do at the marsh" and An Apology

Having never blogged before  it feels kind of weird to be doing this  almost like writing a journal that you are hoping everyone will read. Well the truth of this effort is that I have been inspired by the work done by Rick Ludkin at Ruthven Park and the work and kinship he has been spreading about the Canadian Snow bunting  network. Rick has been writing a blog for years now and I always thought if we ever developed a website that had potential for sharing photo's and stories about the marsh the birds and banders and visitors that we would do it .  So that is how we have arrived in cyber land . I still do not really understand facebook and twitter  but writing on a blank sheet that i can fathom. Anyone reading this  will soon learn that on most days i fight with the key board and I seem to lose interest in spell check entirely  so this first entry while most likely will slip into oblivion does hold the disclaimer about spelling and grammar. The reader will also notice that my writing style is best described as flow of consciousness and I believe i hold my high school record for the longest run on sentence in history.  Ok enough with the boring  stuff and all of the apologies it ok to be a crappy writer if you have something worthwhile to write about  and i feel that the marsh and the birds and the people who are passionate about them is worth writing about. If we do not share the same idea then i suggest you move the cursor and migrate somewhere else. I am writing for the person who is interested in migrations  and how it is that these feathered wonders make their way into our nets  feeders and hearts. Before i sign off on this first blog i would like to say a word about the man in this photo. This is Bob Sargeant from Clay Alabama. He taught Joanne and i about hummingbird banding and he continues to be my mentor and inspiration. While he was teaching us the basics of measuring and handling safely and the subtle touches to trapping  and engaging people in the process he was slowly and gently coaxing us to think more about the wonders of migrations and to really consider the joy that being close to birds and nature provides. I think every bander never tires of the look on peoples faces when they have the chance to hold a precious avian life in their hands for the first time or to listen to the heart rate of a ruby throat or to have a hummingbird lie still in an outstreched hand poised to take off any second as it gathers its feet beneath them leaping to the air to the delight of  those gathered to watch. These are the moments that endure and touch people. This was what Bob Sargeant taught us and this is something that i think is worth sharing about what we do at the marsh. So come along  and let me tell you about what we do at the marsh.