Strolling Through the Botanical Gardens

(May 30th) The last few days I felt like a lot of my images were more traditional sorts of shots. Today when I walked through the Hunan Province Forest Botanical Gardens, I was looking for something a little different. I wound up taking a lot of more abstract shots, but I did take a few typical shots towards the beginning.

When we came to the botanical gardens, it was well past spring so there wasn't much in bloom. But the botanical gardens are enormous - we probably walked 5 km or more and didn't cover half the trails. It was also one of the flew places in Changsha that there weren't many people at. A few scenes grabbed my attention like these hanging lanterns.

The botanical gardens is largely made up of forested trails that you walk through. It is not just a botanical gardens either. There was a place you could rock climb, rent a boat, ride horses, see birds in a small zoo, etc. Each of these extra attractions had separate admission within the gardens, but it was nice just to enjoy the gardens for themselves. There is a lake near the center that we stopped at for a little while.

To try and capture the mood of the gardens, I thought this shot with a couple enjoying themselves walking around best summed it up. The umbrella is to shade from sun, not to avoid getting wet.

Mt. Yuelu

(May 30th) A few days ago I had visited the Yuelu Academy, today I returned to the area for the mountain behind the academy. The mountain has been a traditional place of enjoyment, rest, meditation, and study for two millenia. There are quite a number of arches in the area leading to various shrines - many honoring heroes old and new.

I think there is an unwritten rule that every Westerner who travels to Asia must take a picture of at least one monk. Many of the monks from Yuelu Academy walk up Mt. Yuelu each day to meditate. I think I managed not to be an annoying tourist when I took this shot...

On the climb there was a pagoda which several of the locals were enjoying. I got a kick out of the child who was using it as lookout while his mother took a rest. He was probably a bit surprised to see a foreigner walking up the mountain.

On Mt. Yuelu there is an old Buddhist temple called Lushan Temple. This temple was orginally built in 268 A.D. and has been damaged several times. It had a long period of relative peace until the Japanese nearly completely destroyed it during WWII. Fortunately much of it has been rebuilt since then. Yeah, I know I'm taking pictures at a time when the light is not very good...

Inside the temple there is quite a nice courtyard. Photography is forbidden inside the temple itself, so I respected the wishes. I did take a few shots in the courtyard before entering and learning about several of the buddhas to whom shrines are dedicated.

Also out in the courtyard was this guardian statue who I looked the look of. He seemed to have a friendly smile for me as well.

A Walk in the Park - China Style

(May 29th) Before I came to China, one of my good friends, Vincent, told me a claim I half dismissed as egregious exaggeration. At the time he said that if China wanted to, they would build a school or hospital in a couple of weeks. Having seen the pace of Ann Arbor construction over the years, I mostly laughed at his claim. Today I went to Changsha's Island Park which they began building a couple of months ago and I was choking on my earlier disbelief. Here you can see one of the fountains found near the entrance to the park.

This park was huge - perhaps bigger than New York's Central Park. It was also filled with buildings, paths, horticulture, man-made water, etc. When we walked through it was pretty much all completed. After I saw some of the groundsworkers it was apparent that the completion of this engineering feat was due to hard work and sweat not advanced machinery.

As you can see from the shots already, the day was rainy and severely overcast with a dense cloud cover penetrating to the ground. From the island the shore of Changsha was visible through the shroud of the fog. As you can see, Changsha like much of China blends together old and new.

This synergy of old and new is really present everywhere you go. To someone from the United States, I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Some of the buildings in the park were designed according to an obviously Western style of architecture.

While not old or even authentic by any means, some of the buildings were also done in a more traditional style in sharp contrast to the Western-style buildings.

Mao has a footprint every you go in China, and perhaps no place more so than in Hunan Province, the province of his birth and youth. One of the manifestations is in words that make up some of his teachings and sayings. These were engraved in rock within the park, but I encountered these many places - even along the highways as we drove.

Back to the Museum

(May 28th) Well there were no pictures taken yesterday since I spent the day in quarantine... A long story, but I don't suggest it as part of a vacation. We spent today returning to the Hunan Provincial Museum. This time we saw the normal collection, rather than travelling exhibit that I had seen 3 days ago. The main collection revolves around tombs discovered from a noble family from the Han Dynasty (roughly 2150 years old). This a reconstruction of what the wife of the Marquis of Dai looked like at the time of her death at the age of 50.

There were many things inside the huge tombs. Musical instruments, pieces of art, clothing, food dishes, etc. There were a large number of these wooden figurines who I believe were supposed to help take care of the nobles after their death.

Last time I was here, I noticed that the crowds were really quite thick - much thicker that what you would see in your average western museum on a weekday. Here's an example of how crowded it was - this is just a relatively unimportant artifact from the tomb.

As we made our way through the many artifacts, we came to the climax of the exhibits. There were three large ornate coffins belonging to the nobles of the family - two of the sons and the Marquis' wife. The coffins, like many of the artifacts, were made of this beautiful rosewood.

Finally there was the mummy of the Lady of Dai herself. This mummy is the best-preserved mummy in existance. When they unearthed it, they were able to give her a full autopsy like she had just died. All her hair was present, etc. I think it's not quite in as good shape as when they first found it. No one knows exactly why she was so well preserved.

The museum had other exhibits as well. There were many artifacts from the Bronze Age period as well. This vase is roughly 3500 year old. It's hard to believe people were making things like this then.

Ancient Learning

(May 26th) Today we went to Yuelu Academy. This one of the four great academies of ancient China and is still in use today. This school was founded way back in 976 A.D. making it 2 centuries older than Oxford. Of course it was another rainy day today, but perhaps it made this courtyard look even more serene.

Yuelu academy has many buildings, all of which are connected by various paths, and everywhere you turn there are small gardens and courtyards. In fact, China as a whole seems to be filled with gardening. Whether it is along the side of major roads and highways, between building, or little alleys, you can usually find some gardens and the Chinese seem to be more elaborate with their landscaping as well.

As I walked through the academy, it was easy to feel that this place would be a very calm and tranquil setting for learning. Changsha as a whole is a very loud city and apparently Chinese cities in general are like this, but here is one of the few places you could find a den of solitude.

The architecture of the academy was amazing. There were all of these paths connecting the various buildings and they seemed to flow out of the land itself, often being suspended in the air or curving around gardens. It isn't designed for taking the straightest path between buildings, but rather out of an aesthetic appreciation.

The classrooms here are a bit different than what we see in the west. Students kneel on the ground in a large square in front of a covered platform. On this platform there is a chair for the teach and sayings of ancient wisdom painted in careful strokes behind him. This lecture halls take only a fraction of the space, as other buildings make up the bulk of the grounds.

On the way out of the academy, I took this photo of the main building that houses the lecture hall for students. You can see it was still raining. The building maintains a dominance that contrasts with the gentle construction of the other buildings.

China - A Whole New World

(May 25th) If you had asked me a couple of years ago I would never have guessed that my first trip to Asia would be to China. And I definitely wouldn't have imagined that instead of heading to one of the major international cities, I would travel to Hunan province instead. Changsha, Hunan's capital is still a sizeable city - maybe a little fewer people than New York City. It is not like Shanghai or Beijing though, here there are virtually no Westerners. People speaking English is a rarity. I am extremely grateful to Yuan, without whom I certainly would have been lost at best, and with whom I had a wonderful time and witnessed what China is really like. For my first full day in China without travel, we headed to the Hunan Provincial Museum. The day was cold (for Changsha) and rainy - good thing we planned to be indoors.

The Hunan Provincial Museum normally has some extensive exhibits, but we went to see a touring exhibit that is here for a couple of weeks only. The exhibit dates from the Qin Dynasty (around 200BC) and revolves around the tomb of the same emperor you may be familiar with if you have seen 'The Mummy 3' and the tombs of his family. He's the guy with the terracotta warriors, but this exhibit is from the tombs themselves. Here's a sword that was used by one of the princes - amazingly sharp for being over 2000 years old.

It was a lot of fun, but a little bit of a challenge to shoot in here. Light was low, and I wasn't permitted to use flash. The sheer number of people visiting the museum is something I have never seen before... These kind of crowds just don't exist in American museums. So getting a shot without the crowds, lit well, from a good angle, and without all the reflecting glare on the display glass took some thinking. This intricately decorated device I shot here is something that the ancient Chinese used both as a refrigerator to keep food cold or to keep food warm depending on what the food called for. Amazing invention - quite large too and made of heavy bronze.

In the tomb there were loads of musical instruments. This bell is made of bronze is one of many. The bells typically are all suspended and the player will play from the roughly 20 or so bells. Later on we heard them played and the sound is quite melodious.

Much of the things kept in the tomb revolve around food. There are gazillions of dishes for serving and eating food. This is one of the ones for holding meat, cutely carved in the shape of a pig.

There were also some figures made to keep watch over the tomb. Many of these were mythical animals that are beyond description. This one is more traditional, with the likeness of a stag. We saw thousands of artifacts in the museum, many of them quite beautiful. It is amazing the amount of sophistication and culture already present in China at this ancient time.

Last of the Season

(May 21st) Although I didn't know it, this was my last day in Magee Marsh during the spring migration. I thought I would get a few more days, but the weather didn't cooperate, and work got extremely busy trying to wrap things up before the my planned trip to China. Again, the light was dazzling on the drive in so I took some shots from the car. Yeah, everyone has seen Canada Geese too many times, but I couldn't resist with the goslings and the great light.

Also, on the drive in, I ran into a cooperative Mourning Dove. I have a thing for doves. They are so distinctive and gentle looking. So I snapped a few frames of this one as the sun broke the horizon.

The last warbler of the migration was a Blackpoll Warbler. I had patience and over the course of an hour or so, he routined darted into the brush and would return again, sometimes pretty close. He also seemed to be having a grand old time singing his head off. Perhaps he was singing goodbye to me. He probably was working on his mating song, but I had great fun and a good challenge with the warblers this spring.

Slow as Molasses

(May 20th) It was a good thing I took some shots out of the car when I first was driving into Magee Marsh. These shots of the Wood Ducks were perhaps the best shots of the day. It was just a really slow day - tried working some Cedar Waxwings, but again they stymied me. I think Wood Ducks are the pretties ducks we have in the US, and to me it is just bizarre to hear a duck from the top of a tree most of the time. This pair was swimming in the marsh though.

Flash Refinement

(May 19th) After yesterday, I knew I needed to improve my flash usage. Today was completely overcast, which means definitely need some flash for the warblers. I probably looked awfully strange when I spent the first thirty minutes in the parking lot shooting pictures of a beaver Beanie Baby I put in a tree. But those thirty minutes were invaluable. I sorted out just exactly how I wanted to use the flash. The warblers were pretty good today. I finally found a Northern Parula who wasn't at the very tops of the trees.

A Chestnut-sided Warbler came in close for me to take a few shots. Maybe he wanted to see if I could use my flash properly :P

New Tool in the Shed

(May 18th) Today I made a pact with myself, it was time to start using flash, and really start using it. Without it, there are just too many shots missed - especially with the warblers and other songbirds in the foliage. First of all I headed over to the House Wren nest to see how they were doing. I got a few shots without flash at first, like this picture of one of the soon-to-be-parents on a log near the nest. It's all ruffled having just shown me an extensive grooming session. After a few flash shots of the nest, it was on to the warblers.

This Canada Warbler is one of those warblers that is in the dense foliage most of the time. So flash helps me get a shot where normally none would be possible. It adds some fill light and also corrects the color balance.

The flash helps a lot, but like any new tool, it will take some time to master. Sometimes I was using too little flash, sometimes too much. This Bay-breasted Warbler shows you what it looks like when you use too much. Definitely going to work on this...

Mission Accomplished

(May 17th) There are some critters that you see all the time but for some reason you don't have a good photo of them yet. You don't really aim to go out and shoot them because they are so common, but if you see one, you sure try to get some pictures. You know that time is on your side and you'll eventually have the right circumstances for it. Believe it or not but Northern Cardinals and Blue Jays are on this list for me. For the warbler migration, there has been one warbler that's there every day, but still no images. That's the Black-and-white Warbler. All warblers move a lot, but these guys seem to be on some extra stimulant. They also cling to the tree trunks a lot so are facing bad positions or in deep shade, etc. Today I was quite happy to finally get a few decent shots of one.

Since the migration has been moving along, some of the earlier species have given way a bit to the later ones. This Wilson's Warbler is one of these later species that is starting to become abundant. Here you can see the prominent black cap that the males possess.

Of course there was still time for some of the favorites that I've photographed many times already. Yellow Warblers are setting up their nests now and many of them like to check out what you're doing if you walk near.

Back Down to Ohio

(May 15th) The sun was back today, so Magee Marsh again. Again no good photos of migrants were in the cards today, but there was plenty else to keep me occupied. I started off the morning with this American Robin. The light was incredible and a nice composition. I usually don't like pictures with man-made objects in the background, but it doesn't bother me here.

I discovered a great House Wren nest which the two parents kept attending to. Many birders ask what I was photographing and when I told them it was a House Wren, they usually went "Oh" and quickly walked down the boardwalk as if I was crazy. I didn't try and get great shots today - in my thinking the wrens will be here for a few weeks so I can come back any time. I definitely am planning on returning. But with these shots and the next subject, I really felt like flash needs to become part of my arsenal.

Less than 12 hours after the Great Horned Owl of yesterday, my subject was another owl. Turns out a pair of Eastern Screech Owls rest each day in the same tree in Magee Marsh. Of course the foliage is everywhere and they often are in positions where you can't see much of them, but today wasn't so bad. This is one time where you really feel the restriction of having to stick to the boardwalk. These guys are a lot smaller than the Great Horned Owl, about the same size as the Burrowing Owls in Florida.

Surprises Even in Dolph

(May 14th) It had rained the last two mornings so I didn't think it was worth it to drive down to Ohio. But after that time off, when the sun peaked through in the afternoon, I had to shoot something. Usually the afternoon isn't as good as the morning and I needed to stay local, so off to dependable Dolph Park. I was expecting the usual jays, cardinals, and possibly a few of the common warblers. I was in for a surprise when I saw the first water. A lone Solitary Sandpiper (apt name, huh?) was taking a break to forage on its way up to Canada. At first glance I mistook it for a Spotted Sandpiper, not having seen a Solitary before. Had to shoot through a thick cover of leaves, but in return it popped into a few nice rays of light.

Then we walked to the main trail and off in one of the largest trees was the second big surprise. A Great Horned Owl was perched in the late afternoon. He was somewhat visible too, although very far away. This is one huge bird. He would be able to snack on the small Burrowing Owls I had posted from Florida. He's larger than most hawks. We took a few shots from a distance and tried to move in closer to get some better shots. Not with his eyes and ears! He immediately flew off when we started to move.