Posted By crates on May 7, 2012

    Central America is the site of contending crustal plates–notably the Cocos Plate in the Pacific Ocean which is being subducted beneath the Caribbean Plate right off the western coast of central america at a rate of 72-81 mm/yr.  It’s this area where the Central America Volcanic Arc exists which forms the volcanoes of Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.  To the north there is the North America Plate which is moving to the west at about 20 mm per year resultng in further seismic turmoil.  Then to the east the North American plates dives beneath the Caribbean plate as does the South American plate to the south.

     Once the link between North and South America was established there was a great influx of North American fauna into South America and vice versa to  a lesser extent.  The great marsupial fauna of South America died off mostly as did other less successful groups.  Some of the South American biota moved into North America.  Central America remains today one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world.

    Costa Rica and the rest of the isthmus has acted as a filter bridge in this great migratory process that really picked up steam only three million years ago when the connection was complete between North and South America.  The diverse topography of Costa Rica has resulted in refugia where species could still live after dying out in other areas.  This combined with the species from the north and from the south has resulted in a tremendous amount of biotic diversity in this small area.

    It is estimated that in this small country there are 500,000 to 1,000,000 species of plants and animals with most remaining unknown.  Insects by themselves make up about half of this diversity, whereas 850 species of birds can be found–about ten percent of all known species of birds.  North America has about half that number.  Others estimate about 160 species of amphibians, 220 species of reptiles and about 10% of all known butterflies.

   And all this in the second smallest Central American Nation (El Salvador is the smallest).  Only 119 km across at the narrowest point in the south and 280 km wide at its broadest point, it is quite easy to drive across the country in about five hours.  Solely in the tropical latitudes it still exhibits a broad range of distinct climate zones (12). 

The eastern Caribbean side is the wetest whereas the western pacific slopes are the driest.  Most areas have a rainy season, or “green season,”  (May-November) and a dry season (December-April) with the rainfall almost everywhere following a predictable schedule.  Usually the highland ridges are wet with the windward sides being the wettest.

Category: biology, Ecology, Evolution, nature | No Comments »
Tags: Biodiversity Central America, Central America Geology, Crustal Plates, Evolution, extinction, geology, Panama, Plate Tectonics, South American Marsupial Fauna

Posted By crates on May 6, 2012

It was 3 am and my bleary eyes found it  hard to see through the beating of my windshield wipers, but the tiny object in my headlights appeared to be something other than a small twig.  As I got out of the car and picked it up, I realized it was a salamander quite different than the typical Rough Skin Newt (Taricha granulosa) that I usually found in this area.

Although I handled it with great care, when I placed it into a container to hold it until the next day, I found that in its exertions to escape, it had lost its tail which was squirming distractedly about.  It also appeared quite motionless, and I wondered whether it was dead or whether it was simply feigning death.  After handling it, I noticed a dried secretion on my hand which I was careful to wash off since such secretions can often be irritating to mucous membranes.

    The next morning I found it to be quite chipper despite its moribund state the night before, and I confirmed that it was the lungless salamander, Ensatina eschscholtzii, which occurs from British Columbia to Baja California, Mexico.  This was the second specimen that I found crossing the same street in two months (April and May, 2012)–both times in a light rain around 3 am.

    These little salamanders have no larval stage and lay their eggs mostly in April and May under logs, and bark, and inside animal burrows, etc. and are usually attended by the female.  The clutch size ranges most commonly from 9-16 with a range of about 3-25 eggs.  The time it takes for the eggs to hatch varies amongst the subspecies, ranging from 113-142 days with a maximum of 177 days (Monterrey salamander).  The time involved was usually inversely proportional to egg size.

    The young reach maturity in three to four years with males reaching sexual maturity at about 48-55 mm snout/vent length while females reach maurity when they are over 60 mm snout/vent length.  One researcher (Stebbins) estimated that the oldest animals he studied was greater 8.5 years old while another researcher estimated ages up to 15 years.

Although quite variable in its coloration, it typically has nasolabial grooves, about 12-13 coastal grooves along its side, a constricted tail which can often snap off to distract predators, and light coloration at the base of its legs.

Category: Amphibians, biology, Caudata (Order) Salamanders, Evolution, nature | No Comments »
Tags: Ensatina eschscholtzii, lungless salamanders, ring species

Posted By crates on May 4, 2012

My 1975 Ford Van that I bought new so long ago.

Recently I said farewell to a dear old friend, my 1975 Ford Van that I bought new back in August, 1975.  I bought it in Eugene, Oregon after getting a teaching job in Baltimore, MD, because I needed something larger than my ’64 VW bug to carry my possessions in.  I drove it to Texas via the Grand Canyon and then to Maryland across the deep south and spent a while in the outskirts of Baltimore, before returning to Texas and then back to Oregon.  After a while in Oregon I drove it back to Texas where I spent a few years before driving it to the Puget Sound area where I drove it almost every day for the next 25 years.  I never spent a night in a hotel during all the traveling, but spent many nights in the bed that I had built in the back of the van.

Over the years I was amazed at the reliability of this old Ford truck despite my lack of upkeep.  If I remembered I would change the oil once a year, but otherwise did little maintenance.  Despite this abuse I drove it as my only source of transportation until 2004 and 350,000 miles later when I bought another car (a Ford Escape which drives like a dream).  I experienced very few problems with the truck and developed a warm affection for it over the years.

AAfter getting the new car I would alternate driving it with the van every few days. After almost a year of this, I found myself driving the new car more and more and the truck less and less.  I would makesure that I would go out and start the truck up occasionally just to keep the battery charged.  Finally I went too long once, and found that the old truck wouldn’t start.  This was back in 2005.  I then let the truck sit beside the house ever since.  Over the years, the old friend gradually began to return to the elements from which it came.  The driver’s side had rusted out, and a little Bewick’s Wren built a nest in the gaping hole.  Thick growths of moss covered the truck and a licorice fern germinated and began to grow from a crack.

The top vent leaked and over the years mold and spider webs covered the interior, although the metal along the inner walls still looked bright and new.  The bed collapsed and the interior paneling sagged and gave way.  The door locks would barely work and the ignition froze up.  It was a prime illustration of the old saying “Use it or Lose It.”

I knew that I would never drive it again, but I kept putting off the inevitable, hating the thought of having it hauled off and out of my life forever.  Finally, my son told me that he knew somebody who would haul it away and pay $280 f.or it.  Here are some of the last views that I had of my old buddy.  I am also enclosing below a photo of my new friend who I hope will be as faithful as the last.  No, it isn’t a Ford!  I am crossing my fingers.

Category: Personal Stuff | No Comments »
Tags: Econoline 150, Ford Truck, Ford Van, Reliability of Ford trucks

Posted By crates on February 13, 2012

      I keep getting these different types of fish confused.  I was checking out their differences and characteristics and thought that I would summarize what I found here.

Goldfish:  Apparently goldfish were bred in China over a thousand years ago for their colors  from the Prussian Carp (Carassius gibelio gibelio once  

called  Carassius auratus gibelio) originally an Asian species, but now also spread throughout Europe. (Photos from Wikipedia)

Koi (which means carp in Japanese): These colorful fish have been bred from the common carp  (Cyprinus carpio). Photo from Wikipedia

 The common carp was raised as food in Rome as long ago as 2,000 yrs ago and was cultured in China at least by the fifth century.  Apparently mitochondrial DNA studies have shown that the Koi has been bred from both the western eurasian subspecies of the common carp (Cyprinus carpio carpio) and the east asian subspecies (Cyprinus carpio haematopterus).  This multilineage background is still confused. The common carp is widespread throughout Eurasia and the United States.

Other Common Asian Carp Introduced into the United States:

• grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)
• silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)
• bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis)
• black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus)

Grass, silver, bighead and black carp are  sometimes known as the “Four Domesticated Fish” in China and are the most important freshwater fish species for food and traditional Chinese medicine. Bighead and silver carp are the most important fish, worldwide, in terms of total aquaculture production.

Silver carp or Jumping Carp (they have no stomachs and filter feed almost constantly) are the fish that I have often seen on television jumping high out of the water when frightened by motor boats.  These fish can jump 8 to 10 feet into the air and often cause injuries to boaters. When you consider that Silver carp can grow up to 100 pounds, you can see how dangerous they can be to boaters.  Bighead  carp normally don’t jump when frightened.photo from Wikipedia

Bighead, silver, and grass carp are known to be well-established in the Mississippi River basin (including tributaries) of the United States, where they at times reach extremely high abundances, especially in the case of the bighead and silver carp.

Bighead and silver carp feed by filtering plankton from the water which because of their abundance has led to concern because of possible competition with native species (filter feeders such as the paddlefish, shad, etc.). Of course because of the fact that these fish are filter feeders, they are difficult to catch by normal means.

Silver Carp’s head does not have scales and the body is covered in very small scales.  The eyes are turned forward and appear to be looking down a little.  The mouth is turned up.  The body is somewhat flattened from side to side and usually has olive-green backs and silvery sides sometimes with a bronze to reddish tinge.

Big Headed Carp: Photo from Wikipedia Commons

Category: biology, nature | No Comments »
Tags: bighead carp, black carp, Carassius auratus, Carassius gibelio, Common Carp, Cyprinus carpio, fish, goldfish, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, jumping carp, Koi, Prussian carp, silver carp

Posted By crates on August 17, 2011

     I’m now of the opinion that the failure to feed problems talked about before with the Glock 17 generation 2 pistol are a problem with that particular pistol.  I just returned from Texas where I had a chance to shoot a Glock 26 and a Glock 19 (both Gen 4′s) over a period of several weeks and had not a single failure to feed problem–in fact I had no problems whatsoever with the pistols.  Both shot flawlessly (except they didn’t always hit the bullseye!).

   I think now that the problem with the Glock 17 had nothing to do with a limp wrist or any other problem with the grip.  I was greatly impressed with both the 19 and the 26.  For a range pistol the Glock 19 was impeccable, while I think that I would prefer the 26 as the concealed alternative.

Category: Glock pistols | No Comments »
Tags: failure to feed problems, Glock 17, Glock 19, Glock 26, Glocks

Posted By crates on July 11, 2011

     When my father was here last month we went to the local firing range and practiced shooting my Glock 17.  I got the Glock back in 1993, fired it a few times, and then put it away until last month.

     The gun shot fine except that that out of about 40 rounds that were shot the cartridge failed to feed 5 times.  I had two old magazines and two brand new magazines (brand name Glock).  At the time I thought that perhaps it was because the magazine spring had weakened in the older magazines because I had left some cartridges in it for a long time.  I had the impression that the problem occurred with the old mags.

     Later I went back and tried again.  I began with the old magazines and had no problems, but when I used the two new ones I had three FTF problems out of twenty shots fired.   I then thought that perhaps that perhaps it was the new magazines that had the problems last month.  However, upon reloading all four magazines I had continual FTF problems with all four magazines!  I had to continually remove the magazines, clear the jammed cartridge and then start all over.  I’m sorry that I didn’t count the number of times that this happened, but it was well over 50% of forty rounds shot on the second reloading.  Finally it got so bad that I got tired of clearing the jams and  stopped and went home.

    Each time the rounds seem to hang up on the feed ramp.  Also on three occasions the slide failed to stay open after the last round was fired.

         Several possible reasons for these failure-to-feed problems come to mind:

A.  Bad ammunition: However, I used two different kinds: Winchester White Box and S&B. 

B. Weak Magazine Spring:  Maybe in the old mags but not the two brand new ones.

C.  “Weak Wristing:”   Failure to keep the wrist straight and firm might have contributed to the problem.  I shall have to double check this the next time I go to the range.  However, my father had the same problem which makes me think that the cause isn’t because of a failure to keep the wrist straight.

Update: This past Wednesday I returned to the range and fired off the remaining forty rounds of 9 mm that I had left.  I had 4 FTF problems–one on the very first shot.  However, I think that perhaps that my grip has been part of the problem.  I was paying special attention to my grip, trying to make sure that I was not limp wristing it, and it seemed to help.  The incidence of FTF’s certainly didn’t reach the level of the prior shooting time.    There was also one time when the slide didn’t stay locked back on the last shot.  I could see no correlation between the problems and whether or not I was using the old or new magazines.

Category: Glock pistols, Miscellaneous | No Comments »
Tags: 9 mm, FTF problems, Glock 17 Gen 2, Glock problems

Posted By crates on May 31, 2010

     I’ve written before about my father’s best friend when he was growing up.  They both lived in the little dusty west Texas town of Truscott, but since their school burned down, they were bused to the nearby town of Crowell.  It was there at the Crowell high school that my father met my mother.

     The options were limited in that small town if you wished to take your girl on a date. Fortunately,  C. J.’s  father had a car and let his son use it, and he would drive my father and mother all about.  I have seen photos of all of them on the bridge over the North Wichita River, laughing and having fun. My father with his football letter jacket and a white scarf about his neck, standing besides my smiling mother, my father and C.J. standing with their arms about each other’s shoulders. There also photos of my dad and C.J. in their football uniforms. Dad played quarterback his senior year and C.J. fulback.  My mother was a cheerleader.

      Both my father and C.J. graduated from High School on a Friday, and on Monday, both left for their military training, my father into the army and eventually the army/airforce, and C.J. into the marines. My father survived the war, whereas C.J. died a hero’s death on the black sands of Iwo Jima (Fifth Marine Division), winning the Navy Cross, and leaving a hole in both of my parent’s lives.  My father is 86 and has lived a long, loving life, whereas C.J. died  (KIA Kelton, C.J. Pfc 5th Tank 5th Feb 22, 1945, Iwo Jima) at the age of 20 and his bones have lain in those dark volcanic sands of Iwo Jima for 65 years.

     And why do I write about C.J. Kelton now?  It is Memorial Day, and when I thought of whom I should hold in my memory for this day, I thought of C.J.  Fortunately, I have had no recent member of my family who has died while serving their country.

      I remember hearing about C.J. when I was about four years old, about how my father’s best friend died in “the war.”  I never thought much about him again until a few years ago when putting together comments by my mother and father, I learned more about him and wanted to know more about this young man who was so well liked by both of my parents.  My mother always talked about how sweet and good he was.  Also I was struck by the contrast between him and my father.  Both were from similar backgrounds and had similar lives, but C.J.’s life and future were cut so cruelly short.  I often wondered what would have happened if he had lived and had come back from that cruel war and had a family.  I have wondered about his mother and father and siblings that he left behind.  What has become of them?  Perhaps I shall never know.  I have searched online for any mention of his death, and today I found this:

*KELTON, C.J.
Citation:
The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to C.J. Kelton (870869), Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps (Reserve), for extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty while serving with the Fifth Tank Battalion, Division Service Troops, FIFTH Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces at Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, on 22 February 1945. With his platoon command tank struck and set afire by hostile shellfire during a perilous advance northward against a fanatic, determined enemy, Private First Class Kelton promptly dismounted from his own vehicle and braved the enemy’s shattering 47-mm. antitank, mortar and small-arms fire in a valiant attempt to rescue the entrapped crew. Boldly pressing forward under the withering barrage, he crossed the 25-yard open area and unhesitatingly entered the blazing tank and then, working tirelessly and with superb courage, personally extricated two of the three wounded men from the tank and carried them back to his own vehicle despite the incessant shellfire. By his daring initiative, outstanding fortitude and grave concern for the safety of others at great risk to his own life, Private First Class Kelton contributed to the saving of three fellow Marines who otherwise might have perished and his self-sacrificing efforts throughout upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Commander in Chief, Pacific Forces: Serial 32446 (July 12, 1945)
Born: at Kanima, Oklahoma
Home Town: Truscott, Texas http://www.homeofheroes.com/members/02_NX/citations/03_wwii-nc/nc_06wwii_usmcH.html

Category: Miscellaneous, People, Personal Stuff | No Comments »
Tags: Iwo Jima, Memorial day, Navy Cross

Posted By crates on May 3, 2010

Category: birding, Birds | No Comments »
Tags: Birds of Costa Rica

Posted By crates on April 24, 2010

ANNA’S HUMMINGBIRD A male Anna’s Hummingbird showing his bright, irridescent gorget.  This color is not contained in any pigment in the feathers, but is caused by the refraction of the light which is caused by the physical structure of the feathers.

ANNA’S HUMMINGBIRD  A side view of the same Anna’s Hummingbird. The gorget on his chin appears black now as the angle of the light changes and is no longer refracted.

       While leaping along some volcanic rocks on a Pacific beach in Guanacaste province in Costa Rica, I dropped my camera into a tide pool.    It was only underwater for a second before I snatched it out.  I immediately dried it with my bandana, took the lens off and opened the battery compartment, looked inside and saw it was all dry.  Apparently some water got in,  possibly through the control knobs and buttons, because it wouldn’t work.  It appeared that everything turned on fine, but the release switch to take the photograph wouldn’t work.

     After investigating I found that to clean and possibly repair the camera would cost more than I was willing to pay (especially since such cameras could not always be repaired, but you would have to pay to find out), so I decided to get another camera along with a lens which I have had my eye on for a long time.  This lens was the Nikkor 18-200mm lens with vibration reduction which allows the shooter to take photos at lower speeds.  Of course with telephoto lens this vibration reduction (VR) would especially come in handy.  The lack of some sort of telephoto lens on the Costa Rica trip was frustrating since other people were getting great bird shots with their telephotos, whereas I had to be satisfied with my 18-55 mm!  Some people have accused me of dunking my camera into the salt water so I would have the excuse of getting a new camera.  I totally deny this…at least it wasn’t a conscious action.

    Anyway I have found that for the first time, I am able to take half-way decent photos of birds.  I say for the first time although back in the early seventies I had a cheap Spiratone 400mm lens ($34!) which was half the length of my arm and which you had to manually stop down after focusing with the lens wide open.  It didn’t have a vibration reduction mode incorporated in the lens of course, and the photos I took were usually blurry.

   This past Thursday I went down to the local park by the waters of Puget Sound where this little male Anna’s Hummingbird has been hanging about for the past 3 or 4 years and was able to take these shots shown above.  You can check this site for more.  The little male would turn his head back and forth which would cause his brilliant gorget to flash on and off like a neon light as the light angle varied.  This is the same fella whose “chirping” displays I talked about before.

Category: nature | No Comments »
Tags: Anna's Hummingbird, Anna's Hummingbird Displays, gorget, Wet Cameras

Posted By crates on April 12, 2010

Central America is the site of contending crustal plates–notably the Cocos Plate in the Pacific Ocean which is being subducted beneath the Caribbean Plate right off the western coast of central america at a rate of 72-81 mm/yr.  It’s this area where the Central   America Volcanic Arc exists which forms the volcanoes of Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica (See photo above of Volcan Arenal).  To the north there is the North America Plate which is moving to the west at about 20 mm per year resultng in further seismic turmoil.  Then to the east the North American plates dives beneath the Caribbean plate as does the South American plate to the south.

     South America was part of the great southern land mass, Gonwanaland.  When it drifted away from the rest of the southern continents it remained in relative isolation for over sixty million years.  Once the link between North and South America was established there was a great influx of North American fauna into South America and vice versa to  a lesser extent.  The great marsupial fauna of South America died off mostly as did other less successful groups.  Some of the South American biota moved into North America.  Central America remains today one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world.

    Costa Rica and the rest of the isthmus has acted as a filter bridge in this great migratory process that really picked up steam only three million years ago when the connection was complete between North and South America.  The diverse topography of Costa Rica has resulted in refugia where species could still live after dying out in other areas.  This combined with the species from the north and from the south has resulted in a tremendous amount of biotic diversity in this small area.

    It is estimated that in this small country there are 500,000 to 1,000,000 species of plants and animals with most remaining unknown.  Insects by themselves make up about half of this diversity, whereas 850 species of birds can be found–about ten percent of all known species of birds.  North America has about half that number.  Others estimate about 160 species of amphibians, 220 species of reptiles and about 10% of all known butterflies.

   And all this in the second smallest Central American Nation (El Salvador is the smallest).  Only 119 km across at the narrowest point in the south and 280 km wide at its broadest point, it is quite easy to drive across the country in about five hours.  Solely in the tropical latitudes it still exhibits a broad range of distinct climate zones (12). 

The eastern Caribbean side is the wettest whereas the western pacific slopes are the driest. When I visited the Pacific coast area of Costa Rica (Guanacaste), the hills and countryside was covered with trees devoid of leaves.  It was strange seeing black howler monkeys sitting in leafless trees.  This was in sharp contrast to the rainforest on the Caribbean coast.   Most areas have a rainy season, or “green season,”  (May-November) and a dry season (December-April) with the rainfall almost everywhere following a predictable schedule.  Usually the highland ridges are wet with the windward sides being the wettest.

Category: biology, Birds, Ecology, nature | No Comments »
Tags: biotic diversity, Cocos Plate, Costa Rica, South American isolation, volcanoes