The Urban Pantheist

Katelyn and Starbuck.


Anything good in the fridge, Starbuck?

My dad came to visit yesterday and we decided to go to Revere Beach. We didn't have to look long for a parking spot, and there was a lot of room on the beach.

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Oh god this is a huge pile of photos. Don't worry, after this is the snapshots, then the rest were taken when my camera was acting weird so only a few of them are any good. Enjoy a wide range of pics of Antigua!


There are several kinds of dove and pigeon in Antigua, this one is the white-crowned pigeon Patagioenas leucocephala. These birds are suffering from the disappearance of their breeding habitat, mangrove swamps.

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The Poitou donkey is a rare breed of domestic ass (Equus asinus). Originating in France, the Poitou is notable for its large size and shaggy coat, which--left unbrushed--will become "corded," with what we would call dreadlocks in human hair. The breed was maintained as a sire for mules, until mules became obsolete; there are around 400 individuals of this breed left in the world. These two gelded males are part of the Children's Zoo, and are honored guests at the zoo's annual Bastille Day celebration.

Menelik, a Grevy's zebra stallion, saw me standing there with a hoofstock keeper and came over and vocalized.


Once I got the camera out, he got bored (or nervous) and walked away.

Here's a fellow zookeeper and I in traffic on 93 on the way back from the Gilmour Bike Ride. Thanks so much to those of you who donated! I was mopey at first, but got quite a few donations and I'm honored by your generosity. The money goes to a terrific scholarship program; most of the riders on my team are scholarship recipients.

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The head of the local mounted park rangers came by the zoo to run a workshop on horse handling. One of the Poitou donkeys is behind him.

This 100 species project is a fun one, but my own rules (I have to take a picture of the species) are making it more challenging than I expected. Today I saw our first striped skunk in the yard, and took three pictures, each one worse than the last. Moments ago I saw our first American robin chase off a blue jay (go, robin!). I had no time to photograph either bird. By the time I got my camera, they had been replaced by the first European starlings and common grackles. I managed one halfway decent starling pic. Alexis has documented some other species in the yard: pixie cup lichens and snowdrops; her photos are very beautiful, of course. I have more catching up to do: the next species pics I want to post are full of snow, a substance which is suddenly, blessedly rare in the yard. Stay tuned for more urbpan picspam.

Pilewort, an herb related to buttercup, once used to treat hemorrhoids. (Also called lesser celandine.) Found lots of it blooming in the wet areas of the Bussey Brook Urban Wilds (which seems to be called "Bussey Brook Meadow" now, and is part of the Arboretum.)

( Lots more pics of Bussey Brook )

Yesterday we ended up at Houghton's Pond. It was unusually warm, and ladybugs were swarming on the information kiosk.
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