The beauty of having no set itinerary in mind is the flexibility to do a lot of nothing. Case in point: It rained 3 of 7 afternoons I was here in Maligcong which kept me from walking the terrace paths to go birding. Also, when I did walked in the afternoon, I was escorted by a coterie of canines - some 7-8 of them and it's tricky to keep them in tow. Even the diminutive Shihua tagged along and one time I spotted an adult Mountain Verditer Flycatcher, a campaign 4x4 vehicle was going to pass our way and I had to grab her out of the way since the driver may not see her at all. By the time I returned to the bird's spot, it was not there anymore. But it's okay, I have little to no expectations of spotting new birds or hiking up Mts Kupapey or Fato. I'm just too happy to see my human and canine friends as well as find myself in a new environment.
I was harboring dreams of eventually adopting you along with the other street fosters but I guess the universe had other plans. Even though my heart is heavy with grief, I am thankful that I was given the privilege to be part of your short life, my dear Gamma. I've known grief many times before but each time, it cuts me to pieces. I actually am questioning my purpose because I've already lost so many of my street fosters in a rather unkindly manner, to put it politely. I'm also questioning the wisdom of continuing this path but each time I look at my other fosters, I also see you and the others who have crossed the rainbow bridge far too early. I will never forget you. I love you dearly with all my heart. And one day, we will meet again.
Labels:
birding,
birdwatching,
Bontoc,
lagalog,
Maligcong,
Mountain Province,
nature,
nikon
