I was surprised at how few different kinds of birds I saw on this trip. I thought there might be a lot of interesting wildlife in another part of the world, but I saw very few animals and birds that I wouldn't find right here in Massachusetts! That was a little disappointing.
On Syros, the most common birds I saw were English Sparrows! I only saw sea gulls occasionally at the Ermoupolis harbor. There were doves and pigeons everywhere, of course. In Turkey, besides pigeons, I saw swallows, barns swallows mostly. At the Carpet School, there were several nests plastered at the roof of the covered deck by the entrance.
But then, there were the storks. My sister and I went with one of the ladies on the tour (mother of a young cellist) to a shop run by a woman. On our way there, we passed by two gigantic stork nests with several storks perched atop. I was fascinated by this sight.
The lady, by the way, was the first female shopkeeper in the city of Ephesus. For weeks, every morning when she went to open up, she found notes slipped under the door telling her how wrong it was for a woman to operate a business and that she belonged at home. But she persevered, and now she is one of several women running a successful shop. She came from a family of educators.
I was surprised at how few different kinds of birds I saw on this trip. I thought there might be a lot of interesting wildlife in another part of the world, but I saw very few animals and birds that I wouldn't find right here in Massachusetts! That was a little disappointing.
On Syros, the most common birds I saw were English Sparrows! I only saw sea gulls occasionally at the Ermoupolis harbor. There were doves and pigeons everywhere, of course. In Turkey, besides pigeons, I saw swallows, barns swallows mostly. At the Carpet School, there were several nests plastered at the roof of the covered deck by the entrance.
But then, there were the storks. My sister and I went with one of the ladies on the tour (mother of a young cellist) to a shop run by a woman. On our way there, we passed by two gigantic stork nests with several storks perched atop. I was fascinated by this sight.
The lady, by the way, was the first female shopkeeper in the city of Ephesus. For weeks, every morning when she went to open up, she found notes slipped under the door telling her how wrong it was for a woman to operate a business and that she belonged at home. But she persevered, and now she is one of several women running a successful shop. She came from a family of educators.
1 comment:
I love those storks! We don't have them where I live --- but I have been enjoying large groups of white pelicans that fly over the house. They live in the wildlife refuge ponds nearby and live here year-around. Aren't large birds totally awesome?
Thanks for sharing about the birds on your trip --- and the story about the first woman shopkeeper. Good for her!
LaTeaDah
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