Stunned Twice. Crane Colt Video. And One NTG Image ...

What’s Up?

I was down at the lake by 8:00am on Monday 30 MAR 2020. For the first time in a week, I could not locate the crane family — two adults with two colts — in the marsh at the south end of the South Peninsula. With a nice breeze from the west, flying Ospreys were out as well. I did a few foraging Cattle Egrets and headed back home early. I needed to get to the post office for the first time in two weeks, needed gas, needed to pick up two pairs of new reading glasses, and needed to do aa bit of shopping.

I’ve been swimming and doing my bursts every day.

Stunned

With a mask over my nose and mouth, my left hand in my pocket with my credit card and car keys, and a glove on my right to do the cart-pushing and shopping, I completed all of my tasks in short order. Though the number of cases in Polk County, FL is relatively low at 34, that number is double what it was two days ago. Anyhoo, I was stunned while shopping to note only two other shoppers wearing protection on their hands, and perhaps four others wearing masks. That left more than one hundred folks in Publix and WalMart touching public surfaces with impunity.

I repeat from an earlier blog post, the easiest way to become infected with COVID-19 (if you are not a health care provider), is to touch a public surface and then touch your mouth, noses, or eyes.. When are folks gonna get it?

Actually from the Johns Hopkins Medicine Website

There have been lots of bogus lists being circulated online. Below is a direct cut and paste from the Johns Hopkins Medicine website here.

Reviewed By: Lisa Lockerd Maragakis, M.D., M.P.H.

To help lessen the spread of the new coronavirus and COVID-19, the disease it causes, here are important steps that can help protect you, your family and others. Lisa Maragakis, senior director of infection prevention at Johns Hopkins Medicine, shares these guidelines:

Avoid close contact with others.

It’s important to understand that the new coronavirus spreads mainly from person to person. If an infected person coughs or sneezes, their droplets can infect people nearby. That’s why it’s important to avoid close contact with others. Understand that people (including children) may be infected with the new coronavirus and have only mild symptoms.
Some measures you can take to avoid close contact with others include:

Stay home as much as possible and reduce visitors.
Practice social distancing:
Stay at least six feet away from others in public places.
Call friends and family or visit by video.
Ask your employer if it’s possible to work from home.
Avoid people who appear sick.
Go grocery shopping and run errands during off-peak times.
Healthy people do not need to wear a mask unless they are caring for someone diagnosed with, or being monitored for, COVID-19, or respiratory illness.

Practice good hygiene wherever you are.

The new coronavirus can survive for hours or even days on some surfaces. Touching a contaminated surface and then touching your face is one of the ways to become infected.

The virus is no longer detectable on plastic after 72 hours, and on stainless steel or cardboard after about 48 hours. With that in mind:

Wash your hands with soap and water frequently and thoroughly for at least 20 seconds, especially:
After being in public places and touching door handles, shopping carts, elevator buttons, etc.
After using the bathroom
Before preparing food
If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth, especially with unwashed hands.
If you cough or sneeze, do so in the bend of your elbow. If you use a tissue, throw it away immediately.

Almost all good advice (as I see it), but again I am stunned as there is no mention at all of avoiding touching public surfaces with unprotected hands …

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i-Phone 11 Video

I created this short video on Saturday morning past. The day began as a gloriously sunny one but clouds moved in very quickly. Yes, this crane family is inordinately accepting. I went to video after trying to do some head-shots showing the adult handing off a fat mole cricket or another tasty morsel. My best (not very good) effort is below. Sometimes we just need to sit back and enjoy the show.

Best not to enlarge when viewing as I use a low quality setting to reduce upload times …

This image was created om 29 MAR 2020. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 324mm) and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 2500. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/500 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AWB at 8:41am on a suddenly very cloudy morning. Center Zone AF-C had some problems as the adult was jabbing violently into thee soil. But it worked for this frame. Sandhill Crane adult and hungry and attentive colt

My Best Effort

This was the lone keeper from more than 100 attempts. I did get some really good stuff when the sun was out earlier.

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