APRIL 15, 2011

ARU ISLAND ECLECTUS PARROT (Eclectus roratus aruensis)

There are several SUBSPECIES of Eclectus Parrots, all strikingly beautiful, from the South Pacific.  This is an Asian parrot that has been around for 10,000 years.  Most other parrots have been in existence for only 3,000 years.  Their natural habitat is low-lying plains, especially tropical rain forests.  When food is abundant, Eclectus parrots gather in large flocks, forage together, and live in colonies.  This accounts for their being a wonderfully social bird.

As is often the case in identifying wildlife, there is no consensus on the list of Eclectus subspecies.  Presented below are three lists, including two lists of established(?) subspecies and one list of "dubious" subspecies. FIRST LIST: Grand Eclectus (Eclectus roratus roratus) Vosmaer's Eclectus (Eclectus roratus Vosmaeri) Tanimbar Island Eclectus (Eclectus roratus riedeli) Cornelia's Eclectus (Eclectus roratus cornelia) Aru Island Eclectus (Eclectus roratus aruensis) Biak Island Eclectus (Eclectus roratus biaki) New Guinea Eclectus (Eclectus roratus polychloros) Solomon Island Eclectus (Eclectus roratus solomonensis) Australian Eclectus (Eclectus roratus macgillivrayi) SECOND LIST: Grand: E. r. roratus Vosmaer's: E. r. vosmaeri Westerman's: E. r. westermani Cornelia's: E. r. cornelia Riedel's or Tanimbar: E. r. riedeli Red-sided: E. r. polychloros Biaki: E. r. biaki Aruensis: E. r. aruensis Macgillivray's or Australian: E. r. macgillivrayi Solomon Island: E. r. solomonensis DUBIOUS SUBSPECIES Aru Island Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus roratus aruensis)--While some believe this bird is doubtfully valid from polychloros others believe it is a distinct subspecies, as the rich yellow on the tail tip of the male often is infused with pink, orange or bright red. At this point, no male eclectus in other subspecies has been described with this type of tail feather coloring. Biak Island Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus roratus biaki)--While some believe the Biak Eclectus is doubtfully valid from polychloros others believe it is a distinct subspecies due to the size difference, the behavioral differences and the vocalizations. Westerman's Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus roratus westermani)--Many of the museum specimens have clipped wings and clipped tails and there is no uniformity in the coloration of the female specimens, indicating the likelihood of these specimens being cross bred aviary birds. No recent authority accepts it as a valid subspecies.

Vosmaer's Eclectus (Eclectus roratus Vosmaeri)

Eclectus roratus vosmaeri, known as the Vosmaer's Eclectus or Vos Eclectus, is found on islands in the North Maluku province.  In comparison with other Eclectus, the male has more yellow-toned plumage on the head and neck but not in under tail coverts.  The tail is bluer and has a small pale lemon yellow border. The female is a brighter red on the head, back and wings. Her undertail coverts are yellow and there is at least an inch of bright pure yellow tail tip.  No other subspecies combines a purple abdomen and clear yellow undertail coverts.

Solomon Island Eclectus (Eclectus roratus solomonensis)

The lovely Solomon Island Eclectus is a bit smaller than the Vosmaeri Eclectus.  As with other Eclectus species, the male is green and the female is red and blue.  Females have a ring of blue feathers circling the eyes.  There is no yellow in the tail of females (as there is on Vosmaeri Eclectus).  Male Solomon Island Eclectus tend to be a darker shade of green than male Vosmaeri Eclectus.

Westerman's Eclectus roratus westermani
Eclectus roratus westermani Many of the museum specimens have clipped wings and clipped tails and there is no uniformity in the coloration of the female specimens, indicating the likelihood of these specimens being cross bred aviary birds.  No recent authority accepts it as a valid subspecies.	Male juvenile westermani.  The base of its upper beak is partly a brown/black color, unlike the all yellow color of the adult's upper beak.  Also, its iris shows the dark brown color of the juvenile.

The two sexes of Eclectus, unlike those of any other parrot, differ dramatically in color. The females, depending on the variety, are a spectacular combination of red, purple, maroon, blue and yellow; the males are almost entirely green, with red under the wings and on the side of the body, with a touch of turquoise on top of the "shoulders." Both the males and females can learn to talk clearly and distinctly, and develop a very animated personality and charm of their very own. If taught to speak, they will not develop the annoying tendency to screech which is exhibited by other types of large birds.  Instead, they will entertain you spontaneously with a hysterical monologue of every phrase they know, complete with inflections and melodious tones that they come up with all by themselves.

Aru Eclectus Parrot, Eclectus r. aruensis, originates only from the Aru Islands. The aruensis subspecies occurs directly west of New Guinea and is found on the Aru Islands. This subspecies is similar to that of the Red-sided Eclectus except that it is much larger in size and has a very long, narrow look to the bird. This lanky appearance is due to its very long tail and stretched-out neck. Those individual birds that did colonize this island contained these characteristics within its genes. The Aru female is similar in coloration to the Red-sided female except that it has a slightly lighter body plumage. It is also a larger subspecies than the Red-sided. The long tail of the Aru Eclectus female has less extensive black at the base of its light red tail. The edging of its tail often shows an orange-yellow sheen on some individuals. The Aru Eclectus has the greatest length of tail in comparison to its size than that of any other Eclectus subspecies. Even though the Macgillivary’s Eclectus is much larger, it does not have the proportionately long tail of the Aru Eclectus. The streamlined, narrow look to this subspecies is also evident in its lanky neck. The Aru Eclectus male is very similar in coloration to the Red-sided except that it has a slightly lighter plumage. Its most definitive difference is the broad edging to its long tail. It has a broad (.6 inches), well-defined lemon yellow edging to its tail. His iris is bright fiery red in color.
NOTE:  While some believe this bird is doubtfully valid from polychloros others believe it is a distinct subspecies, as the rich yellow on the tail tip of the male often is infused with pink, orange or bright red.  At this point, no male eclectus in other subspecies has been described with this type of tail feather coloring.

Grand Eclectus (Eclectus roratus roratus)

The Grand Eclectus is actually smaller than most other Eclectus subspecies.  The Grand is stocky in shape--similar to the Solomon Eclectus--and has a narrower beak than the other eclectuses.

The plumage is somewhat less vibrant than the other subspecies, and the tail is considerably shorter and narrowly tipped with lemon yellow.

The female is generally red with dull purple across the upper mantle, abdomen and lower breast.  Her red feathers have a burnt or darkened quality and the tips of her tail feathers are often edged with yellow orange.

NOTE:  The subject of Eclectus parrots is broad and complex.   Searches revealed conflicting "facts" and opinions regarding every aspect of this subspecies.  As a layperson I did my best to present the material in this article as accurately as I could determine without making it my life's work.   I hope you enjoy looking at and reading about these fantastically beautiful creatures.

GEORGE BRINTON McCLELLAN (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was a major general during the American Civil War.

McClellan organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly (November 1861 to March 1862) as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union. Although McClellan was meticulous in his planning and preparations, these characteristics may have hampered his ability to challenge aggressive opponents in a fast-moving battlefield environment. He chronically overestimated the strength of enemy units and was reluctant to apply principles of mass, frequently leaving large portions of his army unengaged at decisive points.

1861 portrait by Matthew Brady

McClellan's Peninsula Campaign in 1862 ended in failure, with retreats from attacks by General Robert E. Lee's smaller Army of Northern Virginia and an unfulfilled plan to seize the Confederate capital of Richmond. His performance at the bloody Battle of Antietam blunted Lee's invasion of Maryland, but allowed Lee to eke out a precarious tactical draw and avoid destruction, despite being outnumbered.  As a result, McClellan's leadership skills during battles were questioned by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, who eventually removed him from command, first as general-in-chief, then from the Army of the Potomac. Lincoln offered this famous evaluation of McClellan:  "If he can't fight himself, he excels in making others ready to fight." Indeed, McClellan was the most popular of that army's commanders with its soldiers, who felt that he had their morale and well-being as paramount concerns. General McClellan also failed to maintain the trust of Lincoln, and proved to be frustratingly derisive of, and insubordinate to, his commander-in-chief. After he was relieved of command, McClellan became the unsuccessful Democratic nominee opposing Lincoln in the 1864 presidential election. His party had an anti-war platform, promising to end the war and negotiate with the Confederacy, which McClellan was forced to repudiate, damaging the effectiveness of his campaign. He served as the 24th Governor of New Jersey from 1878 to 1881. He eventually became a writer, defending his actions during the Peninsula Campaign and the Civil War. Although the majority of modern authorities assess McClellan as a poor battlefield general, a small but vocal faction of historians maintain that he was a highly capable commander, but his reputation suffered unfairly at the hands of pro-Lincoln partisans who needed a scapegoat for the Union's setbacks. His legacy therefore defies easy categorization.  After the war, Ulysses S. Grant was asked to evaluate McClellan as a general.  He replied, "McClellan is to me one of the mysteries of the war."

ARMY OF THE POTOMAC SCENE IN CAMP AFTER EVENING PARADE

ARMY OF THE POTOMAC PICKET GUARD

A WINTER SECRET

ONE HUNDRED FAMOUS VIEWS OF EDO (TOKYO) NUMBER FORTY-ONE

ICHIGAYA HACHIMAN SHRINE

The embankment that crosses the Outer Moat of Edo Castle outside Ichigaya Gate (today Ichigaya Station).  Looking right we see the majestic red buildings of Ichigaya Hachiman Shrine rising high above behind a red gate and dark torii at the head of a steep stone stairway. Stylized cloud banks bordered in red and yellow enhance the sense of distance and power of the shrine. Ichigaya Hachiman is located at the western edge of a long bluff that, in the Edo period, was one of the estates of the Tokugawa family of Owari (Nagoya).  This choice site became the Military Academy of the Japanese army in the Meiji period, and today it houses the Ichigaya barracks of the Self-Defense Force; it was here that the novelist Mishima Yukio performed his dramatic seppuku in 1970.

Yukio Mishima (Mishima Yukio) was the pen name of Kimitake Hiraoka (Hiraoka Kimitake, January 14, 1925 – November 25, 1970), a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor and film director, also remembered for his ritual suicide by seppuku after a failed coup d'état. Nominated three times for the Nobel Prize in Literature, Mishima was internationally famous and is considered one of the most important Japanese authors of the 20th century, whose avant-garde work displayed a blending of modern and traditional aesthetics that broke cultural boundaries, with a focus on sexuality, death, and political change.

Seppuku ("stomach-cutting") is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai.  Part of the samurai bushido honor code, seppuku was used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies (and likely suffer torture), as a form of capital punishment for samurai who had committed serious offenses, or performed for other reasons that had brought shame to them. The ceremonial disembowelment, which is usually part of a more elaborate ritual and performed in front of spectators, consists of plunging a short blade, traditionally a tanto, into the abdomen and moving the blade from left to right in a slicing motion. The first recorded act of seppuku was performed by Minamoto no Yorimasa during the Battle of Uji in the year 1180. Seppuku eventually became a key part of bushido, the code of the samurai warriors; it was used by warriors to avoid falling into enemy hands, and to attenuate shame and avoid possible torture. Samurai could also be ordered by their daimyo (feudal lords) to carry out seppuku.  Later, disgraced warriors were sometimes allowed to carry out seppuku rather than be executed in the normal manner. The most common form of seppuku for men was composed of the cutting of the abdomen, and when the samurai was finished, he stretched out his neck for an assistant to decapitate him.  Since the main point of the act was to restore or protect one's honor as a warrior, those who did not belong to the samurai caste were never ordered or expected to carry out seppuku.  Samurai generally could carry out the act only with permission. In time, carrying out seppuku came to involve a detailed ritual.  This was usually performed in front of spectators if it was a planned seppuku, not one performed on a battlefield. A samurai was bathed, dressed in white robes, and fed his favorite meal.  When he had finished, his instrument was placed on his plate. Dressed ceremonially, with his sword placed in front of him and sometimes seated on special cloths, the warrior would prepare for death by writing a death poem.

Seppuku is also known as hara-kiri.  It is commonly pointed out that hara-kiri is a vulgarism, but this is a misunderstanding.  Hara-kiri is a Japanese reading or Kun-yomi of the characters; as it became customary to prefer Chinese readings in official announcements, only the term seppuku was ever used in writing.  So hara-kiri is a spoken term and seppuku a written term for the same act.

With his selected attendant (kaishakunin, his second) standing by, he would open his kimono (robe), take up his tanto (knife) or wakizashi (short sword)--which the samurai held by the blade with a portion of cloth wrapped around so that it would not cut his hand and cause him to lose his grip--and plunge it into his abdomen, making a left-to-right cut.

The kaishakunin would then perform kaishaku, a cut in which the warrior was decapitated. The maneuver should be done in the manners of dakikubi, in which way a slight band of flesh is left attaching the head to the body, so that it be hung in front as if embraced. Because of the precision necessary for such a maneuver, the second was a skilled swordsman. The principal and the kaishakunin agreed in advance when the latter was to make his cut. Usually dakikubi would occur as soon as the dagger was plunged into the abdomen.  The process became so highly ritualized that as soon as the samurai reached for his blade the kaishakunin would strike. Eventually even the blade became unnecessary and the samurai could reach for something symbolic like a fan and this would trigger the killing stroke from his second.  The fan was likely used when the samurai was too old to use the blade, or in situations where it was too dangerous to give him a weapon in such circumstances.

Red grouper are distributed from North Carolina to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. The species is most abundant along Florida's east and west coasts, and throughout the Gulf of Mexico. It inhabits ledges, crevices, and caverns of rocky limestone reefs, and also lower-profile, live-bottom areas in waters 10 to 40 feet deep. The maximum age of the red grouper is 25 years, with older fish reaching a size of 32.5 inches and 25 pounds. Red groupers usually ambush their prey and swallow it whole, preferring crabs, shrimp, lobster, octopus, squid and fish that live close to reefs.

Photographer, conservationist; born in San Francisco. A commercial photographer for 30 years, he made visionary photos of western landscapes that were inspired by a boyhood trip to Yosemite. He won three Guggenheim grants to photograph the national parks (1944--58). Founding the f/64 group with Edward Weston in 1932, he developed zone exposure to get maximum tonal range from black-and-white film. He served on the Sierra Club Board (1934--71).

DOWNTOWN PORTLAND Lawrence Halprin's Auditorium Forecourt Fountain in Portland, Oregon

Autumn

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