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  • Blog
  • PROJECT SUMMARY
    • 2018 Project
    • 2018 Itinerary
    • 2016-2017 Project
  • MAPS
  • PARTNERS
  • SKYDANCE STUDIO





















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 Shri Jasnath Asan, Rajasthan, India

Photo © Shri Jasnath Asan, 2016

धतूरा dhatūra : A well traveled name.

2/18/2018

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Datura (Datura stramonium) Rajasthan India
Many will recognize the beautiful white trumpet-shaped flowers of Datura but I bet few of us in North America realize we are using a well traveled name derived from the plant’s original Hindi name धतूरा dhatūra.
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The species, Datura wrightii, found in the southwest United States is often referred to as Sacred Datura or Western Jimsonweed. A closely related species, Datura stramonium, commonly known in as Jimsonweed, thornapple or Datura, is native to much of the rest of North and South America. but spread, with the help of birds, to the Old World very early and now grows wild in all the world’s warm and moderate regions.

Datura was scientifically described and named by Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus way back in 1753, although it had been previously described by botanists a century earlier. The genus name chosen by Linneas of “Datura“ is derived not from Latin, but rather from the plant's Hindi name धतूरा dhatūra, and ultimately from the earlier Sanskrit धत्तूर dhattūra or white thornapple.

So in the Mojave Desert of western United states when we call a plant Datura we are using an name pulled from an ancient term used in India. It is such a small world isn't it?
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Revisiting the Green Bee Eater

2/17/2018

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I know I just did a post recently on the green bee eaters but these little guys are worth revisiting. I'd like to share with you my latest bee eater images I took yesterday.

​With a big showy colors and an even bigger attitude these little birds never cease to amaze and amuse me. To read my original post go to Skydance Blog and to learn even more about this handsome species visit
 the green bee eater page at Arkive.org
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Male Purple Sunbirds Dressed for Spring

2/17/2018

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Male Purple Sunbird in Breeding Plumage
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Male Purple Sunbird in Breeding Plumage
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Male Purple Sunbird Look closely to see pin feathers on head and yellow winter plumage left under the wing
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Male Purple Sunbird in Winter Plumage
Spring is here! The male sunbirds are just beginning to change out of their winter eclipse plumage and into their striking spring breeding plumage. They have lost the yellow breast and broad black chest stripe that they wore through the winter. They are replacing it with an amazing shimmering, glimmering, plumage of metallic blue-green and purple with a striking maroon shine on the feathers of the collar around the neck.  
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I’ve included photos of their eclipse plumage, that I took when I was here in November as well as photos taken today with the birds showing off their fashionable spring attire. Look closely at the photos and compare the plumage. On one you even can see the male sunbird has new pin feathers coming in on his head and he is still showing a tiny tuft of yellow feathers under his wing left over from his winter plumage.

​Hummingbirds are only found in the western hemisphere, but here in India and across most of Africa to the Middle East, Southeast Asia and parts of Australia.the sunbirds occupy similar same ecological niche. The male purple sunbrds simply glitter as they move from flower to flower sipping nectar They are equipped with a long down curved bill and long thin tongue perfect for sipping nectar from the depths of a flower and for catching the occasional insect.
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Wattled and Wonderful

2/16/2018

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Red-wattled Lapwings

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Red-wattled lapwings are large waders or plovers about 35 cm long with crimson red wattles. They are a common site on the ashram grounds. They are unmistakable with their striking coloration. The wings and back are light brown with a elegant iridescent purple to green sheen. The possess a black head an bib on the front and back of the neck that strikingly contrasts with a brilliant white belly, and flanks. 

Their most amazing feature though is their stunning red bill with black tip, crimson eye ring, and a soft wrinkled band of flesh called a wattle in front of each eye. Handsome while foraging on the ground for insects and invertebrates they become even more flashy inflight as they display their prominent white wing bars.

There is no sneaking up on a lapwing. These noisy birds are ceaselessly vigilant day or night and are the first to detect intrusions and raise a ruckus with their shrill alarm call. This makes their photography a bit problematic

To learn more visit 
https://www.arkive.org/red-wattled-lapwing/vanellus-indicus/
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Grand, Glorious, and Outright Spectacular

2/13/2018

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12 Feb 2018
​The Culinary Skills of the Green Bee Eater

The brilliant and beautiful green bee eater is the smallest of all the bee eaters at 6-18 cm even with its additional 10 cm of long tail streamers. What this bird lack in size it make up for in attitude and skill.

The diet of these little green predators is mostly flying insects but they are talented specialists, as their name implies, in the fine art of catching venomous prey such as bees, and wasps,

The bee-eater will perch on open tree branch or cable and launch a foray to intercept an insect in flight. However, before consuming.it the bee eater must skillfully prepare its meal by repeatedly pounding, thrashing and beating its unfortunate prey against the perch. This expert pummeling tenderizes the hard exoskeletons and removes its stinger and venom of the insect so the bee eater can now enjoy a tasty stinger-less snack.
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ENDEARING CHARM … WITH FEATHERS

2/12/2018

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11 Feb 2018

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This morning, just outside the fortress walls, I was met by one of my all time favorite birds, the spotted owlet. The owlet is a small, stocky bird, barely 21 centimeters in size and weighing a mere 110 grams, about the same as a half cup of water. 

​Small in stature but a winsome giant of endearing charm, the the owlet displays his disapproval of intruders (in this case me) with a piercing, glaring gaze and a vigorous head bobbing that is reminiscent of a bobblehead doll on the dashboard of a 4 wheeling jeep.

The spotted owlet is found in tropical Asia from mainland India to Southeast Asia. It is a common resident of open habitats including farmland and has adapted well to living near human habitation.
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CLAY COURTS AND INGENUITY

2/10/2018

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This morning I wandered around seeing wonderful changes that have taken place since my visit last year. The ancient walls had been painted and beautiful new brick walkways are being built.

A new tennis/volleyball clay court is also under construction. This new court will replace the dust filled, ankle turning, deeply rutted one previously used for afternoon games of volleyball and tennis and replace it with a sleek hard clay court. In the USA the average clay court's cost is well in excess of $100,000. Here at Shri Jasnath this fine court is being created by hand from clay, cow dung, and the energy, ingenuity and dedication of a multitude of people.

​For a base layer damp cow dung and clay are applied to leveled ground then people simply tightly pack it by stomping it with their feet or wacking it with flat wooden mallets. Next a final smooth clay top layer will be applied and the result will be a beautiful smooth hard clay court that would make the US Open swoon.
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RETURN TO THE ASHRAM

2/10/2018

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The TWO DESERTS, ONE SKY Project

Poor health and bad internet has made this blog a bit problematic but it looks like things (both me and the internet) may be now on the mend. I made it safely to the Shri Jasnath Asan yesterday after about a 2-hour ride north from Jodhpur. There it was, Shri Jasnaath Asan, standing patiently as an oasis of tranquility. Got in, just in time for puja and a delicious meal before settling into a guest room in the  beautifully carved sandstone house that will serve as my home for the next three weeks.

For those new to this blog, Shri Jasnath Asan is a 500-year-old ashram (educational and spiritual center) in Panchla Siddha, India. Students in our Mojave Desert of Southern Nevada, USA and those of the Thar Desert area of India will compare and contrast their cultural and natural history art-based environmental education projects

The One Sky project is committed to arid land environmental education and is dedicated to fostering a deeper understanding between cultures of the shared responsibilities to both our fragile planet as well as to to each other.

Many thanks to WANT Expeditions, Adelson Educational Campus, and Shri Jasnath Asan for making this project a reality.


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Unlimited Potential

1/27/2018

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24 Jan 2018
McCarran Airport, Las Vegas, NV USA
0400
 
Arriving at the departure gate for an international flight is the embodiment of unlimited potential. I always view a trip as some mysterious, magical, exhilarating amalgam of fun, learning, challenges, and just plain dumb luck that the universe serves up. I try to approach any trip with few expectations and keep myself open to whatever my travels choose to conjure. It’s a time to reexamine my life and serves as a gentle reminder to move through my “one wild and precious life” totally and completely awake.
 
In 30 hours, after traveling from Las Vegas to New York to Dubai to New Delhi, I will begin 6 weeks of travels through The Republic of India. What will the trip bring? What amazing experiences, interesting people, new landscapes, unique wildlife, and unexplored truths will be revealed? What will I learn about others? What will I discover about myself? I can’t wait. 

Join me here. I will be blogging as often as the precarious and capricious internet will allow. 


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1016-2017 Project Summary

1/24/2018

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Nov 2016 - Jan 15, 2017
The following posts comprise the S.K. Schafer blog of her Artists for Conservation Flag Expedition #15 - "Thar: The Great Indian Desert." The expedition was an exploration of the flora, fauna, and landscapes of the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. At the invitation of Shri Jasnath Asan, a 500-year-old ashram, in Panchla Siddha, India.  Schafer spent two and a half months photographing and illustrating the regions unique natural history as well as working with students in the region.

This multi-phase project was committed to arid land environmental education and dedicated to fostering an understanding between cultures of our shared responsibilities to our fragile planet.

​This blog and project will continue in Jan 2018 upon her return to India.
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    Sharon K. Schafer

    I paint, photograph, and speak about wild places in an act of reciprocity that is as vital to me as heartbeat or breath. 

    ​My interest in the magic and mystery of the natural world lies at the intersection of art and science.

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Location India
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TWO DESERTS, ONE SKY

"We are southern Nevada educators and student ambassadors that are working together with their peers in Panchla Siddha, Rajasthan, India on related STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) projects, in a commitment to global art-based environmental education projects. We are dedicated to fostering an understanding between cultures of our shared responsibilities to our fragile planet."

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