The last time I was at work I was fiddling around with photographing Dark-eyed Juncos through my Swarovski 8x32 EL and Nikon Coolpix 8400. This probably would have been a lot easier with the Swarovski Snapshot Adapter, but the lens barrel of the 8400 is too large in diameter to fit. So, I struggled with hand-holding the camera to the binocular eyepiece to get these shots.
It turns out I may be allergic to something in my apartment, so I'm presently living somewhere else until I get the matter sorted out. I'm going to hire an air quality inspector and see if any confirmatory findings can help assist in breaking my apartment lease. (I discovered mold and lots of pet hair). In 2003, I had a retention cyst removed from my right maxillary sinus. This is the first time I've had serious complications with the same area – the pain is like having a knitting needle jabbed into my cheekbone.
A few weeks ago I experienced my first acephalgic migraine and was given a CT-Scan at the UW Hospital. (Hopefully, this was a one-time experience because losing my vision for 15 minutes was pretty alarming and scary.) Anyway, according to the accompanying technician's report, my retention cyst may have returned, so I'll need to have a specific sinus CT-Scan in a week to determine what exactly going on inside there. I really don't want to have to go through that surgery again. I've already been away from my apartment since Monday night and my sinuses already feel much improved, so hopefully they were just chronically irritated and my sinuses are free of cysts.
There's a whole lot more to this story, including a brief hospital stay, but this is all I will share for now. Rest assured that I'm doing everything I can with an extremely challenging situation. Please be patient if I don't get to your email in a timely manner. Though it may seem like a mere reflection off the snow that's creating a bright side, and spring migration still seems far off, Sandhill Cranes will be returning near end of February, so it's just around the corner. I look forward to seeing some of you in the field in March to welcome home some of the first returning songbirds.
© 2009 Mike McDowell
