The Manhattan to Manhattan Connection

I am very excited because one of my friends, a professor of ornithology at Kansas State University, has invited me to visit him and his female companion in Kansas! Specifically, I will be staying for one week in "the Little Apple" as the city is apparently known. I will bring my binoculars, camera and laptop, so I will be posting updates and pictures whenever possible. My hosts have wifi, so I will be able to easily stay in touch on my blog.

So this is my tenative itinerary, for those who are interested, and for those who might be in the area and wish to meet;

Tuesday (25 March): arrive at airport, drive back to Manhattan, settle in.

Wednesday (26 March): morning and evening are unscheduled so far. My host teaches a class in the afternoon from 330-500pm -- this one will be about how to write a CV. I hope to tag along to the class (yes, I miss university students terribly, so this will be fun).

Thursday (27 March): out of bed before the buttcrack of dawn so we all can be in a blind, watching horny prairie-chickens do their dances. In the evening, we will eat dinner with two of my host's kids, both of whom are university students at KSU, and a friend of one of my host's kids who just returned from living and working in New Zealand (sigh!).

Friday (28 March): unscheduled.

Saturday (29 March): leave in the morning to go birding in Nebraska (this will be my first ever visit to Nebraska). Target species: Sandhill cranes. Originally, we were all going to camp out so we could awaken to the sounds of the cranes at dawn, but my broken wing wrecked that plan. Bummer. So we will instead spend the night in a local hotel.

Sunday (30 March): more birding, then return to the Little Apple by evening.

Monday (31 March): morning and evening are unscheduled. My host teaches in the afternoon, although he can't recall the topic at this moment. I may or may not tag along.

Tuesday (1 April): return to the Big Apple.

I think it would be fun to meet local people in Kansas for beers and munchies one evening, although I think my host and his girlfriend should make the arrangements. Feel free to contact me for his contact info so you all can arrange something. (Don't be shy; I consider it quite an honor if you wish to meet me, so let's work something out!).