Sadie is writing again

David did not accompany me on our walk today, so I have to write his blog again. Elizabeth was with me. We only walked two miles because Elizabeth is recovering from a case of sciatica, and she is such a baby about this. I have never heard a human moan and groan as much as she has over the past few days. Oh well. We still had a great walk. The rooster at the Danville Humane Society was loud this morning: "cock a doodle doo!" This rooster must be driving the dogs and cats that are housed there out of their minds, crowing like this every morning.
This morning, the river was still quite high from all of the rain that we have had. There were puddles everywhere, and populated by a lot of mallards. As usual, I wanted to flush them out. I saw a pair (a duck and a drake). Then I saw two drakes running after a duck; the duck was hissing at them to leave her alone! I am glad that I am spayed and don't have to worry about dealing with a pack of male dogs running after me, but that is another story. Later, as we were approaching the footbridge, Elizabeth and I were swooped by two mockingbirds. They were like buzz bombers from World War II! I guess we must have been too close to a nest.
The grass is really getting greener now and the trees are blooming. I thought that I saw cherry blossoms blooming, but Elizabeth says they are probably crab apple trees. Maybe someone knows the identity of these pretty pink trees.
We saw lots of friends this morning-- John, Beverly and her friends, and Liselotte (also known as LiLo). I was so glad to see Liselotte's dog Lucky. I yapped at him in German "Wie geht's, Lucky?"
Oh well, I have probably written enough. David will be back tomorrow.

DEBRIS

This morning I was privileged to be within 20 yards of a beautiful osprey. It was flying towards me, just over my head. It had something in its talons - I couldn't tell whether it was food or part of its shelter (nest) that it is building across the river. UNFORTUNATELY, I was taking pictures of geese, and I didn't get my camera up fast enough to capture the moment. Oh well, there will be other times, and the geese pictures weren't bad.

It was quiet on the Riverwalk this morning, but I noticed something that I have noticed for a number of years but tried to avoid - TRASH. After heavy rains and flooding the river produces some very odd objects. I have turned my days of observing into a sonnet, below:

"Debris"

The flooding river offers much debris
That comes from distances both far and near.
Observe the limbs of mighty fallen trees
And even tires and broken furniture.

The holidays present some objects lost -
A plastic Santa and a Christmas tree.
At Easter time some lilies and a cross
Move down the river floating fast and free.

Today I saw a football and a jar
Of glass, unlabeled but a jar unique;
The jar had floated near the shore, not far,
And made strange sounds as if it had to speak:

"Slow down this river, please, for my own sake;
'Cause when I hit the dam I fear I'll break."

It was another good day on the Riverwalk.

SOUNDS

This morning the air was cool and damp when Sadie and I got to the Riverwalk around 7:30. The rains the night before left large puddles serving as small ponds for the mallards and geese.

The first thing I noticed, as we left the parking lot, was the sound of the gorged river that had risen greatly the night before but had not overtaken the Riverwalk at Dan Daniel Park. The sound was not a rumbling sound but the sound a cat makes when comforted - kind of a purring noise. However, as we approached the dam, we did experience the roaring sound of the raging river that had overtaken the walkway leading down to the river.

The woods below the park were filled with the various octaves of birds and frogs with high pitched birds and high and low voices of the frogs that sang in the cool waters. Voices of humans were not present - just the cacophony of the sounds of nature.

Approaching the 3/4 mile mark from Dan Daniel Park, Sadie was startled by the flapping of a Canada goose and an alarming "HONK." The goose was was on the other side of the wooden railing but near enough to Sadie to throw caution to the wind and fly the short distance to the River.

The mockingbirds put forth their plagiarized songs as we walked toward the train station, but on the way back, a mockingbird was no more than 10 feet above me, singing the beautiful song of a wren. This was enough to cause Sadie to pause and take notice of this bird with wonderful pitch. Sadie stood there, very still, with her neck stretched upwards towards the bird and remained that way, enjoying the music for more than two minutes before losing interest.

Near the bridge at the rest rooms, we heard the frantic flapping of wings and looked over the bridge railing and saw two cormorants running on water as they got the propulsion to lift off into the sky, flying as lovely as the ducks and geese high up in the air. The log in the middle of the river where the cormorants gathered each morning was not filled with the standard grunting heard often in that area, but there were only a few cormorants in the trees across the river since the large tree had been submerged from the flooding.

Approaching the parking lot we stopped momentarily to hear the purring of the river, not knowing if the water will spill over the banks later in the day keeping us from walking the next morning.

On several occasions I closed my eyes and just listened. It was a beautiful day for sounds on the Riverwalk.

RAINY DAYS AND SUNDAYS SOMETIMES GET ME DOWN

(MARCH 28, 2010) This morning I was late getting to the Riverwalk since I had to drive to Chapel Hill, and by the time we got there, the sky was clouding up with rain threatening. About half way to our turnaround spot (1.5 miles from Dan Daniel Park) we started getting mist - then heavy mist - then a rain shower - then RAIN.

We had seen Lucky, the little Pekingese, Sadie enjoys before the rain started. My colleague, Richard, ran past us, and other than that, we only saw one more walker. There were, however, two fishermen on the banks trying to catch lunch. Do fish bite better in the rain or not? My dad was a fisherman - he told me - but I can't remember. Anyway, they didn't seem to be catching anything this rainy morning.

I did spot some new Spring growth among the plants. Some purple and white flowers were seen near the bridge going to the train station, and the ground, in places, was covered with the tiny little blue flowers. Buds were starting to show on trees and some trees had flowered.

There were bluebirds, cardinals, robins, and mockingbirds in the trees; the ducks, some cormorants, and geese, both foreign (Canada) and domestic (white and brown and grey), were on the land and in the river, and a beautiful osprey flew over as it was gathering material for the nest that is being built on top of a an electrical tower at the Brantley Plant across the river.

Although Spring is here, it was a cold, rainy morning on the Riverwalk, but still a great day.

VULTURES

I had to go to Greensboro today for a workshop, so Sadie and I got to the Riverwalk for only about 20 minutes this morning. She accomplished what she had to accomplish, and then I got her back home at about 7:30 and took off for Greensboro.

This afternoon I took her to Angler's Park and saw these turkey vultures. Lovely wing-span, but rather ugly red-heads.

Things were quiet at Angler's Park until we started heading towards the parking lot. There was an official looking vehicle with two men in olive colored clothes. They were talking with a couple of men fishing on the banks of the Dan River, and I saw one of the official looking men writing a ticket - I guess for not having a fishing license. The two men in green then walked over to a man who had just taken his boat out of the water and browsed in the boat - I assume they were looking for fish, but they didn't find any and got into their truck and left.

Except for the fishermen, there were just a few others at Angler's Park. However, the peeper frogs were noisy and the mallards were as photogenic as always in the high grasses along the shore.

Again, it was another good day on the Riverwalk.

NO SADIE!!!!

(MARCH 26, 2010) My wife, Elizabeth, and I walked on the Riverwalk this morning alone. We were without Sadie.

Sadie had an 8:00 appointment at the spa where she went to get "prettified." She will get a bath, her nails trimmed, and her ears cleaned. She is going to look wonderful and smell better.

As we walked this morning we enjoyed just strolling, looking at nature and taking pictures. Of course, the major part of our conversation went something like this:

"Oh! Look at those geese. I'll bet Sadie would have enjoyed seeing them."

or

"Those geese usually fly when we come near. I guess that is because Sadie is not with us. I sure miss Sadie."

or

"Sadie would have enjoyed the morning cool air. Sure miss that dawg."

OK....we did talk about some other stuff, but I'll have to admit it sure was easier taking pictures without the dog on the leash. However, often when Sadie needs to stop to do what Sadie does, I see something that I had never seen before - a flower, a new bird, a bud on a tree. Occasionally I miss a shot because Sadie has a different agenda and pulls right when I've focused and am ready to take a shot; I don't mind - there will always be other pictures to take on the Riverwalk. There is always something new, and each trip down there brings forth a new adventure and new photo opportunities.

It was another great morning on the Riverwalk. But . . . we sure missed Sadie. I'll probably take her down there this afternoon - she'll like that.

SADIE

(MARCH 25, 2010) The air was cool, but pleasant as we walked the Riverwalk this morning. It was sunny, yet the number of birds out were not plentiful as I think they were waiting for the air to warm up a bit.

As for Sadie, this morning she seemed a little out of sorts as we (including Elizabeth, my wife) walked the first half of our three mile (today only 2.5 miles) daily adventure. She would stop about every 20 yards and STEEEEEETCH. Then she would start chewing on her leash. Needless to say, it took us a bit longer to finish our morning walk. On the way back, however, she was her own, charming self, pointing at birds, squirrels and anything else that moved. She even flushed out a duck out of some side vegetation (actually, she didn't really "flush" it out; it was on the trail and decided to fly away as we approached, but Sadie likes the word "flushed," so I'm putting that in there, in case she reads this). I will likely take her to Angler's Park this afternoon for another short walk. We were there yesterday and saw a red-winged blackbird and mallards (there are several pairs nesting there and a sojourner male who wreaks havoc among the paired mallards). See the picture to the right of the female mallard who had had too much of the two males and just flew away.

This morning we saw a number of nesting birds (geese), and I have posted a picture to the side of the Canada goose that is nesting in debris on top of a stump from a fallen tree and a white goose nesting in some flood debris gathered at the bridge taking walkers back to the train station.

I didn't see the injured goose this morning. We did see some of our regular walking friends, and Sadie saw her Pekingese friend Lucky. That always makes her day.

Life is moving on at the Riverwalk. Spring is in the air, the flowers are budding, the trees are budding and that birds are mating. What a wonderful time of year.

It was another wonderful morning on the Riverwalk.

(MARCH 24, 2010) (David is taking the day off, so Sadie is filling in). What a morning this was! My mom, Elizabeth, brought me out to the park around 07:30. The grass is beginning to fill in the areas that were so sandy and washed out from the heavy rain and snow that fell earlier this year. I did not see any of those pesky squirrels today-- I wonder where THEY are hiding? But I saw a lot of Canada geese. I have to be careful around them; one of them almost attacked me a few years ago when I got too close to their babies! But today they were more conciliatory, as they have no babies yet. The daffodils are blooming and the trees are starting to look greener. Of course, being a dog, I am supposed to be colour blind but I can see green (sort of) and I can definitely smell it! As we approached the bridge that crosses the small creek, I saw a pair of mallards. I have seen these two before, and I really love to flush them out so that they will fly down to the river. This morning, however, Elizabeth kept me close to her so that I was not able to have that thrill. Elizabeth can be a real party pooper sometimes. She and David never let me run loose down at the park. Oh, how much fun that would be! I could flush out geese, chase squirrels, dig up the grass, raid a trashcan or two and otherwise make a real nuisance of myself.

We only saw a few of our friends this morning. I don't know why there were not more people and dogs out walking, since it was such a pretty morning. We passed by John twice, and also saw Jerry on his bicycle. I was hoping to see Lucky and his nice German mother, but no such luck. Then we saw Paulette, her friend whose name I don't know and their little white dog. The little white dog yapped "I want to play!!". I think he might be a Maltese, but I am not sure.

Well, I am not as articulate as David in my description of the nature. But my nose and ears are much more sensitive-- and this morning definitely smelled and sounded like Spring. I hope I can go back to the park this afternoon. David is going to read this and probably criticize me spelling of "colour." I am an English Setter, so I spell things a little differently from Americans. I am not an American Setter!

BRRRRR.....

(MARCH 23, 2010) Spring is in the air. The birds are pairing off, the plants are putting out flowers and new green shoots, and . . . the temperature this morning was in the low 40s (ouch).

Just two days ago I was on the Riverwalk with Sadie, and I was wearing a short sleeved shirt. Today, cap and gloves were the order of the day. There weren't many walkers this morning, though I did see my friend John who was hurriedly trying to catch up with some of his friends. The ducks and geese were doing their usual things, and the same two mallards were near the bridge again where they have been seen for several years (I have taken, perhaps, a thousand shots of this pair, and the "love birds" photos I have are on my web site).

There were some things this morning worth mentioning. I didn't see the limping goose of a few days ago. I did, however, see a Canada goose nesting in the stump of a tree near the river, a Canada goose nesting on the piling of the bridge that goes to the the train station, and a couple of domestic geese nesting on some debris that had gathered below the same bridge. A chickadee flitted among the limbs of trees and the woods seem more crowded with robins and grackles.

ANECDOTE: Yesterday, after one of my classes, I was talking with a student who had come in for the next class. I didn't know the young lady, but we started talking about dogs and the Riverwalk. She mentioned that she goes to the Riverwalk and has noticed that "all of those who walk on the Riverwalk are nice. It seems everyone speaks when they pass." I agreed.

It was another good day on the Riverwalk.

SHOES

(March 21, 2010) Shoes in the tree; shoes on the sand. These were two images from the past two days that stick in my mind as I think about the Riverwalk. Sometimes the day is just best recounted in poetry. Here is a sonnet:

A pair of walking shoes lasts me three months,
As on the Riverwalk I trek the trails;
The Bible says that God supplies birds' wants
Yet, I can't wait, so buy my shoes on sale.

Now, if we look, does God supply our needs?
Each week along the path I see lost shoes;
Human discards, not growth from leather seeds.
Each noticed shoe sparks up the inner muse.

Two baby shoes in grass, who left them there?
Was this a child who played so hard that she
Ignored the loss that left her feet so bare?
Or was this God's free gift, a child's size three?

If God provides us shoes right out of heaven,
Would He please leave a pair of size eleven?



It was another great day on the Riverwalk.

NICE COOL MORNING ON THE RIVERWALK

The weather on the Riverwalk this morning was wonderful. It was in the upper 30s, low 40s, and Sadie was "pumped" and ready to go.

We met some interesting walkers this morning, stopping to talk with my fellow walker, John, whose disposition makes a perfect morning even more perfect with his positive attitude, stopping to let Sadie meet with Lucky (a pekingese we see nearly every morning), and stopping to talk with some other bird watchers.

Another highlight of the morning, as far a watching nature, was the observation of the two ospreys that seem to have returned to, hopefully, nest on top of a tower where they were last year. These hawks are beautiful as they sit on the top of trees waiting to swoop down and catch a meal in the river. I have some pictures of ospreys on my home page (click the large picture above to go to my web page). There was also a red-bellied woodpecker (pictured above) that was calling from a perch in a tree near the river. I am always intrigued by these little birds as they sit and watch or spend time hammering into some of the trees that provide them a tasty meal.

My mockingbird friend was there again, waiting to be photographed, and I always enjoy the ducks and geese as they hang out on the water and in the fields. I hope to get back this afternoon and go to Angler's Park.

It was another amazingly beautiful morning on the Riverwalk.

SHORT SLEEVE WEATHER

(March 19, 2010) The temperature was in the 70s this afternoon as Sadie and I went to Angler's Park to walk and take pictures. Surprisingly, there weren't that many people on the trail today, the last day of winter that went out with a burst of Spring like weather, but there were a number of motorcycles making a loud noise as they kept riding up and down the curves of the road leading down to Angler's Park. It made me long for the quiet, solitude of the colder winter days when the silence at Angler's Park was nearly deafening.

On the marsh were some mallard couples and a killdeer couple. The mallards were, again, fending off a sojourner male that was determined to break up the couple. Another couple had bedded down in the thick growth near the bank, and another had enjoyed the warm day in the middle of the marsh.

The two killdeer, like small songbirds on stilts, inched along the marsh picking up insects on the water. I saw a couple of red-winged blackbirds again, but they had moved from the tops of a nearby tree to the middle of the soccer field.

Several people admired Sadie. One man, with his wife and daughter, stopped and asked, jokingly, "Is that a bird dog or a squirrel dog?" I said, "She's a bird dog that thinks she's a squirrel dog" as she pointed at a squirrel in a nearby tree. I also commented that, actually, she is more of a "butterfly dog" since that is what she tends to point at most. Sadie is about 45 lbs, and the man mentioned that he had two hunting dogs that each weighed about 85 lbs. The 45 lb. Sadie is enough of a handful; I can't imagine trying to take pictures with a dog twice Sadie's size on the end of a leash.

We didn't make it to the Riverwalk this morning, but the lovely afternoon walk was surely worth waiting for.

It was another beautiful, but noisy, day on the Riverwalk.

INJURED GOOSE, FIGHTING MALLARDS, AND CHICKADEES

(March 18, 2010) I got two walks on the Riverwalk today. This morning Sadie and I walked 4 miles and I took a ton of pictures. We spotted a fisherman on the banks who spotted us and commented on the spots on my spotted dog. The usual gaggle of geese were present as we walked past the large fields. We did see some sparrows, bluebirds, mockingbirds, and cardinals plus ducks and geese on the shore and in the water.

The Canada goose is back building her nest on the bridge ledge about 30 feet above the river. She has done this for the past few years and walkers have commented about their concern on how the young goslings will reach the water - I assume they will drop out of the nest and start swimming; otherwise, she would have lost her entire brood for the past few years, but here she is, back again.

One lady on the trail spoke and petted Sadie. She mentioned that there was a lame goose ahead that had a "swollen foot." When we approached the domestic geese that had gathered near the bridge going over to the train station, the geese made a march to the river - except for one. This poor fellow hobbled on one leg with the lame leg being raised.

We saw a group of 4 white geese swimming near the same bridge. They were lovely sights in the greenish water. There were more swallows in the air as we approached the woods near Dan Daniel Park. They were doing their dance in the sky, flittering about, making large circles. They should soon be nesting in some of the bluebird houses along the Riverwalk.

We saw our little friend the mockingbird in its usual bush ready to pose for the camera. I must have 3000 shots of this little guy since I feel guilty if I don't take at least a dozen shots of him when I pass.

In the afternoon we went back to the Riverwalk but went to Angler's Park this time. We saw the mallards on the marsh and a red-winged blackbird singing its musical tone. It was hanging out in a tree for awhile and then landed on the soccer field to graze.

The male mallards were being a bit "testy" with each other since it is mating season. I saw a male and female mallard being imposed upon by a sojourner. The male put his head down and charged the other male that swam away and went to another couple. The male chased this sojourner away and eventually made the bird fly as the male and female couple chased after it. The couple soon returned to the marsh - so did the sojourner that took up a spot in the thick marshy area.

At the end of the soccer field we heard an almost crying sound. I looked up in a tree and couldn't see anything. Another walker was passing by and said that the squirrel had been making the sound ever since his last pass some 15 minutes earlier. I looked up and saw the squirrel hugging the limb. I don't know what he/she was fussing about, but after Sadie watched it for a few minutes, we moved on.

It was another great day on the Riverwalk.

Red-Winged Blackbirds

There was the distinct sound of a cell phone going off out in the middle of nowhere. Above the loud chirping sound of the frogs was the sound of a "rrrring-rrrrring." I looked up in a nearby tree and saw two black birds singing to each other in their 1950s ring tone. Even with a dog not too far below them, they didn't shy away from their interesting interpretation of a man-made modern invention. Later that evening as I was looking at the pictures, I realized that the birds were red-winged blackbirds. I had heard some friends mention that they had seen them hanging out at Angler's Park, but I had yet to see or hear them.

I didn't get my morning walk today, so Sadie and I went to the park for a 2 mile walk. Usually at Angler's Park there are some ducks in the marsh, and that's about it. Today, however, we were fortunate to see the red-winged blackbirds, a plover wading in the marsh, and some wonderful demonstrations of ducks landing and swimming about in the marshes. We also stopped to watch a team of youth soccer players go through their paces as they prepared for the up-coming soccer season. The weather was very comfortable (in the 50s). Tomorrow is going to be just as nice.

It was another good day on the Riverwalk.

IN COMING!!!!

(March 16, 2010) - This morning on the Riverwalk, all was quiet except for the birds - few people were out on this beautiful morning (temp about 55 degrees). Along with Sadie, Elizabeth, my wife, went with us. That gave me the luxury of taking pictures while she held the dog.

As we walked along, I thought of the different experiences we have had over the years on the Riverwalk. There was the spot in the woods where the two young raccoons played, the two areas where the ground hog hangs out, and the spot in the river where the beautiful herons wade, when the river is lower, to catch a passing fish. I thought about yesterday as we walked near the river. Sadie was frightened by the water lapping over the banks. As the water came near, in a minor wave, Sadie jumped and ran behind me; when she was younger, she would bark at the high water.

This morning there were a number of smaller birds in the trees (sparrows, mockingbirds, and bluebirds), but the ducks from the day before had left their temporary pond as the water left making their pond a mere puddle.

A piece of writing came across my desk yesterday afternoon, given to me by a kind colleague. It was an article called "TIMELESSNESS" by Sigurd F. Olson. It begins: "Our lives seem governed by speed, tension and hurry." I thought about this during my morning, leisurely, walk on the Riverwalk today. The Riverwalk is a place where speed, tension and hurry are left to the runners, but to those of us who stop to enjoy the beauty of nature, the Riverwalk is a place where we can breathe in the beauty of the moment.

It was another great morning on the Riverwalk.

Ducks and Geese

Though the clock said 7:30, my body was saying 6:30 this morning when I headed to the Riverwalk. The birds hadn't reset the clocks, so they were still living in a Standard Time world.

The two mallards were swimming in the temporary pond near the parking lot, and today they had company - two Canada geese. The trail comes near the "pond," so Sadie and I took a circular route into the woods to avoid frightening the geese (the ducks are used to us, by now). We were successful on our way out, but when we came back, the geese were startled by the four legged "beast" and flew up over our heads. This sent the adrenaline rushing and Sadie, true to her English setter, bird dog breeding, jumped up on her hind legs with the excitement of a child seeing Santa at the mall.

There weren't many people walking the trail this morning (did they not reset their clocks?), but the weather was perfect (50 degrees). As the sun rose, it turned the tops of the tree golden, awakening small birds that had roosted there for the night. We saw a few sparrows, blue birds, and crows; at the car, we saw a number of slate-colored juncos.

The weather was so nice that Sadie and I walked another 3 miles on the Riverwalk this afternoon. We walked near a marsh area where there were mallards swimming about. I snapped away and took a number of pictures of these wonderful ducks. A question that came to me was "How many different types of photos can one take of mallards?" The answer is "an infinite number of types" since they are so photogenic and are beautiful as they sit upon the water, whether a marsh, the river, or a temporary pond created by heavy rains.

It was another good day on the Riverwalk.

Spring is at the Riverwalk

(MARCH 14, 2010) Daylight Savings Time and the birds on the Riverwalk did not adjust their watches. They were doing their usual routines an hour later, so when I got myself out of bed an hour later and ventured forth, the birds were doing what they had been doing the day before, but an hour earlier.

The water had risen with all the rain we have had over the past two days. On the trip back, Sadie was near the water, but when the river lapped at the shore, Sadie jumped and continued to do so each time she got near enough to the river to see the water coming at her close up.

About a mile into our walk, we heard the birds chirping in the woods where the bluebirds, sparrows and mockingbirds hang out. There was one bird chirping louder than the others, and I noticed that one of the churches was playing music. To the tune of "Onward Christian Soliders" the small bird had picked up the tune and was chirping in beat. When the church music ended, so did the chirping of the bird.

I saw my first lily of the year and took some pictures. Also, a mallard couple had found an ephemeral pond created by the rain and were happily swimming calmly near the woods. I also spotted another mallard couple that had been the subject of many of my duck portraits last year. They were posing for me again.

WHAT DID I LEARN TODAY ON THE RIVERWALK? I learned that birds have rhythm, spring is near, and that ducks don't need a big river to swim in.

Swallows Have Returned

(MARCH 13, 2010) I saw my first swallow of the Spring on the Riverwalk this morning. One flew over head, and I'm sure others will follow.

The Riverwalk was rather quiet this morning, though the geese were edgy as they approach their mating season, and a couple of ladies were feeding bread to the ducks and geese resulting in a number of good photos of the geese flying under a bridge and landing on the banks where the free food was being dispersed. I watched two geese near the bridge putting out the call for free food. They raised their heads, honking, and later flew to the tasty morsels that wre being handed out. There was chaos as the ducks and geese "winged" their ways forward to get the bread.

Sadie met three dogs that were friendly. She enjoyed the two mixed ladies Mia and Sasha and the pug, Bowser.

It was a good day on the Riverwalk.