MY LITTLE CHICKADEE!

Saturday, April 3, 2010

MY LITTLE CHICKADEE!

This morning Sadie and I headed toward Angler's Park from Dan Daniel Park. It is about two miles up to Angler's Park with more trees and not as many views of the river. However, this morning I saw a number of butterflies and other insects. Of course, the eagerness to see if the red-winged blackbird was at Angler's Park was in the back of my mind since I had seen the beautiful bird there in the afternoons when I took Sadie for a second walk. I wasn't disappointed. There was a pair with one in the field and another in the tree singing their "twit-twit" and "brinnnnng, brinnnng" calls. There was also a pair of mallards (male/female) near the shore and another pair (both males) in the marsh dunking for vegetation.

I saw a couple of people I hadn't seen in several months. Sadie enjoyed seeing Jodie (a small male dog) again; the first time they met (about a year ago), Jodie licked Sadie in the ear, which I thought was a bit forward for a first date. We also saw Louie, another small white dog, we had met at Angler's Park earlier last week.

A couple of people we passed asked what kind of dog Sadie is; they found her size interesting for a sporting dog (she is rather small - about 45 lbs.). A couple of bikers passed, heading in the same direction we were going; I heard on of the bikers ask the other, "Is that a springer spaniel?" and the other biker said, "No, I think that is either a Brittany or an English setter." There were several people we passed up asked how Sadie was doing, and I don't know who the people are; Sadie seems to have some fans on the Riverwalk.

There were few birds to be spotted because of the new foliage; however, I did get some shots of some chickadees flittering in the lower trees and some robins. Of course, there were the wonderful red-winged blackbirds at Angler's Park which made the journey worthwhile.

The butterflies and bees are out - I've had to teach Sadie the difference since I didn't want her to sniff a bee and come home with a swollen nose. The park is in its beauty.

It was another wonderful morning on the Riverwalk.

1 comment:

AnnApril 3, 2010 at 5:15 PM
Love the chickadee photo - the new foliage makes for a softer backdrop - the early sky blues are magnificent but as spring deepens the vibrancy of of the green hues are wondrous.
A hawk came to visit our backyard at cocktail hour this evening - we think he was counting the fish in the pond.
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"DON'T TRADE YOUR DOG FOR AN ELEPHANT"

(JUNE 19, 2010) This morning we saw some lovely sights as we ventured to the Riverwalk at 6:15. The mother mallard and the six babies were out at Dan Daniel Park and the flora and fauna were plentiful. But, one comment made by a regular Riverwalk biker/walker stayed on my mind as we ventured forth. He said, "One bit of advice: Don't trade your dog for an elephant." What was the meaning of that? I pondered that question throughout my walk until I saw a water moccasin swimming close to the shore.

EXPRESSIONS

(JUNE 1, 2010) Often we see expressions in animals that are similar to humans. Sadie sometimes swallows a moth she has been stalking, and the look on her face says, "Sheesh. That didn't taste very good." The picture above shows some interesting expressions on the faces of a goose family. There is the gosling looking up at the adult with respect,, the other goslings looking over the adult goose with an inquiring look, and the adult in the background showing stress. Within this one photograph is captured many emotions.

SHALL WE GATHER

(MAY 25, 2010) People gather each morning to walk or ride bikes together on the Riverwalk. In addition, there are many "gatherings" on the river each morning among the wildlife there. The waterfowl gather to communially dip in the river or fly off together to graze in the rich meadows or just sit on a log in the middle of the river - watching. There is another type of "gathering" that goes on as well. Look closely and watch the swallow and the bluebird and the robin and other songbirds gather nesting for their homes or food for themselves and their off-spring. Look closely and see the insects gathering whatever they need for sustenance - the small bug drinking from the rain water "gathering" on the leaf or the bee gathering nectar from the budding flower. All of this is the age old activity of gathering by the river.

THINGS ARE DIFFERENT

(APRIL 14, 15, 2010) There have been many changes on the Riverwalk over the past two days. The search for the young 5 year old who fell out of the boat near Dan Daniel Dam, the small flowers that were once there are now gone because of the cooler weather, and the river has gone down because of the drier weather. However, amongst these changes there are some constants: the same people we see every morning on our walk are there, the river continues to provide a home for wildlife, and robins can be spotted along the trail.