BLACK AND WHITE WITH A TOUCH OF COLOR

"Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby." ~Langston Hughes

(APRIL 21, 2010) RAIN! Half-way on our walk this morning the silver liquid drop beat upon our heads, and Sadie, though a bird dog, is not too happy with the silver liquid. When we returned home, we were two wet puppies.

There were not many people on the Riverwalk this morning. We ran into Sadie's dog friend, Jody (a small white dog that, a couple of years ago, licked Sadie in the ear at their first meeting - I think at that moment Sadie fell in love for the first time) and Jerry who sometimes rides a bike and sometimes walks (today he was walking). There was also a fisherman on the shore near the dam at Dan Daniel Park.

The day, for the most part, was black/white/gray, but there were occasional touches of color. A cardinal in the tree displayed some faint red, not the brilliant red that usually accompanies this beautiful bird. A bluebird jumped in front of us, and the light caught his bright blue. And, a great blue heron was anchored on the shoreline and the, like a prehistoric bird, flew down the river.

Except for being kissed by the rain (actually more like heavily smothered), it was a wonderful morning on the Riverwalk.

THE MALLARDS AND THE SOJOURNER

(APRIL 20, 2010) This has been another day with two trips to the park. This morning we walked from Dan Daniel Park towards the train station.

As I was taking a picture of some sparrows on a hill side, a couple of ladies stopped and asked what I was photographing. I told them some sparrows. Then we saw a mallard couple, and one of the ladies asked about the markings. I told her that the male had the green head, and the female was drab brown.

One lady looked at the female and said, jokingly, "She's ugly." I said, "No she isn't! I don't think so." She said, "The male is so much prettier." I came back with, "Well, I think the female is prettier. I guess you like the male because you are a woman and I like the female because I'm a man." She laughed.

I truly think that the markings of the female mallard make her attractive, but the male is much more colorful.

As we walked to the other side of the train trellis, we saw a beautiful great blue heron within 20 yards. The great bird stood there looking at us as I took a half dozen pictures and then it flew off. They are beautiful birds.

On the way back, we stopped at the bridge where we saw a couple of mallards enjoying the morning air. They were on the creek that flows under the bridge into the Dan River. Up the creek came two male mallards and a Canada goose. I stopped to watch what would happen when the birds met. Well, one of the male mallards flew off, the Canada goose stood on a rock in the river and honked, and the other male mallard started harassing the mallard couple. The couple swam into the river with the single mallard following. After a few minutes of this harassment, the male that was part of the couple had had enough and turned on the sojourner, running him away. The single bird flew off, leaving the couple to themselves.

I often wander upon conflicts on the river. There have been regular brawls among the geese with the flock circling the two fighting birds and honking as if egging them on. The two geese attack wings of each other, holding on to them as they go in a circle. Eventually one, I assume, declares victory, and they go on their way.

I have seen wood ducks jump on mallards for territorial rights, a heron perched on a large log in the river, defending his perch from cormorants that usually rest there, and mockingbirds chase away cardinals and other birds that invade their territory.

This evening at Angler's Park, Sadie and I were walking near the bridge that crosses over the marsh. There were the sounds of the red-winged blackbird - nothing else. A little ways beyond the bridge, I saw a male mallard on the walk way - Sadie soon spotted him. Sadie went into her "gentle paws" mode as she crept down the pathway towards the duck that was, by now, very aware of our presence. As we got within 10 yards of the drake, I saw a female just in the brush there. Sadie made a surging movement and the two ducks flew away. Sadie's adrenaline was high as she pulled on the leash. The two ducks landed on the ball field about 50 yards away. Sadie wasn't giving up, so we walked, again, towards the ducks. We would take a step - they would take 2-3 steps. Finally, they had had enough, took off in flight and flew to the safety of the marsh. Again, Sadie was hyper; her bird dog blood was running fast. We had, ourselves, become the sojourners in the world of those mallards - we were aliens who had interrupted their peaceful evening.

When a sojourner invades a creature's territory, the sojourner usually has a tough fight on his hands. As a sojourner myself, I daily invade the private lives of the birds and animals that live along the Riverwalk. The geese will honk a warning as we approach, the mallard will head down to the river, and the mockingbirds begin their "bird call de jour" as we approach.

The lives along the Riverwalk are fascinating to a sojourner like myself - and to Sadie, too. It was another wonderful morning on the Riverwalk and a great evening at Angler's Park.

SANDPIPERS

(APRIL 19, 2010) A visual treat was made available to those of us at Angler's Park the last few days. Among the mallards and the Canada geese in the marsh were three sandpipers, selecting this tantalizing small body of water for a short respite.

At the beach we watch the sandpipers play tag with the waves; at Angler's Park, they just stand in the water and bob for plant life. A bird fancier was watching the waders yesterday evening and displayed a knowledge of the birds that made me realize how little I know. She was determining the specific type of sandpiper as she looked through her birder's book. She actually pointed out the sandpipers to me; I would have likely just assumed they were the killdeer that often find a place to feed out there.

Though I learn more and more about the plants and animals each day I'm at the Riverwalk, I've a long ways to go to come even close to those who study the feathered friends that make the Riverwalk their permanent or temporary home.

The male red-winged blackbirds were displaying their beauty this evening as well. The males were perched in the tops of trees and singing their interesting call. Though they don't have cell phones or computers, they have a most interesting way of hooking up by tweeting.

I was lucky to have a nice walk in the cool of the morning and a second one this evening. It was a perfect day on the Riverwalk - sunny, breezy and cool.

WEEDS

Thomas Gray wrote in "An Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" that:

"Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air."

Perhaps this could be said about weeds, also. As I walk along the Riverwalk each day, I see glimpses of purple and blue and white and yellow and a multitude of other colors that come from either wildflowers or weeds. Often the weed's beauty is never seen; sometimes, as it happens, Sadie's paw steps on a weed before I get a chance to photograph it, and no one gets to see its beauty.

With springtime comes pollen, weeds and poetry. Here is a poem called, "Weeds" which I wrote this afternoon.

WEEDS

MY NEIGHBOR’S YARD IS GREEN WITHOUT THE WEEDS
THAT GROW AND CHOKE WHAT LITTLE GRASS I HAVE;
EACH SPRING MY YARD GETS SALTED WITH GRASS SEED;
YET EVEN THIS CANNOT MY WEED-YARD SAVE.

“SO WHAT TO DO?” I ASK MYSELF EACH SPRING;
I SEE THE ADS WITH CHEMICALS THAT WORK
TO FERTILIZE THE SOIL AND KILL MOST THINGS
THAT CHOKE MY GRASS INCLUDING WEEDS THAT LURK.

“THE CHEMICALS MAY HURT THE DOG,” I SAY;
OR, “MAYBE WILL NOT WORK THE WAY I HOPE”;
I KNOW THAT THESE ARE REASONS SO I MAY
PUT OFF THE WORK AND LAZE AROUND AND MOPE.

ALAS, NOT DOWN THE WORRY PATH I GO;
THE WEEDS ARE SUBJECTS NOW OF MY PHOTOS.

It was another beautiful morning on the Riverwalk, and the weeds help make it more interesting.

DUCKS AND GEESE

(April 17,, 2010) My heart never ceases to skip a beat when I see a flock of Canada geese flying over as I walk along the Riverwalk. Sometimes I have counted as many a 25 in a V-shaped flock as they fly overhead and often land right before my eyes in a field or on the river. Though on the ground they are just waddling geese, in the air they become beauty in motion.

A few weeks ago, my wife (Elizabeth), Sadie and I were walking one morning and I, as usual, was a few yards behind them stopping to take pictures. On the way back I stopped to take one last picture, and Elizabeth asked, "What are you photographing?" I said, "These geese over here." She said, "You have a million pictures of geese." I said, "Well, actually, only 500,000 pictures of geese, but each one is different with lighting and subject."

When Sadie was less than a year old, Elizabeth and I were walking on the Riverwalk with Sadie. We approached some Canada geese on the trail, and they began honking loudly as they do when they see Sadie. They began their parade down to the river, as they usually do, except for one. This goose came right at us charging and honking, and Sadie, a born and bred bird dog, cowered behind Elizabeth. We had come between the goose and her new gosling which had wandered on to the other side of a fence. That goose, at the time, was larger than Sadie, and Sadie was going to have nothing to do with this monster coming at her honking.

Sadie is now a 4 year old, the Riverwalk is something we walk on at least once a day, and she now knows how to deal with ducks and geese. This evening we went for a short walk (a couple of miles) at Angler's Park, and as we walked near the marsh, I noticed a mallard pair not 15 yards from Sadie; Sadie noticed the pair, also. Sadie stopped, pointed, and gently lifted her front paw as she began her approach to them. Of course, she never had a chance since she was on a leash. However, I allowed her to approach the ducks, and when got within 10 feet of them, they took off, landed in the ball field, and Sadie was jumping and pulling to get at them. Most of the time on the Riverwalk near Dan Daniel Park, she ignores the ducks; however, this evening she decided to flush these two out of the marsh.

At certain times of the year I see nearly a hundred Canada geese on the river in the mornings as they group to fly off to some feeding place for the day. After they are gathered, they begin their honking sound, and then, when the group is in place, they take off in nearly a V-shape from the river. In the fall, I watch them return right at sunset. They come in by the dozens and land in the river.

One evening, I headed to the Riverwalk, about an hour before dark; I always take Sadie with me, and I told my wife that I was going down to "watch the show." She asked, "What is that?" I told her that within 15 minutes the cormorants would be leaving the river and circling around overhead and perch on the trees across the river. I have seen as many as 60 of them on the river at one time, and it is amazing to see them walk on the water as they take off and then circle around like gothic birds over head and land, gently, on the trees across the river. After watching this part of the show, I move up the river to near the train trestle and wait for the Canada geese to fly in. If the sunset is right, there is a spectacular image of the geese landing in the red or golden sunset.

DUCKS AND GEESE. Amazing creatures.

Sadie still shies away from geese, but it was another amazing day on the Riverwalk.

THINGS ARE DIFFERENT

(April 14, 15, 2010) For three days, now, the emergency services of this community have banded together while searching for a five year old boy who fell out of a boat into the river near the Dan Daniel Park. Now the underwater search has been called off, and there weren't as many rescue vehicles at the river this morning as there have been during the past few days.

This activity has had an impact upon our English setter, Sadie. After her walk on Tuesday morning, when the activity there was at its height, Sadie seemed to notice there was sadness in the air. She came home after her walk, didn't want to eat anything, and lay around the house, not being the active 4 year old she usually is. She had cheered up, somewhat, by evening. Things were different.

On Wednesday morning we were walking near the site and saw a couple heading down towards the cordoned off area. I asked them if they were related to the young man, and they said no, but they were best friends of the parents. I told them I was sorry about the young boy. The lady commented what a pretty dog Sadie is and put her hand out to her. Sadie, who usually goes ballistic when she hears someone call her name, calmly stood up on her hind legs, embraced the lady's wrist with her two paws and lay her head down on the back of the lady's hand. Sadie stayed like that for several minutes. Things were different.

Last night (Wednesday) I took Sadie to Angler's Park near dark. As we walked around the field there, I couldn't help but think of all the activity that had gone on there during the weekend rugby tournament - now it was completely silent. Even the red-winged blackbirds had ceased their rrrrnnnnnnnggggg mating call; even the chirping frogs had ceased their irritating chirping, even the parking lot had ceased its sound of people talking. As we looked out over the near dark marsh, where we often see mallards, Canada geese, and killdeer, there was a silouette of a large prehistoric looking bird standing in the water. It was, of course, a great heron, something I had never seen in recent times at Angler's Park. This was nothing extraordinary, nothing unusual, nothing that had significance at all - it was just different.

As were were approaching the woods to return to my car this morning, I saw a swallow perched on the branch of a tree. I turned to take some pictures and had also noticed that there was a young woman jogging in my direction and my friend John, and another regular walking coming up behind her at about a 20 yard distance. I shot some pictures of the bird and heard the lady pass. After taking a few more shots, I walked toward the woods. When I passed John, I said, "John. I must be getting old. I preferred to take a picture of the bird in the tree and not even noticed the young lady running." He said, without missing a beat, "David. You're not getting old ----- You ARE old." Things were different.

In life things change, but there are the constants that we all hang on to. There is the love of family, the sounds of birds chirping, and the beauty of the river even after a tragic event has taken place in its turbulent waters.

And there are two other constants: There will always be robins and it will always be another great day on the Riverwalk.

DISCOVERY

This morning I didn't make it to the Riverwalk, but Elizabeth took Sadie. Some of the paths were closed off for rescue of the boy who had fallen into the river. Tonight, I see that the newspaper is referring to the work going on at the dam as a "recovery." My heart goes out to the boy's family.

Discovery - this is what happens every day I go to the Riverwalk with Sadie. I may see some of the same birds, but often they are in various temperaments from complacent to aggressive. The mallards I spoke of yesterday is a good example of how the temperament of the birds change - a few days earlier there were three mallards swimming together (two males and one female). And then, the one mallard attacks the female and then the male, and the pair fly away leaving the single mallard doing his little "victory dance." Discovery - either a mating ritual or a territorial dispute - likely the later.

Discovery - Yesterday afternoon I took my second walk with Sadie, but instead of starting at Dan Daniel Park, I decided to go to Angler's Park. I saw the black and red red-winged blackbirds in all their glory, sitting on the top of trees making their rrrrrnnngggg sound. I never thought that those I had spotted there were all males until I happened upon a shot I took of some "unidentified" birds in a tree nearby. This morning I looked in a bird book and thought I had spotted some sparrows, but I recalled that the birds in the pictures were larger than any sparrows I had ever seen. This evening I looked in the book again - I checked information about the red-winged blackbirds and noticed that the female are not as ornate as the males - in fact the females are rather drab looking. The picture I had taken was of two females to whom the male was calling. rrrrrrrnnnnnnggggg - a bell went off in my head, and I learned the difference between the males and females of this particular species.

I got a short sojourn at Angler's Park this evening with Sadie. I talked with a friend, and Sadie played tag with his small dog (both on leashes). I took twenty pictures - some bad shots of red-winged blackbirds, some very dark mallards on the marsh, and Louie, the small white dog of my friend. Louie, the dog, is still discovering things - he is learning to socialize. He is a rescue dog that never had much to socialize about (he may have been an abused dog). But, Louie has learned to play with Sadie, and Sadie enjoys the small dog's company.

Discovery is about a small dog learning that it is much more fun to play with some other dog than to be aggressive; Discovery is a mallard coming back to his territory and finding two other mallards there. Discovery is being able to finally identify a picture of a bird, and when the discovery comes saying to myself, "The female red-winged blackbird which is much duller than her male counterpart - duhhh). Discovery is realizing that your child is missing and may have drowned, and coming to grips with the fact that your life is going to be very different from now on.

Discovery is what I do everyday when I go to the Riverwalk. It was a another great evening on the Riverwalk.