SO HOT I'M MOLTING

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(JUNE 29, 2010) Beautiful male cardinals glisten in the morning sun. However, upon closer look, one seems to be wearing a mask and is a bit mussed up while the other looks right prim and proper in its cardinal red feathers.

One is likely a juvenile male, molting into a beautiful adult male that will be the handsome male to attract the female during mating season. But right now, the cardinal looks a bit like it has had a rough night and needs to sleep it off, yet it was singing pleasantly as we passed by this morning on the Riverwalk.

In the parking lot we saw a couple of brown-headed cowbirds. I took some pictures, but at 6:15 the lighting was not the best and the shots came out blurred. We also saw a heron fishing near the dam as several Canada geese floated by and an osprey settling into its nest above the Brantley Steam Plant. There were a handful of new yellow goslings near the train bridge being supervised by family and extended family. And, the flowers were blooming, the bees were buzzing, the damselflies were lighting gently on the leaves, and Sadie and I were enjoying the coolness before the heat of the day came upon us.

But, the most interesting sight was the molting cardinal. There are already signs of the green headed mallard molting as I saw a sad male walking about not knowing that his green head had turned a blackish color. I think that we, as humans, "molt" in our own way. When wooing a mate, we often put forth our best attractions, but once the mate is wooed, we seem to care less about our physical manner or, for that matter, hygiene. The Scottish poet, Robert Burns, in his poem "To a Louse: On seeing one on a lady's bonnet at church," provides a humbling thought when he wrote:

"O would some Power the gift to give us
To see ourselves as others see us!
It would from many a blunder free us,
And foolish notion:
What airs in dress and gait would leave us,
And even devotion!"

Did the molting cardinal not know that he was disheveled and rough looking? Perhaps not as he sat on the tree and sang a lovely song while not being able to see himself as other saw him. He, really, isn't that bad looking, but with time will be marvelous.

It was another good day on the Riverwalk.

A TURTLE TAIL - er, TALE

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(JUNE 28, 2010) At 6:15 this morning turtles were the last things on my mind. We had walked a half mile when a biker stopped, noticed my camera and said, "There's a large turtle up there near the fence. It is the largest one I've see, except at zoos."

He showed the size with his hands, making a circle that looked like a couple of feet in diameter. The place he pointed to was about an eighth of a mile from where we were, and I thought that the turtle would be long gone when we got there.

This started a conversation on turtles. I told him that when Sadie was about 6 months old, we were walking on the trail, and there was a turtle on the trail that was the size of a large footstool. I told him that a small child could have sat on it and that Sadie wanted to go near, in her puppy dog curiosity, to see this giant monster; I pulled her back because the turtle's mouth was so large that he could have almost swallowed the puppy. Besides, even if the turtle had just snapped her and held on, I have been told that when a turtle grabs something in its strong mouth, it won't let loose until it thunders (that day, I recall, was bright and sunny with no rain expected for days).

Now I told this man this story, and then I couldn't help but to relate to him the "fish tales" I have heard along the trail. One was recalled a few months ago (April 28) which was actually a "fish tale" told about an English setter. I told him that my rule was that when a fisherman told me the size of the fish that got away, to take the size the fisherman says, divide it by two and add a couple of inches/pounds.

Having realized that he might have thought I was telling my own "fish story" with Sadie's encounter with the large turtle, I was about to point out that the story was true when he said, before riding off, with a mischief look on his face, "Actually, the turtle was only this big." (he made a circle with his fingers about two inches in diameter). We both laughed and off he rode.

Stories. We all tell them, and each time we tell them, they become bigger. Part of that is to add entertainment value to those who listen (often with disbelief); part of that is because we almost all live what we see as mundane lives and need these embellished stories to make our lives seem more exciting, but sometimes we just tell stories that we had hoped would be the way things are or were. Whatever reason, it is fun to hear stories from others - whether believable or not.

It was another good morning on the Riverwalk.

WHAT'S NEW?

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(JUNE 27, 2010) Each morning when I go to the Riverwalk with my camera, a thought always goes through my mind. "Is this the morning when I won't see anything to take a picture of? Will there be nothing new?" I've taken pictures of geese, ducks, osprey, eagles, cormorants, mergansers, many varieties of lovely flowers/plants, and some very curious insects. I've also taken some pretty good landscapes and even shots of people. So, what else is left? Hmmmmm.... What's New to take a picture of?

I will see something early on my walk and take a picture of it. It may be a weed or an unusual tree branch formation, but, I say to myself, I have at least one or two pictures. I NEVER even get back to those pictures because there is ALWAYS something new I haven't seen before. In the several years I've walked the Riverwalk, I have yet to be disappointed in seeing something new. What I see may be something others have seen, but for me, it is something I haven't seen - it is WHAT'S NEW to me.

Early in the walk this morning, I saw two blackbirds (grackles) standing on a street light. Since it was right at dusk, the light was still on making an interesting picture with the silhouettes of the blackbirds and the brightness of the lamp. I then came upon the white and gray geese with their goslings enjoying the morning coolness. They, as always, started their march to the river when they saw Sadie coming. We made a wide circle, so they didn't have to go all the way to the water.

Up near the Martin Luther King Bridge, I saw a bird I hadn't seen before. This was something new to me. I snapped away, and I think it is a yellow warbler. Someone on the trail said he thought that, with my description, it was a female scarlet tangier which he has seen around. I checked my bird book upon coming home, and think the yellow warbler is what I have (pictured above).

Beyond the bridge near the White Mill I noticed some activity on a tower above the covered walkway that goes across the river. On top of the tower was an osprey, having just landed in a nest built there. Shortly afterwards another osprey came and landed in the nest with some new sticks for the nest. They are awesome birds of prey and look majestic as they fly and land.

Moving from "majestic" to "dainty," I'm not sure how long the damselflies will be about, but they seemed plentiful this morning. I saw some very small blue and brown and black damselflies resting on the leaves along the trail. Nearly every bush we came to from the Union Street Bridge to the bridge going over to the train station held several of these lovely creatures flying around and landing gently. The bees were plentiful in the flowers with some individual flowers containing more than one bee. I have noticed that some of the bees will circle their bodies around the bottom of the flower and just lie there for minutes.

There was also a beautiful blue flower (shown above) that I hadn't seen before. It was very small but attractive with the yellow and green surroundings.

On the way back, I noticed that the young swallows were gathering again in the tree near the Fall Creek bridge that is beside the Public Works Department. A few days ago I observed them practicing taking off and landing in the same trees, and I had supposed that they had mastered that and had gone on to other training in learning to be swallows. They were sitting there more securely than they had when I last saw them. They seemed to have learned their lesson well.

So, WHAT'S NEW? Well, this morning I got an interesting photo of two damselflies resting, I got some pictures of geese and ducks (the mother mallard and her six ducklings I had been seeing during the last few weeks - the ducklings are almost as large as their mother), I got a picture of a lovely blue flower, a couple of ospreys building their nest, a young swallow sitting securely in a tree, a yellow warbler, some moths and butterflies, a couple of blackbirds on a lamp post, and bees resting in flowers.



It was another good morning on the Riverwalk.

SADIE POINTS

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(JUNE 26, 2010) I got out to the Riverwalk this morning at 5:45 - kinda dark; kinda early; kinda in a hurry. I was to pick up Elizabeth in Chapel Hill at 7:30, so I did a short walk (a little over a mile) before leaving the house at 6:30 to head down Highway 86.

As the result of this, I didn't take any pictures, but I had over 500 pictures from yesterday, and some of them provided the idea for today's blog entry - Sadie Pointing.

Though it was hot yesterday, Sadie was in a "working" mode - that is, she was "working" at pointing at anything that moved (including leaves falling from the trees). She pointed at bees (which I discourage), damselflies, butterflies, moths, and an occasional bird.

One blue damselfly seemed to especially intrigue her since she would get close to it, it would fly away, Sadie would step back, and the damselfly returned right to the spot where Sadie had just seen it. This happened 3-4 times before I decided we needed to move on.

Now, Sadie's pointing sessions may take as long as 5-6 minutes as she goes into her "stealth" mode - moving very slowly by gently placing one paw down while lifting another one. Yesterday, I told someone, who was watching her, that she is like "poetry in motion. SLOW MOTION." And she is.

About a year ago Sadie was pointing at a moth when two bikers came by. The two men are acquaintances of mine, and they stopped and were fascinated by Sadie's pointing and stillness.

One of the bikers said, "That's amazing!"

I said, "Yep."

He then asked, "Did you teach her to do that?"

I said, "Sure did. I got down on my hands and knees to show her how it was done."

He laughed and said, "I'll give you $20 if you will demonstrate."

I said, "Make it $40, and you've got a deal."

In actuality Sadie started pointing when she was about 8 weeks old (she's now four and a half), just a ball of white fur with not one spot on her at all. I had taken her into the back yard, and she saw a moth - instinctively, she lifted her small front left paw (she always lifts that paw), became rigid, and her tail went out - not straight out like she does now, but up at about 45 degrees.

Pointing is in her genes. That's what she does.

Several months ago we were out in a field where she had spotted a butterfly. She was rigid and concentrating on that insect. She stood that way for several minutes - paw lifted, nose pointing and tail out straight. A couple of bikers rode out into the field, and one said, "I thought that was a statue."

I said, "I'm sure she wishes she could fool birds in the same way - they would flock around her, and she would grab them." They laughed, Sadie continued to point, and they left.

I like to give her some opportunities to point during our daily walks. There are times, however, when I get impatient and will go over to the insect she is pointing at and make a movement to hurry up the activity. She won't attack a bug until it starts to move, so her rate of success is only about 1 in 100.

By the way, no insects were killed or maimed yesterday. The damselfly and moth above are healthy and flying around today - unless some other dog has been more successful than Sadie.

It was a short walk today on the Riverwalk, but a good one.

OASIS

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(JUNE 25, 2010) An oasis is a place to renew oneself, to get refreshed, to rest. Along the Riverwalk there is the symbiotic relationship between insects and plants as the insects find rest on the plants and refreshment with the pollen and nectar the flowers produce.

There is a white flower with purple tips that seems to attract insects of different varieties. It is not unusual to see several varieties of moths and butterflies, different types of honeybees and bumblebees, and smaller insects like ladybugs resting in the bell shape petals. It seems to be an oasis of choice for these bugs although other plants seem to provide the same service to the small residents on the Riverwalk.

The leaves also provide temporary resting places for the insects. Different varieties of damselflies can be seen on the leaves of the many different plants where they remain until disturbed and then return immediately to the same location. Trees also provide an oasis for insects - this morning I saw a bumblebee, a butterfly, and a number of smaller bugs parked on the white and pink flowers of the mimosa tree enjoying the moisture of the flowers in the morning sun. Some insects even prefer the warmth of the rocks as their oasis.

The larger animals also have their oases, often in the water. The turtles gather on fallen trees or rocks in the middle of the river or at water's edge. They sun themselves and often share their perch with water birds like the cormorant.

The geese have their oases along the shore of the river, although some also prefer the fallen trees in the river or river rocks. This morning one oasis for the ducks and geese was made more special with the distribution of bread by a couple of young women. The geese came flying in from across the river to feast on the small white morsels being dispersed by these two young ladies.

The heron also enjoys the refuge (oasis) near the dam and at other locations where fish are plentiful. They can be seen waiting patiently for the fish to come along.

A couple of bikers I met this morning on the Riverwalk mentioned that a great blue heron came into their back yard a while back and found a tasty retreat in their pond. The pond held a number of beautiful koi fish and some frogs. The heron swooped down and made a nice size meal from these exotic fish and the frogs.

Humans, too, need an oasis - a place where they can take refuge from the rest of the world. Some escape in the world of books or television; others find a hobby to immerse themselves in, while others take refuge by just being at home around family. I enjoy the escape of all of these, but my favorite refuge (oasis) is the Riverwalk. It quenches my visual thirst by providing me with sights I cannot see at home; it quenches my physical thirst by giving me a delightful place to walk, and it quenches my social thirst because I encounter people there who are friendly and experiencing the same visual and physical opportunities I am enjoying.

It was another good day on the Riverwalk.

RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD (extra)

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(JUNE 25 2010) Today on the Riverwalk, someone was asking about the red-winged blackbird. As an extra blog entry today, I am posting some pictures taken of the bird this spring.

It was another good day on the Riverwalk, and another group of today's pictures and an essay will be posted later.

"COME ON, STINKY!"

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(JUNE 24, 2010) "Come on, Stinky," Elizabeth called out this morning as she took the leash and led Sadie out of the back of the Jeep.

Elizabeth uses that term of endearment for Sadie, and the English setter obligingly responds. This morning, however, the air was full of smells of nature, and Sadie, with her super sensitive nose seemed more alert to the odors that surrounded her as we walked on the Riverwalk. Her nose is regularly to the ground as she smells the scent of animals that have gone before us - sometimes a dog that might be a quarter of a mile ahead or perhaps a deer that had wandered down to the river, crossing the trail earlier this morning or the night before.

The smell of nature was around us as we entered the Riverwalk. The Riverwalk is a sensory experience each morning, playing with all of the senses of those who visit it.

The lovely sweet smell of the honeysuckle is no longer evident as those aromatic beauties have blossomed and now have gone back to just a green dormant plants in the woods. However, there were other smells from the woodsy pungent aroma of the dark woods - the woods that a few days ago smelled like a spring rain now smelled more like the dryness of leaves. There was also the smell of creosote near the bridge carrying the train across the river - not natural creosote, but the creosote used to preserve the wood used by the railroad.

The beautiful flowers along the trail each have their own distinct odors, but they do not fill the air like the honeysuckle does in the springtime. By sniffing the flowers, there is a perfume that can be detected that is less likely there to attract the nose of the wanderer and his dog, but more likely to attract the honeybees or other insects that spread the pollen that continues to keep the plant species around.

A few days ago, as I was walking near the river at Dan Daniel Park where the fishermen often drop their lines, I smelled the distinct odor of fish. There, a few feet ahead of us, was part of a fish that had been left there by a fisherman earlier that morning or the day before. Fortunately, Sadie's olfactory senses were tuned to something else, and she missed what she would have considered a tasty treat.

There are a number of non-nature created odors as we walk the trail. Near the Public Works department the morning air is touched by the smell of diesel fuel with the workers starting their vehicles to begin their daily tasks throughout the city. Near the highway that comes within a few yards of the Riverwalk, there is the smell of automobiles traveling only a short distance from nature. Over the years of walking on the Riverwalk, I have accepted these aromatic intrusions into the natural smells of the woods, realizing that these are the folks who repair our highways and pick up our trash.

Oh, and that is an odor I don't smell along the Riverwalk - trash. Those who work on the Riverwalk picking up the trash and cleaning the restrooms and emptying the trash cans do their daily tasks and keep the Riverwalk facilities clean and the trail free from human littering.

And finally, back to the term "Come on, Stinky!" which Elizabeth called out this morning. Today, Sadie smelled more like the lovely aroma of the flowers around us than like a dog since she had spent yesterday at the spa where she was bathed, brushed, and manicured.

Therefore, the comment could not have been aimed towards Sadie, but I was the only other one who was around. Hmmmmm.....could she have been directing that comment to me? Nawwwwwww....well, maybe.....Nawwwww.

It was another good morning on the Riverwalk.

WAITING PATIENTLY

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(JUNE 23, 2010) Patience is a quality that is either learned by all creatures or lost. For humans patience is something that is more of a convenience than a life or death quality. For many animals in nature patience is the difference between survival or death.

This morning on the Riverwalk, Elizabeth and Sadie waited patiently as I took pictures. Of course their patience was the result of my own patience of waiting for a photo opportunity to appear in the trees, the underbrush or on the trail. Elizabeth and Sadie found shaded places on benches along the Riverwalk and waited until I caught up because I was waiting patiently for an insect to appear near flowers along the trail, knowing that if I waited long enough, there would be life among the flowers. I was right.

Not only were there bumblebees and damselflies, I saw a spider on its web waiting patiently for something to get into its web; something did. A white dot showed up on the web a few inches away from the spider; the spider left its placed, danced over the web and grabbed the white dot and it disappeared. Patience - if you build the web, something will come to it, and for a spider that means breakfast.

Below the bridge to the train station I saw a white goose STILL sitting on her nest. She has been there for over a three weeks and . . . NOTHING, so far. As she sits on her nest with several eggs under her, she is using her patience in hopes that soon the eggs will hatch and there will be little goslings running about. She sits and hopes and has determinant patience.

Also below the bridge there was a cooter turtle swimming near the Canada geese that had gathered there in large numbers. What the turtle was looking for, I'm not sure, but the turtle moved very slowly with the patience of hunter. The turtle just hung under the water in suspended animation, waiting and looking at the Canada geese with its head propped up above the water.

Many days I have watched the great blue heron as it waits patiently for a fish to swim by before snatching it and swallowing it whole. I have also seen the osprey perched on a high tree ready to dive at the sight of a small bird or fish. Just this past week a water moccasin was spotted patiently trolling the banks for a quick meal. And Sadie, when she sees a moth or butterfly or other insect, patiently creeps forward with very slow and precise speed toward her prey. Sometimes she gets the prey; most of the time the insect flies way.

This morning Elizabeth and Sadie showed patience as they waited for me when I would get a quarter of a mile behind because I had stopped to take pictures. They found a nice, cool bench and sat there until I showed up.

Fishermen also show great patience as they wait for a fish to attack their line. This morning there were several fishermen along the banks waiting for "the big one." From what I could tell, "the big one" hadn't been caught on this warm summer morning. For a fisherman fishing requires patience to wait for a fish to find the bait but part of the experience is just being in nature and having the patience to enjoy it.

Patience is very important to man and other animals along the Riverwalk. Without patience, the Riverwalk is just another trail in the woods. The Riverwalk is much more than that. It is a place that with a little bit of patience, it will earn benefits.

It was another good day on the Riverwalk.

JUST HANGIN'

(JUNE 22, 2010) The Riverwalk was warm this morning when we got out there at 6:45. It seemed that everything was moving more slowly, even Sadie, as we watched the animals and fellow walkers go about their daily lives.

I stopped and talked with several of the others along the trail as we discussed everything from the water moccasin I saw this weekend to personal moments that may be life changing (a doctor's visit, a response to an employment test, an up-coming wedding). We gathered in the cool shade along the Riverwalk, just hangin'.

Sadie saw Lucky and Jodie, two of her dog friends, and while their masters and I talked, the dogs did their initial sniffing and playing, and then they settled down and were just hangin'.

Sadie is generally a very social dog and will pull the leash as she sees a dog ahead (what I call "one of her people"), but one dog this morning didn't get that response. I'm not sure she was interested in hangin' with a large German Shepard named Gunner. The dog started barking at Sadie (usually, it's the other way around, or Sadie picks up the chorus and barks back). but Sadie just looked and wanted to walk on. Gunner, I'm sure, was friendly enough, but Sadie seemed a bit intimidated with the dog that must have been twice Sadie's size.

It is summertime along the river, and everything was slower. The geese and their goslings were slower moving across the path as we approached them. The bugs on the bushes seemed to be in a state of funk as they were just hangin' there. Sadie lay down on a few cool spots along the trail and rested. I took some bottled water and kept her thirst quenched, but the heat made her sluggish, except when she saw a bug in the grass which tended to energize her.

Perhaps the most interesting thing we saw this morning was a group of young barn swallows, a dozen or so, just hangin' in a tree. They were humorous, trying out their new wings and practicing landing and hanging on to, and taking off from the branches of one tree near the small bridge that crosses a creek. I had seen activity for a month or more near that bridge of the barn swallows gracefully skirting the river for bugs as they prepared their nest for the young that were soon to come. The young birds would take off (most of them - one stayed clinging to a branch for dear life during the ten minutes I watched), fly around and then land. Sometimes the landing was graceful; sometime it would be aborted and the bird would fly around again and sometimes a scuffle would break out as one small bird landed on top of another one. But, they seemed to be enjoying their newly discovered talents. They were like human babies learning to walk.


Near the end of our walk Sadie spotted a butterfly that was just hangin' in the grass.
Now, butterflies tend to hang out in the sun, and this butterfly was no different. Sadie went into her "stealth" mode and approached the butterfly as I stood in the heat waiting for her to get closer. After about five minutes of her slowly moving closer and closer, the heat was oppressive and the dark woods was just a minute away. I stomped the ground near the butterfly, it took off after just hangin' for over five minutes, flew right around Sadie's face and disappeared in the sky. We got to the dark woods and were cooled by the canopy of trees there.

A few individuals, bike riders and walkers, were just hangin' and talking with each other in the cool woods taking a respite from the heat of their daily regimen. One biker commented on Sadie, and we chatted briefly about mutual friends, dogs and lives - he had retired and was remaining active; I was still working and remaining active. It was a good chat. We were just hangin' in the shade of the dark woods and enjoying the moment.

Summertime is a good time for just hangin'. However, it appears to pass most rapidly of all the seasons. Shakespeare wrote: "And summer's lease hath all too short a date." During this seemingly short season, when things appear to move slower, it is a good time to just relax, try to stay cool and find some time for just hangin'.

It was another good morning on the Riverwalk.

IF NATURE MADE THE RULES

(JUNE 21, 2010) Obviously, from the picture above, the animals of nature can't read. Obviously, from a photo I posted on June 9 on the dam at Dan Daniel Park, some humans can't read, either. After seeing the beautiful blue heron fishing near the dam with the sign there for all to see, I started thinking about what signs would be put up by nature. If nature put up the signs, here are the ten we would see:

1. Don't throw sticks and stones at birds. Remember the old saying: "Sticka and stones may break my bones?" Well they will - and wings and heads and other tender parts of birds.

2. Don't get too near a nesting bird. It upsets the bird and you are likely going to get pecked if you get too close.

3. Don't get too near the baby ducks and geese. See #2 above.

4. Don't stomp on ant hills. There are a gazillion more of them than there are of humans, and one day . . . who knows?

5. Don't kill an insect so you can get someone to identify it. That's why God created cameras.

6. Don't get too near a water moccasin. It might bite you, and you might die. Also, don't get too near a skunk. It might do what it does and you will wish you were dead.

7. If you see an animal with a foaming mouth, stay away. It may be a rabid animal or an English setter named, Sadie, who has just put a frog in her mouth and then quickly spit it out. Frogs emit a toxin that makes dogs wish they hadn't messed with the frog. The toxin won't kill the dog, but for 10-15 minutes the dog may wish she were dead.

8. Make noises as you walk through the woods. That way animals will know you are coming and will take cover. It also makes the silence that comes after humans have left the woods more pleasant.

9. Don't leave trash behind. We wouldn't come into your living room (bedroom, bathroom, kitchen) and throw trash around. Well, actually, we might make a mess, but that's only because we want to get out and away from the man made world.

10. Don't put up signs in the woods unless they are very, very important (like the "No Swimming Near or Walking on Dam"). We can't read, and they mar the landscape.

ENJOY and then GET OUT!!!!

Signed: Nature

If nature controlled the outdoors, these would be the rules for humans. Of course, one may argue - Nature DOES control the outdoors. That's very true, but sometimes, humans just think they do and mess it up.

It was another good day at the Riverwalk.

FATHERS AND FATHERS TO BE ON THE RIVERWALK

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(JUNE 20, 2010) A couple of days ago I wrote about ants and how the world of ants is totally female because the males have only two purposes: to mate and die. So much for Father's Day for these little fathers.

This morning I saw the standard family gatherings as the geese were swimming with their young and the mallard mother was with her ducklings. There were young bluebirds, swallows, sparrows and mockingbirds in the trees at different spots along the trail.

I started thinking of Father's Day and how many new fathers there are along the Riverwalk this year. The river seems much more largely populated with ducks and geese this year; it was a prolific year for the addition of ducklings and goslings to the river population.

I don't know if I am noticing more, but there also seems to be a larger number of insects, not the annoying ones like gnats and flies, but the pretty ones like butterflies, dragonflies, damselflies and moths. Sadie enjoys tracking them with her stealth movements as she hones in on her prey, which she misses 99 times out of 100 (sometimes I give the insect warning before she strikes, and the insect flies away safely).

There were two very interesting things I saw this morning. I was watching some damselflies along the edge of the river. They were close enough to get some good shots. However, there was one blue damselfly that was not straight bodied like the others; in fact, this damselfly had a crooked body. As I looked closer, there seemed to be an extension to the body (see the photo at the top of this entry).

HOLY COW! There was another damselfly hanging on to the blue damselfly.

HOLY COW! My first reaction was that this had something to do with the mating of the insect, but what was going on? HOLY COW!

I started thinking about what I had learned a few days ago about ants mating and then the male dying. Was this female damselfly carrying the corpse of her lover? HOLY COW!!!

A little ways up the trail I saw some pretty white and purple flowers. There are usually some type of interesting insects around them, so I thought I would go to investigate. There were some bumblebees flying in and out of the flowers, and in one of them I saw a ladybug. But, it was a most unusual ladybug - it was larger than most ladybugs I had ever seen. When I looked closer, I noticed that it was NOT just one ladybug I was seeing, but two - one was riding piggyback on the other. I thought again about the mating ritual of ants since the one on top looked anemic, not as bright as the one on the bottom. Again, I thought, well here is another insect that won't be able to celebrate Father's Day since, I assumed, like the male ants, he would die after mating. HOLY COW!

Well, I was wrong in both cases. Neither the damselfly nor the ladybug (by the way, male ladybugs are called - - - "ladybugs")would die. I was observing the mating rituals of two very unique insects.

With the story of the ants a few days ago, my first discovery of the Webworm Moth yesterday, and now the mating rituals of the damselfly and the ladybug, I may find myself looking more closely at insects rather than birds - or, maybe not. But, if Sadie, who spends more time pointing at insects and less time pointing at birds, can change from being a bird dog to a bug dog, perhaps I can spend more time concentrating on bugs and less time concentrating on birds.

Actually, I take pictures of anything along the Riverwalk that interests me - whether it is a bird, a flower, an insect, or just a unique sunset. With the foliage so heavy in the woods now, the insects are much easier to spot than birds. But sometimes what happens on the Riverwalk makes me feel like a voyeur. What happens on the Riverwalk stays on the Riverwalk - unless I see it and write about.

It was another good day on the Riverwalk.

"DON'T TRADE YOUR DOG FOR AN ELEPHANT"

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(JUNE 19, 2010) This morning, as we were in the darkest part of the dark woods below Dan Daniel Park, we saw some moving white dots in front of us and the faint dark figures of ducks. It was the mama mallard and her six (there used to be seven) ducklings. I have taken dozens of pictures of this small family over the past few weeks, and the ducklings are now almost the size of their mother.

It was 6:15, right after dusk, and the young ducklings were grazing in the field of good vegetation. When they saw Sadie, they headed across the path towards the river, but I noticed that they came back to the field once we had passed.

Ducks are cute, but would I want a duck for a pet? Give up Sadie and walk my duck in the park? I don't think so. I'll keep Sadie.

A little further up the trail we saw some fishermen who took their fishing seriously with about a dozen fishing rods being carried on a rolling cart. I asked one of them if he had caught anything, and he said, "Not this year. But the guy over there has a brother who caught a 45 pounder a few weeks ago." I usually take the size of the fish a fisherman says, divide it by two and then add a couple of pounds, so I guessed that the fish was around 25 pounds, but I said, "That's a big one. The size of my dog."

We walked on. Behind us was Lucky, a Pekingese that Sadie sees nearly everyday. Lucky caught up with us, and the two dogs sniffed each other while the lady who owns Lucky and I talked. She said, "I don't know why I got Lucky. But when I went to the Humane Society, I saw her little face, and that night I couldn't think of anything else. I'm glad I got her."

We were talking "dogs" when a bike rider came up and joined the conversation. As he left, he said, "I have one bit of advice for you. Don't trade your dog for an elephant." Then he rode away.

This was a "plastics" moment, right out of The Graduate. I thought about that sentence over and over as I walked the trail. Was there something philosophical about the statement? Was he saying that you need to be happy with what you have? Was he saying don't wish for something bigger? Was he saying stick with what you know rather than what you think might be better? Was I getting too obsessed with this simple statement?

The Riverwalk raises questions for me each day. Today I saw what appeared to be a beetle on a leaf.
This bug was something I had never seen before. It was orange and black striped with white spots. What could it be? I didn't know, so when I came home, I looked it up on the internet and discovered it wasn't a beetle at all but a moth - an Ailanthus Webworm Moth that folds its wings when landed so it looks like a beetle.

That was easy to solve - much easier than the meaning of the comment, "Don't trade your dog for an elephant."

I continued on, and we saw Jodie, another small dog that Sadie meets most mornings. I was talking with Jodie's owner, and she told me, "I don't even have to set my alarm in the morning. Jodie comes right in and wakes me up wanting to go to the park. I didn't have to get up early this morning, but there he was, waiting to go the park." I told her that Sadie is patient, but gets very excited about going to the park each day. We both agreed that the dogs are wonderful to have to walk with, and then she moved on.

As we got to the location of where the Worsham Street Bridge used to be, I looked down over the bank and saw something moving in the water. As I stopped to look closer and take pictures, I realized it was a 10 foot (actually, take that number, divide it by two and add a couple for the real size) water moccasin. It was slithering along the shoreline looking, I suppose, for a quick meal.

It was then that the comment of "Don't trade your dog for an elephant" made a little more sense. I started thinking about the animals and insects we have seen on the Riverwalk this morning. The mallards, the moth, geese of all sizes, song birds, a wood duck, and a cooter turtle. And then I thought about Sadie. None of these others of God's creatures would make good pets, just like an elephant wouldn't make a good pet, either.

But Sadie, my faithful companion on the Riverwalk, is just right. She is a domesticated animal - elephants, mallards, moths, geese, other birds, turtles and, most of all, water moccasins are not domestic, nor can they be domesticated. I don't think there will be a time when I see people walking their turtle or snake on the Riverwalk. But, dogs are just right. Forget the elephant - I'll keep my dog.

It was another good day on the Riverwalk.

THE LITTLE GUYS

(JUNE 18, 2010) Yesterday evening I was listening to an interview with an entomologist, Mark Moffett, who has just published a book on ants. The interview on NPR ran 20-25 minutes. What can a person say about ants in 20-25 minutes? What I know about ants can be covered in one sentence - "They always show up at picnics."

However, I became interested in the interview and listened closely. What could I learn from this man about ants? Well, here are a few things I learned:

1. The ants we see on the ground are all females. The males are few in number and fly around with only one purpose - to mate and die. Moffett referred to the colony of ants as a "sisterhood."

2. There are some ants in Australia that will literally run after a human. They are about an inch long, called bulldog ants, and they will chase you if you run. They can yield a painful bite.

3. Sometimes larger ants provide transportation for smaller ants as they travel about.

4. The oldest marauder ants take on the worst jobs which often includes leading in battles against other ants and guarding the trail from enemies.

Perhaps more than I needed to know about ants, but at least interesting information.

This morning I decided to concentrate on the LITTLE GUYS along the trail. OK, I did take pictures of birds and flowers and other things that caught my eye, but I decided to concentrate on the little things we sometimes just walk by and miss seeing. I noticed that flies, when enlarged and looked at up closely, are very attractive creatures with their orange eyes, their see-through wings and their neon green bodies.

A little damselfly was perched on a green leaf in an area where I regularly see damselflies and dragonflies. I have discovered that these little insects are so sensitive that even a shadow will cause them to take flight.

With the sun shining through the leaf, a small bug was clutching to the leaf and made an interesting study from above and from the side. The bug didn't move, but just stayed on the leaf as I clicked away one shot after another.

Finally, a black fly like insect had landed on a leaf and was walking around. My first thought was, "Is this the male ant that mates and dies?" The answer: I don't know. It was there for a little while and then was gone.

I recall a story that I read as a child. It was titled "The Ephemeral" and dealt with an insect that lived for only one day, mated and then died. Its major purpose was to make sure the species continued to thrive - even for one day.

So, what did I learn from looking at the LITTLE GUYS? Well, not much. However, each little insect has its own history the same as the most common of all insects, the ant. I look closely each day and discover some little part of our world that I had never noticed before. The Riverwalk provides me with a remarkable viewing stand from which to discover new things including THE LITTLE GUYS.

I was another good day on the Riverwalk.

BEST FRIENDS OF THE DUCKS AND GEESE

(JUNE 17, 2010) This morning a walker stopped and asked me if I ever get tired walking on the Riverwalk with Sadie. I told her, "No. I get a great deal of enjoyment coming out each day and seeing what nature provides."

We see some of the same people each morning, walking, jogging, riding bikes, but two ladies are there doing a service for the wildlife. These two women carry bags of bread crumbs to feed the ducks and geese each morning.

As Sadie and I approach the bridge that goes over to the train station, there are always dozens of geese and ducks gathered there, and when they see Sadie, they tend to walk towards the river or start their hissing action while lowering their heads as if to charge. We always take a wide circle so we don't disturb them too much.

When other people approach, without dogs, the birds come near hoping that the person may disperse food. I have seen some children feeding the geese, and when they are out of crumbs, the geese get angry and fuss at the children who run to their parents in fear.

But, the ducks and geese seem to wait for the two bread ladies. When they are approaching, a call goes up, and a number of geese and mallards fly in to take part in this feeding ritual along with those that had already gathered. While walking towards the feeding table, the women are approached by dozens of ducks and geese that are eager to sample what the ladies have in their bags. As they get closer, the noise the birds make is almost deafening as they trumpet their approval of what is going to happen. Once the bread is dispersed, there is a feeding frenzy as the adults compete with the young for the many morsels of bread dumped onto the ground. There is some fussing and elbowing (if geese can "elbow") as the birds eat up every last crumb.

The women see Sadie each morning, and they approach her to give her some affection and, often, a piece of bread. They don't seem to mind that Sadie has dirty paws from the walk, and one woman even had a broken arm a few months ago, but doesn't shy away from Sadie's overly active lunges toward her.

This morning I saw the ladies as they were getting ready to feed the masses of ducks and geese gathered. I said, "I guess you are the ducks and geese best friends. I know they appreciate your daily feedings."

One woman said, "They may enjoy the bread crumbs, but we get a lot out of this too. We enjoy getting out here every day."

A symbiotic relationship - the geese enjoy the bread crumbs and the women enjoy feeding the crumbs to the birds. It is a simple thing, but something very important to the the birds and the ladies.

It was another good day on the Riverwalk.

WHATZIT?

(JUNE 17, 2010) "How's WHATZIT doing today," a lady asks every morning as we pass her and her friend walking the Riverwalk?

I know she is asking about Sadie. She calls her "WHATZIT" because a few years ago when we first talked with these ladies they would come over to Sadie and Sadie would, in her excitement, jump up on the women. The ladies didn't seem to mind that, but whenever they called Sadie's name, Sadie would make a lunge toward them wanting to be petted. So, as not to cause Sadie to pull on the leash, they referred to her as "WHATZIT" or as "the dog whose name shall not be called.

It has turned into a friendly joke over the years as they ask how I'm doing and then ask, "How's WHATZIT?' I say, "She's just fine," and we continue on our walk.

This morning I encountered several dogs that Sadie had met before. However, one dog, Mia, I hadn't recalled her name, so I asked, "WHATZIT's name?" Mia's owner said, "Mia. We have met before." I recalled her dog after she mentioned her name; Sadie and Mia got along fine with each other, we shared treats with each other's dog, and then went our separate ways.

Over the years we meet dogs on the Riverwalk and know the name of the dogs but not the names of the owners. Today Sadie saw Jodie, a small white curly furred dog. We have seen Jodie on the trail almost every morning for a couple of years. The dogs sniff each other and then move on. This morning, Jodie's owner asked me the name of another person on the trial, and I told her. She called me by name; I was embarrassed because after a couple of years I knew only as Jodie's master. She told me her name, and now I will not only speak a good morning to Jodie but to . . . WHATZHER name as well.

Sometimes my eyes deceive me as I look at something that seems odd and respond with the WHATZIT question. I generally go over to investigate the WHATZIT object. This morning I saw a beautiful flower that had black spots all over it white flower. My first idea was that the spots were little bugs, but as I got closer I realized that they weren't bugs at all, but little holes in the flower made, I assume, by little bugs.

On a plant there was a dark spot to which I asked myself, "WHATZIT?' As I walked over to it, I realized it was some kind of roach or waterbug that had taken up residence in the flower. It was a rather attractive bug with a maroon shell and black accessories. I also saw another plant with what seemed like a little hole in it. The "hole" started to move, and as I got closer I realized that cute ladybug had landed on the plant and made an attractive picture with the black and orange bug on the white flower. Another bug was hanging upside-down on a leaf. When I saw it scamper up the stem of the leaf, I responded, "WHATZIT?" Well, I think it might have been a mosquito or some other long legged bug.

Near the bridge to the train station there were two lovely yellow bell shaped flowers. On one was an interesting bug that was yellow and black. As I looked at the other I assumed that it was full of the same bug, but what appeared to be several of the bugs were actually the stamen of the plant that looked just like the small bug on the other plant.

And finally, the most exciting part of the walk this morning was the sight of a great blue heron flying over the water and landing just a little ways from where we walked. It's landing wasn't the most graceful; in fact, this graceful bird of the sky had such an abrupt and clumsy landing that I exclaimed, "WHATZIT?"

And finally, when you see Sadie on the Riverwalk, you might want to refer to her as "WHATZIT" or she may respond with an overly friendly response. However, if enough people call her WHATZIT, she may start responding to that instead of Sadie. And then the two ladies who walk together have to start calling Sadie something she won't respond to - maybe - "bad dog?"

Well, it was another beautiful day on the Rivrwalk.

NOTHING RHYMES WITH ORANGE

(JUNE 15, 2010) This morning on the Riverwalk I didn't take my camera.

I had taken over 500 pictures on the Riverwalk and over 1000 pictures of horses and horse hooves and farriers and farrier equipment the day before for a horse magazine and was just tired of taking pictures. I had a good walk without the camera and stopped to talk with a few friends along the way including the wife of my church minister who had the day off and was biking. We had a good chat, and then went in opposite directions.

Though I didn't take my camera, I knew that the day before I had taken some pretty good shots on the Riverwalk, but I had limited yesterday's blog to the photos having blue in them. As I walked, I thought about the pictures of the day before, and one orange flower stood out. I started thinking poetry - perhaps a sonnet that would capture the images of the Riverwalk would be appropriate. Perhaps a ballad or a lyric poem. And then I recalled that the word "orange" has no rhyme. So, I needed a poem where there would be little rhyming, and I settled on the haiku.

Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry with a total of 17 syllables spread over 3 lines with 5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in the second line, and 5 syllables in the third line. Traditional haiku deals with nature and relates a primary experience (something the poet has experienced for the first time).

Short lines ran through my head as I walked. I became obsessed with the color "orange" to a point that I asked myself is "orange" one or two syllables (is it "orange" or "or-ange").

As it turned out, I had to teach a literature class from 6-10, and we were going to discuss poetry. I decided to introduce the students to haiku and to have them write one as a way of experiencing the idea of "syllables" in poetry. So, how could the students have a "primary experience" about nature that evening? I decided to show them the picture above with the flowers, the moth, the geese and Sadie pointing at a butterfly. Their only requirements were to write a haiku and to use the word "orange" in it. Here is the results from 7 students.

#1:
Only three ducks and
only one butterfly to
relate to orange.

#2:
Many shades of orange
Different objects appear
All from the same place.

#3:
Butterfly flying
High above the duck's feathers
Orange in color

#4:
Three Ducks looking wayward
Attention caught. What can be
Three orange bills pointing.

#5:
Flower Blooms Orange
Ducks are staring down at it
The butterfly lands.

#6:
The orange flower
Water hanging from the tip
Waiting to drip down

#7

The orange flowers shine bright
The duck adds to its beautiful scene
The beauty of shades were breathtaking.

These are not bad for a 10 minute period given to writing the haikus.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, the 42 syllables above give an interesting description of the pictures given to them. The word "haiku" means "beginning verse." For these 6 students, it is, at least a start for learning about poetry.

It was another good day on the Riverwalk.

SHADES OF BLUE

(JUNE 14, 2010) Nature tends to protect itself through camouflage. Young birds take on a brownish hue that blends in with the nest. Female birds also are lees flamboyant than the males so that the males can distract the predator and move any danger away from the nest.

Certain colors seem prevalent in the woods - brown, green and gray. These are colors that are dull and allow all animals or plants to blend into their surroundings.

The male cardinal puts forth a brilliant red while the female is less colorful with a dull red. The little male merganser duck is a colorfully patterned black and white while the female is a dull (yet with a cute Mohegan head) brown. The green head of the mallard is easily spotted from a distance while the dull brown spotted female blends in to the undergrowth.

But, what was Mother Nature thinking to put blue into the mix?

The bluebird (male) stands out in the dark woods, and you can count on the duller blue female to be nearby. There are certain blue flowers that are more likely to be plucked from their stems than the more common orange or yellow flowers, though some of the orange and yellow flowers put forth a vibrant and beautiful personality.

The great BLUE heron seems to be an obvious contrast to the browns and greens, but since this great bird spends most of its time on the water, the blue helps it to blend in.

Even the insects get into the mix when it comes to being either lucky or unlucky with colors. There are dragonflies and damselflies that blend right in to the undergrowth along the Riverwalk. But, occasionally, there is that florescent blue that catches the sun just right and gives away the resting place of a species of damselfly.

One wonders if nature was looking out for the predators as well as the plants and animals themselves. Is the honeybee attracted to the more attractive blue plant than the more common yellow flower? Though blending in with the background of the water, do predators notice the difference in the hue of the great blue heron from the hue of the blue water? And, whatever predator that may attack the neon blue damselfly, the sun gives away its pray each morning making the dragonfly more vulnerable.

In a previous post I wrote about a hawk swooping down to carry away a songbird from a bird feeder. One person was appalled while another person said, "Well, hawks gotta eat too."

The color blue can be both friend and enemy to plants and animals that are lucky (or unlucky) enough to be born with that color. The shades of blue in nature are varied and, since it all seems to work in God's plan, purposeful.

It was another good day on the Riverwalk.

ELVIS SINGS HYMNS OF INSPIRATION

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(JUNE 13, 2010) This beautiful Sunday morning on the Riverwalk, a lady rode by on her bike and spoke. I had talked with this lady a few weeks ago, and she told me that she listened to the hymns and gospel music of Elvis as she biked along the Riverwalk. She has four of his CDs and enjoys the music as she rides past nature.

What exactly did Elvis have to say about nature? Is his music relevant to what I see daily on the Riverwalk? I thought about this this morning and tried to think of Elvis songs as I saw nature doing what nature does. I saw a mallard couple which made me think of a few songs. The first ones that come to mind are the obvious ones: LOVE ME TENDER and I CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE WITH YOU. However, a few months ago I saw a mallard couple sitting on a hillside. Another mallard drake walked by, the female was distracted and went off with that sojourner. Is that HEARTBREAK HOTEL or SUSPICIOUS MINDS?

As we ventured forth toward Angler's Park, Sadie pulled me to the side of the trail. There was a box turtle with its magnificent black and orange design. Sadie was curious. I kept her back because I feared that the turtle would be ALL SHOOK UP. But, Sadie being the HOUND DOG she is, was impatient and wanted a closer look. I continued to hold her back, and she gave me that DON'T BE CRUEL look. The turtle continued to be TROUBLEd by the invasion into its space, but I assured the turtle THAT'S ALL RIGHT, and we walked on, though Sadie wanted a closer look. I encouraged her to move on by saying "C'mon Baby," in an Elvis accent, and I assured her, "YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE."

At Angler's Park I saw a swallow delivering some food to the young swallows in the house. As the bird flew towards the house, I took pictures. The dedication of the birds to feed the off-spring shows the mates have a BURNING LOVE, and that they have the innate inward thought that says, "Survival of the species is ALWAYS ON MY MIND."

At Angler's Park my camera battery died, so I couldn't take any more pictures on the return trip. It was a pleasant return, and I stopped thinking about Elvis and just enjoyed the beauty and sounds of nature. If you have gotten this far in the essay, I want to say (in my best Elvis imitation): "Thank ya' Thank ya' very much."

It was another good day on the Riverwalk.

SIGNS

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(JUNE 11, 2010) Near the dam at Dan Daniel Park there were two men standing there, staring across the river. As we passed by, one of the men asked, "Do you know how long that sign has been there?"

I looked and asked, "What sign?" The man responded, "The POSTED sign over on the island. I guess they don't allow fishing over there since the drowning of the young boy."

I said, "I hadn't noticed the sign," and the other man said, "It wasn't up there at the end of last fishing season. We haven't been here since."

We talked a little longer, and then I walked on thinking that that little sign has made a difference in those men's plans for the day. I assume they will just have to fish from the shore

As I walked on, I noticed other signs posted along the trail including the NO FISHING FROM DAM sign which some still ignore. I had also noticed the signs in the information shelter that gave information about the trail and identified some of the wildlife along the trail.

The most unique sign on the trail is the very clever one written as a NOTICE TO ALL DOGS. It starts out, "Wuff, Wuff, Bark, Ruff, Ruff . . ." and is translated for those of us who don't speak "DOG." Translated it says that dogs must be on leash always (again, something some dog owners ignore) and that if the dog poops, the owner needs to put it in a bag and dispose of it in a trash can.

Sometimes the "signs" aren't written in either "DOG" or English. Some are written in nature. For example, I saw a new orange and yellow flower that I had not seen this year. It was blooming by itself and I think it is called a lady slipper. It is the flower in the background of the group of pictures above. To me, seeing these newly sprung flowers, means that summer is nearly here. The tulip poplars (peach colored flowers above) have had several groups of flowering so far this spring and there are still blooms ready to burst forth.

Another sign I have learned to recognize is the sign of aggression of some birds. The swallows fly around, circling my head, as I pass by a house where they have their nest. The mockingbird, on the other hand, will stand on the fence and fuss at Sadie and me as we walk by. If we stop, they move closer continuing to fuss. I have also noticed that when they are angry, their tail goes up in the air. This can be seen in the images above.

Back in late April I watched as two mockingbirds faced off on a fence at Dan Daniel Park. One approached the other with his tail up while the other shot his tail up. The aggressor hopped forward and shot his tail up as he landed. The 10 yards between them soon became a few feet until the aggressor jumped on the other mockingbird and chased it into a tree. They both returned in a few minutes and repeated the standoff.

Signs were everywhere this morning on the Riverwalk. From signs telling dogs what to do to signs from birds telling those approaching to BEWARE.

One final observation. As I was at the dam, I looked over to the island and saw a man fishing there. The man was not one of the men I had talked with earlier. However, as I crested the small hill there in the woods, I could no longer see the sign that I had seen two hours earlier. I'm not sure what this is a sign of but,

It was another good morning on the Riverwalk.

IF IT FLIES . . .

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(JUNE 10, 2010) NOTE: None of the insects shown above were maimed or killed during our walk on the Riverwalk this morning.

Why the disclaimer? It is because of Sadie, my English setter bird dog. She will point and, eventually, attack anything that flies. In fact, Elizabeth often says, "If it flies, it dies." Well, actually, that quote is not totally true.

Sadie has never killed a bird, though she is a bird dog, and she has stalked and jumped on 100s of moths and butterflies in her lifetime, but her actual success rate in squashing or injuring an insect is about 1 in 50. That would not put her in the class of a major league hunter, and when she actually ends up with a moth in her mouth, she has a look of regret because it doesn't taste so good.

This morning I mentioned to someone on the trail that Sadie was slow starting again. And they noted that she was stalking something in the grass (it turned out to be a small bug) and the person said, "Well, she is just doing what she is supposed to do - hunting."

As her owner, I have two personal moral (read that, "guilt") issues.

First: Since she is a bird dog, bred to HUNT birds, am I denying her her birthright by not being a hunter, myself, and not allowing her to pursue her "career"? My own moral compass says, "No." I justify that by the fact that she gets to walk, everyday, 3-5 miles and gets to run in the backyard. During these outings, she gets to point at bugs, which seems to fulfill her innate urge to HUNT. As I write this, she is vigilantly stalking a house fly. So, now, she has become a "bug dog" rather than a "bird dog," which puts me back into my moral questioning of denying her her birthright.

Second: Often she will stalk a moth or another insect for 4-5 minutes as she does her beautiful slow motioned stealth walk toward the intended victim. She is "poetry in motion." Most of the time the insect notices her before she can attack; however, on some occasions she pounces and - well, the insect doesn't fly away. My moral issue is have I contributed in killing one of God's creatures by allowing Sadie to stalk and pounce? My rationalization is that her success rate is about 1 in 50, as mentioned above. However, I have the demise of those 2 in 100 insects on my conscience. I also rationalize that as a hunting dog, she needs to experience success on occasion or else she may go into a deep depression, and dog therapists are expensive and not covered by my major medical insurance.

And I also have a sub-moral issue when it comes to the 2nd moral issue above. I sometimes let her stalk the moths that aren't too pretty. The ones above, I didn't let her get very near. Now, since I only allow her to attack (and, occasionally, smash one) only the less attractive moths, am I being unfair to the ugly bugs?

Am I losing sleep about either of these moral issues? Not one second, but I do think about this on occasion. And, as for the saying, "If it flies, it dies." That may only be true in Sadie's mind since her success rate is only 2%. But, at least, it gives her the chance to hone her hunting skills.

It was another good day on the Riverwalk.

BIRDS JUST HANGIN' OUT

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(JUNE 8, 2010) This morning we saw a single fisher near the dam. It wasn't a man with a tackle box and a pole, but a great blue heron standing near the dam trying to catch a fish for breakfast. He was just hangin' out there waiting for some tasty fish to come over the dam.

Elizabeth said, "I guess that is why there are so many fishermen lined up on the bank near the dam each morning. If you want to go where the fish are, follow the herons." It's kind of like finding a good place to get a good meal when you are traveling - go where the truck drivers eat.

Near the first field after the dam, there was a cardinal shining red against the Carolina blue sky. He was chirping and just hangin' out, enjoying the morning coolness. The air was crisp and welcoming after the heat of the past few days.

As we approached the public works department, we heard a ruckus in the trees and saw some crows enter the trees where mockingbirds hang out. The leaves moved and the images of birds could be seen and the squawking became louder and louder. Out of the dark trees emerged a sing mockingbird that sat on the top of a nearby tree. However, the fracas wasn't over. As the bird sat there, another bird dive bombed this guy, knocked him off the branch and took up residence where the single bird had been hangin' out. What was that all about? I don't know. It could have been territorial; it could have been a nesting situation, or it could have been something else. The battle took place about 2o yards beyond where I saw the young mockingbird in the brush yesterday. We didn't see the young bird today.

Beyond the public works department we saw a family of geese hangin' out. The two adults here hangin' with their six goslings of differing sizes. They were the only group of geese in that area; most mornings there are 2-3 families of geese and goslings, and generally a mallard or two.


As we returned back to Dan Daniel Park, we saw some turtles sunning themselves on the log in the river - no cormorants - just turtles. Closer to the dark woods at Dan Daniel Park we saw some insects, including a pretty neon blue damselfly, and a few birds in the tree (a couple of wrens and a sparrow) chirping away.

When we got back to the dam, the heron was still there. "I wonder if he caught anything?" Elizabeth asked. "I don't know," I replied. "He still looks hungry, and I guess he would have had his fill and moved on by now if he had. Or maybe he is just hangin' out there."

It was another good morning on the Riverwalk.

DANGER!

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(JUNE 7, 2010) A couple of months ago a colleague took a group of students to the Riverwalk to observe nature. Before they went, she told them what to expect. One student, who was unfamiliar with much to do with nature, asked about the dangers there. He asked if there were any wild animals that could rip someone apart - like lions and tigers? She said no that the Riverwalk is a safe place to walk.

However, there are dangers there for humans as well as the wild life. There is a sign that speaks to the danger of the river and the undertow that is created at dams. There are, of course, plants that can cause rashes if a walker gets off the trail and wanders into the brush. And, if you look closely at insects, like I do, then it is possible to get either an insect bite or sting.

The beautiful bumblebee buzzing around the pink, dainty flowers of the mimosa tree can carry a bruising sting. The yellow jacket crawling gently on a leaf in its bright black and yellow can attack a person and cause great pain. I have seen very few snakes on the trail, but I have seen 1000s of bees. The fact is that 3-4 times more people die of bee stings than from snake bites.

This morning I was talking with someone on the trail when I noticed a furry patch in the bushes. I thought that it was, perhaps, some goose feathers, but it wasn't until I approached closer that I realized it was a baby mockingbird. It was about 3 feet above the ground, hidden in the foliage. I tied Sadie to a fence on the other side of the path and went to the bird and started taking pictures. It didn't move except to occasionally blink or move its head. This was the same area where the adult mockingbirds have swooped down at us as we walked along the path or fussed at us as we, evidently, got too close to their nest. I had the thought of being completely bombarded by the adults as I got near their baby. NOTHING. I took my pictures without incident.

When I came back 30 minutes later, the small bird was still there. Had it been abandoned? I don't know. That close to the ground put this small bird in DANGER of predators that could too easily find the little guy and make a small meal out of him.

This morning I saw a female mallard with her three ducklings. It was a pleasant sight to see, but also a reminder of the DANGER the wild life face on the river. This same mallard, just a few days before, had 7 ducklings - today, 4 were missing - gone.


I noticed tent caterpillars had taken over some trees along the trail. The leaves make a treat for the larvae but what is left after they have gorged themselves is the skeletal remains of the leaves. There is DANGER to the trees as well along the Riverwalk.

As I think upon the DANGERS that threaten each plant and animal each day on the Riverwalk, I can't help but think of the devastation that is going on in the Gulf of Mexico. Many animals and much plant life are dying not because of nature; these living creatures are dying because of a foolish act of humans. Birds may strafe humans who get too close, insects might sting, and spiders might bite humans and create a minor irritation; but, it is what humans can do to nature that is truly devastating. Surely the higher, thinking animals, like myself, who often visit this very fragile ecosystem can do better.

It was another good morning on the Riverwalk.