SO HOT I'M MOLTING

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

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.

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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.