Bluebird Houses

(May 21, 2011) This has been a week when bluebird houses have come into my mind as a result of three distinct events. One event took place in our yard and the other two were moments I experienced on the Riverwalk.

In the picture above there is a swallow in a bird house on the Riverwalk (Bluebird House #22). This bird house was the scene of an invasion this week. On Thursday afternoon, I had parked in the public works department parking lot and was walking with Sadie near that box located 50 yards or so from the bridge going across the small creek near the restroom.

As Sadie, our English setter, and I approached the birdhouse, I noticed something sticking out of it. I thought that a bird's tail was sticking out; as I approached closer, I realized that it was not a bird's tail and thought that someone had put a stick in the opening. When I got even closer, I noticed that the "stick" had eyes; a small black snake was in the house and, I assume, the eggs or small swallows were no longer there.

I had my camera with me but forgot to put the memory card back into the camera after downloading pictures the day before, so I was carrying an expensive paperweight that was useless to me. The small snake looked at us for a few minutes and then retreated back into the box (#22). I was saddened by this, but when I mentioned it to my daughter, Christy, she said, "Well, snakes have to eat, too." That is the reality of the Riverwalk. There is new life and death everyday on the trail.

A second event occurred this morning on the Riverwalk. As I approached the dam below Dan Daniel Park, I noticed that the bluebird house there wasn't there anymore. The pole was there, but the house was missing. Perched on top of the pole was a single swallow wondering, I assume, what had happened to his house. It is possible that those who look after the birdhouses may have taken it down for some reason; however, if someone had stolen the house, that person faces a fine up to $10,000 and jail time. I hope it was the former.

A third event happened at our house this week. Elizabeth, my wife, had taken Sadie out and they walked near the bluebird house we have in our yard. It is the time of year when there are either eggs or babies in the houses. As Elizabeth and Sadie got near the birdhouse, they were swooped down upon by a squadron of angry bluebirds. Sadie, the bird dog, cowered and Elizabeth took Sadie into the house. I thought about the embarrassment of what could have happened with the headlines reading "Bird Dog and Owner Pecked to Death by BLUE BIRDS" How embarrassing would that be?

We went out to the Riverwalk this morning and plan another walk this afternoon - the weather is beautiful with sunny skies and temps in the low 80s. It has been and will be another good day on the Riverwalk.

SOUNDS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ducks and Geese

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

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

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

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

It was another good day on the Riverwalk.