2006-04-16, 02:59 PM — went back again
Today's gorgeous spring walk produced a pair of red-tailed hawks and a half-dozen tree swallows, not to mention many, many ring-necked ducks again. The canvasbacks are still there, and there were common mergansers this time, too. Everyone else must have been off fishing or some such thing.
New today were a pair of ospreys and a field sparrow who had been tempting me with his calls. He let us have a really good look today, though.
2006-04-15, 06:25 PM — two semi-obscure references
I am feeling very restless today, a vague sense of unease just under my skin. I don't know whether it's just my reaction to spring, or whether there's something more going on. I feel a little like Neko Case's tiger on a chain. If I let myself, I could pace and pace in circles until I go insane. It may be spring or it may be something else.
It may also have something to do with the perennial discomfort and sadness associated with being someone who notices nature and cares about what I see. I suspect I'm not alone in having a constant shadow of worry keeping me vigilant -- are there less frogs around this year than there were last year? Is it just me, or is it harder to find warblers? Weren't there more blue-winged teals around at this time last year? How are the trees dealing with this bizarrely warm and stormy weather?
"Biophilia," E. O. Wilson calls it. It can be an uncomfortable passion, loving the living world around me. But it's also a source of great joy for me; and so if sometimes I'm a little sad, I can take that for the wonder and amazement I feel at other times. I can't imagine living in a silent, concrete world. I prefer the birdsong and the frogsong.
2006-04-14, 05:43 PM — more ducks
fishy and I spent a pleasant afternoon out at LCNC, where I fed the animals and then we took the scope out to look for ducks. I heard a warbler, but not knowing what kind it was, I suspect I can't count it.
New ducks for the day were a pair of canvasbacks, a pied-billed grebe, and a pair of pintails. I saw what I believe might have been a hooded merganser, but the light was so flat and he was too far away. Heard flickers and saw two kingfishers. fishy also had an excellent spot of two brown-headed cowbirds. Oh! I forgot to mention the common tern, too. I think it was a common tern. It didn't seem big enough to be a Caspian, and I would be surprised if it was.
Something I need to resolve, though: I'm getting -really- bad about making snap judgements of what a bird is, or an animal, or etc. I have to watch that. I'm in a position where people may believe me unquestioningly and that would be a mistake. It's not that I think I immediately know the answer, it's that I'll say what's on my mind right out loud, without considering who might be listening. It might be completely off base (for example, fishy rightfully doubted my snap id of the female cowbird; I'm too embarrassed to say what I thought it was). Further, if I do that in Pelee -- say what's on my mind without thinking first -- I'm going to have someone brain me with a pair of $1000 binoculars. And frankly, I'll probably deserve it.