4 Egrets 4

As a novice bird watcher, I was totally thrilled to see 4 egrets standing on a log together. Pretty sure they're egrets. By the time I got my camera on, one made a break for it - you can see him/her swimming to the right in one picture, and a bit further to the right, framed by two trees, in the other.

Some more feedback on "Hands Around the Lake." There have been some comments to an article about the event that appeared in the Brooklyn Paper. One in particular was quite critical - that the event was poorly attended, that the organizations were only involved to make money, and that there were better tactics to take. Brooklyn Paper said there were only 130 people. I think there were more like 200, and I did an informal count. Not everyone was scrunched together in one bunch.

Back in the day, I was pretty active in the protest world. Like a lot of other baby boomers, it kind of slowed down over the years, as I got involved with work, having a family, etc., etc. Lately, however with a little more time and a lot more negative things going on, I've been getting back into it, and remembering some of the earlier lessons I've learned. First, movements never start big. They start small, the word gets out, and hopefully they grow. I had put some of the "Hands" photos on my Facebook page, and got some friends asking, "What is this thing about the geese?" The word is spreading. Yeah, immediate gratification is always a thrill, but in the real world, things take time.

And as I recall, a lot of movements fell apart because of so much disagreement among the participants about how to attack the problem, who the "enemy" was, etc. this is one of the reasons I was so happy with the "Hands" event. There were representatives of very different groups, with a variety of interests, but all coming together with a common goal - keeping the Park a welcoming environment for wildlife.

One more thought: the fact that there are negative comments in the Brooklyn Paper is less important than the fact that the article was there at all. That old "there's no such thing as bad publicity" idea. For example, We went to Seneca Falls last summer, to the Women's History Museum. These women, these early suffragettes, were insulted, laughed at, made fun of, treated horribly in the press and the view of the general public. One of them (and I'm sorry I don't remember which one) was asked how she felt about it. She said it didn't bother her, because it meant that people were talking about the issue, and that was what mattered. What a great attitude!!

To PAC: Yes, the tagged geese were reported - it's how I knew that they were actually from Canada. I don't know about the tightness of the tags, but am including photos of the bent neck. Does it look OK?

More hands, Candleman, egrets

Candleman is completely cleaning up after himself and his ceremony (which I assume it is)! Instead of a trash pile, his little corner is now a charming outdoor alter, and I certainly hopes that it accomplishes what he wants and needs it to do.

Nice spotting of the egret mating pair, although the picture is a little fuzzy because of the zooming. I'm working on it.

And some more pictures of participants from yesterday's "Hands Around the Lake."

Misc. observations

Candle Man (and yes, I'm assuming it's a man) has not cleaned up the mess or responded to my note, but it's possible that he hasn't been by lately. There are the same number of cans/candles/tin foils. they seem to have been moved, but we've had a few days of heavy wind and rain that could have done that. Will keep monitoring.

The lake water level is quite high, and most of the ice is gone. Note picture of one hard-core (pun intended) corner of the lake. The Lullwater still has a lot of ice, but the boathouse pond is quite clear.

Got a fairly nice shot of the egret, and of two cygnets posing in their heart position. I'm working on trying to take clearer pictures of the extreme zoom shots. It's not quite as easy to hold my hands very still. We saw an eagle flying overhead. Beautiful, but as yet unphotographable.

There are still a few patches of snow left on the Nethermead, and a bunch of very happy dogs playing in a large puddle created by the melting snow. We were 3 adults and 2 dogs today. When we got to the Nethermead, B and I split up for our usual circular walk around the edge. N went into the middle with Chewy, who is more sociable and likes to play with the other little dogs. Poor JJ was very confused with this 3-way split! But she eventually did her running back and forth, desperately trying to gather her unruly herd.

No dead animals today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Both swans were off the nest this morning! It seems a bit odd, since the sun is NOT shining and warming the nest. Could it be that the cygnets have hatched? We could hear no noise, nor see into the nest, even when we climbed a tree a bit. I really need to get some kind of periscope. Could it be that the water is a bit higher, and the swans wanted to take some weight off the nest? Could it be that Mama got really, really hungry? Tomorrow we'll try to climb up higher in the nearby tree to take a look.

Cayuga and entourage are back in the main part of the lake. Obviously the mini-lake provided insufficient real estate. We call the entourage caramel ducks, but that isn't their official name. They don't have an official name. Our friend the Swan Princess told us that on the official Bird Counting Day, the overseers didn't even want to count them. They're a crossbreed, between two different kinds of ducks - hence the unusual coloration. Swan Princess, like myself, believes that any census must count EVERYONE or it is useless, so they got counted as caramel ducks.

Tree down near the peninsula, blocking the road. Curious - there was a storm last night, but it was not super windy, as it was during the last big storm when so many trees went down. Many of the trees in the park are quite old - 100 years or more, so I guess there are always some on their last legs, or roots, as it were.

Nice picture of egret flying across the lake, thank you Ber. He (Ber) came around a corner and there was the egret stock still within a few feet of him. Of course by the time he got the camera ready to shoot, the bird had flown. Still, it's a pretty good and close shot.

I've been informed that last week's dead duck was a mallard. No dead animals spotted today. How nice!

The rabbit, the turtle and the egg

Crack bag count: 15, including a new design of little purple unicorns. Unicorns? You can't make this stuff up.
This title does sound like one of Aesop's fables, but it's just some of today's happenings. First, we went to check on the nesting swans, since I had a dream that they had hatched last night. No, they haven't hatched yet. Papa is keeping very close guard. The lake level seems even higher today, and is pouring over the edge in many places. The swan nest looks like it is sitting right on the water. Hope it doesn't get waterlogged. I think that all the overflowing spots will save the nest if it keeps rising. I wonder why the Park is letting this happen? After all, it is an artificial lake and there are drainage places that they can open up. In the tree picture, you can see the wall that is supposed to be the outer edge of the lake but isn't.

We'll take another picture of the phragmite height tomorrow, but meanwhile I thought I'd show the big picture. All that green mass was blackened, burnt vegetation only a few weeks ago. I am constantly amazed at how nature restores itself if given even half a chance.

I saw a rabbit in the woods! And managed to photograph it before it ran away! My observation skills and speed with the camera are definitely improving.
actually, the rabbit ran off when I tried to get a bit closer, but I sensibly took the zoomed pictures before I tried to get closer. And, I got the 5 turtles sunning themselves on a log - been trying for that one for weeks! The egret is still hanging out around the Lullwater, and we saw another white bird - very thin, with a long neck, smaller than egret. As soon as I can remember where I put our bird book I will try to identify it.

About the egg: there was another one today, gone by the time we came back on the way home. So I decided to cook the one we have and eat it instead of incubating it. This is the subject of three part video, "The Story of the Egg." It was really quite delicious. I've had duck eggs before, and they are sometimes a little strong, but this one was mild and delicious. Of course I feel totally guilty about taking food from the Park - there are undoubtedly actual hungry people who deserve it more. But they're not out there at 8:00 A.M., and this was in pursuit of knowledge.

Too gray today

It's a busy weekend in the park today and tomorrow. Too bad the weather isn't cooperating. Gray skies, gloomy, temperature in the 50's and damp. Well, it could be worse. I have a facebook friend in New Hampshire who reports 2 inches of snow so far. I remember when I was a kid living in Rhode Island, there was generally one last snowstorm in April, and then winter gave uop and let spring come. The snow didn't stick long. Still, that's why it's now called "global weirding" not global "warming."

Today there was a bike race, and a re-enactment of the Middle Earth battles from Lord of the Rings. Nerds in costumes, what could be better. I mean that - I love nerds. Imaginative people WITH knowledge.

They're also preparing for a giant "run for water" tomorrow. See the giant trucks setting up base camp in the Nethermead, which will be closed for doggies tomorrow. Maybe we'll get a sneak peak from the backside of Lookout Hill. One poor puppy arrived, running gleefully looking for his doggie friends, but no one was there.

Another sighting of the snowy egret that sometimes comes to the park! Two pictures taken. The egret is hard to see in the distance, but the view of the lake is so beautiful anyway.

Four swans spotted. The plywood hasn't been moved (still quite waterlogged), but the floating dock is gone. Someone has probably taken it back to where it came from.