Mad dogs and Englishman

It's not just the midday sun that they go out in, it['s also pouring rain days. Lucky me slept in while the indefatigable Ber and JJ went off to the park watch. The report: Nesting swans are still fine, though Papa is hiding under some shrubbery to keep out of the rain. Mama is undoubtedly counting the minutes until she can move again. Love the picture of the raindrops!........ The lake is higher than ever, and new little mini lakes are forming all around. Cayuga and entourage have settled into one of them. .Poor old JJ was very forlorn in the Peninsula today, with absolutely no other dogs out for her to play with. ...Off to our Sunday farmers market on Cortelyou to see which vendors braved the weather and show them our appreciation.

Park Watcher Gazette - Getting Tired of Death

We had a huge scare when we went to check on the nesting swans - a large dead bird in the water. Nearly had a heart attack when we didn't immediately see Papa
Swan, but he was there, and the dead bird turned out to be a goose. Still not pretty, but, after all, there are a lot of geese, and only 3 swans these days. Ber bravely went out on a fallen tree trunk to push the goose closer to shore with a stick. I fished him (the dead goose, not Ber) out of the water and we took him to a trash can. Not exactly a dignified burial, but at least it won't pollute the lake.

I'm getting quite tired of all these dead animals. dead duck, dead goose, dead raccoon, dead fish, dead possum, dead turtles. I like to look on the positive side, but it's getting a little hard. The good parts were it was a beautiful day, with stunning scenery and strange flowers growing directly out of tree trunks.

I was discussing the swans with a friend the other day. Ber and I really feel especially attached to the swans - so handsome and dignified, yet friendly. My friend doesn't like swans, says they are mean. Hmmm. I think mean is when someone is gratuitously nasty, or nasty as a power trip or to stoke up their egos. The swans are perfectly well behaved as long as no one invades their personal space. Only then do they stare, hiss, spread their wings, and possibly attack. They stop as soon as the person/duck/goose/dog/whatever has crossed back over the personal space boundary. Mostly, they just stare at the invader, move silently towards them, and the invader decides, "I think I'll go the other way." This seems quite reasonable to me. Actually, I see them as an excellent role model for human behavior. Make your position known when necessary. Otherwise, live and let live.

Thank you Channel 11!!!

The TV is out of the lake, finally. No thanks to the Parks Dept. but to Channel 11 and Greg Mocker, with whom I am suddenly deeply in love.  


Otherwise, it seemed to be Turtle Day in the park. In the Lullwater, by the duck beach, back at the burned phragmite area number 1, we saw 15-20 turtles sunning themselves,. Enlarge the pictures and see if you, too can spot them. One let Ber get VERY close.

Phragmites are now over 6' tall. We saw akll three swans. Nesting swans still look fine. She is lying so flat over the nest she almost looks 2-dimensional. Papa was busy hissing and using his wings to intimidate the geese.

Sad news: we fished a dead bird of the lake and laid it to rest in a trash can.

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.

Poisoning the park

Back up Lookout Hill today, WITH my trash bag. 13 crack bags, but surprisingly few beer cans and water bottles. Looks like they did a decent job of cleaning up after this "run for water" thing yesterday. The dead raccoon is gone, as is the stage, tents, etc., as one can see from today's picture taken from the same vantage point as yesterday's dead raccoon picture. Did find surprisingly more cigarette packs than usual - do runners smoke? Didn't think so. There was a glass tube from a cigar - is that a sign of a quality cigar?

Also found a leaflet of interest. I hadn't realized that this "run for water" was brought to you by the same Dow that brought us Agent Orange, Bhopal, and Dioxin poisoning. I'm one of those people who has never forgiven them for agent Orange, and thus have never bought Saran W. Even when I cleaned out my mother's apartment and acquired what I referred to as "the heirloom Saran Wrap," I couldn't bring myself to use it, and threw it out after about 10 years. The leaflet refers to the Run for Water as "a shameless attempt to cover up the company's role as a major polluter of both drinking water and aquatic ecosystems." WELL PUT!!! Check out the websites at: http://vn-agentotange.org?, bhopal.net, trwnews.net and snipurl.com/dowdolphins for more info.

Back to the subject of the raccoons: Ber did get a response to his e-mail from Eugene Patron, who says he is forwarding the e-mail and thanking him for his interest. Form letter number 1 or 2?

My do-it-yourself rehab seems to be working. I had very little trouble bending down to pick up the trash. It was a beautiful day, and JJ really enjoyed finding herself a HUGE stick! The phragmites are growing several inches a day. Cygnets not yet born, and the hawk was not nearby. Papa was - can't be too careful!! Swan Princess and Knight reported on finding freshly decapitated turtle heads - someone might be eating them.

Speaking of food in the park, there was another duck egg sitting on the newly mulched shoreline. Since every egg we've seen there has ended up broken, we took this one home with us. Should we try to incubate it or just eat it???????

Swans and hawks and egrets, oh my!

Well, as you can see, we got a much better of the snowy egret today. He was standing right by the Lullwater edge, hanging out with a giant turtle, enjoying the sun. Ber got this picture. I kept trying to adjust the light meter on my camera, and by the time I was ready he (assuming it is a he) had flown away. It's a good thing there are two of us trying to capture the sights. We also saw one of the swans in that area. This was good - he's been kind of MIA lately. Still hoping he's looking after a nest nearby, but no sign of it.

Just realized that if you click on a picture it gets larger - and you can really see the egret clearly!

The Nethermead was closed to dogs because of the big "Run for the Water." A concert stage, booths, etc., were set up. A raccoon had decided to lay down and die right outside the rent-a-fence they had put up, so we notified a park person. I offered to pick it up if the park person had a bag and gloves, but she said no - an official person would get it. Ber wrote the the Parks Dept. about it. He had done this a couple of weeks ago, when we spotted another dead raccoon. we want to know why it dies, since there have been vague rumors of rabid raccoons. There was no answer at all the first time. I wonder if two dead raccoons will get their attention?

Princess Swan and the Knight of the 1,000 Swans took over to one of the trees that had blown down in the storm. Half the tree was cut up, but the other half is still standing, albeit at a steep angle right over the new playground. You don't have to be a fear-monger to be concerned. The roots look quite shallow, and intertwined with years of trash and plastic bags.

It was cool today, but the sun was shining. Perfect weather for the runners. I think it was a fund-raising run because they only went around once. The serious races make several loops of the 3 mile circular park road.

By the way, Cayuga and entourage are VERY HAPPY with the new wood-chip mulch on the shoreline. It certainly looks far cozier than the hard p[an underneath. No more eggs. I really will take one if I see another one - they aren't being sat upon to hatch as it is. Actually, no one remembers any baby ducklings from last year. They need parental training. Maybe they've forgotten how to nest? Is life too good in a city park?

Of course we did our usual check on the nesting pair of swans. The higher water level makes the nest look bigger - sitting above the water line. Both parents were very close - mom in her nest, pop right there. She seemed to be fussing a lot. We wonder if the cygnets are close to hatching. Perhaps. There was a large hawk in a tree nearby. We're pretty sure it was a hawk. Tried to get photos, but my zoom lens isn't strong enough. It flew off, and the wingspread was DEFINITELY hawk-like. Good thing papa the protector is nearby.

Here's some research about swans: "Swans are the largest and the most beautiful of large waterfowl. The Mute Swan is one of 7 species of swan worldwide. Adult females weigh around 20 lbs. with males around 25 lbs. Average. Weights of up to 38 lbs. have been recorded.

Swans are found in low lying wetland areas of the northeastern Atlantic coast and the Great Lakes. They breed at 3 years of age having a clutch of from 3 to 8 eggs. The gestation period is 35 days from the date of the last egg. During the incubation period the male becomes very territorial and will aggressively protect his mate. He will normally use his strong wings as a weapon instead of biting.

The cygnets are born with a gray downy plumage that eventually turns to white. They can fly in 3 to 4 months and generally stay with the parents until the next breeding season.

Mute Swans have been known to live for over 25 years, but most only survive to 5 or 6 years old. "

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.

High water and choppy seas

It was a gray and overcast day in the park today. The water level in the lake is higher than I've ever seen it. Interesting, since the Parks Dept. claimed to have lowered the water level NOT to refill it before testing the water quality but to prepare for upcoming rains. Rains are upcoming this weekend, so why is the water so high now? Hmmm. Remember, all the water is artificially pumped in.

Anyway, the water was quite choppy and the wind was blowing. Vaguely reminiscent of Ireland in January. Still, there was a lot to see as we made our rounds. I managed to get very close to a red-winged blackbird hanging out in the phragmites. He obviously loves the spot, since he was chasing two other birds away from it as I approached.

We took our alternate-day picture of the phragmite growth after the fires. They're up to Ber's chest height. Ber is 6'1", by the way.

The plywood that Cayuga and entourage were using has made its rounds. It was seen all the way at the other end of the lake, and now it's been near Peninsula Meadow for a few days. Today, because of the aforementioned high water and choppy seas, it was right by the edge, so we took it out. Very waterlogged and extremely heavy. Hopefully the trash collectors will take it away. If not, it should dry out and weigh less, and we'll move it next to a dumpster that we have spotted. Hope it doesn't find it' way back in!...Of course, big pieces of wood seem to always be finding their way into the lake. Today it was a wooden box that worked like a real dock. Ber and JJ could both stand on and walk around! We suspect it might have escaped from the construction going on at the other end of the lake, but it was way too heavy to pull out.

The only swans we saw today were the nesting pair. She was busy picking branches and twigs from around her nest to build up the sides a bit, and Papa was being all protective and manly, watching out for possibly invading geese and ducks. They were all gathered on the shoreline, just watching.

I love how quickly the whole park is turning green. No longer are there just a few sp0lashes of green and pink and white - it's rapidly becoming lush and green and beautiful. Some of the shapes of the trees are quite amazing.

Diving dog and swooping swan

Approaching Peninsula meadow with JJ to the sounds of regular splashing. It was diving dog~! I caught one on video - about the tenth dive. Numerous more followed. The dog's name is Maya and she is absolutely insatiable about jumping into the water to fetch her ball. She is an impressive swimmer. JJ will go into the water at any time, but she hates swimming. She'll go in as long as her feet can touch the bottom. Well, that's not exactly true. But she's not a great swimmer and will grab on to you as soon as she reaches you. N.B. This is something we do in the Adirondacks, NOT in Prospect Park. My daughter took her to a friend's lake house in Vermont, and got her a doggie life preserver so she'll float in the water without clawing people. It really worked!! Anyway, she showed no interest in following Maya's example.

Then, Ber took some nice pictures of a swan keeping his territory clear. A couple of days ago these two swans were swimming in parallel formation, quite close to each other. I wonder if they've had a following out or if one of the swans violated the other's personal space by a fraction of an inch. These birds are very sensitive.

The playground on the SW side of the park is almost finished. This is amazing because for about 2 years the whole area has been a big, fenced-in, torn-up, dug-up mess with nothing happening. Suddenly, tada!!, it's starting to look like a playground again! I suspect they were doing a lot of underground work, putting in a sprinkler system so the kids can keep wet and cool in the summer. Could it actually ready by summer? Or it is all a big tease? Stay tuned.

A bumper sticker I saw on the way to the park: "Imagination is more important than knowledge." My first reaction: how cool! Imagination is indeed a beautiful thing. Then I kept thinking. No, it's not more important than knowledge. They're equally important. Imagination without knowledge leads to:

Obama is the anti-christ.
I don't believe in evolution or global warming, in spite of what thousands of very knowledgeable people say.
Black helicopters are out to get me.
I understand Russia because I can see it from my doorway.
And most of the other nonsensical garbage currently being spewed by the ultra-right.

So no. Imagination is great, but so is knowledge, and let's not forget it.