De Crane, De Crane!

Imagine three different groups of birders, braving the severe weather warnings, shivering in the wind (since everyone expected warmer conditions), tracking each other from one lake to another at Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge. Suddenly, all binoculars point straight up as the smallest birder shouts, "De Cranes, De Cranes!" None of the Cranes actually land, but they squawk softly for several minutes, to the great enjoyment of the birders. I've been waiting months for an opportunity to use this line in a blog!

As in the old Fantasy Island television show, a cast of feathered characters are in the program today. Red Winged Blackbirds puff their feathers and sing Con-Ko-Ree at the top of their lungs, from every other reed along the marshes. Look at me, baby! I'm beautiful and I sing better than any other bird you will find today. Don't get in my way, dude! Con-ko-ree!

Today, all the lakes have melted, and the Canada Geese swim serenely, pairing off with a good looking partner. The White-fronted Geese are gone, as are the Mute Swans from last Tuesday. A mature Bald Eagle surveys the first lake on our route. A variety of ducks swim in pairs or small rafts on each lake, including Ruddy Duck, Wood Duck, Gadwall, Pintails, Bufflehead, Northern Shoveler, and others.

We especially enjoy some of the less common birds, including several lifers for Dick and me. A Turkey waits for us at the Visitor Center before lunch. Purple Finches (LIFER) stop for lunch at the Center too, jostling with White Throated and White Crowned Sparrows at the feeders. I finally get a chance to closely examine some Tree Sparrows, a Fox Sparrow, and Song Sparrows in full breeding plumage. I thought it was another kind of sparrow altogether! They don't look that bright and colorful later in the summer. A Rusty Blackbird (LIFER) joined the Red Headed Woodpecker. One Common Loon dived out of sight whenever we turned the scopes to it. Overall, we counted 63 species today, pretty good considering the unpleasant weather.

Happy Daylight Savings Time to all of you!

Birding in the Real World Again

I'm retired now and can go birding whenever I want to. Whoopee! The Sandhill Cranes are at Ewing Bottoms in Brownstown, IN, and I missed the trip on Friday, so let's get in the car and drive up there. Yes, I'm somewhat of a wuss, and wait until the wind drops, hoping it would not be so cold. While driving north on the Interstate in the bright sunshine, I saw thousands of Cranes flying together going east. How beautiful! But, I wonder, will there be any left at the bottoms? Another 40 minutes and I found the answer...No, not a single crane!

This is the real world of birding, isn't it? The birds have decided to bring me back to reality. Expectations will not always be met. The bird you most want to see may not cooperate. Photos will not always turn out.

The birds on the frozen lake at Muscatatuck National Wildlife Reserve remind me of this truth. They cluster together on the middle of the ice, or in the one small liquid spot that is farthest away from where I am standing. The scope is fine in this situation. I can see the Canada Geese standing on one foot, head tucked under a wing, taking a snooze in the sun. Scattered among them are American Wigeon, Norther Shovelers, some Pintails, some absolutely gorgeous Wood Ducks, Black Ducks and shining Mute Swans. The Hooded Mergansers look great in the bins, but fly away as soon as they see me walking down the road to get closer photo. All part of the avian plan to bring me back to reality. By the way, my attempt at digiscoping was disastrous. All I could see in the camera screen was a reflection of my own face. I'm going to return that camera. I really want the new Nikon P-90 with a 24X zoom lens, but it hasn't been released yet. That will give me time to save some money up.

However, hope prevails, and sometimes things go right. I've seen this Heron in the same spot every time I go to Muscatatuck in winter. The large bird soaring in the distance is not a vulture, but the wished for juvenile Bald Eagle, YES! The Blue Birds serenade me as I scope the Geese looking for something NOT goose. Say, there's a big old gray goose, like Aunt Rhodie's old gray goose, the dead one. But this one isn't dead, it's swimming around with about a dozen or more of it's buddies. Large, gray, bright orange bill, and white on the forehead. Hmm, I wouldn't expect to find this many run away domestic geese in the wild. Sibley says that sounds like the Greater White-fronted Goose, marked with a green dot on the map for RARE! I email some friends at the Beckham Bird Club with the find. Maybe they will run up to confirm. The last surprise was a Horned Grebe, not the Pie Billed Grebe that I usually see. My ducking experience in Arizona has paid off, and I feel so much more comfortable identifying ducks than ever before.

When the birding slacks off, or even if it doesn't, I enjoy the landscape. How about this Indiana White Crocodile? Looks pretty vicious. I've never seen it in the summer.

The beavers aren't intimidated by anything, and continue to work away whatever the weather.

I admit, it feels funny not going to the office in the morning. Setting up a new activity schedule is my priority right now. Dick gave me the private tour at the YMCA, and I plan to start a yoga class tomorrow. Oommm.... Serenity, simplicity, stretching. Sounds like a good start.

Pleasure Before Work

Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge is the closest NWR to Louisville, so we like to make the easy one hour drive up there whenever possible. They had lots of rain and flooding in June, but not much at all since then. All the lakes, which are shallow at best, are covered in duck weed, with dead trees sticking into the air. One lake seems to have dried up completely, and the Killdeer called mournfully as they walked over the mudflats. A small group of Wood Ducks, some Great Blue Herons and a single Green Heron braved the heat. White droppings under a dead tree branch led us to suspect it to be the favorite perch of an owl.

We did have a mystery bird in the shallows. Logically, it should have been a Lesser Yellowlegs, common in the area, but it seemed a lighter, smoother color of tan with a whiter belly. The field guide said Lesser Yellowlegs can easily be confused with the Stilt Sandpiper, an Arctic breeder. The winter plumage for the Sandpiper did look more like what we saw. Well, the Arctic birds have to pass through the middle of the country when they migrate, so I guess it might not be impossible. We spooked a collection of vultures at Lake Linda when we stopped for a picnic lunch, and found they were lunching on a dead deer. Addendum: Here's a link to a photo comparing the Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs and Wilson's Phalarope, all taken at the Falls of the Ohio. I think our bird was the Phalarope.

The autumn wildflowers and butterflies were simply outstanding. Monarchs and Viceroys posed for us, along with an Edwards Hairstreak and Painted Lady. Don't you just love the names these butterflies have? The autumn colors are so bold - orange Butterfly Weed, yellow Goldenrod and Asters, purple Ironweed, and scarlet Cardinal flowers all nodding in the breeze. We picked some Goldenrod with galls at the request of a Bernheim friend who wanted some for a presentation she's working on. I didn't realize they even had galls, but it wasn't hard to find at all.

Sometimes the yellow and red are early changing leaves. The Tulip Poplars are losing their leaves fast and furious. No stealthy walking on the trail today - too many crunchy leaves. Someone has made an effort to plant native grasses in the restored areas as well, and their plumes waved as we crept down the gravel roads at 7 mph. The dragonflies didn't seem to mind the shallow water at all. Some of them were bigger than hummingbirds, I think.

The bookstore at the Visitor's Center has a terrific collection of nature books and field guides. Dick picked up one on caterpillars and Discover Nature Close to Home by Elizabeth P. Lawler. I came this close to getting one on sparrows and finches, but decided to restrain myself. A glance at the bird observation area behind the Visitor's Center gave me a photo of a hard working chipmunk. I just couldn't decide if he was stuffing those seeds in his cheeks to store for the winter, or planned to chow down during the football game!

This is Labor Day weekend, and when we got home, we started cleaning out the accumulated clutter in my daughter's room, so it can be cleaned for wedding guests. Your children grow and go away for college, but they never really leave home. I suppose her children will enjoy playing with Mommy's stuffed toys and books, just as I did at my grandmother's. There is a large pile going to Good Will and another large pile going out for the trash, while a third large pile got transferred to the basement for further storage. I don't know what to do with the saddles, tack and other horse gear left over from our years showing Saddlebred horses. Perhaps a call to our old trainer can find a home for some of it, at least. Progress, after all these years! You can walk through the room without falling over boxes!

How do you like the new paint job on the blog? I was starting to feel boxed in with the old template and decided to make a change.