WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY

The seasons are sparring.

Posted on March 31, 2019 by Linda Schaub

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Winter refuses to depart and keeps leaving its calling card behind. Like this morning, when I went outside and it was 22 degrees F (-5 C) with a northeast wind making a “real feel” in the teens (-10 C or so). That bit of ugliness, along with 1½ inches (3.8 cm) of snow made me know that March exited like a lion, just like it arrived.

Because the traffic reporter mentioned much slipping and sliding, I figured a walk was out of the question and I’d just hustle in and out to run the car in the garage. But, when I opened the door to feed my “porch pals” the pavement was clear and dry, although ice was on the porch and snow was on the grass.

I made a spur-of-the-moment-decision to head to the Park, packed up some peanuts and layered up (but not enough) and decided to head out.

But, first I needed to tend to my furry and feathered pals out front.

Hail, hail … the gang’s all here …

… or most of them anyway.

The “porch pals” have provided some smiles and plenty of fodder for my blog. Those of you that have been following this blog for a while, know that one morning last Fall, I returned from walking and had two peanuts left in the Ziploc bag. A cute gray squirrel caught my eye and I offered him the remaining peanuts. He was too timid to approach me, so I tossed them onto the cement and that met with his approval and he scrambled over to eat them. I went into the house, but little did I know this would cause a routine that has existed for nearly six months and kind of snowballed.

The next morning I found this cutie pie on my porch. I had taken the car and run some errands and was later than usual and there he sat on his haunches, obviously waiting for me. So, how long was this poor little squirrel waiting? Of course, I gave him peanuts, even extra ones to reward him for his wait. Soon he was there like clockwork every morning, rain or shine, snow or sleet – he is like the mail carriers.

I called him Grady the Gray Squirrel and just like it is hard to keep a secret without someone discovering it and seizing the info, Grady soon found himself sharing peanuts with a Fox squirrel (like Parker), who was twice his size. For a while I put the peanuts up high on a brick ledge, thinking Grady was more agile due to his small size, but the Fox squirrel soon learned to scale those bricks just as easily.

But, it was not just the two squirrels that beat a path to my porch. As Winter settled in, soon a pair of cardinals and a pair of jays were helping themselves to peanuts as well. Now, we have also added a couple of black squirrels to the mix in the past few weeks.

It’s been fun and a break in the monotony of Winter to open the front door every morning to see four birds in my neighbor’s tree and squirrels slinking down from their nests and racing over to grab some peanuts. The squirrels do their share of pacing if I am later than usual (like yesterday), but the jays simply don’t tolerate tardiness. They may be singing when I open the door and immediately start screeching, which I’ve not decided if that is berating me, or calling to their peers that breakfast has just been served. The savvy birds have mastered the art of “swoop and swipe” and usually grab the biggest bounty of peanuts much to the chagrin of the poor squirrels.

Transparency is good … most of the time.

One of the buzzwords floating around these days is “transparency” and this morning, when I decided to capture some shots of my porch pals for today’s post, I realized transparency was not working to my advantage at all.

I opened the door and tossed out about a dozen peanuts, just as I do every day. I lay them on the ledge near the door and also under the door stoop. That way the porch pals can disappear into the bushes if any danger looms, like a hawk.

So, I watched and waited, camera in hand for the gang to show up. Unfortunately, the storm door glass started frosting up almost immediately. I had to run into the kitchen to grab a paper towel to wipe it clear. When I returned, not more than 30 seconds later, I saw a flash of red, blue and black … the male cardinal and blue jay did a fly by, each with a peanut and the black squirrel was hauling his booty away.

I called out: “Wait a minute – come back here! What about my photo op with you guys?”

But my words fell on deaf ears. The cardinal was already munching his peanut high up in my neighbor’s tree.

Then he, and the female, (whom you really couldn’t see as she blended in with the background), proceeded to stare me down, waiting for me to close the door, so they felt safe. They, of course, did not realize that glass separated us. I figured that little gem out after standing there for about 15 minutes.

I also took note of Grady and one black squirrel watching me from afar, although the black squirrel had raced down, grabbed a peanut and took it back up to his tree to enjoy.

Finally I shut the door, a little exasperated, and got ready to go out. By the time I went around the house, just a couple of peanuts remained, but, even with my camera handy, there were no takers. “Well that’s a bummer” I thought and went into the garage to get the car. When I went to close the garage door, the black squirrel, who I’ve named “Soot” came around from the side, thinking I was gone. I wish I had captured the look of panic on his face – it was “OMG … I thought you were gone already!” I purposely stood back and urged him to go to the porch. He did, even though I am sure his heart was still pounding a mile a minute. He got a pair of peanuts and I was lucky to get a pair of photos of him. Check out the two-fisted peanut eating.

Poor Soot has “mange” and is missing a lot of his fur, but he sure was lively.

The jays were missing in action, as was the Fox squirrel. But what WAS hanging about, much to my dismay, was a huge hawk that glided ever so slowly overhead as I was backing out of the driveway. I’ve not seen any hawks in a few months and now I’ll worry about my porch pals being targets for the hawk. They can just drop down into the bushes in a second.

There was fresh snow at Council Point Park as well.

I’m no fan of snow, but this kind of snow is fine with me. The snow only covered the grass at home, and at the Park. Surprisingly, with all the rain we had yesterday, there were very few slick spots. I forgot my flip-up gloves, so I figured I would only pull the camera out if something cute or interesting came along.

Well … the camera spent more time out of the pouch and my fingers were nearly frozen as I snapped pictures of Parker and a few of his pals … that is Parker in the header photo by the way. He was frolicking in the snow when he first spotted me. He ran with his peanut over by the tree. He may look shy here – he is not shy in the least. You must see the priceless look when the Red-Winged Blackbird stole a peanut from under his nose.

Midnight, the black squirrel that I see very occasionally, showed up today and must have really been hungry. The black and gray squirrels are much smaller that the Fox Squirrels and more skittish. But, he came right over to me, so I traded peanuts for poses – isn’t he a cutie?

The male cardinal at the Park often flits from tree to tree when he sees me feeding the squirrels. That beautiful bird will study my every move to strategize when to pop down to the ground and snatch a peanut. Well today, with only one walker around, I had the trail to myself.

I watched him.

He watched me.

He finally made his move.

I feel lucky to have seen two beautiful cardinals in one day.

I whined about the rain yesterday and was not happy about the snow either. The sky was dark and looked more like dusk than mid-morning. I took these two shots of the first loop of the pathway.

snow2

snow1

Sure enough, about five minutes after I tucked the camera back in the pouch, flurries filled the air, and, not wanting to get in a snow squall, I cut my walk short. The last squirrels benefited big-time as I gave them the rest of the Ziploc bag of peanuts. I’m happy I got out and got some miles walked and some cute shots to share in this post.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Cardinals, nature, Spring, Squirrels, walk, walking, Winter | 54 Comments

Hmm – It sure is hard to get traction …

Posted on March 30, 2019 by Linda Schaub

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… on the ice, or regarding my walking regimen. Grrrr!

We’ve got another crummy weather day here in Southeast Michigan. The rain has been falling since last evening. The weather folks tell us we’ll get up to two inches of rain that has the nerve to morph into snow flurries and accumulate maybe an inch before dawn.

To add insult to injury, today is “National Take a Walk in the Park Day” so needless to say I didn’t celebrate this event.

All was not lost as I slept in (much too late, when left to my own devices by electing not to set the alarm clock), however, this soggy Saturday allowed me to finally spin out a post about my trek to Lake Erie Metropark one week ago today. I’ve been swamped at work and eked out one post this week, and I am sorely behind in social media correspondence, not to mention catching up with fellow blogger’s posts in Reader.

Roaming along the coastline of Cove Point.

When I left the house last Saturday, it was just 23 degrees F (-5 C), but the car needed a long run and I needed a change of pace, so Lake Erie Metropark was my go-to spot. I left the peanuts at home as they have signs everywhere that it is forbidden to feed any wildlife at the park. Go figure, because I’m sure any of the feathered or furry friends that crossed my path would have loved a peanut, but I’m not paying any fines or risking being prohibited for returning to the park for breaking their rules. The critters at this venue don’t pay you any attention because they know better than to beg, or even hint, for treats. Sad isn’t it? I sure hope there was/is plenty for them to forage to stay alive, especially after the brutally cold Winter we’ve just endured.

Speaking of cold weather, it was officially the first weekend of Spring, but you sure wouldn’t have known it if you saw how I was bundled up, because most of my trek would be along the Lake Erie shoreline and it’s always colder down by the water. I donned a down jacket, Sherpa-lined hat and wore many layers, not to mention that I had gloves with liners, to take photos and my fingers were still cold.

There were very few people out on this frosty morning and the first person I saw was this young woman who jogged past me in short shorts and a light hoodie.

Now one of us did not dress properly for the cold weather and maybe there should have been a happy medium? I grew up hearing the expression “wear lots of layers as it’s always easier to remove an article of clothing, than wish you had worn something warmer” … (so am I just an old fuddy duddy with all my layers of clothing … never mind, don’t answer that).

I really wondered what was going on in the distance and I strained my eyes to see, but I suspect it was some type of dredging operation.

Icey and dicey AGAIN.

Just like Heritage Park the weekend before, the frozen ground was unable to soak up all the rain we’d had, so pools of water had gathered in low-lying areas.

Unfortunately, the rainwater had also spilled over the cement walkway making large patches of glare ice.

I had hoped to avoid an icy trail walk by concentrating on this venue’s winding cement pathway, but that was not the case, so I spent more time navigating around the icy patches and walking on the half-frozen grass.

Oh well, a walk along the Lake Erie shoreline was pleasant enough.

Not all the Canada geese were enjoying a chilly swim in Lake Erie. A few decided to try out one of these makeshift mini-lakes as their own personal pond. So how did that work out? Well let’s take a look below.

A closer inspection of the icy surface proved to be no dice on the ice for this goose, who took a quick gander, then walked away.

With a whir of wings, it soon took flight to join its brethren I had just passed while walking along Cove Point’s shoreline.

Yet, there was something about this sparkling pool of water that remained a lure from high above.

A bum steer.

Descending from the sky with loud honks, these two Canada geese, though synchronized and graceful in the sky, were rather klutzy when they arrived feet first, as their wide-webbed feet met the unforgiving surface, and in short order their feathery bums thwacked against the ice. Clearly they were not happy with this particular polar plunge.

And how pleasant could it be to stand in thigh-high water?

But, there they were, and glancing up in the sky perhaps to warn any others of this bum steer?

Alas, they decided to make the most of their personal pond, though I’m sure they regretted the decision to descend into this icy mess.

Meandering around the marshes.

After completing a trek along the three-mile (5 km) shoreline, I next headed to the opposite side of this massive Park where the marshes and lagoons are located.

I parked by the Marshlands Museum and stopped to say “hi” to Luc, the resident eagle …

… before heading onto the Cherry Island Trail, which, not surprisingly, was a little icy in spots. The trail is uneven to begin with, so with ice on it, I opted to switch between the paved road that goes to the boat launch area and then walk along the wooden overlooks.

There is nothing like the trill of the Red-Winged Blackbirds as they fly about the marshy portions of this large park. They are large birds and their voices seemed to echo as I walked along in the still morn. These birds are quick to follow you along the perimeter path at Council Point Park, but not for the sake of companionship – they merely want a peanut and they’ve been known to hop down in front of me or swipe one from right underneath a squirrel’s nose.

There were plenty of waterfowl in the lagoon area, including a pair of swans that glided effortlessly through the water, alternating between paddling and diving for breakfast.

They posed for me …

… and, I even got a half-hearted pose; unfortunately, they would not arch their necks to make a complete heart.

The trail continued to the boat launch area.

I noticed the buoys were still piled on the deck and a few boaters already had their pride and joy ready to take a spin on Lake Erie .

I had walked for miles and would have welcomed a little sit-down …

…but I intended to stop at Dingell Park to see if the eagles were still there, so I departed this park, cold and hungry, but with rosy cheeks and a rosier disposition.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged nature, Spring, walk, walking | 81 Comments

Home Tweet Home.

Posted on March 28, 2019 by Linda Schaub

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Last week I wrote about all of Spring’s nature offerings and how this season doesn’t disappoint … image-wise anyway.

But down at Council Point Park, Spring is still MIA. The desolate and barren landscape remains. Those buds I spied a few weeks ago remain closed and the weeds and reeds that line the Ecorse Creek are still as dead as a door nail.

Yesterday I was enjoying my fourth straight trip to the Park with no precip, knowing that lucky streak would stop this morning, beginning with three days of rain and soggy weather. Like the past few visits at my favorite nature nook, to avoid any juggling acts in the still-cold morning (25 degrees F/-3 C), I just kept the camera tucked inside my zippered vest under my coat, plus I left the flip-up finger gloves behind. So, I traveled light, just my Ziploc bag of peanuts and a separate bag of bird treats that I scrounged up for the sparrows that watch my arrival every morning from their perch on the pavilion roof. Yes, I see them every day, their expectant faces registering a silent plea for something to eat. Peanuts aren’t the usual sparrow fare, so I made them a goody bag they’d like, even though there were no seeds to speak of, unless you want to count those sprinkled throughout the seedy bread. I spread my offerings along a picnic table and soon those sparrows were feasting on crumbled-up bread, crackers, oatmeal flakes, raisins and Craisins.

As I ambled along the perimeter path, tendering peanuts to the usual bounty of squirrels scrambling to get my attention, it was a peaceful and quiet walk. Admittedly a few things piqued my interest, and, had the camera been readily available, I’d have taken a shot of the Red-Bellied Woodpecker drilling into the tall tree, or the Red-Winged Blackbird trilling in the marshy area. A male Cardinal tweeted to me, eager to announce his presence so I might spare him a peanut or two (which I did because he would have swiped a few from the squirrels anyway).

That beautiful streak of bright red on the bare branch almost made me lunge for the camera, as did Stubby, the squirrel missing half of his tail, who contentedly noshed on a nut on a low branch in the same tree.

But I kept on walking, camera still tucked away.

When I was on the second loop of the perimeter path, I noticed something blue nestled in between some branches of one of the memorial trees, that I’d never seen there before. It looked like a birdhouse.

I got close up and checked it out and what a beauty it was and very sturdy as well. Here is an up-close look at it.

I wonder who will occupy this fine residence … and when? It is something else for me to monitor on my daily trek around the second loop.

I next looked to the ground to determine whom the memorial tree was dedicated to and discovered this plaque in memory of James Gordon Compton, Jr. and its inspirational message:

(John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”)

So … was he a “James” or a “Jim” … maybe a “Jimmy”? Was he a nature lover, perhaps partial to our fine-feathered friends? Sadly, he was only here on Earth for 27 short years.

I hoped to gain some insight about James Gordon Compton, Jr. by Googling around for an obituary notice, but there was none to be found, in fact no information about this gentleman out there on the internet.

I took my photos, then continued on my walk. I kept the camera out, deciding to just deal with my frigid fingers and retrace my steps to capture those images of the male cardinal and Stubby, but both subjects were long gone.

All I saw were the same drab-looking reeds and weeds …

… and crumpled brown leaves at the base of the trees.

And a pair of mallards paddling in the Creek.

As I departed the Park a lovely contrail bisected the now-brilliant blue sky and became my parting shot.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged birds, nature, Spring, walk, walking | 76 Comments

March madness and gladness.

Posted on March 23, 2019 by Linda Schaub

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The month of March leaves you scratchin’ your head sometimes. It makes its debut, either lamb-like or lion-like, and it’s anyone’s guess how March will exit – sometimes it doesn’t exit quickly enough! Here in Southeast Michigan, it could be wild or mild. If it is not the March winds a’blowin’, it is still icy and dicey, or there is snow and a few times I remember people wearing flip flops. Yesterday, I was walking home from Council Point Park and the sky started to darken and my thoughts turned to “oh-oh, what’s next?” In the space of a few minutes, rain splattered onto my coat, followed by icy pellets that pinged off my sleeve. I picked up the pace a little and by the time I turned the key in the lock, there were dime-sized snowflakes twinkling down. March madness is not just happening on the basketball courts.

The weatherman promised us two sunny days so I was glad for that. I had planned on trying at least one new park this weekend. But a rainy Wednesday and Thursday, coupled with Friday’s sleety/snowy blip, made me rethink that idea and just head to a tried-and-true venue where I knew a paved path would be a safer bet. (Or so I thought.)

I decided to head out to Lake Erie Metropark, a good run for the car, and a long, paved walking path for me. But the pathway had huge patches of glaze ice that formed from pools of water that had frozen over the cement, just like Heritage Park last Sunday. The rain cannot saturate into the frozen ground and it has nowhere to go. Likewise, the Cherry Island Trail was a little icy in spots and the grass had a spongy feel to it, what wasn’t frozen. I managed to get five miles walked there anyway and will write about that trek in a separate post.

Dingell Park.

When I left the house it was just 23 degrees F (-5 C) but when I arrived at Dingell Park, almost four hours later, it was a balmy 40 degrees F (4 C). A few fishermen lined the boardwalk, poles in hand and looking hopeful. Several boaters cruised the channel between Mud Island and the shoreline.

I was surprised to see all the ice floes were gone. It was just three weeks ago that the Detroit River at this venue was filled with chunks of ice which floated along, carrying seagulls and mallards which had hopped aboard for a free ride.

The reason I stopped at this park was I hoped to catch one last glimpse of the eagles who live on the Island before the trees leafed out, but the trees were bare, with no eagles.

Not a single seagull showed up, likely because no one was tossing out any treats. There are always waterfowl in the cove and pavilion area, but surprisingly, there was only a pair each of swans and geese, plus one duck, a Canvasback, which was all alone.

Speaking of ducks, let’s talk about ducking, shall we?

Though the ducks were scarce, a whole lotta ducking was going on beneath the surface of the water. The shad must have been running, as the geese and swans in the alcove spent more time with their feathery behinds in the air, than sitting squarely on the water’s surface. I could have filled an entire post with such photos.

Because the geese were either intensely gazing at one another, or diving for shad, they didn’t provide many Kodak moments today.

Swanee River.

Thus, the swans became the stars of the show – for me anyway. I saw a few swans earlier at Lake Erie Metropark, but none were close up. These two beauties graced me with their presence as they glided along the Detroit River.

I’m not sure which profile shot was more flattering of these lovely creatures, but for sure it isn’t the last one!

P.S. – I walked another mile at this venue, thus adding another six miles to my tally.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged geese, nature, River, Spring, swans, walk, walking | 87 Comments

Rejoice ‘cuz they say Spring is here …

Posted on March 20, 2019 by Linda Schaub

… so that means we get to act a little silly or frivolous and we’re definitely lighter in heart (and on our feet as we hopefully need not trudge forth with snow boots until November … that’s a big draw for me anyway).

Yup, Spring is in the air … I just felt it this past week. And, it arrived officially just a few moments ago, at 5:58 p.m.! The fact that we might have a dusting of snow Friday morning, well … I guess I’ll just get over it. I really don’t care if it is cold and blustery because I’ll just dress for it, but snow and ice – it just gums up the works.

With Spring comes new life and hope.

The angle of the sun is different on my morning strolls and my distorted-looking shadows often give me a grin. Something tells me that very soon, when walking to and from the Park, I need to be looking up, not just straight ahead, (or down at the uneven pavement to avoid a trip-and-fall). I must be mindful of Mama Robins building nests in homeowners’ eaves troughs …

Eaves trough

… or low-hanging branches at Council Point Park.

Baby Robins waiting for food

During the Spring of 2018, I enjoyed watching and documenting the miracle of life, from those beautiful blue eggs, to scrawny hatchlings and then watching those birdies fledge. I felt a little like I should be the proud Mama sometimes. I shared those photos and escapades on this blog and you delighted in them as well.

Evelyn robins

Mama Robin

Park robins

There was a touch of sadness after those fledglings left and I saw the empty nests. Then, one morning, you may recall, it was pure serendipity that I looked down on the sidewalk and discovered a baby Robin who had likely fallen out of the nest. He was fast asleep, his downy head tucked under one wing, but, soon he felt the presence of this tall human being gazing at him and he looked up at me.

Baby Robin

Well my heart just melted. Long after I said goodbye to him, I fretted and stewed over his well-being since I saw no nests in any nearby trees that he might have tumbled from. Where was his Mama?! He desperately needed her to come along and gently nudge him to a safe haven until he was ready to begin flying lessons and take off on his own.

Soon the Canada Geese will build nests, lay eggs and in late April or early May, the sweet balls of fluff will emerge.

Goslings

All too soon they will begin toddling around after their parents, and will develop an attitude, as those offspring will get as cantankerous as their folks, with all the histrionics of hissing and flapping their wings. It’s all good – you just take yourself off the perimeter path and give THEM the right of way.

whole-family

Ahh Spring – as you unfold, you will continue to delight me.

My furry pals at the Park are similarly delighting in the slightly warmer temps and bright sunshine. This morning I watched a pair scampering after one another, enjoying a simple game of tag, not in the least mindful of me jiggling the bag of peanuts – even Parker hesitated just a tad before joining me on the path. Hmm – could it be a girl squirrel that my favorite furry friend fancies more than a handful of peanuts and me sweet talkin’ him? Parker, I’m crushed!

[Well that’s more like it!]

aaa parker.jpg

The squirrels may be full of energy but Council Point Park will continue to wear its Winter weary look because, despite the calendar date that says it is Spring, that drab and dreary existence lingers.

aa drab

I broke off a couple of twigs – dry as a bone with no sap or supple bend to them, and nary a leaf on the trees yet. The grass is straw colored, but the geese don’t mind what color it is, or, even if it is flavorful – they graze anyway.

Jeremiah WAS a bullfrog??

Most of the blog posts I churn out are about the squirrels, waterfowl and those often cheeky birds that I see on my daily walks. On occasion, I even write about the underwater critters that live beneath the murky surface – some are seen, others just heard.

Last week I heard a story on the news. It didn’t get a lot of airplay as this nature news item was sandwiched in between the New Zealand tragedy and the four tornadoes that raced through mid-Michigan Thursday evening. I was sad to hear about the massive fish kill in our state’s creeks and smaller lakes. The Polar Vortex, and sustained, brutally cold temps throughout March, not only made us humans hunker down indoors more, but it spelled doom for the aquatic life that exists beneath the icy surface of the Ecorse Creek. I’ve been showing you photos of that icy Creek for the past month. The cold created a domino effect. Unfortunately, the brutal temps killed off the aquatic plants that the waterfowl nibble on, and when those plants died off, there was no oxygen beneath the surface of the water. The fish could not survive. As a result, last week the Creek thawed out and lots of dead shad rose to the surface. They piled up on the Creek banks, then the heavy rains and significant wind last Thursday pushed some into the water.

Unfortunately, I must don my rose-colored glasses to avoid seeing the ugliness Mother Nature created in my go-to nature nook. The lack of oxygen will also doom the crayfish, turtles and frogs. In Winter, the frogs hibernate underwater, tucking themselves away in a corner of a pond, not necessarily in the mud, as their metabolism slows down and they get their oxygen from the plant life in the water. But now the plant life is no longer there.

Though I’ve never been lucky enough to see Jeremiah*, the bullfrog that greets me every morning with his loud belches, I hope my little amphibian friend will continue his a.m. serenade and I am not forced to speak about him in the past tense.

So happy together??

Similarly, all the turtles go into a state of hibernation by burying themselves deep in the dirt at the Creek bottom. The turtles, unlike that big bullfrog, are silent on my morning jaunts, but there is something special about watching those painted turtles sunning themselves on a log on a warm Summer morning.

Turtles

Last year I watched a snapping turtle dig a hole, deposit eggs, then cover it up. You and I waited 90 days to see if those turtle hatchlings would march across the perimeter path, or not, and we surmised they made their grand escape in the cover of night, after an empty hole near the nest was discovered.

Meanwhile …

The days will get longer, the path will be sweeter as the Park comes alive and goes full throttle again. The ground will finally defrost and the squirrels can dig up their nutty treasures they began burying last August when we had some chilly days, a precursor to the colder-than-usual Fall and at times, brutally cold Winter. Will my furry pals pretend they don’t know about their respective caches they have hidden throughout the Park and continue to beg mercilessly at my feet, or even straining to reach the mesh bag of peanuts that swings so merrily on my fanny pack and taunts them? Perhaps I will turn around and find them lingering at my heels, or following me around the Park like I am the Pied Piper of Hamlin? Only time will tell and my grocery store is helping out the cause – once a month they send out coupons for the items that their shoppers buy the most. The item you purchase the most is always free. Well, those algorithms are pretty smart as I got a coupon for free peanuts this month … good thing as I was considering putting all the furry pals as dependents on my income tax pretty soon!

aa coupon

I tried really hard to get to 142 miles walked thus far in 2019 by the first day of Spring. I am happy to say I made that goal this morning – it was a mini personal goal I set, so now I only have 1,100 more miles to reach my final goal of 1,242 miles (2,000 kilometers) by year end. That’s a lot of walking, so I’ll need Mother Nature to cooperate with me.

I’ll close out this post by sharing a video that I click on from time to time; it helps get me through those harsh, never-ending Winter days when I have my doubts that Spring will indeed grace us with its presence again.

Please take a few minutes and enjoy this beautiful video: Just click here:

*Yup, I’ve probably dated myself with the Jeremiah the Bullfrog reference … so, for the younger set, Google “Joy to the World by Three Dog Night” … 🙂

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged nature, Spring, walk, walking | 74 Comments

Kickin’ up my heels for St. Paddy’s Day …

Posted on March 17, 2019 by Linda Schaub

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What a gorgeous day it was today! After a week filled with two high-wind events, (with tornadic conditions expected on Thursday), and getting caught in a snow squall yesterday, this St. Paddy’s Day weather was the perfect tonic for all the gloomy, icy, windy and snowy days we’ve endured since mid-January.

It sure made you stand up and take notice …

… or, at least kick up your heels, just like this Canada Goose did up top.

Heritage Park was my primary destination today.

It was cold, just 23 degrees F (-5 C) when I arrived at this park. Sure it was nippy, but if you’re dressed for it, you didn’t even notice.

I was here last St. Patrick’s Day too. Click here.

The bright sun was glinting off the ice which covered Coan Lake. Most of the ducks were huddled together by the covered bridge, while the geese were in small groups, walking rather precariously across that ice which resembled glass.

This pair of geese stayed put, looking a little wobbly on the slick surface, first gravitating toward one another, then finally going their separate ways.

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There were a few breaks in the ice where there was water, like here:

I don’t know about you, but if I had my druthers, I’d stay on the ice, not in the frigid water, surrounded by ice … just sayin’.

These two geese looked like they’d rather stay on dry land, than venture out into the water or onto the ice. I can’t say that I blame them, do you?

I usually walk around Heritage Park’s historical village a couple of times, then take the perimeter path around the entire Park. But, all that rain we had Wednesday night and through Thursday left huge puddles on the grass, and even on the pathways in the village. You can see in this picture how treacherous the icy pathway was for walking and the sun was so strong, you couldn’t always tell where the ice began and ended.

The alternative was the goose-poop-laden lawn. These were my parting shots of Heritage Park, which is always beautiful, even wearing its barren cloak of Winter.

It was still early and I was not going to head home yet, so I went to my favorite stomping grounds, Council Point Park and concentrated on walking and feeding my furry pals. I got six miles walked today … and that was worth doing a little Irish jig over!

I think we may have turned a corner on this brutal cold as we will inch up a few degrees every day and it will be 50 degrees (10 C) on the first full day of Spring. That makes me smile.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged geese, nature, St. Patrick's Day, walk, walking, Winter | 62 Comments

Tuesday Musings.

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Linda Schaub

tuesday-musings

A perfect Winter day.

I left the house with a little more pep in my step than usual, due in part to that flawless blue sky and the birds serenading me from the trees. My favorite nature nook lured me like a magnet.

It is also worth mentioning that I was running late. 🙂

In a four-season state, when Winter’s harsh weather finally begins to wane, you cannot help but just exhale deeply. We are promised 64 degrees F (17 C) this Thursday. That is cause for celebration and time for a Spring Fling. What’s a Spring Fling you ask? It’s the day you leave behind the hat, scarf and gloves and maybe even end up carrying your coat home.

This is National Pedestrian Awareness Week.

There’s no Spring Fling yet however; it was still a little chilly, but I bravely left the hiking boots at home and ventured out in my walking shoes – yeah for that! I am more of a fleet foot in my comfortable walking shoes that seem like slippers to me. But … no matter how late I was running, or even with my Easy Spirit “Punters” on my feet, I still had to be mindful of vehicles on my one-mile trek each way to Council Point Park.

The statistics for pedestrian accidents and fatalities here in our state is quite alarming. Granted, many of these accidents take place after dark, or in bad weather. This bulletin was issued by the Michigan State Police in an effort to make drivers and pedestrians aware of how accidents happen.

Every so often MSP will send out plainclothes troopers in unmarked vehicles to scope out who is not paying attention when they are driving. I’ve mentioned it here before and a few fellow bloggers who are runners agree with me. We simply can’t daydream out there.

Often I’ll see a vehicle idling in a driveway in the ‘hood. So I will wonder if the driver is in the car ready to back up, or, did they remotely start the vehicle from inside the house and they are still nursing a second cup of coffee?

It pays to be ever-vigilant, and not laid back.

So … as a public service announcement to those who might be getting out and enjoying the Spring weather, I’ve compiled a list of the types of drivers that pedestrians should be aware of:

First we have the fiddlers … and no, they are not playing a stringed instrument with a bow. They are fiddling with their radio, or the heat, or the A/C, or some button or gizmo on the car. Their eyes aren’t on you, nor the road. Yup, it only takes a second, one bad swerve and yikes! In other words, when crossing the street, don’t be dragging your wagon or you might be missing part of it when you get to the other side.

bob tail

The snoozers are those folks who hit the snooze bar one too many times and you, yes you, are in their way. If you see them speeding down the street, run like the dickens!

run like the dickens

Of course there are the texters – if you’re tall like I am, if they’re in a car, you see them as they drive by, head bent toward the floor with a smile on their face. They’re not going to see little ol’ me, or you either.

The noshers have one eye on a fry and the other on the road. Swiping a fry or two from the carton is okay in my book, but do beware if a driver zooms by and they’re cramming a Big Mac into their mouth.

The bleary-eyed drivers stayed up late watching Netflix and should have stopped for a caffeine fix because they have that deer-in-the-headlights look.

i need my caffeine

Since 2011 when I began the walking regimen, I’ve amassed thousands of miles on my feet. At the Park my mind AND my feet can meander (as long as I watch out for police patrol cars on the perimeter path – you’ll recall how the officer had to wait while I was taking pictures of Harry the Heron a few months ago). If not, just click here.

So remember my advice to be ever vigilant, and …

bright eyed and bushy tailed

… stay bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and you won’t become a wet spot on the pavement.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged nature, Squirrels, walk, walking, Winter | 47 Comments

Mother Nature gets an A+ (but with an asterisk).

Posted on March 9, 2019 by Linda Schaub

HEADER

Finally … back-to-back days brimming with sunshine, which made for two perfect walks in my favorite nature nook. I was happy that I could have belted out “Hail, Hail, the Gang’s All Here!” That would be for my furry friends only, because most of the walkers are still at large. I was at Council Point Park for over three hours this morning, between walking, doling out peanuts and taking pictures. So, I have decided to run down the alphabet from “A” to “Z” to tell you what I experienced today with my eyes and ears:

A is for AMBIANCE. Ahh, this venue never disappoints and I got there early enough that I had the Park to myself … just the critters and me.

B is for BIRDSONG. The first noise I heard as I stepped on the perimeter path this morning was a Red-Winged Blackbird and that was music to my ears. Once the marshy area comes alive again, the Red-Winged Blackbird is a staple among the reeds with his identifiable call. Hearing it gave me newfound hope that Spring, still eleven days away on the calendar, may actually be waiting in the wings after all.

C is for COLD. Yes, the sky was bright blue and the sun was shining, but it was mighty cold. I was dressed for the 21 degrees F (-6 C) temps, but that wind was whipping around at 16 mph (25 kph).

D is for DRAB AND DESOLATE. We have had a wacky Winter season. Last Winter we had 62 inches (157 cm) of snow and we still had snow in early April. This year, it’s not been the snow, as much as the ice and cold. It clears up nicely, bare pavement once again, and then we get more snow, but it is usually a wintry precip which causes accidents and Your Roving Reporter to venture no farther than the driveway. Winter has left its mark on the Park as well, and it looks rather drab and desolate these days.

Desolate1

Desolate2

Desolate3

Desolate4

E is for ENCOUNTERS OF THE WEIRD KIND. The first time I went around the perimeter path this morning, I had an usual cast of characters scrambling for peanuts – no, not just the squirrels, but Cardinals, Blue Jays and the aforementioned Red-Winged Blackbird. At one time, three different birds and the squirrels were noshing nuts along the perimeter path. I took some pictures, but this was my favorite of a bird and squirrel who were almost too close for comfort, don’t you think?

F is for FURRY FRIENDS. Of course no walk at Council Point Park would be complete without a few squirrel photos thrown in. I wavered on how many is too many squirrel pictures (I know … they all look alike sometimes) and settled on these. Yes, only three photos, but … there are some photos of Parker coming up later in the post.

G is for GEESE. About an hour after I arrived a huge flock of geese flew overhead, honking their heads off. They were impressive in perfect V-formation. Their signal caller said “land here!” Suddenly, there they were about twenty feet from me. They regrouped and began to graze. These are just a fraction of the gaggle. I suspect the cold ground was bothering their feet as many of the geese were standing on one leg. I tried that stance when the bus was late in the Winter and it didn’t help one iota.

Geese

Geese1

H is for HAZE AND FREEZING FOG. Early this morning when I first got up, there was a freezing fog advisory. “Oh great!” I thought. I originally planned to go here as well as Heritage Park, but decided to just stick close to home. You can see the haze that remained despite the sun breaking through. The grass was coated with a light frost and the asphalt path was slick in some places.

Haze

I is for ICE. This ice is just not nice! We had frigid temps this week when the mercury dipped way below zero for the air temp, not just the wind chill. The ice on the Ecorse Creek remains frozen solid and there were no visible breaks in the ice where ducks could swim. The powdery snow from Sunday afternoon settled onto the ice and stayed there when we got the precipitation later in the day – ugh for Winter!

Ice1

Ice2

Ice3

Ice4

J is for JAY. Peanuts on the pathway for the squirrels tempted several birds to come down and snatch a few, just like what happens on my front porch. You already saw the Red-Winged Blackbird with the squirrel, but the Blue Jay was eyeing those peanuts from his high perch above. He swooped down when the coast was clear.

Jay

K is for KILL THEM WITH KINDNESS. Yesterday I was greeted with a passel of hungry squirrels and today as well. The ground is frozen and I wonder if their new benefactor is away on vacation? I was hoping to meet this person, based on the description I was given, but saw no one yesterday or today. So, as to my furry friends, I decided to kill them with kindness. By the third time around today, they no longer came to see me. The peanuts were gone – they were all filled up and tucked back in their nests. I left more peanuts on the picnic table since tomorrow is not promising for a walk.

L is for LINDA AND PARKERS’ SHADOWS. Last year since we had so many rainy weekends, for a while I’d count each sunny day as a “good shadow day” … well, from the header photo, you see it was a brilliant blue sky. The bright sun made it a good shadow day and, while shadows are not exactly stellar when you are trying to get a good picture, they are good examples of Parker dancing around me in anticipation of peanuts.

Linda and Parker shadow1

Linda and Parker shadow2

Linda and Parker shadow3

Linda and Parker shadow4

M is for MYSTERY BIRD. I can I.D. most of the common birds around the ‘hood and the Park, but a small bird alighted in a nearby tree. The sun was so strong, I was merely pointing the camera and clicking away at the Jay and this bird and hoping for the best. I couldn’t identify it, nor its song, but this fellow studied my every move and did not come to the path for peanuts.

Mystery bird

Mystery bird1

N is for NUISANCE. I’ve decided that cold weather is a nuisance when picture-taking in the Winter, because juggling peanuts, the camera and heavy gloves is definitely not for amateurs.

O is for OMG – PAVEMENT CRACKS! This freeze/thaw cycle we’ve had all Winter has been bad for the roads. I showed you one of Michigan’s car-swallowing potholes a few weeks ago – this large crack in the perimeter path has just happened in the last week.

OMG pavement cracks

P is for PARKER. Of course, I had to include some photos of my favorite Park pal who rates his own letter of the alphabet. Yesterday and today Parker caught up with me on the perimeter path. I think he, and the other squirrels, came down from their nests because there were no squirrels at ground level when I arrived. It’s nice to know I still rate a personal visit with my frequent absences due to the icy walking conditions in the ‘hood.

Q is for QUIET. The first hour of my visit was peaceful. I love it when the only thing I hear are the peanuts being cracked, the Sparrows murmuring and the other birds calling. Even the Red-Bellied Woodpecker was silent as I made my way around the path. Harry the Heron was not in residence, nor were there ducks or swans. The peace of the Park was welcoming, and, as I passed the half-submerged log where the painted turtles sun themselves all Summer, I wondered how many weeks before I hear them plopping into the water, one by one, when I get too close to the Creek banks?

R is for RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD AND ROBIN. I mentioned this fellow already. He followed me around as I was dispensing peanuts and made it a point to abscond with a few while the squirrels were not watching their stash. Though I enjoy hearing his call, I’m not always enamored with the Red-Winged Blackbird who often is a bully to the other birds. Last year he tried to steal the Robin’s eggs, then the hatchlings. I watched him duke it out with Mama Robin a few times and had to intercede and chase him off. He’s picked a fight with the geese as well. There is one in every crowd it seems. As for the Robin, I think the Robins returned to Michigan too early this year. They are also a welcome sight, but I’ve been seeing them for almost two months now.

Red Winged Blackbird

Robin

S is for SNOW. I wonder how many more times I’ll be posting snow pictures – it would be nice if this was it until late 2019, but I fear that is not the case. The dregs of the last snow were still around, even in the tree hollows.

Snow Snow1

T is for TREES WITH BUDS. Besides noticing the progress of the Snowdrops as I walked past them, it was promising to see the buds on some of the trees.

Tree with buds

U is for UV RAYS. The sunlight was so bright, especially glinting off the snow, that I had to shoot blindly a few times, especially the birds in the trees. I’m not complaining after our consistent gray and gloomy weather.

V is for VICTORY. I did five miles today! It all helps toward my walking goal of 1,242 miles (2,000 kilometers). Onward and upward!

W X Y Z is for the WEATHER IS NOT NICE TONIGHT! I’d like to just X out the forecast – we have torrential rain, probably an inch or more, plus thunderstorms and 45-50 mph winds tomorrow. It is pouring as I write this post and the winds are quite gusty. Y are you doing this to us Mother Nature? So, I guess we’ll stay home and catch up on our ZZZs we will lose tonight when we Spring forward.

Mother Nature did a good job up until now – and therein is where the asterisk lies.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged birds, nature, Park, Squirrels, walk, walking, Winter | 53 Comments

Pretty please, could I have some peanuts?

Posted on March 7, 2019 by Linda Schaub

header

Ahhh … there’s nothing like the smell of fresh peanuts. Whether it hearkens back to the vendor hawking packets of fresh-roasted peanuts at the circus, or a baseball game [“peanuts, peanuts … get your fresh-roasted peanuts”], or simply ripping the seal off the jar of Jif Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter, to many it is an aroma that rivals the finest chocolate.

I finally got to the grocery store yesterday with the threat of another wintry precip morning looming, so I decided I’d better high tail it out and get some peanuts for my Park and porch pals. I didn’t want to resort to rationing the porch pals’ peanuts again and I really didn’t want to end up serving tortilla roll-ups stuffed with peanut butter to Parker and his friends. After all, I think I owe my allegiance to Parker and his pals, as they’ve not had the benefit of “droppings” every morning to tide them over until their paws and claws can begin digging up those buried nuts. We’ve had incredibly frigid weather the last three days with subzero overnight temps.

When I got to Meijer, I went to the usual spot where they have the bagged peanuts. A new display was there for dried fruit snacks. Panicked, I looked around for where they might be. Meijer does not have loose nuts of any kind in their store, so if they quit selling the Hampton Farms peanuts I’d be up a creek. It turned out they merely moved them – whew! I got eight bags and that ought to keep everyone happy for a while.

I gave my “porch pets” extra peanuts this morning, shortly after sunrise. Those squirrels and birds give me a smile with their antics. Lately, just like clockwork, they arrive, two by two, as if they are lining up to get on Noah’s Ark. If I don’t make a dropping of peanuts early enough for their liking, when I open the door, one of the two blue jays greets me with a big screech that sounds like “slacker, where’s my breakfast?” The pair of cardinals, male and female, think they are concealed in the barberry bush. The female blends into the twigs, so I can’t see her well unless she hops from branch to branch, but the male’s beautiful red plumage makes him stand out, especially on these gray days. The squirrels … well, they live across the street and when I open the door, I see immediate movement in the trees. I picture two heads bobbing out of their respective nests and saying “Linda’s put our peanuts out!” Soon Grady and his pal are scurrying across the street to my house.

These days I see less nutshells on the porch and with our recent sub-zero temps, I know that the squirrels aren’t hiding those nuts in a hole. The birds are really no savvier than the squirrels, BUT, they abide by the proverb “the early bird catches the worm” … all that swooping and swiping that goes on tells me the squirrels better set their alarm clocks earlier.

“The Peanut Lady” goes to Elizabeth Park.

The squirrel featured in today’s post is not Parker and his pals, nor Grady’s pal, but one who lives at Elizabeth Park. When I made my foray to four parks last Sunday, I decided to keep that post squirrel-free since the bird was the word that day. [You know it was killing me to leave this furry fellow out of that post.]

I parked the car and crossed the vehicle bridge and this squirrel started chattering at me as I passed “his” tree.

I glanced up at him and we had a quick stare down, followed by a Pavlov’s dog-like movement on my part, wherein I patted my pocket to feel if I had enough peanuts in the Ziploc bag to offer him, while simultaneously unzipping the camera pouch to get ready to take his picture.

I stood next to his tree, grateful the incessant flurrying that had plagued me on my earlier jaunt to Lake Erie Metropark, had finally stopped, so perhaps I could get a few photos of him. I wiggled the bag, even took out a few peanuts and held them between my fingers to lure him down. It worked.

I watched his slow descent and then, as he got closer to me, he ran back up the tree. Really?! What did I do? My moniker at Council Point Park is “The Peanut Lady” and I am usually a squirrel magnet, so I was a little puzzled by his reluctance to come closer. I said to no one in particular “well suit yourself Bud” and proceeded on my trek down to the channel.

Well, I guess he did not like my dismissive attitude. I felt a presence behind me while taking pictures of the ducks and geese that lined the channel and noticed him begging at my heels. I turned around – so, who could walk away from those sad eyes and begging stance that you see pictured at the top of this post? Not me. I told him he was lucky 1) that I don’t carry a grudge, and 2) that I always carry a Ziploc bag of peanuts in my pocket, whether I’m walking or just outside, and this time he should stick around because it was worth his while to do so.

I poured out some peanuts and, as I fed him, he was happy to oblige me for a few pictures.

While I was taking pictures, a gentleman came along and remarked “there are more panhandlers in this park then there are in San Francisco” and I replied that it is such a large park that I’ve never been “hit on” before. [I didn’t know about the panhandler situation in San Francisco; I was last there in 1980, so I didn’t remark on that comment.] What I did say was that my reputation of being “The Peanut Lady” at Council Point Park was true.

After we chatted awhile, he moseyed on, bidding me to have a good day, and I left my furry friend who was happily noshing peanuts on the snowy grass.

I walked down near the big bridge, which you’ll recall was a tad icy/snowy so I stopped in my tracks and retraced my steps. On the way back, my little pal was gone and only peanut shells remained from our visit. I walked up the hill and at the very same location, if he didn’t begin chattering at me again.

Quick as a whip, he was down the tree and we were having another face-to-face encounter. It began to snow so I didn’t want to linger, but emptied the bag onto the cement and pointed to the meager offerings and left.

As I drove out of Elizabeth Park about fifteen minutes later, the peanuts were still there. Perhaps he could not believe his good fortune of being in the right place at the right time earlier and his Mama reared him right – he shares with others.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged nature, Squirrels, walk, walking | 38 Comments

Just goin’ with the floe.

Posted on March 3, 2019 by Linda Schaub

I planned to go grocery shopping this morning, even though I wasn’t out of anything (especially since I found those peanuts). But, just like Friday morning, I dithered and dilly-dallied, trying to decide whether I wanted to waste a weekend morning going to Meijer. I figured I should buy more treats for my furry and feathered friends, and maybe myself too, since Fat Tuesday is coming up. Who knows what this week’s weather will bring? I’ve officially quit believing the weather folks, after four different sources predicted snow Saturday morning and it never materialized.

I got ready to leave and I just couldn’t do it … go grocery shopping, I mean, even though it was another gray and gloomy Winter day, I figured the car really needed a long run and I needed a diversion that was better than strolling past the canned peas. So, I went back into the house, and grabbed the camera. In the five minutes I was gone, when I went back outside, it was flurrying … hmm, well do I go or not?

I decided to just go with the flow and hope it didn’t turn into a snow squall that would slicken up the roads while I was out.

Road trip.

For some people, the phrase “road trip” means racking up a couple of hundred miles on their vehicle. For me … welI, I thought I’d aim high and go to four parks and that would be 35 miles of driving and about four or five miles of walking, while exploring and taking pictures for today’s blog post.

As I drove to my first stop, Lake Erie Metropark, I decided that four parks that are near bodies of water, surely deserved a blog post title of “On the Waterfront” – pretty catchy, huh?

The snow began twinkling down in earnest while I was driving. I figured it wasn’t sticking and besides … those weather folks said the snow wasn’t arriving until late this afternoon. But they got it all wrong yesterday. I am no fan of driving in the snow, but I kept driving.

Lake Erie Metropark – Brownstown, Michigan.

I arrived at Lake Erie Metropark, 16 miles from home. I thought I’d walk along the shoreline, at Cove Point, and get some photos of the waves lapping up against those big rocks, but first I stopped to see Luc, the resident eagle. I’ve written about Luc (pronounced “Luke”) before. He is about 15 years old and was discovered wounded in the Saginaw Bay, Michigan area. Because of Luc’s injuries (he is blind in his left eye and has an impaired right wing), he could not be released into the wild, so he has a permanent home here.

I’ve been to this park a half-dozen times since discovering it last 4^th of July weekend. Every time I stop to say “hi” to Luc. Even though I talk to him, he has never made a peep, merely watching my every move. I suspect Luc doesn’t get many visitors in the Winter months, but he had one just as I arrived.

This beautiful bird had alighted on the railing and I was able to snap its picture before it bolted. I said “Hi Luc” and was rewarded with a large chirp. I’m not sure if he was happy to see me or it was a belated greeting for the cardinal who had just departed.

I meandered over near the boathouse around the corner from Luc’s enclosure.

The marsh water was frozen and a lone goose was wandering around on the surface. It was quite desolate and bleak looking.

I noticed that someone had gone walking on the ice in the marsh and left their calling card. They were braver than me – who knows how solid that ice was?

It began to flurry again and there was nowhere to dash under cover to take photos. I figured I had better forego the trip along the rocky shoreline and went to the boat launch area instead – who knows I might see some interesting raptors there?

Well, if you were wondering where the buoys are, they were scooped out of Lake Erie and piled onto a deck.

The only bird life at the boat launch were seagulls, and this one in particular was enjoying his high perch. He was there when I arrived and I got this photo of him, then I ran to the car for cover as I wanted the camera to stay dry.

Thanks to that sudden burst of snow, I had tucked the camera away in its pouch, in my pocket. That was bad timing because I witnessed another gull fly over and knock this guy right off his throne, er … perch. The two tussled a bit and the intruder left in a huff, and this gull was left to its woolgathering once again.

I sat in the car a few minutes, then left for my next park stop.

Elizabeth Park – Trenton, Michigan.

I drove seven miles down West Jefferson Avenue to lovely Elizabeth Park.

I wanted to walk along the boardwalk and there are two ways to do this: access it from the Detroit River side of the Park, or how I usually do it, walk along the water, over the big bridge and then along the boardwalk – that is the more scenic trip.

I stopped to watch the ducks and geese who were preening or paddling along in the icy-cold canal water.

Yup, it was icy cold – just look at the little floes drifting right by them. It made me cold just looking at this scene.

I walked along the water’s edge, then headed for the footbridge which crosses the canal near when it enters the Detroit River. Oops – the snow was not a problem, but many of the steps were icy. I didn’t feel like slipping over the railing and into the canal. They don’t salt the steps at Elizabeth Park’s historic bridges in order to preserve them – they are almost a century old. So much for that …

… so I retraced my steps, noticing the goose footprints in the snow.

I got about halfway around this park’s perimeter path and then it started to snow (again) – yup, the snow flurries were getting to be a pain, as to taking pictures, so the camera went back into the case again and I set off for my next stop.

Bishop Park – Wyandotte, Michigan.

I just stayed on West Jefferson Avenue and five miles later I arrived at Bishop Park. You may recall the last time I visited this park, three weeks ago today, I was so amazed at the frozen waves and water that were caused by the Polar Vortex. I had never seen a sight like that before. Sure, there are ice floes, but not solid ice as far as the eye could see. I captured that frozen ice here in this post:

As I drove to Bishop Park, I wondered if some of the ice had broken up and would be just large ice floes now. Unbelievably, there was no ice at all! It sure isn’t because we had a heat wave, that’s for sure. Likely the Coast Guard ice cutter came along and mowed through the ice and it broke apart. But here you see it is all gone at the boardwalk and near the pier.

Bishop Park is really prettier in the Summertime. I scanned the trees to see if I might be lucky and see another eagle like last time, but the trees were bare – not a single bird to be found.

I did notice something new in this park though – park benches with dedications on them. Two of the benches had interesting dedications on them and I smiled to myself at the first one …

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… there are many people who park down near the water’s edge, and pass the time by watching the boats – large and small, as well as the seagulls who are always swooping and gliding about. The second bench was amusing as well. Now it was time to head for my last pit stop of the day – a short 2 ½-mile trip to Dingell Park to see if the eagles were in the trees or looking for their lunch by fishing from the ice floes.

John D. Dingell Park – Ecorse, Michigan.

Brrr it was cold right at this Park which is right on the Detroit River. When I was here three weeks ago, there were some small ice floes, but nothing like today. The header picture is of the ice floes in the channel between the land and Mud Island. Ice floes were everywhere, thick and irregular shaped. They floated lazily along, bumping up against one another and emitting audible cracks. I was the only one there and strolled along the boardwalk, but all the action was clearly back at the pavilion area. This small pavilion juts out over the shoreline and I had a bird’s-eye view of the mallards congregating in the water and on the ice floes hugging that frozen shoreline.

The gulls hung out together on this big ice floe:

I felt so sorry for my feathered friends on this cold day. It was 22 degrees F (-5 C) when I left the house. I watched this female mallard dipping its beak in the water, then preening its feathers, distributing the oil throughout, to keep her feathers dry once it plopped into the water again.

This drake was swimming along, watching the water, no doubt for a taste of shad, those small fish that they enjoy.

When there were none to be found, he decided to search under the ice – perhaps a fish was lurking there?

It was peaceful watching them paddling around or walking flat-footed on the ice. But, soon I was not alone as a woman came to the pavilion area holding onto a cardboard box. She tossed its contents onto an ice floe and a mad scramble ensued. I turned to her and said “you just made their day!” She laughed and said she brings them birdseed three times a week. All the mallards gathered on one large piece of ice where she had scattered the seed. There was no quacking, as they silently lapped up that seed – the only noise was me clicking off shots with the camera, like these:

Suddenly the woman turned to me and said “I’m going to my car – I’ve got something else for them” and she returned a minute later with a large box and showed me it was half full of popcorn and said “this is left over from going to the movies last night.”

The only problem was the popcorn was so light, it didn’t land where she aimed it, i.e. the same ice floe. So once again there was a flurry of activity as ducks dodged one another to grab a morsel of popcorn.

Well, the seagulls, who had stayed away up to this point, suddenly appeared and became party poopers as they tried to scare the ducks away from that prized popcorn. The gulls swooped and dived but the ducks were steadfast, laying down on the ice to cover that popcorn.

Soon the popcorn was gone and it was time to move on and go back to searching for shad. A few ducks were late to the party – see how they walked away rather dejectedly?

The sky was dark and gray and the day was rather bleak looking. I thought “hurry Spring – it is cold and a little windy out here.” But I know I share my pain with this pair of mallards … notice in the top of this picture how the female mallard rests her head against the drake. If there was a thought bubble over them, it would be her saying “next year, let’s spend the Winter somewhere warm, okay honey?”