Once again Mother Nature has not coordinated her weather with the calendar – it’s only May 27th and it feels like a mid-Summer day!
Not only was it hot, but it was muggy and buggy as well.
When I left the house it was sunny and bright and already 72 degrees with high humidity and a dew point of 62 which the weatherman classified as “sticky” – I’ll attest to that.
I’ve been hankering to get to Heritage Park the entire month of May. I was hoping to see the mallards with their ducklings at Coan Lake since the ducks are always so plentiful there. I could count the amount of ducks I saw on one hand today, but there were geese and goslings galore.
By the time I parked and got inside Heritage Park, the skies were dark. I figured the overcast misty morning would not bode well for picture-taking, but, the reflections were pale, but pleasing, as I walked around the perimeter of the lake, from the covered bridge, as well as the historical buildings like the little red school house and the old mill and its water wheel.
There were signs on many of the lamp posts promoting the City of Taylor’s fifty-year anniversary this year.
I walked the perimeter of Coan Lake twice, then walked in and around the village area a few times.
The mist and overcast sky made the usually vibrant Heritage Park look a little blah, but the red caboose and old red barn added some much-needed color to the historical area.
A Canada goose made a splash into Coan Lake.
Some geese with their goslings were waddling around.
For some reason, I piqued the interest of a few of the goslings, as they seemed to study me up close and personal; usually the goslings at Council Point Park are constantly grazing and rarely look my way.
I decided to check out the inside portion of the covered bridge.
Some ducks were sleeping on the covered bridge’s wooden plank floor. That’s not the usual place I’d go looking for ducks, but they looked comfy there.
But, the highlight of my morning at Heritage Park was the barn swallows. They were everywhere, darting in and out of the covered bridge, swooping and diving close to the water. They kept flitting around the pier where they would perch on the top rail. I tried unsuccessfully many times to get their photograph in mid-air, but they were way too swift for me, that is, until I walked under the covered bridge and then I understood why the swallows were dive-bombing around the bridge. There were nests in the rafters of the covered bridge roof. Since the barn swallows perched near the nests, I was able to get a few good shots of them there.
My favorite photo was as I turned to leave and, though I spent a good half-hour trying to take photos of the swallows in mid-air, one plopped down on the pathway right in front of me. I was surprised how plump this barn swallow was as they look so sleek in the sky with their cobalt blue feathers and sharp scissor-like tails.
I finally tore myself away from the village so that I could hit the perimeter path that goes around most of Heritage Park. The fog and mist were starting to burn off by then and the sun was out full strength. Whew!! I did one time around the entire park then headed to the car.
I sank into the car seat and flipped on the A/C. After checking the pedometer, I found I had almost five miles under my belt, and I also had about ten mosquito bites from walking near the trees and marsh-like area of this park’s walking and biking path.
We didn’t break that previous record of 91 degrees – just tied it, but tomorrow’s climb to 95 degrees is destined to break the prior steamy record … we shall see.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
Miss Linda………………………I enjoyed your trip to Heritage Park and those close up pictures of the Barn Swallows are beautiful……………………………………..I felt hot and muggy reading your blog this evening
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Ann Marie – I’ve never seen barn swallows at Heritage Park on my other trips and they were buzzing around everywhere. They move so quickly! Oh this weather is just horribly hot and I just amended my blog post because today’s 5:00 a.m. local news reported that we did tie the 91-degree record and are expected to be at 95 today. Thinking of you at the soup kitchen today – hope they have some A/C there … seems one day last year it was very hot and oppressive that day and you mentioned it to me. Why is it always uncooperative weather on the day you volunteer at the soup kitchen? All those snowy Mondays you went downtown, ice, rain – now this heat!
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The barn swallow came down to pose for you!
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I thought so too Anne … it was almost as if he said “look … you’ve been standing around in the heat all this time with your camera, and we’re busy getting food for our babies and nest fixin’s, so if you want, we’ll give you one minute of our time and be done with it.” He was quite cute when I got a close-up view of him – up in the rafters or buzzing around, it was kind of hard to tell what they really looked like.
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Your reflection photos are gorgeous and that last bird sure has attitude:)
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Thanks AJ – I love reflection photos and I was surprised there was even a reflection as it was so overcast and misty. We had an ozone action day yesterday and today – and so hot … we did end up tying the old record of 91 degrees … heard it this morning. The last bird reminded me of the grumpy bluebird photos that circulated around the internet a few years ago … he kind of looked right at me and said “here I am, take my picture already!” 🙂
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Wow 91 seems way too hot for me!!!
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Way too hot for me too AJ (even though I said I would not complain about the heat after the cold and snowy Winter and very chilly Spring) … too hot, too soon. Today it was 93 (did not make it to 95 as predicted). I went to a Park which is by the water and got there very early and already hot and humid.
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Ugh hot and humid is an awful combo
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I agree – one more extra-hot and humid day, then three days of rain and storms. There goes the walking again.
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Awww:(
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Wow! That was hot so early in the morning!😁 I have never seen a mill with a water wheel, but we have it in Sweden to, but sure mot so many because the ost are sure gone. So beautiful picture you got of the beautiful and shy barn swallow. I have got 2 picture when it was still in a branch hen only when it flies in the air and they are quick in theirs turn.😁
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It was wicked hot John – I know I complained about the cold Winter and chilly Spring, but we leaped from chilly weather to mid-Summer weather … this is how we have our “Dog Days of August” weather with the heat and mugginess. On this morning’s news I heard we ended up tying the record of 91 degrees and I just updated this blog post to reflect that. We are already at 70 degrees at 6:30 with 85% humidity and a 65% dewpoint and no wind.
And the mosquitoes were out in full force while I was walking this park’s perimeter path which goes past a heavily wooded areas. The recent rains have created some bogs in the forest area and even in the grassy area – lots of bugs there as well … no dragonflies or butterflies, just mosquitoes. This is a real picturesque park and considered the jewel of the City of Taylor. The mill/water wheel was written up in this post below … they actually use all the historical buildings on the site, including this one for various clubs/activities and they have people dress up for the City’s heritage days. I have to find when that is and maybe I’ll go there. This photo was taken before they painted it turquoise and they just outfitted the waterwheel with lights (just like they have done along the covered bridge) because they have many night-time activities at this park in Summer, like festivals, concerts, hot-air balloon event. https://www.cityoftaylor.com/Facilities/Facility/Details/Water-Mill-14
I was happy the barn swallow settled down to get a photo of him – up close I thought he was quite cute, not the sleek bird like I’d seen swooping and dive-bombing the area around the bridge. I was excited to find the nests and they stayed still for a few minutes!
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It have gone from worst winter to summer at once, has spring overslept?😁 Hope it will be a long summer with normal temperatures. But I need at least 25°C, about 77°F if I will bath in the ocean!😁😁😁
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I wonder if the lakes have warmed up by now – we did not get to 95 as predicted, just 93 but that was bad enough. They told people not to go in any lakes as they’d risk hypothermia. I left early this morning and went to Elizabeth Park which is right on the water. Many people fishing for silver bass … all along the board walk were people fishing. Got a photo of a guy – usually I don’t ask, like you as I’ll just sneak a pic from the side or when they are not looking, but wanted a picture of him holding the fish, so asked. Got some cute duck photos – one of the photos, the duck looks like he is smiling to himself (or herself). 🙂
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An American bird that looks the same as one of our birds. In the UK we just call them Swollow’s
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They were much more colorful and plumper than I thought they would be once they stopped long enough to see them … they dart about endlessly without stopping. I know we have other kinds of swallows in this state, but these are the most common type here in Southeast Michigan. It was such a hot day, they were also hanging out by a big mud puddle and were taking a bath.
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We have barn swallows on the river we live on, the Iroquois. They make neat mud nests under the bridge. They help with mosquitoes some. They sure are adroit in the sky! 🙂
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I’ve seen them before at a place where the Ecorse Creek has a narrow passage – there is a footbridge and some big trees are around that small bridge and I’ve tried to take their photo before, but, as you say, they sure are adroit in the sky. They move about endlessly. I am glad I noticed them buzzing under the roof of the covered bridge and figured they had nests in the rafters – it was my aha moment (in the sun and foggy morning, it took me awhile to figure that out). 🙂 I wish they would have eaten some of those mosquitoes that “got” me. The photos of the nests I took, they looked almost like a wasp’s nest, but it might have been the lighting under the roof of the covered bridge – not too much lighting under there and an overcast sky. I heard on this morning’s news that we ended up getting to 91 degrees so tied the previous record – today will be 95 … now I am clamoring for chilly Spring to return – there is no pleasing me … hope your weather is cooler in Illinois and you got that much-needed rain.
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Sounds like such an amazing day of seeing feathered friends. Thanks for being an amazing your guide to such a lovely sounding place 🙂
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I am glad you enjoyed it and I always like meeting new feathered friends … I was glad they stopped swooping and diving so much so I could get their picture. Once I figured there were nests in the rafters of the old wooden bridge, I could see them with their nests and bringing food and nest materials. The one who posed for me was adorable … I think he rewarded me for my patience. It is a beautiful park and the jewel of the City of Taylor. It has historical buildings grouped in a village-type setting and a man-made lake (Coan Lake) so all the geese and ducks are around. Just a handful of ducks yesterday unfortunately. I try to detail my day when I go through a beautiful park like this so others can enjoy it vicariously. Another hot day in store for us – very uncharacteristic to have this heat so early in the year … 95 is not something I enjoy at all and we ended up tying that 91-degree record from yesterday – whew!
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I like the colorful buildings. They look perfect in the misty fog area. Great shots of the barn swallows, too!
Enjoy your AC!
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I like the way those colorful buildings look too Michelle – it is set up like a little village with a small chapel painted white with a wishing well out front. I should take a photo of it the next time. I always take pics of the colorful buildings. Those barn swallows are impossible to take a photo of – they move so quickly, so I was glad to have discovered their nest, and the one on the ground in front of me. Happy to be cooling off once again. We only got to 93 (95 predicted) and 90 now. One more day of this then three days of stormy and rainy weather.
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Again, Linda, thank you for sharing your trip
around that pleasant-looking park! 🙂 They are a joy to see.
We have very similar barn swallows that like to flit and hover
in and around our front porch. I don’t know if they’re trying to nest,
or just egging on Rudy, who sits by the front door when we have it open.
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I am glad you enjoyed my post about my trip to Heritage Park Uncle Tree. It really is laid out nicely and picturesque. I really had hoped to see some ducklings in the man-made lake. It is easier to see them there then at the Park due to the bushes and reeds that hide the ducks and their young, but very few ducks. I went to Elizabeth Park this morning – also a nice venue as it is down on the water and many people fishing. Took a guy’s pic holding his fish (silver bass) – did you keep your fish or throw it back?
Those swallows were moving around like crazy – daring every which way, so Rudy is probably fascinated by them since they never sit still.
We did not reach our expected high of 95, just got to 93 (bad enough) and on the downswing now. Another day of record heat, then three days of rain/stormy weather. Crazy weather.
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Wow!! Such a beautiful place!
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It is very beautiful there Robert – the man-made lake invites ducks and geese and the historical buildings are set up as a village. Many people go there on the day they get married, for prom photos and even family photos for Christmas cards. You’ll see families posing, even with the pets, in the Fall and professional photographers taking the photos.
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It was totally worth enduring the heat! The park was beautiful and you got some amazing photos of the birds!
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Thanks TJ – those ducks were so sweet and didn’t that white Pekin duck look like it was smiling … or even singing? I really like that table near the tree with the feeders … it is like a gathering place for the squirrels and birds and very peaceful.
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What a beautiful park and those reflections pictures are so beautiful!
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Thanks Diane – I really like reflection pictures too. There is something just so calming and peaceful when you see images like that. Glad you enjoyed them.
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Very hot here today too! 28 degrees Celsius, which is, um…82 F!!!
Beautiful pics as usual! I see the goslings are kind of like ‘teenagers’ now! 😀
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That’s too hot this soon isn’t it Ellie? We have bad storms later today and right now it is 84 degrees (with a real feel of 88). It was very humid this a.m. when I walked. How is your walking regimen going? My boss is at a luncheon meeting and I am caught up on my work so was reading some news site and nodded right off. 🙂
The goslings grew up so fast and they are ‘teenagers’ now – that awkward gangly stage. I have some pics of me that I looked like that too!
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Hot and humid here too. Got my A/C going. But lower temps forecast. Walking is up and down. I’m not consistent. Yet. 😬😁
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Once the weather stabilizes you will be consistent. I don’t really like walking in this heat and humidity, and told myself that this Summer when it was so hot and humid, like in August, I would take the car and go walk at the grocery store. Where I shop is a large store, like a K-Mart Superstore, so I have gone there before and walked laps around the entire store several times and racked up some miles. The only trouble is, the workers there are friendly and I’ve been going there for years, so they often stop and talk. It impedes progress. 🙂
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Haha that’s funny. Maybe you can beg off chatting until your last lap?! Great idea to do it in store. Here we have seniors’ groups doing it, we call them mallwalkers. 😃
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That’s true. We have mallwalkers too, but no shopping malls near me so I just use the grocery store. The malls are great for bulking up the miles though – I went once last year and had not been to that mall since 2008 when I was still working on site. Since working at home, I had not bought any dress clothes, so didn’t go to the mall. The day I went, the mall had been remodeled and nothing was the same and many of the stores we frequented in the past were closed or out of business. We used to go to the mall once or twice a month back in the day.
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Our malls are also shadows of their former prosperous selves. There is one – it happens to be nearest to me – that does ok, mainly because it has several liquidation-type stores with *very* cheap goods.
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We used to have a few malls my mom and I frequented that were strictly “outlet malls” and it was the same thing – there was nothing wrong with the brand-name merchandise, it just didn’t sell in the larger stores, so it was deep discounted. I think Amazon’s usually cheaper prices and ease of shopping online has cut even the outlet store’s profits and put them out of business as well.
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Linda,
So much information. The barn swallow pic was beautiful and I have to admire your tenacity and love for wild creatures, The world needs more people like you,
Susie
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Thanks Susie – it was such a hot day that day – I surely feel for you suffering in all your heat in your country. The barn swallows swoop and dive and move so quickly, so I felt lucky to find them up in their nests in the covered bridge, and when I got the one on the ground, I was ecstatic! I do love nature and creatures. I wanted to be a veterinarian when I was younger … I did not have the grades in math and science, but I still should have pursued a career that I was associated with animals in some manner. I was not as diligent as you to start a new career, or my friend Evelyn that I told you about when we first connected here on WordPress. She, like you, started back at school, but for her, it was 40 years after graduatung from university with a degree in social work in the late 1979s- she will have her Masters degree in gerontology administration next May (two-year course) … I feel lazy when I read about your efforts and Evelyn’s efforts … I was too complacent.
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Linda,
Your calling is perhaps different. Loving animals and plants and taking care of them and keeping their memories for posterity is a way of paying homage. In a way, you are doing what I hope to do with humans- community wildlife care.
Susie
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I’ll look at it that way then Susie and be happy that I get the chance in my day to commune with nature, because for too many years, it was “get up in the morning, get ready for work, off to work and home” … when I had the garden in the back, I loved having the bird baths and feeders and a butterfly garden and the flowers. Then the neighbor with his dog out 24/7 caused rats and I could not feed or water the birds any more – it broke my heart that I watched them on the fence watching me and could do nothing, but the pest control service said “do not feed or give the birds water – this attracts rats” … then we had the back-to-back Polar Vortexes and it killed half my plants in the backyard. I never replanted again, but I did used to be able to enjoy nature in that way – now it is better this way.
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