Happy Labor Day! Today’s post features the first calendar page of the new month as its header image. The venue is Wharariki Beach in New Zealand. I love the quote and agree – do you?
Planning for weekend walks is exasperating in the Summertime. I keep a list of Summer festivals handy, not to attend them, but instead to stay clear of them, as it means blocked-off streets and traffic snarls, which, compounded with perpetual construction, is a pain. But the biggest factor that hinders long weekend walks is the weather.
Such was the case on this walk taken on Sunday, July 9th. I spent the long Fourth of July holiday working in the house, trying to declutter, after walking each morning at Council Point Park … all hot, humid days – ugh. Thus, my first day back to work after the holiday had me already eyeing the weekend weather ahead … yay, both days looked promising with no rain and bright skies, perfect for long walks and enjoying some “me time”. But, by Friday afternoon the great weather forecast suddenly imploded … “sorry folks, while Saturday’s not a total washout, we will have rain and storms several times, so be sure to be weather aware as you go through your day.”
Okay, so Sunday would be my day. Then Sunday’s 5:00 a.m. weather forecast called for a chance of rain and cloudy skies would rule until late afternoon – sigh. I hopped online and saw a 6% chance of rain. Did I really want to be in the middle of this 1,600-acre park with its three-mile-long shoreline and it pours down raining? So, with some trepidation, I set out anyway, figuring I’d be back long before the late afternoon rain began.
My shortest walk ever at this venue was very fulfilling!
Driving through the Park I decided due to the rains/storms the day before, the Cherry Island Trail and Trapper’s Run Trail would be soggy and muddy; likewise the area around Luc’s cage has muddy patches as well. Cove Point with its paved trail was a safe bet, I could park nearby and check out the progress of the Lotus beds after all the recent heat and humidity.
As I drove along the road leading to Cove Point, I remembered to look near the Shore Fishing area to see if, by chance, the Sandhill Cranes and potential offspring were still in the same area as last time.
It was my good fortune to see the adults, strolling right next to the small Shore Fishing parking lot. I pulled in, parked quickly and hopped out. One glance at the sky told me I would take those Crane shots, peruse the Lotus beds and get the heck out of Dodge very soon.
I closed the car door as quietly as I could to avoid spooking the pair, then scanned the grass for a Colt (Sandhill Crane baby), but saw none. I guess the pair found me harmless as they returned to grazing, preening and occasionally stepping around to forage for something new and tasty. Lucky for me, I could tell the grass was freshly mowed, so no worries about tick risks like last time.
The pair meandered around and I got pretty close to them until they headed to the water in an area where I saw them last time I was here.
I decided to climb up the hill to the offshore fishing vehicle bridge …
… but they quickly embedded themselves in the reeds.
I figured I had enough shots of them anyway, so I whirled around to walk up the hill, then saw a flash of white across the street; “Egrets” I told myself, but hustled over the vehicle bridge road to find a pair of Mute Swans and their three cygnets huddled in a corner of the marsh.
I was lucky to get this shot …
… before the family queued up and sped away, the parents, like bookends on either side of their cygnets.
In no time, they crossed the marsh.
I headed over to Cove Point …
… where I spotted this fairly large bird guarding a nest that rested on a tree branch. Later, doing a reverse Google image search, I learned it was an Eastern Kingbird.
With an eye to the sky, I sped over to the wooden overlook and peered at the marshy mess … not just alliteration here … green goop was everywhere. Pond Lilies floated on green swamp gunk in the lagoon – just pads as no blooms had formed yet.
On the other side of the overlook I glimpsed the biggest bed of Lotuses which were still a work in progress. I snapped this photo of some trash looking like a shark fin.
Even the Herons and Egrets, ever-constant shore birds in the lagoon, were no-shows that day.
I retraced my steps then quickly exited the overlook to walk the Cove Point shoreline. At ground level I checked out the Lotuses which were scanty with no blooms. No surprise as they really don’t flourish until mid-to-late August.
A Mama Duck hurried her ducklings into a patch of raggedy-looking Lotus leaves, lest I want to take photos of them. I played paparazzi anyway, but you have to squint to see them and, just like last time, once I sorted through my photos, I discovered they were Wood Ducks, not Mallards – my second sighting this season – no Papa Wood Duck with his exquisite plumage was present though.
As I stood on the shoreline, I heard a loud squawking noise which I now recognize as the call of a Sandhill Crane. Surely those two skinny Cranes I photographed were not making THAT much noise. I looked up in the air – no Cranes passing overhead so maybe Mister and Missus were having a spat.
I kept glancing at the dark cloud over my head and decided to head back to the car. My timing was impeccable. As I got into the car, it started drizzling. By the time I got home it was a steady rain. I guess gambling on those rain chance percentages wasn’t too smart on my part. A 30-mile car trip, a 45-minute trek, with a bounty of birds to behold until Mother Nature played spoiler.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
I’ve never seen a sand hill crane before. They are very colorful, and you got wonderful shots of them.
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Thank you Anne. They are tall and very unique looking, especially with their heart-shaped red feathers on their face.
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Awesome shots of the sandhill cranes Linda and all the other birds. You got some great close up shots of them all. Very nice, I can hear the sand hill cranes all around me but have only seen a couple pairs way out in some fields this year. I do love their sound as it echoes in the morning air.
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Thank you Sandra – I had a wonderful day in such a short time period. Those sandhill cranes were fairly close to me and were relaxed and not spooked in the least. I was sorry they moved to the water and I couldn’t follow them anymore. The sandhill cranes sure are loud – much louder than the squawking herons. Their call has a rattle to it, especially if have no other noises around. You remember how long I hoped to see swans with their cygnets? I finally saw them across the marsh last year, but lucked out this time as they were so close.
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You find the most interesting birds to photograph while on your walks. I like your photos. I’m laughing at your line about being aware of festivals “to stay clear of them.” I do the same thing in the summer and fall so that I don’t get stuck on an endless traffic jam on a Saturday afternoon.
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These sandhill cranes are really unique to see Ally … they were not afraid of me so it was great I could get so close to them. The grass was lush (unusual for July in Michigan) so they were content to graze while I took photos. I was lucky with the swan family too … they were in close range with their fairly large offspring. I follow all the Park venues that I visit on Facebook for that very reason. I don’t like getting in a big backup if I can help it, especially on a hot Summer day and I don’t want to mingle with crowds. I’ve made it through the Summer festivals; now for the Fall events.
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Some great shots in there and there are things about that short front that really remind me of a place I used to live in Africa many years ago…. It’s amazing how places are completely opposite ends of the planet or perhaps not quite opposite but you know what I mean can be so very familiar and similar
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Thank you Michael – a very lucky day for me to be in such close proximity to these sandhill cranes especially. That offshore fishing bridge has an old-world feel to it, like a smaller version of an aqueduct doesn’t it? It looked even nicer with the reflections on the water. Thousands of miles away from Africa, yet an uncanny similarity – pretty amazing.
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At least you got out and saw some very interesting things.
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Yes, I was glad I took that chance Anne and I really saw a lot in a very short amount of time … a good nature walk!
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What a wonderful bird day, Linda! The Sandhills Crane photos are beautiful. I’m wondering if the purple-ish-pink tint might be from the sunrise glow.
The family of the Mute Swans are sweet to see. And what a treat for you to come upon the Wood Ducks twice this year! You will find that shy Papa soon.
Is this your first sighting of the Eastern Kingbird?
Yes, I find the quote to be true. The picture on the calendar has the similar purple-ish-pink tint. What a coincidence 🙂
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Oh it was a wonderful bird day Teri and I felt very lucky to see all these birds in such a short time. The Sandhill Cranes are unusual looking with their red, heart-shaped feathers on their face and they have almost a prehistoric look to them. They move slowly.
For years I went down to the Detroit River as there are often Mute Swans there and I wanted to see the cygnets (riding on their mom’s back) but never saw it. Last year I saw a family across the marsh … this was nice and fairly close.
Yes, it was my first sighting of the Eastern Kingbird. I didn’t know what it was when I saw it so I was glad Google would help me out once I sorted out my pics.
Yes, I think it’s a true quote as well. I didn’t notice the color similarities until you pointed them out. Good eye Teri!
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A 6% chance of rain would’ve had me walking as well, so I was surprised to hear you actually had a storm that day. That’s quite a nice fishing bridge; the ones in my mind are far more modest. Finally, great blog title. I had to look it up to be reminded it was a Beatles song. Also, the Aristotle quote had me wondering if they actually talked like that back in their day. I can almost hear him say with an air of superiority and upturned nose, “… there is something of the marvelous.”
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Dave, the weather folks here are often wrong and the online weather can’t always be trusted either, so I took a leap of faith and good thing I made it back to the car before the rain began in earnest. I wondered if anyone would pick up on that line from the Beatles song “Birthday” – glad you did. 🙂 Yes, I can imagine the elders in flowing robes discussing everyday things in eloquent terms.
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Excellent Crane shots Linda! We do not have any Cranes in our area.
The Swans were a nice group to get as well I bet.
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Thanks Wayne – it was a lucky day for me! I was very close-up to them as they were just grazing and preening, not skittish in the least with me taking lots of photos. You remember how long I wanted cygnet photos? Last year I found a swan family, but they were way across the marsh. Luck was with me finding them on this day, as I was fairly close to the swans too. And luckily I didn’t get wet either!
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I had to laugh when you said you peruse the listing of local festivals in order to avoid them. We are the same way here. There is always something going on in our town – a craft show, a Pretzel Walk, a beer fest….we try to avoid running in town whenever something like that is occurring.
You had some great bird shots from this walk, Linda. Is the kingbird a new one for you?
Glad you were able to avoid the rain.
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Oh yes – always Laurie. Anything to avoid local festivals, street fairs – you name it. We had a ton of events for the long holiday, thankfully not close to me – the Detroit Jazz Festival, Romeo Peach Festival and Arts, Beats & Eats to name a few.
Thank you – it was a good birding day for me! Those sandhill cranes were unfazed by my presence which was great and you know how long I wanted to see mute swans and their cygnets. Last year I saw them, but far away. The kingbird is a first for me Laurie. It was quite big and I only had a profile shot, so I was glad Google reverse image search could ID it for me. Yes, the skies looked threatening toward the end of my brief walk but I lucked out!.
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Beautiful birds! Festivals are not conducive to great photos except of crazy people.
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Yes, they are unique looking and were patient while I took pictures while grazing and ambling along. That’s right … too big of a crowd isn’t fun to be in or photograph!
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Indeed, you found “a bounty of birds to behold.” Linda, those sandhill cranes were stunning! (The only one I ever saw was in Georgia many years ago…) Their feathers seemed to change color depending on how the light hit them. What beautiful waterbirds. And what a treat seeing the happy, healthy-looking mute swan family. Capturing the kingbird with his nest makes a great picture. And you even came across a sweet little wood duck family. You had quite a few pleasant surprises on this dicey weather day.
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That’s for sure Barbara – “a bounty of birds to behold” would have made a good title! Those sandhill cranes are unique and almost prehistoric looking as they amble along very slowly with their distinctive red, heart-shaped feathers on their face. They were unfazed by my presence which was great. One of the cranes looked much darker than the other crane. In one picture you see something black in the trees. It was a Red-winged Blackbird coming toward the pair of cranes. Wednesday’s photo will be when that bird seemingly attacked the crane. Those Red-winged Blackbirds are mean. I saw a swan family last year but they were very far away – these were fairly close and I don’t know if they left because of me or it was time to move along. This was my first kingbird, which was fairly huge and I had no idea what I had there in front of me. I couldn’t believe I had another wood duck and didn’t realize it in real time, but instead a month or so later when I sorted through my photos.
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Your pictures are amazing! I have never seen sandhill cranes, but my sister tells me about seeing them at her place. I have an off-topic question – what WordPress plan do you have? I have the premium plan but find that I am quickly running out of media storage space. I don’t want to stop posting picture but do want to pay for a more expensive plan either.
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Thanks Ruth! Those sandhill cranes are very unique looking and didn’t seem perturbed to have me standing there taking photos of them (either that or the grass was irresistible). 🙂 Does your sister say how loud they can be? I have the premium plan too but I just looked at my media and I am at 9.4 of 13 GB, so if I keep on going with so many pictures, I also will run out of storage space. I think you can just buy more storage space and are billed along with your plan, rather than upgrading to a costlier business plan.
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Linda I just came across this bird photograper of 2023 and though you might like it.https://www.birdpoty.com/bpoty-2023-winners
They also have the contest info up for 2024. Maybe you have some entries.
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Thank you for this link Ruth … I just went through it and I’m flattered you think my pics could be submitted. In fact, did you see the picture of the crane with its wings spread open and the caption was “welcome”. So many nice and unusual pics in here. The two ducks in the black-and-white print as well. Thank you again. (Still another storm rolling in here and I got here late and may be exiting soon – it sounds pretty raucus out there.)
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You’re welcome, Linda. I’m sure you have some photos that could compete. We didn’t get any rain last night and today just garden variety showers. All the heavy stuff missed us, thankfully.
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Thank you again Ruth – that was kind of you to say that. Glad you were not impacted. We had a lot of rumbling last night, but we had a small storm this morning, rain this afternoon and the last I heard we have possibly severe weather before midnight. It is 1 on a scale of 1-5 and thankfully no tornadoes.
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We had a thunderstorm come through last night but not loud enough to keep me up. 🙂
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Same here Ruth but not the hail or high winds they predicted. I have concerns now with that big dead tree that caused the fire last December. Every time it is windy, I remember that night and hope it never happens again. We had some torrential rain this afternoon.
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We had some rain yesterday afternoon, not too heavy but it did seem to cool things down. That is nice. 🙂
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Yes, we are in for a gorgeous weekend they say and below-average temps for the next ten days. Hopefully the severe weather from heat spikes is gone by then.
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Your crane pictures are excellent! I’ve seen them but not to get photos like that. Well the rain held off just as much as you needed it to. Hope it was a little cooler afterwards.
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Thanks Eilene. They were very close up to me and not fazed by me being there, only intent on grazing and preening. I’ll have another photo on Wednesday when a Red-winged Blackbird tried attacking the crane – neither made contact fortunately, but came perilously close. I was lucky the rain held off as it came down in buckets hours before its anticipated arrival.
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Miss Linda………………………………Awesome close up pictures of the Sand hill cranes………………..I’ve never seen before……………..I missed which park you were at…….Lake Erie Metro Park??…………….thank you
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Thanks Ann Marie – I was very close up to them, even more so than the trio I saw last year. This pair was here three times when I’ve been there this Summer, not yesterday or the last time however – hopefully they have not moved on. Yes, it is Lake Erie Metropark and it is near the parking lot for offshore fishing (on the road that goes to Cove Point).
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Wonderful photos, Linda! Sandhill Cranes, Mute Swans and Wood Ducks, all beautiful and hard-to-find birds.
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Thanks Rebecca – it was a wonderful morning for discoveries and close-up encounters with those Sandhill Cranes especially. They didn’t mind me being there which was great. The Mute Swans were a treat too – last year when I saw the family, they were very far away. Now, I look more carefully in “real time” to see if it is a Wood Duck or Mallard – the last two times, I could only tell when I saw them on the computer screen. 🙂
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Beautiful celendar beach & quote. Frist labour day. Happy Bird Day!
So pretty sand hill crane photos. Excellent photography. Very interesting you sharing birds day. I like, Linda!
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Thanks Raj. I like that quote too. The cranes are quite a sight to see and I feel lucky to have seen them so up close. And the swans as well, but especially the cranes.
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Yes, you are interesting write by reply. Nice to recommend to cranes. I much like it’s. Thanks, Linda!
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Yay – so many wonderful photos you captured, I’m glad you chose to go that day. Plus you made it back to the car before it started to rain. You’re becoming quite gifted at predicting the weather. Your photo framing is attractive. While I always love all the bird photos you share, the offshore fishing vehicle bridge photo is exquisite too! Happy September, Linda, I hope it turns out to be a nice weather month to kick off a VERY pleasant Fall! 🤗
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Thank you Shelley – I’m glad you liked them. I was very lucky to be so close to the Sandhill Cranes and they didn’t mind me being near them so I got lots of pics. I was happy for the Mute Swan family too. That vehicle bridge is ornate in my opinion – it looks historical looking and that day the reflections were nice … there was some scant sun before the deluge of rain cam along. This storm is still rolling in now … I shut off the A/C for the lightning and it is already warm in here. The more potent storm is Wednesday afternoon/early evening … maybe we can welcome Fall-like weather then? I hope so.
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Yes, being so close sure gave you great photo ops!
I agree on the bridge – and your composition of the photo made it even more stunning.
Oh, my, those darn storms. We were supposed to have some, but I guess it went elsewhere. Maybe a few showers later this morning, otherwise, nothing for several more days. It’s much cooler here though 70s versus 90s is a big difference.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you and a pleasant fall to enjoy!
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I like that bridge and think it makes that area picturesque. I am looking forward to Fall so much … but I am hearing people complain on social media about our coolish Summer here in Michigan. What? I know this was the only “official heat wave” of the Summer of 2023, but it was not cool IMHO. Maybe they were not out walking in it and that’s why I’m affected by it more, but I’m also thinking of the heat/humidity that caused all the volatile weather. Just listened to another forecast about the storms progression and a real feel of 81 degrees does not feel “coolish” to me.
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I wonder what they think was cool? We’ve been walking earlier than the summer before so I’d agree that overall there were more cool mornings than there were hot ones. But during the day it did seem to heat up and feel hot to me.
If you’ll get the weather we’re having you’ll feel cooler and it’ll feel more like fall.
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I didn’t think it was a cool Summer. They said “this Summer was like the Summer of 2015” – I can’t associate that Summer with anything. I do remember the year my neighbor/friend Marge died (2017) on what would have been her 80th birthday (December 3rd) I was raking leaves in a sweatshirt, went for a long walk in the neighborhood as it was so beautiful – people putting up outside Christmas decorations without a jacket – in the mid 60s I think. That’s when I first started noticing the wonky weather changes.
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I agree, that’s about the time I noticed wonky weather too. 🤔
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I love that quote, and your photos are exceptional. So many birds I don’t see, and they look like they were happy to be photographed. Thanks for sharing these.
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Thank you Dan – I’m glad you liked the quote and the photos. I’ve seen this pair of Sandhill Cranes three times this Summer, but this was the closest I got to them. The Swan family was a real treat as well since they were fairly close. Some days I go to this venue and see nothing … like this past Saturday!
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Oh my word, those are some pretty birdies! How big are those sandhill cranes? They look like they could be almost flamingo sized. All the birds in your adventure were lovely – and cooperative – but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sandhill crane. Loved them!
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Aren’t they unique Zazzy? They are regal looking and don’t move too quickly, so I could admire them and take photos without them moving much. I just found an article that said they are between three and four feet tall. I would have said these were almost to my shoulders and I’m 5′ 9″ tall. I had a short morning there, but it was so rewarding. I wanted to see Mute Swans with cygnets for so long and finally saw them last year at the same venue, but too far away and a little blurry. These were so pristine looking all clustered together and the Kingbird, a new bird for me. That’s the second sighting of a Wood Duck family, but no male Wood Duck. I was excited to see all these birds.
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Your pictures are blowing me away Linda! I wish I could see a Sandhill Crane! What an amazing walk this day.
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Thank you again Diane – it was an amazing walk and due to the rain, I was only there such a short time, but saw so many birds! Sometimes I’m at this park hours on end and don’t see much. I saw the pair of Sandhill Cranes three times this Summer, but this was the closest I got to them.
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You really had some great sightings! As I think about it, I have never used the word cygnet in a sentence before right now.
I caught the title’s reference to The Beatles’ version of Happy Birthday. I guess it makes me a grump that I could never stand that song.
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Thank you JP – it was a really great time, considering the minimal amount of time I spent there due to the rain. These cygnets I saw were close-up compared to last year’s on the other side of the marsh. You’re right, I was referring to that Beatles song. I can’t say it is one of my favorites either. I enjoyed the early Beatles music, but was not so keen on it after they got into their Transcendental Meditation phase, though I did like the Sergeant Pepper album.
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