Tag Archives: Birds

Sparrow on a Guard-Rail

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Sparrow on a Guard-Rail

This photo is being reposted. I’ve already posted it once and for calendar owners, I’ve also published it there. I’m doing this because it is a good photograph and I believe that it deserves a another look. It is the first in a series of reprints that I am embarking upon. Frankly, I’m just trolling for likes, with some older under appreciated pictures.

The story behind this picture is that I took it from the diver’s seat of my then brand new Prius. I spied this little bird, a hundred yards ahead. I turned off the radio, lower the power windows and coasted up to it in electric vehicle mode. I got right up next to it and took this photo. The sound of the camera’s shutter then scared it away.

Ellis Island, Riverlands

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Male House Finch

On Sunday morning, Anne and I went to Ellis Island. No, not the famous NYC Ellis Island, but the one in the Saint Louis area Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary. This Ellis Island is not even an island, it is actually a peninsula. It is situated between the Mississippi River and Elkhorn Slough.

We went to the Riverlands to see a duck decoy exhibit that is showing there. The show opened this last weekend. In addition to the exhibit that will run to the end of the year, there were a number of vendors of decoys, bird call whistles and bird related art that were on display.

I was a little underwhelmed by the exhibit, but I’m not a hunter, so keep that in mind. The decoys on exhibit through the end of the year are primarily older ones. Some of them are antiques. On display only through Sunday were several vendor tables full of newer decoys. They were for sale. In addition to the decoys there were also displays of duck calls. Some of the duck calls were quite pretty.

After viewing the decoys, we drove across the Mississippi to Alton, IL. We were looking for a nice breakfast place, but sadly on a Sunday morning nary one could be found. The one open establishment that we could find was Mac’s. Mac’s is an off-track betting establishment. It is also a sports bar and boasts a patio that allows it to circumvent Illinois’ no indoor smoking laws. Mac’s represents a trifecta of human vices, but it also had a decent Sunday buffet.

After lunch, we returned to the Riverlands and walked Ellis Island. We had the island all to ourselves that is except for the many birds that we saw. In addition to mallards and Canada geese, we saw many Great Blue herons, pelicans and the first two Trumpeter swans of the season. The Riverlands is a great wintering spot for these swans. Here is a link to my movie of two years ago, Trumpet of the Swan. The above finch was the only decent photo of the day.

American Coot

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American Coot

We landed in Ann Arbor on Friday night. We drove through the gathering gloom to get here. It looks to be a cold and wet weekend. We’re in town for our combined 40th high school reunion. That’s right folks, we each married our high school sweetheart. Harry held dinner for us and Jane joined Gene and us for goulash. The reunion held a mixer on Friday night, so after dinner we went back out into the rain. The mixer was at a sports bar and by the time we arrived, it the place was full of 58 year olds. The surprise meet of the night was Peter, one of my groomsmen, who we haven’t seen in twenty years.

Sunday in the Park (Alone)

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Belted Kingfisher

Today was a quieter day then yesterday. I went for a bicycle ride and Anne went out to breakfast. The park was quieter than yesterday, no eighty balloons, no 80,000 people. According to the paper, the wind had increased just after the balloons launched. They all decided to come down at the same time over about a five-mile stretch. The pair that we saw land were at the back of the pack. The bunny came down in a wooded area near the Litzinger Ecology Center, where Anne once worked and is still one of our favorite bike routes.

The picture with this post is of a Belted Kingfisher. It was roosting on one of the Purple Martin houses in the northeast corner of the park. The kingfisher represents a herald of the changing seasons. It is a winter bird, at least that’s when I see them, or more usually hear them. It has a rather distinctive call. I made the following recording of it last year.

The weather has turned cooler, as of late, another sign of the changing seasons. Unlike in the summer, we leave the windows open during the day and close them at night. I hope that this cooling trend continues, but I saw a winter forecast that sounded severe. On no, snow-mageddon II, the sequel is coming. Hey, maybe I’ll be able to go cross-country skiing this winter.

On my way home from the park, I cruised by My Daddy’s Cheesecake. Anne and Joanie were still enjoying coffee on the patio. With them at the table was Leah, one of Joanie’s UMSL chums. I guess that they had a lot to catch up on. Lea and her husband Mike own this My Daddy’s Cheesecake franchise. I swear, I know I shouldn’t, but I swear Joanie knows everybody who is anybody in town. I once went to the symphony with her and at intermission she pointed out Stan the Man to me in the lobby.

Old Engineers on the Move

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Nuttall’s White-crowned Sparrow at Point Lobos

I will receive a hundred-dollar gift card for participating in what I’ll refer to as the company’s plan to keep old engineers moving. This is an annual exercise that I participated in during the summer. I chose the gift card from the Sports Authority, mainly because there is one near by the house. I would have been happier with a bike store, or even REI, but don’t look a gift horse in the mouth I always say. There were no food options on the list, I guess that would have been counter-productive to the spirit of the program. Anne suggested that I get a yoga mat, so I can join her in yoga class. Yeah, right. I can just hear my fellow engineers now, “So Mark, what did you buy with your gift card?” What do you mean you can’t say?” “Hey, I bet you bought a yoga mat. That’s right, huh? Fess-up now, we all know you did.”