tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11940667158224230072024-03-05T00:55:53.217-05:00An Adirondack Naturalist in Central New YorkEllen Rathbonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684750034177425795noreply@blogger.comBlogger714125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194066715822423007.post-76423983193550539952022-09-16T11:55:00.004-04:002022-09-16T11:55:55.441-04:00Moving Back to New York State!<p> I do not know if anyone is following this blog any more...it's been so long since I've done anything even remotely consistent when it comes to posting here.</p><p>But, I am moving AGAIN!</p><p>For the last five and a half years, I have been in northern Illinois, learning and teaching about the natural history of the Prairie State. It has been a rewarding and educational time. </p><p>Some of the highlights of my time here have included seeing bison up close and in person; learning about prairie ecosystems; exploring the four rivers in this county (Rock, Sugar, Pecatonica, Kishwaukee); learning about freshwater mussels; seeing a badger (it was roadkill, but still, it was a real badger); creating amazing and imaginative camps for our summer day campers.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMacbwDqL76H3_HTrCyacz_O1Ex92Ar7SfVlPOSKMnn-eDLDH1cK_3EuxMj6tNjLbCkuy8VGn9_cu8Lw0Oo4wbtJTS-GRYojG3ZiOpDZxz71jv1eSqdsrkCbAEivyRyHNT8DogF9qdcIqeWIghhptF_quJyeEsVu78vj3P3_62hocUr0jAru1OIAfJzQ/s4288/DSC_0565.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4288" data-original-width="2848" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMacbwDqL76H3_HTrCyacz_O1Ex92Ar7SfVlPOSKMnn-eDLDH1cK_3EuxMj6tNjLbCkuy8VGn9_cu8Lw0Oo4wbtJTS-GRYojG3ZiOpDZxz71jv1eSqdsrkCbAEivyRyHNT8DogF9qdcIqeWIghhptF_quJyeEsVu78vj3P3_62hocUr0jAru1OIAfJzQ/s320/DSC_0565.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(Showy Orchid at Coleman Dells - EJR pic)</i></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgovurvxblh083VEKNPJZ9-9dHHSL6cHsyr4mXeqEbRsmNGTQ7zmUupupsibtDIblGbTY6coB44VEzncqhbZmNXGZJiYsAk-hWuIZOVk4ayuPYmtIjzo4eQeseLygvcRgmeTsa6vF9QFDOHMi5qb2nDfKLc9r-Od-6wmEJq0E4VoUVq-JdlqMZPCvxLog/s6000/_DSC8419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgovurvxblh083VEKNPJZ9-9dHHSL6cHsyr4mXeqEbRsmNGTQ7zmUupupsibtDIblGbTY6coB44VEzncqhbZmNXGZJiYsAk-hWuIZOVk4ayuPYmtIjzo4eQeseLygvcRgmeTsa6vF9QFDOHMi5qb2nDfKLc9r-Od-6wmEJq0E4VoUVq-JdlqMZPCvxLog/s320/_DSC8419.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(Big Bluestem in bloom - EJR pic)</i></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0B7cvA2jLbEOq2siL-1IWI4bq5pOC8MUjPR7A-JY4rJU46MivzSbvZB5c3tU150qkyEwo8uvh15DHwfZ_yjNb4b6TYPRcKBYMgu5FsThiMwFq4AmeYosFvQx_pX1ASIbizmrQHEdHgttnmwjDzdhvmtF9W4pW9N0g1yJ5EYkemGgcLi3HbNs6hwSn_A/s2560/20170813_120936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2560" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0B7cvA2jLbEOq2siL-1IWI4bq5pOC8MUjPR7A-JY4rJU46MivzSbvZB5c3tU150qkyEwo8uvh15DHwfZ_yjNb4b6TYPRcKBYMgu5FsThiMwFq4AmeYosFvQx_pX1ASIbizmrQHEdHgttnmwjDzdhvmtF9W4pW9N0g1yJ5EYkemGgcLi3HbNs6hwSn_A/s320/20170813_120936.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(American Badger, deceased - EJR pic)</i></div></i><p>This summer I applied for a job back in Central New York, where I grew up. In fact, the job is at the nature center that I grew up visiting as a child: Rogers Environmental Education Center in Sherburne, NY. It has been an incredibly busy 5 weeks since I accepted the job - and I start on October 3rd. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEb-YG2sIrAn0JAHn5A9yOswwIaIHTFb8uy4gEHw9LjdVaPDSyeEkocN9CHXOuV__XRqmivuABFvOMZANRQDXmC7CH05q7ONFScQvNSokhP0rgiRGJufP0AoD0wu_V8bsvvT5A2HFvTPB_HROSJXEo_zkjMwCI7g7UZYE3KsoWNEnlOZ6udvtmyy833w/s369/0511rogers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="237" data-original-width="369" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEb-YG2sIrAn0JAHn5A9yOswwIaIHTFb8uy4gEHw9LjdVaPDSyeEkocN9CHXOuV__XRqmivuABFvOMZANRQDXmC7CH05q7ONFScQvNSokhP0rgiRGJufP0AoD0wu_V8bsvvT5A2HFvTPB_HROSJXEo_zkjMwCI7g7UZYE3KsoWNEnlOZ6udvtmyy833w/s320/0511rogers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo from https://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1831.html)</i></div><p>I am excited to be moving "back home," and will only be a 2-3 hour drive from my beloved Adirondack Mountains! I am looking forward to exploring both the mountains and central NY. I'll have my canoe ready to paddle, and my winter gear ready for real snow. I anticipate learning more of the native vegetation and insects of my home region, and can't wait to explore many of the state lands there.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN16hOTsnNA1LKO_AlT_vdH_l2o9UWUsRxMDae1Gu3Qca_2fJ0nr2eW1SxNepLiyhkh-mTIgmfTTirxp2K2_lLK1O8jmgcxXoO5oJSxJqzjRGl-fSyJE6CZHrxj9xiKEEHHKuiU0DKW1AXDefQHUXt0-vLsKzCrG1B2kDU0qd7juY_Bd0WdyMthP9OXw/s1440/20080910_aerial_shots_0034%5B1%5D1440x575.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="1440" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN16hOTsnNA1LKO_AlT_vdH_l2o9UWUsRxMDae1Gu3Qca_2fJ0nr2eW1SxNepLiyhkh-mTIgmfTTirxp2K2_lLK1O8jmgcxXoO5oJSxJqzjRGl-fSyJE6CZHrxj9xiKEEHHKuiU0DKW1AXDefQHUXt0-vLsKzCrG1B2kDU0qd7juY_Bd0WdyMthP9OXw/s320/20080910_aerial_shots_0034%5B1%5D1440x575.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(photo from www.martinre.com)</i></div><div><br /></div>Hope you will join me as I learn about the beauty and nature of Central New York!<br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Ellen Rathbonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684750034177425795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194066715822423007.post-60381413069083199612021-05-07T16:23:00.003-04:002021-05-07T16:23:49.241-04:00Spring is Rolling In<p>We have days where the temps soar to nearly 90*F, and the they plummet into the 30s, and we get frost warnings. It's the new "normal" for spring.</p><p>But the joy is that the spring birds are coming through, and the spring wildflowers are all a-blooming.</p><p>Here are some recent sightings of note:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhldFGLMjLPZDs8YFPxLurKC56aq71g16L1dI-2nSY2722FOmxsaG3E0l1aaepxzWZmd90njlhvfoeCbNfD44k1frZuJn3ivdYFBaHnE43f1g2QgCMmuBwMptzUv1Ex1M9-RKd7QXVbfP1/s3410/_DSC2316+towhee+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2587" data-original-width="3410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhldFGLMjLPZDs8YFPxLurKC56aq71g16L1dI-2nSY2722FOmxsaG3E0l1aaepxzWZmd90njlhvfoeCbNfD44k1frZuJn3ivdYFBaHnE43f1g2QgCMmuBwMptzUv1Ex1M9-RKd7QXVbfP1/s320/_DSC2316+towhee+crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Eastern Towhee - they've been back a few weeks now.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtmuBTwOPEYoECC4z4PSzwQEXkkAB7refznRHARA6MoGTEffn2RZnzF-BdAhGJBjLR90tDRJ0ttsvvmOjyipjUw4KMTNrZcKM5dgvjE1_DKSI6fX98OdXCk6UQdMlBpefHM7r8wTJexWG9/s2947/_DSC2193+RB+grosbeak+crop2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2061" data-original-width="2947" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtmuBTwOPEYoECC4z4PSzwQEXkkAB7refznRHARA6MoGTEffn2RZnzF-BdAhGJBjLR90tDRJ0ttsvvmOjyipjUw4KMTNrZcKM5dgvjE1_DKSI6fX98OdXCk6UQdMlBpefHM7r8wTJexWG9/s320/_DSC2193+RB+grosbeak+crop2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Rose-breasted Grosbeaks - arrived last weekend.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7z5sY0ggm0WEnVq4YymJyI3xPeZS7PPzKmT7j_xDbyd0abIsgkooUET39JSJ6aqiqXW8RgXz30Z_7eVZYo5YgQcuBO-z2-knlzPcat_RFrnSa3DI_YBlzKk0yz8_jt6aeyjqo7AZbjC7z/s3140/_DSC2257+baltimore+oriole+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2530" data-original-width="3140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7z5sY0ggm0WEnVq4YymJyI3xPeZS7PPzKmT7j_xDbyd0abIsgkooUET39JSJ6aqiqXW8RgXz30Z_7eVZYo5YgQcuBO-z2-knlzPcat_RFrnSa3DI_YBlzKk0yz8_jt6aeyjqo7AZbjC7z/s320/_DSC2257+baltimore+oriole+crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Baltimore Orioles - also arrived last weekend.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKvwdoHByycTwjcMVMm_z4ty6d7x6y-xbOkb5YXiVmLVl-_H9qWP-LklGN3MA_gcn4CAUgFg2uLHCskTzLcqYOHnhsmKlAFdMTIV9Jvn9McVKwXyUG7rCV12KE59j_mdg8Z_pE2ZQmjyC/s3007/_DSC2329+red-headed+woodpecker+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2660" data-original-width="3007" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKvwdoHByycTwjcMVMm_z4ty6d7x6y-xbOkb5YXiVmLVl-_H9qWP-LklGN3MA_gcn4CAUgFg2uLHCskTzLcqYOHnhsmKlAFdMTIV9Jvn9McVKwXyUG7rCV12KE59j_mdg8Z_pE2ZQmjyC/s320/_DSC2329+red-headed+woodpecker+crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Red-headed Woodpecker - such a stunning bird! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This one has been visiting our birdfeeders.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQmmTaDDcEehAXnz-xAKzPlnq3BwykZQjrq4Whq6S7gi9FZ6NDsuP-BdyPdVX4Jy-ugY82125s340CaMYmolrjMAiejZ19R31sfNTHcATQC-NBItAsN_SDvIo24Dd3VWEaRTSiiLro3KBq/s2027/_DSC2398+poss+blue-grey+gnatcatcher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1823" data-original-width="2027" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQmmTaDDcEehAXnz-xAKzPlnq3BwykZQjrq4Whq6S7gi9FZ6NDsuP-BdyPdVX4Jy-ugY82125s340CaMYmolrjMAiejZ19R31sfNTHcATQC-NBItAsN_SDvIo24Dd3VWEaRTSiiLro3KBq/s320/_DSC2398+poss+blue-grey+gnatcatcher.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Blue-grey Gnatcatcher - out nabbing insects </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">in the trees along one of our trails last weekend.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2SbuX1I97YViR5W2HpISZBQyrWvaJGst1yqEmb7aUTBsZDMCyah39ibGItodYN_xGOc3cNMgsAJ-vmOQdTLA3MNPQMFBQotytF2Ai00mLT2HfagGTF3TrpRzMSvUjhy-C4to8vLclmpXb/s1930/_DSC2415+poss+palm+warbler+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1299" data-original-width="1930" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2SbuX1I97YViR5W2HpISZBQyrWvaJGst1yqEmb7aUTBsZDMCyah39ibGItodYN_xGOc3cNMgsAJ-vmOQdTLA3MNPQMFBQotytF2Ai00mLT2HfagGTF3TrpRzMSvUjhy-C4to8vLclmpXb/s320/_DSC2415+poss+palm+warbler+crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Palm Warbler - a life bird for me, photography-wise. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This was last Sunday.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcYC9KTTZOO0PJIRVOAsbjHJOqE9-il0ieR4ENsqZfbKGOiB9AAvYBG3jhLSdgP-FGpGAFMmpU1iBS7DQeEEzU7wdOCGR5p6DlFtaHylQh0TFWeZvYkrUSADCtwAek23FVOh_ys3MVWYp/s2048/DSC_0659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcYC9KTTZOO0PJIRVOAsbjHJOqE9-il0ieR4ENsqZfbKGOiB9AAvYBG3jhLSdgP-FGpGAFMmpU1iBS7DQeEEzU7wdOCGR5p6DlFtaHylQh0TFWeZvYkrUSADCtwAek23FVOh_ys3MVWYp/s320/DSC_0659.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Violet Wood Sorrel </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(just in case you thought all wood sorrels were yellow).</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgldRbu8h4Q46ObR4mnCkALvMe3CxyyowghpZ92S4Qd8ZjSM1z1gGJWyEHekWjD_EkXqbnIA4OuJLUM_W68hb-rF_F2oHYMFSWrB0wIdlb5KrGX-0wV4XzSsDgsMSshc8FCaWSl2fRs1H9d/s1537/DSC_0714+six-spotted+tiger+beetle+crop+better.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1537" data-original-width="1485" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgldRbu8h4Q46ObR4mnCkALvMe3CxyyowghpZ92S4Qd8ZjSM1z1gGJWyEHekWjD_EkXqbnIA4OuJLUM_W68hb-rF_F2oHYMFSWrB0wIdlb5KrGX-0wV4XzSsDgsMSshc8FCaWSl2fRs1H9d/s320/DSC_0714+six-spotted+tiger+beetle+crop+better.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Six-spotted Tiger Beetle (they've been out for a couple weeks now)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDYZIJNfUd04DS5I1n7QTvrYf2GEKDTEOLGrkcW4Sa8rFPOB3BtspJYwy3PxIEZ5YYO8ayTLkQMWKSBza1Yp2qbw2oHB-5i0_F9n2pvQeunX2dGVJMCMyXnHrUWE_-VF8cpdf6NE_r8M5f/s2048/DSC_0727+green+bug+crop+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1607" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDYZIJNfUd04DS5I1n7QTvrYf2GEKDTEOLGrkcW4Sa8rFPOB3BtspJYwy3PxIEZ5YYO8ayTLkQMWKSBza1Yp2qbw2oHB-5i0_F9n2pvQeunX2dGVJMCMyXnHrUWE_-VF8cpdf6NE_r8M5f/s320/DSC_0727+green+bug+crop+2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Nymph of a green assassin bug - doing what it does best.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpl0LrDzYYO8z-sGf4THPhgQHMZ7pTsrUl05dPN3er6vd6ETbO3vjvfiF2uQcV1poz7tDR-asz3pERJspeBEfVQVDgA5LIM-wkCaqSofGg7Z6eLe4j47JhGT0YYk-H7bw2-K7AEt0BdifG/s1260/DSC_0702+female+Andrena.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1167" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpl0LrDzYYO8z-sGf4THPhgQHMZ7pTsrUl05dPN3er6vd6ETbO3vjvfiF2uQcV1poz7tDR-asz3pERJspeBEfVQVDgA5LIM-wkCaqSofGg7Z6eLe4j47JhGT0YYk-H7bw2-K7AEt0BdifG/s320/DSC_0702+female+Andrena.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Female Andrena - a native mining bee - </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">unfortunately getting a meal from garlic mustard.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXjsXNuelgc6x73cNIe0FaacPjiunt24ez5JLbLk7TLhNbn95-aAFSL54RfIM1lNo783-3nbkY9kD0cFePulMr2HtuF_DPuakqK8WepyqUxtumhwd1B7Fh_0AIlk5CSxZ09tTtB7ihpgAO/s2048/DSC_0786+frog+hiding+in+creek.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXjsXNuelgc6x73cNIe0FaacPjiunt24ez5JLbLk7TLhNbn95-aAFSL54RfIM1lNo783-3nbkY9kD0cFePulMr2HtuF_DPuakqK8WepyqUxtumhwd1B7Fh_0AIlk5CSxZ09tTtB7ihpgAO/s320/DSC_0786+frog+hiding+in+creek.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Green frog hiding underwater in the creek - </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">trying to avoid being caught by an overly enthusiastic family.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPt_IYut2CeGkLwTp4tczHASZ7xs9ewl422VRvh4zDt1MZdIvXezsQrsVYOPj4LoIX4Xh-fhrElUMeD9gSbYlf_8np6JLmvHtb2_giwktpSNVjqk49wf4zm4h5DU8qzRfDAlf-Cae_FpB1/s2048/DSC_0813+prairie+violet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPt_IYut2CeGkLwTp4tczHASZ7xs9ewl422VRvh4zDt1MZdIvXezsQrsVYOPj4LoIX4Xh-fhrElUMeD9gSbYlf_8np6JLmvHtb2_giwktpSNVjqk49wf4zm4h5DU8qzRfDAlf-Cae_FpB1/s320/DSC_0813+prairie+violet.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Prairie Violets - a new species for me.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ncAtEoy6avo5ZpbbDnDMWqcTMdN_t_4lso2e7Da3hIAFI63KVvvk9d9EJZFYLl4UnnoVTwDi1EGkMWqHOSzrx9_GBmWfHRyxmNW0D2IL94Dlp1FDlMMOPj-eSvdkuU6JmStgxbrp7_T8/s2048/DSC_0812+white+blue-eyed+grass.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ncAtEoy6avo5ZpbbDnDMWqcTMdN_t_4lso2e7Da3hIAFI63KVvvk9d9EJZFYLl4UnnoVTwDi1EGkMWqHOSzrx9_GBmWfHRyxmNW0D2IL94Dlp1FDlMMOPj-eSvdkuU6JmStgxbrp7_T8/s320/DSC_0812+white+blue-eyed+grass.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">White Blue-eyed Grass - there seems to be a thing here in the Midwest </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">where species are white instead of the colors I'm used to further east </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(like the trout lilies, and now the blue-eyed grass, which is normally blue).</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4_nxMtBbjO3iIelL8RjddjdwzU1ePZZ_I1dXrb4b9q7EWcuG4nJtiUu5f6K6IcXU49qm3yitv1EZZA5PxnUfagpZfg_WlQivG25BhTs8T9G0pBRwK-rOfj7CJBaHiSf-tSdb3vhAO2O3/s2048/DSC_0819+prairie+smoke.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4_nxMtBbjO3iIelL8RjddjdwzU1ePZZ_I1dXrb4b9q7EWcuG4nJtiUu5f6K6IcXU49qm3yitv1EZZA5PxnUfagpZfg_WlQivG25BhTs8T9G0pBRwK-rOfj7CJBaHiSf-tSdb3vhAO2O3/s320/DSC_0819+prairie+smoke.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Prairie Smoke - most is already past blooming, but this one </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">was still hanging on last weekend.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigb29hdgZl-1fvyb9YgVziJ28wtoWAUd5SY4w0N_JZQbavrNkJ0EbaIfbADr5OA5eN7CMZx90tTXB672OGDKbR8Ta8hpZ1G4YMB42zZgWGkpiFqiO_9Cg9UhuwWc_cK1W-mVpWRvHSJ4r1/s2048/DSC_0841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigb29hdgZl-1fvyb9YgVziJ28wtoWAUd5SY4w0N_JZQbavrNkJ0EbaIfbADr5OA5eN7CMZx90tTXB672OGDKbR8Ta8hpZ1G4YMB42zZgWGkpiFqiO_9Cg9UhuwWc_cK1W-mVpWRvHSJ4r1/s320/DSC_0841.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hoary Puccoon - I just love the name - </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">and I love the brilliant orange blossoms!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnyxy7Y2lMHXt1vmEAPvkoX7jNjLCx6V3YQlmxsqAk9fpEStrBW7DQ3DZlCB-G2d2JoVK6V7-f3K3zCu7qS14oQCOyVZPvLG1LdGOYWrTLK9XVxbjjMV-jTyfRQ2gG80M7A-8DQC-b-lh/s2048/DSC_0832+false+toadflax.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnyxy7Y2lMHXt1vmEAPvkoX7jNjLCx6V3YQlmxsqAk9fpEStrBW7DQ3DZlCB-G2d2JoVK6V7-f3K3zCu7qS14oQCOyVZPvLG1LdGOYWrTLK9XVxbjjMV-jTyfRQ2gG80M7A-8DQC-b-lh/s320/DSC_0832+false+toadflax.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">False (or Bastard) Toadflax - not quite blooming last Sunday.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Temps are chilly again most of this week, and there is a frost advisory tonight. But I may still go out and about on my days off to see what new spring arrivals are about. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Ellen Rathbonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684750034177425795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194066715822423007.post-12184617373832693882021-04-22T13:28:00.001-04:002021-04-22T13:28:22.345-04:00<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGi2urbIXzQQI6X7b7nYb_wnzFhVA8Iibl37JeFLbBaXct1sdiz5JFMhMFrPjnyT1ERdI4vdfYSkf4Pc56pBm4WNBlN4cBAqzLxRc_ryMgVxz9m8x-3DsaETjaG_-VubnNsJalrDPZAFy/s6000/_DSC1757.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGi2urbIXzQQI6X7b7nYb_wnzFhVA8Iibl37JeFLbBaXct1sdiz5JFMhMFrPjnyT1ERdI4vdfYSkf4Pc56pBm4WNBlN4cBAqzLxRc_ryMgVxz9m8x-3DsaETjaG_-VubnNsJalrDPZAFy/w483-h321/_DSC1757.JPG" width="483" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #999999;">Bison - photo taken in March at Nachusa Grasslands, <br />just south of where I live.</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> Good morning, Dear Reader!</p><p>I can't believe how long it has been since I last wrote a blog here. Oy Vey!</p><p>I've been so busy at work that I find I have little time to wander in the woods and fields, and even less time to research what I find and then write it up. I suppose that is good news, since it means that things are chugging right along at work. And at home, well, internet connection is iffy at best - I don't often use it.</p><p>But, just in case there is still ANYONE out there reading this blog, I hope to resurrect it and get stuff up and running again. </p><p>In the meantime, I will share some blogs I have written for work here in Illinois.</p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/opera-glasses">How Opera Glasses Saved Birds</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/beatrix-potter">Beyond Peter Rabbit</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/hackberry">Hackberry - the Tree You Didn't Know</a></p><p><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blog/post/edit/1194066715822423007/1218461737383269388">The Beautiful, Amazing Opossum</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/journalling-journey">Journaling Journey</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/winter-solstice">Winter Solstice - Will the Sun Return?</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/chptk6flcgtbbjbngxzyfwj8z2s9nc">When Hosts Become Rare</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/camps2020">Summer Camp Wraps Up</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/bees">Bees, Then and Now</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/gxcffjer83ad2wwgzf7t45cnzheyxr">Exploring Ferguson Forest Preserve</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/signs-of-spring">Signs of Spring</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/world-wildlife-day">World Wildlife Day</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/greatbackyardbirdcount">The Great Backyard Bird Count</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/sgt2r8hp4lec99s53phkraxrbdcmaf">Signs of the Seasons</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/summercampunderway">Summer Camp is Under Way</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/bananasafruit">What? Bananas are Berries?</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/nxg5cxealhxrh5f84thbaecc3cbngb">Death at the Dells - a Story in Four Parts</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/5w7lfypdjfyce4ze5rbn7rpmgsrxby">Nothing is Permanent Except Change</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/adexc9a99ns82sbjndz736jgb5m46j">Christmas in August</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/7fs9yl658p3c9cwb48zsr6s592fdw4">Forest Fantasy Camp</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/7nkzydnghbybj2lwsrabz77c3kcfg7">Mantis Musings</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/75f4zx38kmdpfczxjpab45tgnn5wpp">Springtail Speculations</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/hairyrope">Hairy Rope...</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/blog-4">Surprise Roommates</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/9ybh3nnaxb55br3nz597k3435y2be9">Shrewd Observations</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/5cx2z2e3hpx9a23zwlgm2gbr85zywl">Winter Walk</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/dr3blepgbcgak87s7kwbp8p3t6ntb8">Weasel Wonderings: Part One - The Badger</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/sbnppp48na77l5hfzll5ah5c7jnfnd">It's All Happenin' Below the Snow</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/as67lrd8chel28kxy533y77pgxj4ew">Frosted Windowpanes</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/7gs9yfrtrd54lrf79zk6xfakk7ed3d">Grounding/Earthing</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/65b9dwawc6w8wpc7m5ldkwxsggxhme">Feed the Birds</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/fjyeft22aksa5paht9x238dwkg3n2l">Cabinet of Curiosities</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/hs2th4hyh7p5ftj93jsasm73ghfke5">Behold, the Boxelder Bug</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/kdly2b9xatm5lk4ttn56a2whaezbrf">Turn 'em Loose</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/y2zewrxr539593adj8zjz2m7h4rf5r">Finding the Little Things</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/3tlsfnd4gg8x7w5wpgn76r3xbwgarx">Are Acorns Dangerous Nuts?</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/kr8zpwe64g3twk2wfglmx37aset4a7">Things that Make You Say "Hm"</a></p><p><a href="https://www.seversondells.com/blog/lfmrka2ykf96y2p645d4pwkapddxhx">The New Kids on the Block</a></p><p><br /></p><p>There - that should keep you busy for a while!</p><p>And drop me a note in the comments box to let me know you were here!</p>Ellen Rathbonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684750034177425795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194066715822423007.post-10206099242643242472017-12-11T12:12:00.000-05:002017-12-11T12:12:39.187-05:00I've Moved AgainI occasionally wonder if anyone follows this blog any more. I rather fell off the radar while in Michigan - no computer/internet access except at work, and we all know that one isn't supposed to do personal stuff on the work computer.<br />
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To catch you all up, if there are any "you alls" out there, just about a year ago I lost my job in MI. It was on my birthday that we were all summoned in for an important meeting, and we were told that as of 12/31 (less than two weeks notice), we would all be unemployed (the director, the admin person, and the preschool teachers all kept their jobs). Happy Birthday.<br />
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For the first time in my life, I was on unemployment. It was a scary time.<br />
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But the stars were all aligned and within three months I was on my way to a new job...in northern Illinois! (I keep getting further and further away from my beloved Adirondack Mountains.)<br />
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On March 10th, I moved to Rockford, and on the 13th I started my new job at Severson Dells Nature Center. It's very much like my last place - a small non-profit nature center. Grand total of four employees. Part of the Winnebago County Forest Preserve system, but oddly we are not paid by them. That would be the non-profit part - we are paid by the SD Education Foundation. It's all rather strange, but hey, as long as it works, and donations keep coming in to support us, then it is all good!<br />
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Northern Illinois is quite a new thing for me, naturalist-wise. The six years I was in MI sort of prepped me for this, but I have a LOT to learn. This is the Prairie State, and even though almost all of the prairie is now gone, I have been able to see some good restoration areas. Oak-hickory forests dominate where there are forests...although invasive species dominate those. There are some interesting geologic features (the dells), and lots of rivers to paddle (five in this county alone: Sugar, Pecatonica, Kishwaukee, Rock, and ...dang, can't remember the fifth; maybe there are only four). We have red-headed woodpeckers in the forest where I work, and I've already seen a badger! Okay, it was a road-killed badger, but hey, it's a start!<br />
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If I ever get around to getting internet hooked up at my house, you should start to see more posts. The whole Net Neutrality thing will probably be a big factor in whether or not that happens.<br />
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In the meantime, I will post when I can...Ellen Rathbonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684750034177425795noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194066715822423007.post-60096909697923182662017-02-03T14:22:00.003-05:002017-02-03T14:25:06.936-05:00Day Five...Skagway & River Rafting Outisde Haines<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: blue;">D</span>ay Five - we landed in Skagway. As with most of the land t<span style="color: blue;">rips, we all went our separate ways. I left the ship early, to scout around a bit before head<span style="color: blue;">ing to my <span style="color: blue;">destination.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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There's a memorial park right near the docks, with this very cool snowplow train on display. <br />
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Just check out the working end of this thing! Now that can handle some serious drifts! <br />
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A small family of otters crossed the road and went down the embankment to get to the water. <br />
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I was all excited that these might be sea otters, but they were river otters, even though they went to swim in the salt water. <br />
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The day trip I chose was a river rafting excursion on the Chilkat River in the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. To get there, however, we had to board a smaller boat and take a ride to Haines.<br />
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The day started off rather cool and slightly drizzly. Lots of waterfalls to oogle on the way.<br />
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And marine life. There were seals on that rock, and there were lots of birds: kittiwakes, gulls, scaup... <br />
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Haines is a neat little community - I wish we had time to explore. Sadly, we did not. <br />
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We boarded a bus and tally-ho, were on our way. Partway to our destination, the driver says: there re a couple moose. Well, those of you who know me, you can only imagine my reaction. Firstly, I was on the wrong side of the bus. I jumped up and grabbed cameras, probably shouting "where?!?!" <br />
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In desperation, I started taking photos. "Get the window down! Get the window down! You don't understand! This is a life moment for me!" <br />
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Sadly, a bus behind us, whose driver either didn't see the moose or didn't care about them, pulled around our bus (which had pulled off to the side), scaring the moose off. They bolted into the trees. Still, I finally got to see my moose!<br />
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So, our destination: the river rafting! We had a wonderful guide (whose name I no longer recall). We were each decked out in life vests and instructed where to sit on the rim of our inflatable raft. <br />
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The scenery was magnificent. <br />
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We filled two rafts. <br />
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From the Alaska DNR website: <span style="color: blue;">The Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve was created by the State of
Alaska in June of 1982. The preserve was established to protect and
perpetuate the world's largest concentration of Bald Eagles and their
critical habitat. It also sustains and protects the natural salmon runs
and allows for traditional uses; provided such uses do not adversely
affect preserve resources. The Preserve consists of 48,000 acres of
river bottom land of the Chilkat, Kleheni, and Tsirku Rivers. The
boundaries were designated to include only areas important to eagle
habitation. Virtually every portion of the preserve is used by eagles at
some time during the year. <br /><br />
The river "flats" of the Chilkat River along the Haines Highway between
miles 18 and 24 are the main viewing area for eagle watchers and
considered critical habitat in the preserve. Bald eagles are attracted
to the area by the availability of spawned-out salmon and open waters in
late fall and winter.<br /><br /> The natural phenomena responsible for
five miles of open water on the Chilkat River during freezing months is
called an "alluvial fan reservoir". The Tsirku fan, which is a
fan-shaped accumulation of gravel, rock, sand, and glacial debris, at
the confluence of the Tsirku, Kleheni, and Chilkat Rivers acts as a
large water reservoir.<br /><br /> During the warmer spring, summer and
early fall seasons, water from snow and melted glacial ice flows into
the alluvial fan. The fan receives water faster than it can flow out,
creating a huge reservoir of water. When winter arrives, cold weather
sets in and surrounding waters freeze. However, water in this large
reservoir remains from 10 to 20 degrees (F) above surrounding water
temperatures. This warmer water "percolates" into the Chilkat River and
keeps it from freezing.<br /><br /> Five species of salmon spawn in these
and other nearby streams and tributaries. The salmon runs begin in the
summer and continue on through late fall or early winter. The salmon die
shortly after spawning and it is their carcasses which provide large
quantities of food for the eagles. This combination of open water and
large amounts of food bring large concentrations of eagles into the
Chilkat Valley beginning by early October and lasting through February.</span><br />
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SO, here you can see some of that collected gravel, rocks, sand and glacial debris. Our guide told us that the river bed changes daily, and they never follow the same route twice. And while the water is shallow, the river is deep - that is not solid footing you see out there.<br />
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I never did find out what these yellow flowers were, but there were a lot of them blooming along the shore. <br />
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The raft behind us got stuck and had to bounce their way clear.</div>
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Bald eagles are their claim to fame, so our guide pointed out the old nests. We were not there in the busy eagle season, when there will be hundreds of eagles along the river. But that was okay. I'd already seen my moose, and the only thing that would've made it even better in my opinion was seeing wolves and bears. Spoiler alert: we didn't see any of those.<br />
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We did see one eagle, though. <br />
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And this arctic tern. <br />
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We passed a native village. They were completing their new village center. <br />
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The sun was now out and it was time to leave the river. We docked our rafts and waited in this roadside park for the bus to pick us up. We had a quick snack. <br />
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And then returned to Haines.<br />
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We hopped back on our shuttle boat and returned to Skagway. <br />
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The sun was in full blast mode now. In fact, it got up to about 90 degrees this day! I was waaaay over dressed for this kind of weather! <br />
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With plenty of time until the ship departed, I headed back into town. This is one of the excursion trains, returning from its trip.<br />
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One can almost imagine the "old days" in this town at the start of the gold rush. <br />
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Of course, today it is all touristy - lots of jewelers and "Indian crafts" for sale. All associated with the cruise ship business. They must be, for every town had the SAME vendors.<br />
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Soon we were back on the ship and headed out to sea.</div>
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And the sun set on a beautiful day. <br />
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Ellen Rathbonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684750034177425795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194066715822423007.post-24049395074308399302017-01-02T16:26:00.003-05:002017-01-02T16:26:53.594-05:00Alaska - Days 3 & 4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Day three was spent chugging along at sea. </div>
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For the cruisin' crowd, it was a day for shipboard activities. Our group was the Stich -n- Sail gathering from Debbie McComber's fandom. My sister worked for her at her shop in Port Orchard, and she was one of the instructors for classes. I am not a knitter (I've knitted, but it's not my thing), but we did drop in on her "how to cast on" class.<br />
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I don't have many photos from that day. This piece of cake from dinner that night was the most exciting photo I took for this day. <br />
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And so we find ourselves on Day 4. It was a lovely morning... <br />
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and then we entered a fog bank... <br />
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which made for a nifty-looking morning sun! <br />
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As the fog cleared, we found ourselves surrounded by beautiful mountains. Islands, I presume, although some of them could've been mainland. </div>
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The captain kept us informed of all wildlife sightings, like these whales. The dark spot just left of center is a fluke as the whale dove, and up and to the left of that is a spray from a whale spouting. <br />
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This was the largest grouping of whales we would see on this trip.<br />
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This one jumped right next to the ship, but of course, by the time I got my camera ready for it, the ship had moved quite far past it. Thank goodness for zoom lenses and photo zoom and crop!<br />
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A daily treat was coming back to our room to see what fun animal had been made from the towels for us.<br />
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Finally - a day on land ahead of us as we pulled in to Juneau. <br />
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Juneau is the capitol city of Alaska. Small by comparison to other state capitols...and only accessible by water (or air).<br />
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My land excursion was a trip to the Mendenhall Glacier - wanted to see it before it completely melts away. Here is our first glimpse of it from the bus. <br />
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For someone who works in parks and interpretation, I have been to very few national parks. <br />
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Probably more impressive to me than the actual glaciers we saw this trip were the floating chunks of ice that had previously broken off. Amazing shapes and colors.<br />
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Once at the park, we had just enough time to take the walk down to the glacier...or near it, at least. <br />
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Those who did not want to walk the trail could visit the visitor center, which also had a spectacular view of the glacier. <br />
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I, of course, was very interested in the plants along the way. Many were old friends from the Adirondacks<span style="color: blue;"><u>, </u></span> <br />
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like this pink pyrola! <br />
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Lupines were also familiar. </div>
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Many, however, I did not know. And just try finding a flower field guide! I had no luck. I guess there aren't too many tourists interested in botany. :( </div>
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Evidence of the glacier is written in the rocks. No surprise there. <br />
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I tried to upload the video I took down at the glacier and the waterfall, but it is apparently too big for the blog. So, you will have to do with still photos instead. Not the same, I know.</div>
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This is the view from the visitor center: <br />
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On the way back to the ship, our guide pointed out the hanging glacier in the saddle between these peaks - one of the few hanging glaciers left, according to him.</div>
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And so Day 4 drew to a close back on ship. <br />
<br />Ellen Rathbonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684750034177425795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194066715822423007.post-35151592034591518932017-01-02T14:28:00.001-05:002017-01-02T14:28:19.446-05:00Alaska -Day TwoMy goodness - it's been a year and a half since I last posted! Not having ready internet access has made it difficult. <br />
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But now that I am unemployed (long story - laid off Dec. 21, 2016, last day Dec. 30, 2016), I should have nothing but time, in between searched for employment.<br />
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So, I am going to finish posting about my fabulous trip to Alaska in May/June 2015.<br />
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So, Day Two - Leaving Port Orchard and Getting onto the Cruise Ship in Seattle<br />
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After breakfast, we all piled into the van and drove to the ferry station in Port Orchard. There we rolled aboard and parked in line with all the other commuters. Because it was a lengthy ride, we got out of the van and walked around the ferry - nice views from on top. Saw some pelagic birds, but no whales.<br />
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They are very serious here about keeping birds from perching everywhere. <br />
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Once in Seattle, we had to drive from the ferry dock to the ship dock. And there she was, the Norwegian Pearl, our home away from home for the next week. <br />
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Some views of the city from the ship. </div>
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I had a shot of the huge YELLOW oil drilling platform that was being built here and later that summer was towed out to see to head up to the Arctic. Do you remember that? Hundreds of kayaks and other small craft tried to block its progress. Well, at the time, I did not know what it was - it was just this huge yellow thing. I asked around, but no one knew what it was, so I deleted the photos. Ah, hindsight - it is indeed 20/20.<br />
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Soon we found our room. There were three of us (were supposed to be four). Here you see the beds my mother and sister used. I am standing in the doorway to our balcony. To my left, which you cannot see, was a "sofa," which folded out into the bed that I used. And were was #4 supposed to sleep? Over my head - a shelf pulled down and #4 would have to climb up onto that ledge to bunk down. Good thing her family decided to come along and they all got their own room! <br />
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There were plenty of whimsical decorations on board, like these fun fishy carpets,<br />
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and this crazy Dale Chihuly glass sculpture.<br />
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We walked around the ship, getting our bearings and checking out the "welcome aboard" doings. There was a "BBQ Cookout," which we mostly missed. We got there just in time to get one of the last cold burgers.<br />
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Here we see the entertainment folks trying to entice visitors into a group dancing thing. <br />
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We found the important part of the ship: where the captain and crew did the sailing proper. <br />
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Very few of the shipboard entertainments, however, held much appeal to me. Yeah, it takes a special type of personality to be into cruising. I am not that person. So, I spent a lot of my on-board time on the deck watching the scenery pass by. <br />
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And so, here we were, out to sea as the sun sets on Day #2. <br />
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<br />Ellen Rathbonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684750034177425795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194066715822423007.post-73236189577428319472015-07-10T11:50:00.000-04:002015-07-10T11:50:07.449-04:00Alaska, Part OneThis May, my folks treated me to an Alaskan cruise. Woo-hoo. My sister, who lives in Washington (state), works part time in Debbie MacComber's yarn shop (yes, that's the author, Debbie MacComber), and they hosted a "Stitch -n- Sail" cruise, so my mom and I went along. I am no longer a knitter (although seeing all the lovely yarns in the shop, I am tempted to dig out my needles again), so I was going along strictly for the opportunity to see Alaska.<br />
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I spent two and a half months in Alaska nearly 25 years ago (it was 24 years and 8 months) - I was in Ketchikan and lived on Prince of Wales Island in the booming metropolis of Craig. Hard to believe it was so long ago. Anywho...I wanted to see more of the state, and hopefully some great wildlife. <br />
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We arrived in Washington two days early: here are some highlights of our brief stay in Port Orchard.<br />
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First we went down to the bay to take in the Farmer's market. They have a number of really cool woodcarvings by some of the shops (and one shop is an amazing candy store - GREAT fudge). <br />
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Niece, Gordon Fisherman, Sister, Mom </div>
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Pelagic Cormorant - watched a pair catching (and eating) fish.</div>
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Skull of a wee dragon? </div>
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Bird (raven) on a bird (statue). </div>
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This just amused me. </div>
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Apparently it was Pirate Weekend.</div>
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Next we visited Debbie MacComber's shops. <br />
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Debbie MacComber's Tea Shop (above) and Yarn Shop (below)</div>
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Isn't this great? It's a squash my sister made for the shop's mammogram promotion! </div>
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From there, we headed over to Theler Wetlands, so I could take in some of the local nature.<br />
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B-i-L with a big leaf maple. New species for me! </div>
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Great gate! </div>
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Squirrel Corn </div>
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Devil's Club </div>
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Thimbleberry </div>
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A buttercup (never did get a plant ID book) </div>
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A raspberry past blooming and getting ready to set fruit.</div>
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Banana Slug!!! </div>
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Apparently a young grey whale washed up on the beach a few </div>
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years ago. The skeleton is at their visitor center. </div>
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They have some really cool art around, too. </div>
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The tide was out, so water was low in the wetland proper. </div>
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No idea what tree this is. Interesting fruits, though. </div>
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Savanna Sparrow. </div>
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A lesson in the language of the local native people. </div>
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Great photo of Mom. </div>
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Horsetails...very large and beautiful! </div>
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Another mystery plant/tree. </div>
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Loved this little bumblebee with a yellow stripe on either end. </div>
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Some plants were familiar - like miterwort, </div>
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and this bedstraw.</div>
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It was well into evening (but still light out), when we returned to my sister's home and had dinner. The next morning we would head for the Seattle and the cruise ship.</div>
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<br />Ellen Rathbonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684750034177425795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194066715822423007.post-28477688215401927352015-07-10T10:22:00.001-04:002015-07-10T10:22:04.043-04:00Fireworks from Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here are some fireworks as seen from my house this year. I can see, gosh, something like five or six different shows, plus hear several more. The joys of living in the midwest where the landscape is more or less flat. (In addition to this, Joe Q. Public can purchase and set of his own fireworks, as most of my neighbors did. Must be a long night at the area ERs.) </div>
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This is my first attempt at firework photography...came out better than I expected.</div>
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Hope you all had a great 4th.</div>
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<br />Ellen Rathbonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684750034177425795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194066715822423007.post-66870891864731420792015-04-20T14:41:00.001-04:002015-04-20T14:41:34.627-04:00Early Spring Flowers at Nan WestonWe had a spate of warm (to me "hot") weather at the end of last week - in the 70s! This meant the woodland flowers should be popping. So Sunday morning I headed out to Nan Weston preserve to see what might be up. I made this trip primarily as recon for a group we are taking out there on Tuesday. <br />
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It's been a cool spring, so things are delayed a bit...and the lack of moisture hasn't helped, I'm sure. On the plus side, I got to see some flowers at peak (Dutchman's breeches), while most stuff was only juuuuust getting started.<br />
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These bloodroots were tightly closed when I arrived, sometime between 9:30 and 10:00 AM. The air was cool but pleasant, and there was a good stiff breeze blowing. A storm was on its way, so I wanted to be sure that I kept an eye on the sky and got out before it arrived. Turns out I had plenty of time - the storm didn't arrive until late afternoon.<br />
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Most of the rue anemone were also closed when I arrived. By the time I left, most were open. <br />
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This was the most advanced trillium bud I saw. In another week or so, the forest floor will be carpeted with these beauties.<br />
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The blue cohosh was just getting going, too. Most were still unfurling their leaves and were holding their buds closed. It's such a delightfully odd flower, color-wise. <br />
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Not too many spring beauties were open yet. <br />
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These yellow-flowered sedges (?) stump me every time. I think it might be <i>Carex ericetorum</i>, which is a non-native species, considered a rare spring sedge in Europe and Asia. It's all over the place at Nan Weston, which is noted as being a haven for native plants and has hardly any non-natives. So, that ID may be wrong. I'm sure many of these plants look very similar. All suggestions welcome.<br />
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The leatherwood was at peak bloom. All the shrubs were completely decked out with their clusters of yellow flowers. <br />
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Finally found some round-lobed hepatica in bloom. The few blossoms I saw were all faced away from the sun (and my camera).<br />
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Here's my little friend the bee fly. I love these guys, and they were all over the place. Devilishly tricky to photograph in flight, and even when they land, they often don't stay put for long. They are important pollinators, and boy, were they out doing their thing Sunday morning! <br />
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Another insect I was able to photograph was this beetle. I'm in a library as I write this blog, and field guides are not their thing, so I'm at a loss to ID this critter, but off the top of my head I'd say it's one of the click beetles. Will try to find time at work this week to get it identified better. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJA1-yOrlMO53CRFZ1SeWeQgD0awR5pMoUFJluYhJrGfaoiWRV47pshLA8JgZzdRMvjpzdSQfDPXk6xg7dRMFA-57rbmjsxuRq49eXa312KyuGRlooRmSCM6zQqrUmchu5BxE13Tn8rkK6/s1600/20150420_328+click+beetle+maybe+good.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJA1-yOrlMO53CRFZ1SeWeQgD0awR5pMoUFJluYhJrGfaoiWRV47pshLA8JgZzdRMvjpzdSQfDPXk6xg7dRMFA-57rbmjsxuRq49eXa312KyuGRlooRmSCM6zQqrUmchu5BxE13Tn8rkK6/s1600/20150420_328+click+beetle+maybe+good.JPG" height="400" width="265" /></a></div>
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My other insect for the day was this lovely syrphid fly. It landed just long enough for me to snap a shot. <br />
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Purple cress was another flower that was just getting started. This was a new plant for me last year, so I had to look it up on last year's blog to remind myself what it was. Lovely.<br />
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As I mentioned earlier, the Dutchman's breeches were about at peak. So many in bloom, and many more in buds. I usually get to Nan Weston after these flowers are past peak and looking pretty ratty. How wonderful to hit them when they are at their best! <br />
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I wasn't the only nature nut out yesterday morning. There were four other cars in the little "parking area" when I arrived, and another two drove up as I left. This fellow was a pro - he had a reflector for the light, his little tripod, a shutter release...all he had to do was battle the wind. I had opted not to bring all my gear - just too much to schlep around all the time. Plus my tripod is missing a vital part - somehow I lost it in the house and have no idea where it is. May be looking at a new tripod if I cannot find a replacement part. <br />
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As I was returning to the parking area, retracing my steps down the last portion of the looped trail, the sun had started to do its thing and many of the buds were opening. <br />
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If the rain this weekend doesn't take a toll by pummeling the plants, they should be looking nice Tuesday for our group...if the sun is out.Ellen Rathbonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684750034177425795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194066715822423007.post-15164697162592676272015-02-28T15:14:00.000-05:002015-02-28T15:14:49.457-05:00Winter DucksYesterday some friends and I went to Port Huron to see the long-tailed ducks (formerly old squaws) on the St. Clair River in Port Huron. Last year, apparently they were there in rafts by the tens of thousands. We didn't see that many yesterday, but we did see many, many hundreds.<br />
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It was a stunningly (blindingly) bright day, with temps probably in the single digits. I was borrowing a 300mm lens from someone to test drive it. All my photos came out rather washed out, and none too terribly sharp. I needed to practice more, I guess. Still, I was having a grand time watching the ducks.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgApUjuFiS_iWZWGyn7U_DiyKbpp8jPm_WOFVD4XrXQXHcZcU5TzD7xEICGirI9J0KLEqdFxDz7FUk2XrZ5lntrUQfrWKXC5B7Cwj3tZbMNmNs9Dnj6_ohREQ7iaw8zn6e-B-0HgS9nDI8E/s1600/DSC_0924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgApUjuFiS_iWZWGyn7U_DiyKbpp8jPm_WOFVD4XrXQXHcZcU5TzD7xEICGirI9J0KLEqdFxDz7FUk2XrZ5lntrUQfrWKXC5B7Cwj3tZbMNmNs9Dnj6_ohREQ7iaw8zn6e-B-0HgS9nDI8E/s1600/DSC_0924.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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Bridge over St. Clair River to Canada</div>
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Here's what the scene was like:</div>
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Male long-tailed duck stretching...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgexo3l3PDLGK9NxXCA2UxuVrBPTh3rdQertVRKHQ4SFt2N4QmshYy0ZfsA183UjQIYUNxIlnEf-Il2qnA1-2d92LNRTh1r2yXTjSwyifnF9AGqCw0WXLf7De_uYBuAS8bAUuIIOXi5RZRx/s1600/DSC_1030+male+long+tail+diving+fix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgexo3l3PDLGK9NxXCA2UxuVrBPTh3rdQertVRKHQ4SFt2N4QmshYy0ZfsA183UjQIYUNxIlnEf-Il2qnA1-2d92LNRTh1r2yXTjSwyifnF9AGqCw0WXLf7De_uYBuAS8bAUuIIOXi5RZRx/s1600/DSC_1030+male+long+tail+diving+fix.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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diving...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH1zjqB86VYHJjZAWSNHVTyCQ-cg7dDoXqaAt5tlndNsgW-_aDERWK9jOBGYbu_Nx3oGq1mf7SbWbZeX1tKQsgzrxl_ugyOY5ct-sEUVNkiNmk4DxUKT49rb0oDW3M1KQQ062uR_NKYS6Z/s1600/DSC_1037+male+vocalizing+fix+and+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH1zjqB86VYHJjZAWSNHVTyCQ-cg7dDoXqaAt5tlndNsgW-_aDERWK9jOBGYbu_Nx3oGq1mf7SbWbZeX1tKQsgzrxl_ugyOY5ct-sEUVNkiNmk4DxUKT49rb0oDW3M1KQQ062uR_NKYS6Z/s1600/DSC_1037+male+vocalizing+fix+and+crop.jpg" height="255" width="400" /></a></div>
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and vocalizing.</div>
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Here's what it sounds like:</div>
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Female long-tailed duck.</div>
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I think that's a red-headed duck sleeping, but it could be a canvasback.</div>
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Male red-breasted merganser.</div>
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Male red-breasted merganser.</div>
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White-winged scoters, catching lunch. And a mallard (they weren't eating the mallard).</div>
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Red-headed duck. </div>
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Greater scaup (on right) and common golden-eyes. </div>
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Female red-breasted merganser stretching.</div>
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I thought this was just a freighter, but apparently it was an ice cutter!</div>
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Another find for the day was a female king eider, but she was too far away fro me to get any photos of her. Got to see her through the scope, though, making her my second life bird this day! </div>
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Many thanks to Gary, Don and Robin for letting me tag along!</div>
<br />Ellen Rathbonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684750034177425795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194066715822423007.post-36521955944259424782015-01-09T10:40:00.000-05:002015-01-09T10:40:04.233-05:00Sunrise<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0qwBXlzPp34Hnqz1nHcZ2RPt2Db4XY62GySL02WWtU2aBL0FpQNNqzVDnA5WMhomXS0_XySDweOH7_xA6lci9eVO9U3mqjdRAIWRiP0Q040EHPy7UXFRr98f_aUgJwsXrqgi9AzSWOqH/s1600/DSC_0160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0qwBXlzPp34Hnqz1nHcZ2RPt2Db4XY62GySL02WWtU2aBL0FpQNNqzVDnA5WMhomXS0_XySDweOH7_xA6lci9eVO9U3mqjdRAIWRiP0Q040EHPy7UXFRr98f_aUgJwsXrqgi9AzSWOqH/s1600/DSC_0160.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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Sun as spotlight to the heavens this morning.</div>
Ellen Rathbonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684750034177425795noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194066715822423007.post-39130582409769857432014-11-10T14:25:00.000-05:002014-11-25T09:09:21.771-05:00Mid-November Find!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As we were wrapping up the journaling part of a school program this afternoon, I looked down on the ground and saw what I thought was one of those coiled hair tie things. When I bent over to pick it up, I saw that instead it was a wee snake! It was coiled up on a leaf trying to eke out some warmth from the rapidly disappearing sun.</div>
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Being the snake-o-phile (ophiophilist) that I am, I, of course, had to pick it up. <br />
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It was very cold, and didn't seem to mind me holding it. I showed it to all the kids - who thought, of course, that it was poisonous. One said "venomous" and I congratulated him for using the correct term. I wasn't 100% sure what it was, so I brought it inside and dug out my snake book. Still not 100% sure. The book doesn't really show juveniles, nor belly patterns, which, on this snake, were beautiful.<br />
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Upon closer inspection and some searching online, I confirmed that it is a juvenile northern watersnake. What was throwing me was that it was a goodly distance from actual water! And it did look a bit like a juvenile black ratsnake, which is a species of special concern here in MI. So naturally I tried to make that fit.<br />
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Still, a baby watersnake out in a field in November...that's still pretty exciting. <br />
<br />Ellen Rathbonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684750034177425795noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194066715822423007.post-70036834635155796202014-10-15T10:47:00.001-04:002014-10-15T10:47:42.451-04:00Another Trip on the Grand River<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Last Sunday, Oct. 12, dawned chilly, but sunny. It was gonna be another perfect autumn day, which was wonderful because GREAT (the Grand River Environmental Action Team) was hosting another paddle. It was a 4+ mile trip on the Grand, from the put-in on Dixon Road to the take-out on Thompson Road. By 11:00 our crew had the boats ready to go, and participants were starting to arrive.</div>
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Everyone has to sign a waiver, even those of us leading the paddle. <br />
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Dogs and kids are always welcome. Amelia and Caleb are regulars (Dad's on the Board). <br />
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It was chilly in the shade, with a good strong breeze blowing, so while we waited for everyone to arrive and get shuttled to the take-out, most people stood in the sun to defrost. <br />
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It wasn't long past noon before we launched. <br />
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As always, I was the sweep boat. This way I can take my time and enjoy the river, and also help out people who may be having difficulties. <br />
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Former Board member and owner of Quiet World Sports (kayak rentals and lessons) Kat joined us...fresh from paddling in Maine and Nova Scotia. Her buddy is Pugsley B. Nitro, <br />
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who makes a great figurehead in the front of the boat. Kat's busy with her business most of the summer, so we don't see her very often any more. It was great to catch up as we drifted slowly down stream. <br />
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A real benefit about joining us on a GREAT paddle is that there are lots of folks available to help out those who might be having difficulties. We can teach you some basic strokes to help you navigate turns and negotiate downfalls. There's never a reason to get frustrated...we are all patient and want you to have the best possible time. Take a deep breath and relax...the worst that will happen is you'll get wet, and no one has dissolved on us yet. <br />
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All too soon we were at the bridge - the take-out was on the other side. <br />
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The lead boats were probably off the river in less than two hours; the last boats took out about 3:00/3:30. <br />
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After all boats were secured on their trailers, and PFDs and paddles were stowed away, the group headed to Klavon's for pizza and beer. GREAT paddles are great social events - for novices and regulars alike. And what a perfect way to celebrate the glory of autumn!Ellen Rathbonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684750034177425795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194066715822423007.post-85752457517622007562014-10-15T10:24:00.001-04:002014-10-15T10:24:55.621-04:00If Happy Little Bluebirds Fly...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
On the way home last night, we had a STUNNING full rainbow in the sky! Usually, we just see one side of a rainbow, but this one was complete, and not only that, both ends were double! And the colors...oh, my, the colors! I've never seen such brilliant colors in a rainbow before. Of course, the camera, which I conveniently had on the back seat, just did not quite capture the colors, and you can only see the hint of the double on the left side...but it was there.</div>
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And as I continued my drive, the sun was behind me and the very dark storm clouds ahead...what a gorgeous combination to show of our autumn colors. Sadly, this is not easily done at 55 mph - just point and shoot out the window and hope you got something. <br />
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This was such a wonderful experience it put me into just a terrifically happy mood. Judy Garland, eat your heart out - I belted out "Over the Rainbow" all the way home.<br />
<br />Ellen Rathbonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684750034177425795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194066715822423007.post-16299551072146943102014-09-19T17:08:00.001-04:002014-09-19T17:08:29.358-04:00Roadkill Cafe - Party of Fifteen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Last Saturday, driving home from work, I came up a rise over by the college and saw a large mass of darkness on the side of the road. It turned out to be fifteen turkey vultures!!!</div>
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I was so excited - not only were there SO MANY of them, but they were RIGHT THERE! A young deer had been hit by a car and its carcass was lying on the lawn, the birds (possibly a family group or two) had come in to feast. Occasionally one would hop up on the body. A few feet away, in the sun, three or four birds had their wings spread out. Catching a few rays for warmth, or to help bake off parasites? </div>
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I was so fortunate that no one else was on the road (very unusual) - I was able to sit there for 5-10 minutes taking photos and video. Eventually a car did come, though, and the birds took off, one by one. <br />
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Turkey vultures are really one of the very cool birds. No feathers on their heads - so they can stick their heads into rotting flesh to eat and not worry about parasites getting stuck in their feathers. Pee on their legs to keep cool. Projectile vomiting to drive away pestering critters and people. They are truly amazing, and along with crows, opossums, and other carrion-eaters, they make up Nature's sanitation crews. We should do them homage.Ellen Rathbonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684750034177425795noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194066715822423007.post-90251880467125019562014-07-19T13:21:00.002-04:002014-07-19T13:22:26.403-04:00What's Bloomin' at the Homestead<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Last week while mowing the yard, I found a tiny purple blob where I had planted some new prairies flowers this spring. I was very excited - must go get a photo of i! Well, it took a while, but yesterday when I got home from work I decided to grab the camera and shoot it...and whatever else was blooming, for right now the grass land flowers are starting their seasonal show.</div>
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First stop, the green milkweed. I have several of these now planted around the house. Hopefully some will permanently take and I won't have to buy any more! I am constantly fascinated by this flower. It's rather unprepossessing, mainly because the flowers are green, but they are quite lovely up close.</div>
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And the horsemint is at its prime! Usually by the time I get to photograph it it is looking pretty ragged. I do love this flower. First saw it in the Albany Pine Bush many many years ago. <br />
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I missed the peak for the pale purple coneflower, but some are still not looking too bad. Very narrow petals that are swept backward help distinguish this from the regular purple coneflower.<br />
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False sunflower, I believe. There are so many yellow rayed flowers out right now, and they look so much alike! <br />
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Culver's root - a favorite of many a bee! Good to have these around. <br />
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Back in the coneflower department, we have yellow coneflower, <br />
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and purple coneflower. I don't have any green- or grey-headed coneflowers planted at home, but I do have some three-leaved, and they are not in bloom yet.<br />
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Out int he side yard is the patch I don't mow and have planted with many natives. Sadly, the non-natives (mostly daisy fleabane) have taken over. You can see some tall yellow flowers, though - either a coreopsis or a sunflower...I did not do ID verification on them last night. Sadly, most of hte other prairie plants I've put in here have not survived, like the early and late figworts, the prairie smoke, prairie dropseed, conflowers, et al.<br />
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And here is the afore-mentioned purple prairie clover. I have planted this several times, and none of them have made it through more than one season...and some not even that! I really hope this one takes! It is believed that this flower has now been extirpated from the wild in Michigan. Very sad.<br />
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Another one I've planted is round-headed clover, which is simply delightful in the fall, with it's fuzzy bunny-tail like seed heads. <br />
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Back around the house the nodding wild onion is about to bloom. <br />
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And the rattlesnake master is doing quite well. <br />
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Out back and around what was the veg garden, the wildflowers are doing okay, like this compass flower. <br />
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The hoary vervain (or is this the common vervain?) is not as tall as it was last year, but it is a favorite of the bees. <br />
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Thimbleweed - another favorite. I'm not sure why I am drawn to this plant. Maybe it's just the name...regardless, I do like it. <br />
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By evening the great St. Johnswort isn't looking too great, <br />
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but is is sure loaded with lots of buds right now! <br />
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The native bee balm is doing very well. At work one of our fields is nearly solid with this flower! I guess all bee balm falls into the "vigorous grower" category! <br />
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It's still a bit early for ironweed, but I imagine in a week or so I'll have flowers. <br />
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Same with the rose mallow, but isn't the bud fascinating? Reminds me of Audrey from the Little Shop of Horrors. <br />
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It will probably still be a couple weeks before the rough blazing star blooms. <br />
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As I snapped this photo of the rosinweed flower, I noticed there was something wrong with the bee. </div>
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She had a beetle clinging to her mouth! She was very lethargic (couldn't eat, I'm sure), and she was also missing a foot! Poor thing. I tried and tried to remove the beetle (thin sticks to grab it), but it would not let go, and finally, after enduring quite a bit of poking from me, she flew off, beetle and all. I have no idea if she will survive. <br />
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One of last year's onions, blooming. <br />
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And them back around to the house and the wild garden that is by the patio. The yellow giant hyssop is living up to its name - the plant must be close to six feet tall! The three-leaved coneflower and the tall tickseeds are even taller - pushing 8-10 feet, and they aren't even blooming yet. I will have to thin them out before next summer...they are choking out all the other plants in this garden.<br />
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And then there are the plant predators. I'm not sure (yet) which beetle these are (I'm thinking they are clay-colored leaf beetles, but am waiting for Bug Guide to confirm), but they and the Japanese beetles have been devastating some of my plants, as you can see. <br />
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And just to prove you don't need a swamp to grow swamp milkweed, here is mine...doing VERY well and looking gorgeous! <br />
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Things are starting to look very colorful outside!Ellen Rathbonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684750034177425795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194066715822423007.post-4709603010311458722014-06-27T16:19:00.001-04:002014-06-27T16:19:59.494-04:00Year of the Milkweed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I was very excited the other day to look out and see my poke milkweed was blooming! I planted three last year, and none survived. I put in three more this year, and of those, only one is still hanging in there, and is blooming! I'm very excited.</div>
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Apparently the ants are pretty excited, too, for each flower had at least one ant on it! <br />
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Knowing that the butterfly weeds and common milkweeds were already blooming, too, I walked around the yard to see if any of my other milkweeds were surviving and blooming. Things are not looking very promising. No signs of any of the tall green milkweeds, but I did find one green milkweed (not tall green milkweed, just plain old ordinary green milkweed) had buds. <br />
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On the corner of the house the swamp milkweed from two years ago is getting ready to bloom, too. I think it's happy being by the downspout.<br />
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Out in the side yard, where I've planted several native grassland plants (in an area where grass has just not grown), I found only one sand milkweed still in the running (for some reason Blogger insists on turning the photo sideways). <br />
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And later, out in my wildflower bed that borders what was my vegetable garden (but this year is nothing but weeds weeds weeds), the whorled milkweed seems to be doing okay, too. <br />
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Last year's purple milkweed (rare) and tall green milkweed, and last year's sand milkweed did not survive. I was unable to get purple this year, and I hope the sand takes hold and does okay. It looked like only one of the three I planted this year is still alive.<br />
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Why Year of the Milkweed? Because monarchs are having a difficult time. Numbers crashed last summer and over the winter, and anything we can do to help, which is mostly planting their host plants (milkweed) will help. I have only seen a couple monarchs so far this year...it's not looking good. A co-worker found three eggs so far...one died, but two are now chrysalises. <br />
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Do what you can to help: plant milkweed.Ellen Rathbonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684750034177425795noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194066715822423007.post-75255039592202302142014-06-27T16:06:00.000-04:002014-06-27T16:06:14.604-04:00Last Day - Heading Back to MI<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After spending a couple days with my folks, I had to return to Michigan...I had camp interviews to conduct on Monday. So Saturday morning I loaded up the car and was westward-bound. I picked up the Thruway north of Oneida, and as I reached the Finger Lakes Region I saw the signs for Seneca Falls and the Women's Rights National Historical Park. </div>
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For years I've been saying to myself "I want to go there some day," thinking I'd be living the rest of my life in New York and the opportunity would always be there. Never count on "some day" - unless you make "some day" today, it will never happen.</div>
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So, spur of the moment I slowed down and took the exit for Seneca Falls.</div>
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It's not a large national park...although it has several sections. In downtown Seneca Falls is the headquarters of this national park, with a small museum, a couple little parks, and the Wesleyan Chapel.<br />
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It was here, at the chapel, On July 9, 1848, where the first Convention occurred and speeches were made for women's rights. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, at the time relatively unknown, read the newly drafted Declaration of Sentiments, based on the Declaration of Independence. This document declared that all men and women had equal rights.<br />
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Inside the museum, one is immediately struck by the life-size bronze statues that grace the lobby.<br />
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Many (if not all) of the figures are real historical people who were involved in the Suffrage Movement, including Frederick Douglas.<br />
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Between the museum and the chapel is a little grassy park with a wall running along one side. This wall is a water feature, with water sheeting from the top and down the face, upon which is inscribed the Declaration of Sentiments and the names of all the people who signed that historic document. <br />
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I sat in on the talk the park ranger gave at the chapel, which was interesting. From there the ranger was driving to the Stanton home, and then one of the other homes outside of town that make up part of this spread-out park, but I needed to be on my way.</div>
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I did pick up a little treat for myself, though. This is Buddy the Bison - a clever gimmick the National Park Service has put out to get kids interested in going out and visiting our Parks. It's kinds of like Flat Stanley: you take Buddy to various locations (presumably National Parks) and take his picture to show where he has been. I love the idea, so I had to get my own Buddy. And here he is, at his first tourist destination: the Women's Rights National Historic Park in Seneca Falls, NY.</div>
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Watch for the further adventures of Buddy and Ellen!<br />
<br />Ellen Rathbonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684750034177425795noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194066715822423007.post-76606673614605463132014-06-27T15:40:00.002-04:002014-07-02T14:12:17.167-04:00Day Eight - Visiting with Jackie and Sue<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Wednesday morning, I packed, chatted with Paige for a bit, and then headed south towards Saratoga, where I met up with my dear friend and botany pal, Jackie. Jackie was generously putting me up for the night, and we had hoped to spend at least part of the day botanizing. The weather, however, had other plans.</div>
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In a light rain we headed for Skidmore and the preserve that houses some beautiful and even rare wildflowers.</div>
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Due to the rain, and the shifting seasons, there wasn't too much to oggle while we were there. We had one plant of whorled loosestrife, <br />
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and the patch of orange-fruited gentians that had been in bloom the day before, were now flowerless.<br />
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This little red eft, however, was quite content in the rain. <br />
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We found a wonderful patch of squawroot - must've been at least 20, with more just waiting to burst from the soil! <br />
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I've only seen squawroot (Conopholis americana) once or twice before, so this was a pretty cool find, especially in this quantity. Also called bear corn or American cancer-root, this member of the Broomrape family, like the other members (beech drops and one-flowered cancer-root) is parasitic and cannot make its own chlorophyll. It is parasitic primarily on oaks (preferring red oaks, apparently), although will also parasitize beeches.<br />
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When it emerges from the ground (it being the inflorescence...the flowering bit), it is covered with brown scales which perhaps protect it as it pushes up through the forest floor debris. Then the white flowers open. As each is pollinated (by bees or flies, from the bottom of the inflorescence to the top), the fertilized flowers turn brown and wither. Each is replaced by a white, ball-like capsule that contains the seeds. When the seeds drop, they work their way into the soil in search of a host tree root, to which they attach and hang on for dear life.<br />
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Pretty amazing plants. <br />
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The star of the day, for me, was a new life-list plant: four-leaved milkweed. Only one was still in bloom, although Jackie said there were more the day before. <br />
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As I've said, for me this is the Year of the Milkweed. I tried it last year without much success. I may have some better luck this year, and certainly I had luck by being able to see this species. It's not one of the milkweeds listed for Michigan (it is an Eastern US and Canadian plant). My friend Jackie says this is the only place she's ever seen it, even though the NY Floral Association lists it as "demonstrably secure" throughout much of New York. I grew up in central NY and spent ten plus years in the Adirondacks...I'd never seen it until now. <br />
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We got to see the fun fruit of large-flowered bellwort. <br />
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And, of course, green violet. This is the only place I've seen this flower, but according to range maps, it should be here in Michigan as well. <br />
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Now, I know what you're thinking - it doesn't look anything like a violet, and you would be right...sorta. There are violets, and there are true violets.<br />
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Violets are a family of about 800 species worldwide, most of which are in South America. Violets all have the following in common: one petal that is larger than the rest; a spur on the back of the flower (on the back of the largest petal); and narrow sepals.<br />
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True violets, the ones you and I think of when we think "violet" are those found only in the genus <i>Viola</i>. The green violet is in the genus <i>Hybanthus</i>, of which there are about 150 species, most of which are tropical. In North America there are four species: one (the green violet) in the eastern part of North America, two in the Southwest, and one in Florida.<br />
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The green violet is known to botanists as <i>Hybanthus concolor</i>. <i>Hybanthus </i>is from the Greek root word <i>hybos</i>, which means hunch-backed, presumably because the spurs make the flower look humped or lop-sided...if you look really closely. <i>Concolor </i>means one color, and no doubt this refers to the fact that the whole plant (stems, leaves, flowers) are all the same color: green.<br />
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We found some seed pods already developing on some of the plants. Jackie opened one so I could see the little pearl-like seeds inside. Pity they weren't ripe...I'd have loved to have brought some home to plant.<br />
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By now the rain was coming down pretty steadily, and my efforts to keep my camera dry with my arms would not be effective for much longer. So, we returned to Jackie's house for lunch and then headed out again.<br />
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Jackie took me on a scenic drive towards Glens Falls (I wanted to stop at my favorite tea shop and stock up on African Outback - the only tea I drink, and I only drink it when I'm sick). We stopped to see this very large, old sugar maple. <br />
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Someone ("The Lorax") has affixed this label to the tree, claiming it is surely the largest sugar maple in New York. <br />
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We were amused to see a bush honeysuckle growing out of the tree! <br />
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After picking up my tea and stopping for a snack in downtown Glens Falls, we met up with another one of Jackie's hiking pals: Sue. I remember Sue as the turtle lady - able to pick out (and thus survey) turtles in the water at 100 paces!<br />
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We drove to a place they called the Five Combines, which is along th Feeder Canal Heritage Trail in Hudson Falls. This is one of their botany and birding spots. <br />
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Located next to a covered landfill, this area was once important to getting water (and boats) into the canal.<br />
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If you enlarge the photo below, you can read about the five combines (locks 6-10), which were originally made of wood. Each one raised (or lowered) boats about 11 feet, taking about 15 minutes to do so. <br />
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Even on this drippy, grey evening, the locks, which are only about 15 feet wide, are very picturesque.<br />
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Jackie and Sue consulting. <br />
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I added another new plant to my life list: tower mustard, identified by the way the seed pods lay flat against the stem, almost like scales. <br />
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In 1845 the wooden locks were replaced with "hammer-dressed limestone," which for the most part have held up well, but down here at lock 2 Nature seems to be winning the battle. <br />
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We saw lots of evidence that turtles had been out laying eggs...and something else had come along and had a feast. <br />
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At the end of the locks, the water pooled in a small pond, which was home to many wetland critters. <br />
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When we walked back to the parking lot, we decided it was time for dinner, so we stopped at a Mexican restaurant for some quick food. Then we had to drop Sue back off at home.<br />
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Jackie wrapped up the evening for me with a grand tour to Fort Edwards to see the house where Solomon Northup had lived for three years, about ten years before his capture and being sold into salvery. If you aren't familiar with the story, which I read as a child because my great-grandparents had the book (which I now have...a first edition), look up Solomon Northup, Twelve Years a Slave. The movie was out last year. <br />
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The house was originally the Patt Smyth House, during the time of the American Revolution. <br />
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We drove back to Jackie's house and soon called it a night. The next day I drove westward to visit the Herkimer Diamond Mines before heading to my parents' house. I did some digging in the mines, in the steady, and sometimes pouring rain. Needless to say, I didn't get photos (except with my phone camera).<br />
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I also didn't find much for my efforts. The mine isn't what it was in 1988 when I visited during my first internship as a naturalist with Beaver Lake Nature Center (Baldwinsville, NY).Ellen Rathbonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684750034177425795noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194066715822423007.post-18266497479025104892014-06-27T12:56:00.003-04:002014-06-27T12:56:41.219-04:00Day Seven - Departure and on my ownThe last day of our Adirondack Adventure was the day we all packed up and left. I, however, had plans to stay a little longer and visit old haunts and friends. <br />
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First stop was the mechanic's in Long Lake - see if I could get the mysterious noise my car was making diagnosed. No luck.<br />
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From there I spent the rest of the morning catching up with my good friend Dona Hall in Long Lake. Dona had done in her back, so I helped her set up a bed downstairs and we had a nice long chat. Afterwards I swung by the Long Lake Library to see the quilt exhibit, which featured several of Dona's pieces.<br />
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From there I drove to Newcomb, stopping first at the Ecological Center to visit with Charlotte. Also chatted briefly with Stacy and Bruce. Good to see familiar faces!<br />
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Next was the Miga residence, where I got to catch up with Wes and Lorraine. Got to hear a lot of what was going on locally in politics (good luck, Wes) and at the visitor center.<br />
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It was getting late in the afternoon by the time I stopped in to see Edna, one of my dear "old ladies." We had a terrific long chat about the black flies and Bti, as well as other things. Edna has been (and remains) one of my favorite people - she can always make me laugh!<br />
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Stopped by to visit with Connie, but she was out a the village board meeting. I had hoped the quilters might be meeting, and I could cross a whole bunch of people off my list at once, but no dice.<br />
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I next drove to Winebrook, carefully avoiding my old home. Stopped to see if Monica was in, but she was not. However, Lorinda, from across the street, saw me and invited me in at her house to see all the wonderful renovations she's done. How wonderful it must be to have a creative/artistic streak!<br />
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I ended up back at Charlotte & Paige's house, where I was generously offered a room for the night. We sat on the back porch and chatted until it was good and dark. Charlotte had to be up to count birds at 4:30, so we called it a night.Ellen Rathbonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684750034177425795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194066715822423007.post-12263462650150734942014-06-26T14:12:00.003-04:002014-06-27T16:23:49.677-04:00Day Six - Adirondack Musuem, Bloomingdale Bog (again)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Monday morning we were expecting rain. The rain never materialized, but the humidity was high. Because we had flip-flopped a couple days, today was going to be a museum day, starting at the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mt. Lake and visiting the Wild Center in the afternoon. Plans change.</div>
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Our morning started with a wonderful sighting of a pair of luna moths on the side of the motel. For some of our group, these were life list insects. We watched the pair mating for quite some time, and finally we had to be on our way. The next morning all we found were two wings in the grass. Hopefully the female was able to lay some eggs somewhere. </div>
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Because the Blue Ridge Falls had been such a hit the day before, I decided to swing by Buttermilk Falls in Long Lake on our way to the museum. Water levels were a bit low, so the rush over the rocks was not as impressive as it could be. <br />
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Gary and Paul pose next to the river just above the falls. <br />
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The Adirondack Museum is known internationally, and for some folks requires a full three days to visit. We, however, only had about three hours to spend here. <br />
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Of course, I had to have the group sit in the big chair. <br />
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I think every time I visit I take a photo of Gordon the Guide - it's just such a great sculpture! <br />
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One of our group was very excited about the first boat he saw. As soon as I saw the name on the motor, he said, I knew what it was! <br />
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This motor was made in Jackson, MI - where we had all come from just a week before! <br />
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I confess I left the group to wander on their own - see what they wanted to see - while I checked out some of my favorites. <br />
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Glaucous honeysuckle - a stunning native plant, and one of my favorites, which I now know thanks to my friend Jackie introducing it to me about five years ago. <br />
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View of Blue Mt. Lake from the cafe. Probably one of the most photographed views in the Park. <br />
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After we left the museum, there were decisions to be made. By now the day had cleared - it wasn't going to rain. Did we want to try Bloomingdale Bog again for the boreal chickadee, or go to the Wild Center? Six of our group chose the natural history museum, while the rest of us headed back to the bog.<br />
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Again, lots and lots of cotton grass in bloom! <br />
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The group that came out here on Saturday got some amazing photographs of the gray jays feeding from people's hands. I sooooo wanted to do this. Gary had some really high-end trail mix which he put out on the feeding station some people have put along the trail. And we waited. And waited and waited and waited. It was about 2:00 in the afternoon...down time for birds. Nothing was happening. After we walked back down the trail, a crow finally flew in a grabbed a nut - that was as exciting as it got. <br />
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I did see some lovely dragonflies though, like this painted skimmer, <br />
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and this harpoon clubtail (thanks to Don Henise for ID help).<br />
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Now, if you very closely just slightly left of center in this photograph, you will see a small splash of yellow-orange. That is the crown of a golden-crowned kinglet. It was flitting around in the trees above us, back and forth across the trail, agitated by the call one of our group was playing of a kinglet. This bird thought his territory had been invaded. <br />
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We left the trail and drove through Bloomindale to another road that crossed the trail a bit to the north - more wooded. Here was where the boreal chickadee could "always" be found. So far our seeker was 0 for 2. This was his third and final try to find the bird. <br />
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We played the boreal chickadee's call; we played a recording of chickadees mobbing a screech owl. We listened, we looked. We thought we heard a boreal, but never saw it. <br />
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We drove further up the road...there was rumor of a black-backed woodpecker. The road was VERY challenging (as hard as it is to believe, it was worse than the one into Spring Pond Bog), but we found the log that supposedly pointed to the bird's nest, and sure enough, we found not only the hole, but the female was at home and two or three times poked her head out to see what all the fuss was about. You can just make her out at the center of this photo. <br />
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On our way back out we tried once more for the boreal chickadee...for Paul. <br />
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All we got was a few black-capped chickadees, which were doing their best to sound like boreals. <br />
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We had to admit defeat.<br />
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On the way back to Tupper Lake, we stopped at the newly
reopened Casa del Sol in Saranac Lake for dinner - another item checked off my Bucket
List. In 1983 I worked at a camp in Lake Placid for the summer and the
staff (sans yours truly - I wasn't in the In Crowd) often ate here on
their days off. I heard about it, but never went. Before leaving NY in
2010, I stopped by to try it, and it was closed. But this spring I
read in Adirondack Life Magazine that it was reopening, and we were
there the week they opened! I hope they can make a go of it.Ellen Rathbonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684750034177425795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194066715822423007.post-91237463911123256462014-06-26T13:13:00.001-04:002014-06-26T14:11:57.736-04:00Day Five - The Long Drive<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It dawned yet another beautiful morning. </div>
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Today we were bound for The Long Drive - over 200 miles from Tupper Lake to Tahawus, Fort Ticonderoga, up along Lake Champlain, through Elizabethtown, and back to Tupper.<br />
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Our first stop was The Blast Furnace up at Tahawus. The last time I was here it was just the furnace sitting on the side of the road with the remains of the wheelhouse behind. Wow! What a difference now! Not only is there a parking area, there are railings, interpretive signs, and a trail! <br />
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I keep forgetting just how big the furnace is. It is impressive. <br />
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Like clowns in a car, or students in a phone booth, we wanted to see how many people we could get inside. <br />
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In the end only three opted to give it a go; way to go Libby, Pam and Jean!!!<br />
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And what is inside? Only the coolest view up the chimney! <br />
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OH, so what is the blast furnace and why does it now have all sorts of interpretive stuff? See my previous blog <a href="http://adknaturalist.blogspot.com/2009/08/tour-of-tahawus.html">here</a>. <br />
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Meanwhile, there's this other structure one can see from the road that goes up to Tahawus. I've driven by it many times and often wondered what it was. So, last week I sent an email back to Newcomb to ask a friend - what is this? Turns out this was the site of a saw mill, once upon a time, known as Ward's Mill, and this structure was "the incinerator used to burn excess/slag pieces of lumber from the saw mill." Another mystery solved - thank you Charlotte and Paige!<br />
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After we left Tahawus, we stopped at the Adirondack Buffalo Farm for baked goods and to look at the bison - and there were babies!<br />
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I'd forgotten about the waterfalls until we were on the road. Of course! Stop at the waterfalls - it is so seldom one encounters a waterfall of such beauty and ease to access! So, we pulled over at the Blue Ridge Falls.<br />
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It took little encouraging to convince the group to walk down the trail to the water. <br />
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I love this little pothole, made by the small rocks swirling around as the water rushes by. <br />
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Then we were off to Fort Ticonderoga. <br />
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Quite a number of our group was keen on early American history, so this stop was a must. It was early in the season, so there weren't a lot of costumed interpreters on hand - basically three. <br />
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I was fascinated by the handles on the canons. Each one was different, but I won't bore you with every shot I took! You won't see such beauty and cleverness put into weapons today, that's for sure.<br />
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The staff had the hearth going. This was new since the last time I was here, and kind of neat! <br />
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The day was getting very warm and humid; the coolest place was in this tunnel, which was funneling a lovely cool breeze! <br />
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The three staff put on a musket demonstration for the crowd. <br />
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There's so much history at this location. it was already a major "military" site by 1609, when Champlain and his Algonquin allies fought the Iroquois here. Then there was the French and Indian Wars in the mid-1700s, when Fort Carillon was built (and later renamed Ft. Ticonderoga), and finally the Revolutionary War, nearly 20 years later. <br />
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Just down the hill from the Fort is (are?) the King's Gardens. When we got there, the first thing we saw was this osprey nest and the parent birds flying around. <br />
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A vegetable garden targeting children is located outside the wall of the King's Gardens. <br />
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Complete with itty bitty kid-sized Adirondack chairs! <br />
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I've decided that I am quite taken by columbines. I may have to start a collection. <br />
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The Gardens also had some amazing irises. <br />
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The house at the Gardens is not in good condition. Hopefully they will find the funding to restore (or at least stabilize) it before it is too late. <br />
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A lot of care has gone into these gardens. I learned that contemporary garden design (of that time, not today) put blue and purple flowers by the house because they are cool colors, and the reds, oranges and yellows further away because they are hot colors - apparently this helped give people a feeling of being cooler when at the house. Hm. <br />
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It was mid- to late afternoon by the time we left the garden. When we got to Port Henry, we stopped at Stewart's for ice cream - I've been waiting for that moment for three-and-a-half years! Yum!!! And it was a perfect hot day for ice cream. <br />
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Our drive took us up through Elizabethtown, and then down the long hill back to 73, and on to Lake Placid, Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake. <br />
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Ellen Rathbonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684750034177425795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194066715822423007.post-30482444370146269832014-06-26T11:55:00.000-04:002014-06-27T16:23:11.430-04:00Day Four - The Great Adirondack Birding Celebration<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It was difficult to sleep in in the mornings. There was the excitement of the day ahead, but also sunrise came at a "normal" time - it was fully light by 5:00 AM. It's one of the things I miss in Michigan. So, several mornings I found myself up and out by the lake, watching the fog lift and the day begin.</div>
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Today was the big birding day for our group - we were headed for the morning bird trips at the Great Adirondack Birding Celebration based at the Paul Smiths VIC (it still goes by that name). Some of our group went to Bloomingdale Bog to get boreal birds: black-backed woodpecker, gray jays, boreal chicakdees. Two of our group went to Henry's Woods only to discover, unbeknownst to us, the trip there had been cancelled; they gallantly went on their own! <br />
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The rest of us were headed for Wilmington and Whiteface Mountain in search of the rare Bicknell's thrush.<br />
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It was a glorious morning, and at 5:30 there was little to no traffic. We were able to stop and take photos of the Ausable River without worrying about getting run over by cars or cyclists (it was an entirely different story by noon).<br />
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We gathered with other Bicknell's hopefuls at the base of Whiteface, where we met up with our trip leaders, John and Pat Thaxton. I know the Thaxtons from my time on the board of High Peaks Audubon. Good people - they know their birds! <br />
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While we waited for everyone to arrive, put on bug repellent and work out carpooling arrangements, I was taking in the architecture and neat weather vane at the gate house. To drive up Whiteface (the Veterans' Memorial Drive), one must pay a toll. After driving it, I feel they should've paid us - the road is in terrible condition and is, fortunately, being reworked this summer. <br />
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So, here we are at our first stop. Those black smears are IFOs - Identified Flying Objects, identified as black flies. Yes - this was the worst place for black flies this whole trip. <br />
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According to the bird experts, Bicknell's thrushes like these rocky slides - openings that cut through the forest. And sure enough, we did see and hear our first BT here. <br />
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Yes - those are all black flies on his back. And this just proves that they are drawn to blue. Word to the wise: don't wear blue. <br />
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Our next stop was next to some lovely rock walls, </div>
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with some fantastic views. That's Lake Plaice, the actual Lake, not the village, which isn't located on Lake Placid. <br />
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Our third stop along the Memorial Highway was another old slide. And sure enough, we saw the Bicknell's again...more than once (or maybe it was more than one bird). <br />
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And there it is: <br />
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At that stop we also had a yellow-bellied flycatcher and a Swainson's thrush. My photos of both are not good enough to publish, though.<br />
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Next stop we were above the trees. Here's the view out toward Vermont. Lake Champlain is out there, but hard to discern in the haze. <br />
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A winter wren serenaded us from the top of this fir. This is rather unusual behavior for this bird, but we were to discover some more unusual bird behavior, <br />
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like this boreal chickadee, which normally just doesn't come this far up the mountains. But on a whim someone played the boreal's call and bingo - out popped this fella. Poor photo, but I just don't have a good long lens for taking distance bird shots.<br />
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The views were amazing, despite the haze. Here you can see part of the Memorial Highway below us. <br />
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The Castle is the famous lodge at the top of the mountain. As you can see, renovation work is underway on the road. Most of the group stayed at this level, where they caught another sighting of a Bicknell's thrush.<br />
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A couple others and I opted to climb at least partway up toward the weather station at the summit. We didn't have time for us to go all the way up, and while part of me wishes I had, I am glad that I got to at least get this far up Whiteface - I never visited while I lived here. <br />
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After a brake-burning trip back down the mountain, we headed to the Paul Smiths VIC for the catered lunch that was part of the GABC. Then we had a whole afternoon ahead of us to play with. The group that had gone to Bloomingdale Bog did not get to see a boreal chickadee, and that was on the Bucket List of one of our participants, so several of them and some of the Whiteface group headed back to the bog to try again.</div>
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The rest of us stayed at the VIC and walked the Boreal Life Trail. </div>
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A few painted trillium were still in bloom, <br />
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and we saw some lovely clusters of yellow clintonia. <br />
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Pink lady's slipper abounded, both in bud, <br />
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and full bloom. <br />
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I was very excited to see this lovely pile of coyote scat - it was like meeting an old friend! Coyote scat was as common as fleas on a dog when I lived in Newcomb; now I never see it. I can't say the rest of our group was excited about this find as I was. <br />
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We climbed the observation tower at Barnum Pond, where we also got to chat with the Thaxtons again, catching up on the news since I've been gone.<br />
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This trail is noted for the 1/4-mile boardwalk through the bog, which enables visitors to really get out into this special wetland and experience it. <br />
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Again, I was hoping we might see some of the orchids, like white-fringed, but we were still too early for them. We got to see some of the plants we'd already seen at Spring Pond Bog, like cotton grass, <br />
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and pale laurel. <br />
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One different flower was there: buckbean. Isn't it just delightful with all those long fuzzy hairs? They must serve a purpose, but I don't know what.<br />
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<span style="color: #0000ee;">By the time</span> we reached the end of the trail, the group was pretty well ready for a rest, so we got back in our vehicles and headed back to Tupper Lake. It had been a good day.</div>
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Friday morning dawned chilly and foggy. Our original plan had been to visit the various Olympic venues, but the group seemed a bit lukewarm about that, so I had contacted The Nature Conservancy about getting permission to go into their property at Spring Pond Bog instead, which is the second largest bog in New York State. The bog proper is over 500 acres in size, while the preserve is over 4200 acres. The group expressed interest in visiting this site, so after breakfast we were on our way.</div>
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The drive to the bog wasn't long, distance-wise, but time-wise was another matter. The road became more and more unimproved as we went along, resulting in our creeping along at speeds barely registerable on the speedometer.</div>
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Partway in, we stopped at a pair of fog-shrouded ponds to listen for birds (and for me, to photograph spider webs).</div>
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We got a few warblers, but everyone was thrilled to watch a pair of loons swimming in the mists. <br />
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When we finally reached the parking area, everyone took some time to put on insect repellent and protective clothing. <br />
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Once prepared, we headed in to the Bog. <br />
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The woods were dark and damp, as the trail climbed steadily up the esker that runs alongside the bog. <br />
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Before too long, there was a fork in the trail - to the left was the boardwalk that would take us out into the bog. <br />
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Again, it was a bit early for many of the open area plants to be in bloom, so no orchids. We did see lots of cotton grass, <br />
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and Labrador tea, however. <br />
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The boardwalk is not long, but it does bring visitors out to the only place here where they can get close to the peatlands. <br />
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As one might expect, the usual cast of characters included some beautiful pitcher plants. We even saw one with a flower bud, although we were too early for it to be in bloom. <br />
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Pale laurel was in bloom, which lent a nice splash of color to the landscape. <br />
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This plant was new for me. I puzzled and puzzled over it, having no luck keying it out in Newcomb's. I sent copies of the photos to my friend Jackie, who immediately wrote back that it was three-leaved Solomon's seal. Never heard of it. Went back to Newcomb's and there it was...with the other Solomon's seals. I have no idea why I was unable to key it out. <br />
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The boardwalk spur trail connected back to the trail that was running across the top of the esker. The morning's heavy fog/dew (and the previous night's rain) left some lovely drops that just begged to be photographed. <br />
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Bunchberry was starting to blossom, so we had the opportunity to see several of these ground-dwelling dogwoods. The white portions are not the actual petals. The flowers from the center cluster nestled inside the white bracts. They are very small, and each has a hair that when brushed by a fly or other visiting insect triggers the release of pollen in a small explosion. <br />
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The literature for Spring Pond Bog states that visitors can view the bog's expanse from the top of the esker. Well, it's really a very "filtered" view through the trees, which does not leave one with a sense of just how vast this wetland is. I confess I followed a small herd path down the side of the slope to the wood's edge so I could get a view beyond the trees. All the white you see out there is cotton grass - its quantity was impressive. <br />
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Three cheers for the sporting nature of our group. While most of the trail was pretty easy to traverse, there was this one awkward log across the path. Some of us had to sit on it and swing our legs over, but the gentleman you see on top is 89 years young and look at him just walk right over it! <br />
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Every pink lady's slipper we encountered during our Adirondack adventure had its photo taken. <br />
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Here is a view of some of the road we had to navigate. Some of the rocks in there were 8-10" across! Makes one wonder what this section looked like before they filled it in. Other areas had virtual canyons where "significant precipitation events" had eroded channels right where tires would normally roll...made for some fancy driving by our brave chauffeurs.<br />
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By the time we got back into Tupper Lake, it was noonish - time for lunch. We stopped at Larkin's Deli/Bakery/Gas station (a Diesel Bakery, according to the sign below) to try their famous sandwiches. It's a busy place, and there were 13 of us, plus other customers. When everyeonfinally got fed, all expressed satisfaction in the fare. <br />
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Then we were off to Lake Placid to visit John Brown's Farm. John Brown was the abolitionist who was famous for his failed raid on Harper's Ferry. He was hanged for this and within a week his body was shipped back to North Elba where it was interred here at the farm. Two of his sons, who also participated in the raid, are buried here as well. <br />
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It's a very peaceful place, this farm. John's wife and children did not remain here long after John's death - she took the family out to California, where one can imagine it was much warmer and the growing conditions superior to what they were here in the High Peaks of the Adirondacks. </div>
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If you take the tour of the house, you will see a few pieces of the original Brown furniture, but most of the furnishings are pieces from the period that were purchased (or donated) to lend a feel of authenticity to the home. <br />
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We were all quite taken by this left-handed grain shovel. The handle has just a slight turn to it that makes this shovel comfortable to use only left-handed. Ingenious. <br />
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On our way back to Tupper Lake, we stopped at the Lake Placid Pub and Brewery to pick up a couple growlers. Several of the women in my car pool have a thing for visiting old cemeteries, and each one we passed received a "oh...can we stop there?!?" So, as we cruised back through Saranac Lake we hit the Pine Grove Cemetery to visit the graves of the Norwegians seafarers who are buried there. <br />
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When Hitler invaded Norway, those who were out to sea sought refuge where they could. Some came to the US, and those who were diagnosed with TB were sent up to Saranac Lake to take the cure. Of these, 15 did not survive, and they are buried here, where, to this day, they are lovingly cared for by the people of this community.<br />
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After dinner, we went to The Wild Center for an astronomy program and star gazing with the Adirondack Public Observatory, which officially opens in July. The program turned out to be less about astronomy than geology ("Pregnant Rocks and Mystic Crystals), but it was interesting. Clouds had moved in, so the APO staff said that we were still welcome to come out to the observatory, but they weren't expecting clear skies until about 2:00 AM. Our group opted to return to the motel. As it turns out, the clouds cleared by 9:30 and we could've had some good star gazing after all. Live and learn.Ellen Rathbonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684750034177425795noreply@blogger.com0