Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Blackpoll forest and Dewdrops…

It was supposed to be another good migration day in our area according to Tom Auer’s blog.

Jeff and I set out early for Bluff Point to see what migrants may have come thru.

We stopped at the first pull off as we did the week before when we experienced an amazing morning of warbler filled trees.
This time we did not see warblers decorating the trees…we did see and hear a forest full of Blackpoll Warblers.

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It was a foggy morning..and spider webs were highlighted with dew..

Bluff Point_007There were many cap like web structures..

Bluff Point_013With these spiders inside..

Does anyone know what type of spider this is?

Bluff Point_010I love what foggy mornings bring..

Dew..

and drops..

Bluff Point_016We followed the path to the inlet..

So foggy I could barely see the opposite shore..

Bluff Point_018Jeff was chilly and ran back the quarter mile to the car to grab his sweatshirt..

In the meantime I walked a small path that the fisherman take ..

Bluff Point_019Water on either side..

And fog..

Bluff Point_021A great combination..

for

Dew Drops..

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Dewdrop

by nexusnovel

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Honey’d with clear, golden and lavender,

Spring’s blossom bringing forth new beginning,

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Dawn awakens and glistens

In luminous flux; Oh artist of birth

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Your Universal light of incandescent glow

Dances within my body, mind

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Heart and Soul; Oh auspicious dewdrop,

Like a pendant of crystal chandelier,

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Shaped like a tiny pear…

I see you at play upon flowers of spring,

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I behold you everywhere, even in morning’s

Drop of dew

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Oh artist Divine, absolute in purity and Perfection

Behold me in your infinitely vast

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Creation

Hear my heart’s deepest desire,

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And answer me with your

Song of Love

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I turned and followed the path back to the parking lot..

Bluff Point_065Stopping for more Dew filled delights..

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      Dewdrops
  John Clare [More
Titles by Clare]

The dewdrops on every blade of grass are so much like silver drops that I am obliged to stoop down as I walk to see if they are pearls, and those sprinkled on the ivy-woven beds of primroses underneath the hazels, whitethorns and maples are so like gold beads that I stooped down to feel if they were hard, but they melted from my finger.

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And where the dew lies on the primrose, the violet and whitethorn leaves they are emerald and beryl, yet nothing more than the dews of the morning on the budding leaves; nay, the road grasses are covered with gold and silver beads, and the further we go the brighter they seem to shine, like solid gold and silver.

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It is nothing more than the sun's light and shade upon them in the dewy morning; every thorn-point and every bramble-spear has its trembling ornament: till the wind gets a little brisker, and then all is shaken off, and all the shining jewelry passes away into a common spring morning full of budding leaves, primroses, violets, vernal speedwell, bluebell and orchis, and commonplace objects.

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A beautiful Gem filled morning.

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Saturday, May 18, 2013

Here we are…..

Here we are…

Parked in Mom and Dads driveway for a few weeks..

We will be back and forth between family in MA and here in CT most of the summer.

That’s Dad taking down the flag for the evening..

Ct_003Our little side yard..

View from doorway of Homey..

Ct_001My brother-in-law made the planter box for me last year.

I have started to plant it up for the summer.

My little Balliecat is *planted* under the Angel statue.

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View out of our living room window onto our patio..

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Our dining window looks out into a Rhododendron.

A Gray Catbird has claimed this space….and guards what looks like an old nest.

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While the Catbird is away a Baltimore Oriole comes in to steal some nesting material..

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The Catbird didn’t appreciate this very much..

So..here we are settled in for a bit.

A few days ago I read Tom Auer’s Migration forecast for the area.

I know when you hit it just right Bluff Point State Park can be a great place for migrants..

We arrived around 6:30am

bluff_004A beautiful start to the morning..

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We parked our car at the first pull off after going under the train tracks..

Walked up into an open area near the gated area for the trains..

We hit the jackpot..

Warblers everywhere!

We didn’t know where to look first.

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We birded the area for six hours!

First doing the short walk near the first pull off..

Then the three mile loop.

Most variety of warblers was at the first pull off.

It was amazing!

Ovenbird

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Most birds were up high in the canopy and my little point and shoot camera couldn’t reach them..

Black and White Warbler butt

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We saw a Baltimore Oriole making its nest..

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Black-throated Blue Warbler

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It was a most wonderful time! It really pays to watch migration radar!

We went birding the same spots the following day and it was very different.. A few migrants left..most had moved on.

May 16

Bluff Point SP
Traveling
4 miles
360 Minutes
Observers: 2
All birds reported? Yes
Comments: 
Submitted from BirdLog NA for iOS, version 1.5.3
  Canada Goose
  Great Blue Heron
  Great Egret
  Willet
  Laughing Gull
  Herring Gull
  Rock Pigeon
  Mourning Dove
  Ruby-throated Hummingbird
  Red-bellied Woodpecker
  Downy Woodpecker
  Eastern Wood-Pewee
  Eastern Phoebe
  Great Crested Flycatcher
  White-eyed Vireo
  Blue-headed Vireo
  Red-eyed Vireo
  Blue Jay
   American Crow
  Tree Swallow
  Barn Swallow
  Black-capped Chickadee
  Tufted Titmouse
  Carolina Wren
  House Wren
  Veery
  Swainson's Thrush
  Wood Thrush
  American Robin
  Gray Catbird
  Northern Mockingbird
  Brown Thrasher
  Blue-winged Warbler
  Tennessee Warbler
  Northern Parula
  Yellow Warbler
  Chestnut-sided Warbler
  Magnolia Warbler
  Black-throated Blue Warbler
  Black-throated Green Warbler
  Blackburnian Warbler
  Bay-breasted Warbler
  Blackpoll Warbler
  Black-and-white Warbler
  American Redstart
  Ovenbird
  Canada Warbler
  Eastern Towhee
  Song Sparrow
  White-crowned Sparrow
  Scarlet Tanager
  Northern Cardinal
  Red-winged Blackbird
  Brown-headed Cowbird
  Baltimore Oriole
  American Goldfinch
  House Sparrow

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Not without a hitch…

We left Cape May this morning..with a slight glitch.

Our tow hitch was damaged when Jeff tried to repair it.

We couldn’t hook the car to the Homey. We drove 130 separately to Camping World in hopes they would have the part we needed. They didn’t and were totally booked.

Jeff called Blue Ox, the dealer that made the tow hitch…luckily they found a tow hitch for us about ten miles away. We got lost and it was about 17 miles for us to find the service center.
We purchased the part..Jeff installed it and we are on our way again…

  Ha..things didn’t go without a hitch~but now that we have a hitch we are going! Delayed about five hours.

So..now, as I sit in the passenger seat as we drive to CT ~

I have few  water droplet photos to share.

All taken in Sicksta Adele's Garden.

Flower hanging by a spider thread..

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This will relax me after a bit of a stressful morning.

flowersbirds_159Liquid diamonds..

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flowersbirds_161Trees reflected in these droplets..

flowersbirds_138Spring brought buckets of rain to Sickstas garden..

flowersbirds_140She said this will be a banner year for her flowers..

flowersbirds_088She has never seen her garden as lush.

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Iris tongue lapping water droplet.

flowersbirds_095It will be a spring she will always remember.

flowersbirds_103It was also a much colder spring..

I will remember the spring because the bird migrants were over a week late..

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These macros are taken with my point and shoot camera.

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20

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Not bad for a little camera..

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I am sure I could get better detail with a DSLR

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I am just too lazy of a photographer to carry around a big camera..

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This works for me for now..

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Though I am very tempted to buy the point and shoot Canon with the 50x zoom..I would use it primarily for bird photography…Lillian Stokes and Stephen Ingraham have been taking some awesome photos with it!

The price is under 400..not bad, I just find it hard to justify when I have another Canon with a 20x zoom that I hardly use now that my small camera has the same 20x.

Anyway..still very tempting.

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I have a post or two from our birding trip to coastal Delaware and Cape May…Stay tuned!

Happy Gardening and Happy Birding to you all!