Sunday, November 15, 2009

Something New


A foggy Friday morning. Binoculars cleverly harnessed. Camera slung shoulder side. Pen and waterproof notepad in hand.

Lengthening my inhalations and exhalations, I gaze out onto a small pond. The tall marshy green and brown reeds contrast with the dark unbroken surface of the water. The stillness is mesmerizing. Just how I like it.

Softly walking, I listen. Lured by sounds, I push further, into undergrowth. A dainty deer trail emerges and I find myself next to a body of water I've never noticed before. Surrounded on all sides by dense foliage, I feel a sense of complete isolation. Bird sounds are all around me now; I firmly grasp my binoculars as I whip my head around trying to see them all. Then I gasp. A black-crowned night heron -- a lifer!

Species List
Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Black-crowned Night Heron*
Black Vulture
Accipiter sp.
American Coot
Killdeer
Least Sandpiper
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
American Crow
Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
European Starling
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Common Grackle
House Finch
House Sparrow
Posted by Moria at 5:45 AM 2 comments

Friday, November 6, 2009

Dew

Glittering across the landscape,
like 10,000 tiny fallen stars.
Clinging, clinging, clinging.
Like time and life, evaporating.

Dew drenched web



Posted by Moria at 9:54 AM 5 comments

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

A feeling.


Red-bellied woodpecker perched.

Red-bellied woodpecker fleeing.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I did yoga twice yesterday. I haven't had to do that in a while. I know when I need to. Something inside me commands it. And I listen.

As I write this I hear soothing acoustic guitar chords floating up from a nearby patio. This is the first time I've heard this here. I enjoy it. I'm doing yoga to the sound of the music now. And somehow this feeling is identical to being sheathed in nature, enveloped in trees and grass, covered by water.
Posted by Moria at 7:17 PM 0 comments

Monday, November 2, 2009

Rich

"A man is rich in proportion to the number of things
which he can afford to let alone."
~ Henry David Thoreau

Isn't it interesting how nature takes only what it needs, and nothing more.
It doesn't resist. It flows effortlessly.
I respect that.

Posted by Moria at 8:47 PM 0 comments

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Little Blue Heron



Friday morning found me making another trip to Hornsby Bend. This time I spent about 4 wonderful hours looking for birds and wildlife. It was a gorgeous morning and I ended up with a nice list of species, including some lifers*!

Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Ruddy Duck
Pied-billed Grebe
Double-breasted Cormorant
Great Egret
Little Blue Heron
Cattle Egret
Turkey Vulture
Accipiter sp.
Red-tailed Hawk
American Coot
Killdeer
American Avocet
Least Sandpiper
Rock Pigeon
Morning Dove
Northern Flicker*
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Easter Phoebe
Blue Jay
Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet*
Eastern Bluebird
European Starling
Orange-crowned Warbler*
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Great-tailed Grackle
House Finch
House Sparrow
Posted by Moria at 4:06 PM 2 comments

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Birds and Spiders

Spent a little time yesterday evening enjoying the birds and spiders at Hornsby Bend....




Birds Seen or Heard:

Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Ruddy Duck
Pied-Billed Grebe
Eared Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Cattle Egret
White-faced Ibis
Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Crested Caracara
American Coot
Killdeer
American Avocet
Spotted Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Carolina Chickadee
European Starling
Northern Cardinal
Great-tailed Grackle


Posted by Moria at 8:47 AM 3 comments

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Changes

Brushy Creek Lake Park is more ordinary these days. The flood gauge shows a drop of 10 feet from 6 days ago. Unfortunately, the likelihood of prehistoric crocodiles emerging from the bloated waters has declined as well.

Double-crested Cormorants have replaced Great Egrets as the most prevalent bird on the water. The large flocks of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers seem to have moved on. Beautyberries are bursting with purple fruits. Cool southeast winds pull brown leaves from trees. Far away planets hurdle elliptically through space.

Posted by Moria at 12:00 PM 3 comments
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