Day 19.192: Mystery heron (solved)

Well, it was a mystery when I first saw it on my way back to work after lunch.

Best I could do with my phone

I worked out it must be an immature great blue heron.

Day 19.191: Saturday morning birding (part 1)

Our nature group outing on Saturday morning had three elements. Two outdoor locations followed by brunch. Our first stop was at Dunstan Landing in Scarborough. A first visit to this spot for me. 

Great egret

Eastern phoebe

Saltmarsh sparrow

There were likely Nelson’s sparrows around too, but as far as i can tell, all the photos I got as these birds flew and disappeared into the marsh grasses were of saltmarsh sparrows 

Glossy ibis

Peekaboo northern yellow warbler

Double-crested cormorant

Song sparrow

Red-bellied woodpecker

Ruby-throated hummingbird 

The white pine by the tree parking area had some impressive new cones

Day 19.190: Exile #2’s Sunday Column #560

Exile #2 writes...

We have grown accustomed to sporting events being so much more than a sporting event. During our time in the country we have witnessed t-shirt cannons, and people dressed as hotdogs racing around a baseball diamond, we have seen fireworks rivaling any Guy Fawkes night, and people scrambling for a diamond engagement ring in front of home plate. We are now used to the commercials and spectacle of the Super Bowl, so it was a thing of delight to watch some BBC coverage of the World Cup Final half-time show and hear the gamut of responses - all the way from "I kind of liked it" to Wayne Rooney’s total and utter dismay.

The game itself could have been a little more entertaining, but at the end of the match, at least justice had prevailed. We had felt very ambivalent about the tournament when it began because, well, FIFA but once the football started it was hard not to be swept along because, well, football.

Day 19.189: Cemetery sights

Here’s some of what caught my eye on Thursday evening apart from the jumping fish:

Cooper’s hawk

Opposite angle

It’s mushroom season 

Chipping sparrow 

Young chipping sparrow

Two bald eagles in “the eagle tree”

Hairy woodpecker

Goldfinch catching the sunset rays

Day 19.188: Turkey update

The family of turkeys wandered through our backyard on Wednesday before I left for work. The young ones are getting bigger. 

Day 19.187: Jumping in the Saco River

Exile #2 and I went for a short walk at the cemetery this evening. Neither of us jumped in the river. One of the most surprising sights from our visit, however, were large fish leaping out of the river. I even managed to catch one with my camera:

Based on my quick bit of investigating, it seems likely it is a shortnose sturgeon but I am certainly no expert on fish identification. 

Day 19.186: Apocalyptic

The skies for the last two days have been looking rather foreboding thanks to wildfire smoke all the way from Minnesota and Alberta. 

This almost certainly had nothing to do with England’s loss in the World Cup semifinal today - but that was also not the end of the world. 

Day 19.185: Saturday morning birds

Our nature group was back at our original haunt - Laurel Hill Cemetery on Saturday morning. Here are some of the birds we saw:

Young chipping sparrow

Red-eyed video

Eastern phoebe

Song sparrow

Common tern

Great egret

Bald eagle

Another young chipping sparrow

Day 19.184: Vigil

There was a tragic killing in our neighboring town today. More will be revealed about what happened and how it might have been avoided later, but today we joined with our neighbors to let them know they are not alone and to join our voices with others that support rather than seek to frighten or threaten them. 

Day 19.183: Exile #2’s Sunday Column #559

Exile #2 writes …

We enjoyed having Exile #4 here for the weekend. It gave us opportunity to celebrate our three most recent birthdays with a meal out and a game, and it also gave Exile #4 the chance to catch up with a friend (and some laundry). E5N1 was busy catching up, too, with school friends and college friends, whilst Exile #1 and I went out early on Saturday morning to join our nature group.

This year we’ve been studying a different species of tree each week, to try to improve our identification (and appreciation) of them and this week we discovered our tree-of-the-week was the extraordinary Tulip Tree. These trees are native to the Eastern US and can grow extremely large. In fact, Walt Whitman mentions one large enough to accommodate 9 people inside a cavity in its trunk. But they also have an elegant shape, unusual leaves, and pretty tulip-like flowers. And to think we barely noticed them for many years.

Day 19.182: Five for lunch

Exile #4 came for a visit last night and we took the opportunity of us all being together to go out for lunch. 

The rest of the day has been dominated by the World Cup and we are still waiting to see who England will meet in the last four.

Day 19.181: Smalls Falls

One episode I didn't get around to reporting from our adventure that included Saddleback and Bicknell's thrushes was our visit to Smalls Falls. We happened to be passing and thought we might as well see what it had to offer. At first impressions, it was a parking lot with a bridge and a view of a medium-sized waterfall.

We followed the trail which hugged the side of the falls and discovered that there are several cascades.

The noise from the tumbling water was quite overwhelming after our peaceful walk on the mountain. There were probably birds in the woods, but we didn't detect them.