An Odd Duck

Along with the ubiquitous Mallard ducks and the Canada geese, the flock in the duck ponds in the Dykeman Spring Nature Park also have some domestic refugees from nearby farms who have decided to take up residence there. I've included shots of the two resident Muscovies here in the past; there are also a couple of plain white domestic ducks who have moved in. And then there are two totally unique examples of another domestic breed - Indian Runners. Contrary to the name, Indian Runners originated in the Indonesian archipelago. Unlike most other ducks, these guys stand upright rather than horizontal to the ground, which gets them called Penguin Ducks in some places. And also unlike most other ducks, Indian Runners actually run (or walk) rather than waddle. The two in Dykeman are black, but they come in a variety of colors and patterns. You can get the full lowdown in their Wikipedia article.

Today I caught one of them sitting, and the sitter actually stayed that way for a little while, allowing me to get a decent seated portrait. After a while it got tired of my presence, so it got up and walked away, allowing me to get a shot of its characteristic posture.

© 2018 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Late Summer Abundance

August has gone by and September has begun. But it's still hot and humid; this morning's walk in the Dykeman Spring Nature Park was a damp one indeed. Lots of late Summer flowers are blooming - Wingstem, New York Ironweed, Goldenrod, Gaura, and Jewelweed - and soon the Fall Asters will start up. Here's something of a pictorial record of this morning's walk.

Yellow Ironweed, aka Wingstem, along the Dykeman Walking Trail by Gum Run

The Jewelweed is prolific in the Dykeman Spring wetland this year

There's lots of Goldenrod this year, too. Get out the antihistamine! 

Yet another pond reflections shot

Scarlet Pimpernel up on the meadow

The view north from the top of the meadow

This Groundhog sentinel at the east end of the meadow saw me out of the park

© 2018 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Sunday Constitutional

It rained the last two days, at  least 2" (5 cm), so the green and color has gotten even more lush for my Sunday walk in the Dykeman Spring Nature Park. There have also been some other Spring events: I saw my first-of-the-season Green Heron in the wetland; the insect nymphs are all over the ponds, which has attracted even more Swallows to come and skim them up; and the first goslings have hatched. Come see what I saw today!

Dame's Rocket along the Dykeman Walking Trail

The forest floor along the trail

Daisy Fleabane in the wetland

A Green Heron in the wetland

A Bank Swallow in the wetland

A family outing on the north duck pond

Black Locust blossoms along the trail

© 2017 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Earth Day in the Park

As long as I live, I'll hear waterfalls and birds and winds sing. I'll interpret the rocks, learn the language of flood, storm, and the avalanche. I'll acquaint myself with the glaciers and wild gardens, and get as near the heart of the world as I can. – John Muir

Today is Earth Day, and yesterday was the original environmentalist and founder of the US National Parks system John Muir's birthday. What a happy pairing! To celebrate, I headed down to the Dykeman Spring Nature Park to get my feet on dirt and mud and humus, no pavement interfering with the contact between human and Earth. It's a cloudy, damp, and cool day, with occasional showers, which in a way is good for my photography because it brings out the lush greens and vibrant colors of the flowers and blossoms adorning Mama Gaia. There were also groups of school-age kids with garbage bags wandering the park, picking up tossed litter as part of Shippensburg's Earth Day festivities. Since some of them were walking out in the cattail swamp and down along some of the streamlets in the wetland to collect trash, I thought it a good idea to warn them to watch their toes; that's where three or four good-sized Snapping Turtles live!

I wandered through the whole park - the wetland area, the woods along the Upland Trail, and the meadow. And then I came back down the hill and headed home when the rain started coming down harder. And now I have some photos from the walk for you to enjoy. Happy Earth Day!

The sun shines not on us but in us. The rivers flow not past, but through us. Thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fiber and cell of the substance of our bodies, making them glide and sing. The trees wave and the flowers bloom in our bodies as well as our souls, and every bird song, wind song, and tremendous storm song of the rocks in the heart of the mountains is our song, our very own, and sings our love. – John Muir

The Dogwoods over the creek at McLean House are blooming!

Entering the park along the Dykeman Walking Trail

Mama Redwing Blackbird was less than pleased at my presence

Meanwhile, Papa Redwing yelled at me from out in the cattails

The Redbuds in the park, like these along the creek, are in full bloom

White Campion along the Meadow Trail

The forest floor along the Upland Trail 

On the way home I passed by the north duck pond again

© 2017 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Sunday Constitutional

Yesterday, after posting my weekly Sunday Bach post, I went on my usual Sunday morning walk in the Dykeman Spring Nature Park. Spring is really hopping, and the place is hopping with birds and full of bird song. I could hear lots, and saw many who were, unfortunately, outside of camera range. But there were lots of Red-winged Blackbirds, and I managed to catch two of them, in different parts of the park, sitting still long enough to get a decent shot. Ditto the male Cardinal, who seemed to be more intent on holding his ground rather than fleeing. Note the glare he was giving me. And I got a shot of the north duck pond to give you an idea of the state of the place at this point in the season. Of course all four photos give you a good idea of how gorgeous the day was. What a blue!

© 2017 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Fading, fading...

Today is the last day of my vacation, and tomorrow I go back to work. My leisure time, like the Summer, is fading away. I did my Sunday walk through town and the Dykeman Spring Nature Park, looking for signs of the advancing Autumn. I found much evidence that the season is advancing.

The big Maple across the street in the gazebo park is lighting up for the season

Branch Creek between the ball fields

The Birches by the north duck pond are among the first of the big trees to turn

Autumn leaves drift down
to float upon the water;
Summer fades away.

© 2015 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

A Sunday Morning Walk in the Wetland

I'm on vacation for nine days, from this weekend through next weekend. It had been raining since late Thursday, and yesterday was just too wet, cold, and windy, so my first day of vacation was spent lounging around the apartment and going on a Netflix marathon. Today is still a bit chilly and overcast, but the rain has moved off and the wind has died down. So this morning I did my Sunday "church" visit to the Dykeman Spring Nature Park. It was a soggy walk, but that added all the more contrast between lights and darks in the landscape. And more Fall color is appearing in the leaves. This is shaping up to be a spectacular Fall this year. There will be more hikes in the next week, so keep coming back to see what I've been up to. But in the meantime, tie on your boots and come with me on a walk through the Dykeman wetland.

Each of my walks starts with a pause at Branch Creek to see if there are any Great Blue Herons fishing. Not today!

Entering the Dykeman Spring Nature park along the Dykeman Walking Trail

The view south from the railroad tunnel on the Dykeman Walking Trail

A scene on the trail through the Dykeman Spring wetland

Another view along the trail

The view of Branch Creek from the red bridge on the Dykeman Walking Trail

My "church" of a Sunday morning - the north duck pond with red pew

The red bridge over Branch Creek on the Dykeman Walking Trail

The view north from the railroad tunnel, on the way home

This study in contrast caught my eye as I was heading home on the Dykeman Walking Trail

© 2015 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Reflection

This week I got a severe wake-up call...

Back in 1999 I had two heart attacks, one in July and one in December. The December attack was severe enough to send me up to Miriam Hospital in Providence, RI for a quintuple bypass operation. I was put on medications afterward, for cholesterol control, blood pressure control, and a beta blocker for heart rate control. I took my meds faithfully for years, and ate right, got plenty of exercise, and saw my primary physician and my cardiologist regularly. Life was good in the aftermath of disaster.

Then came 2008 and the recession. I lost my job and couldn't get another one. no matter how hard I tried. I was unemployed for 3 years and pretty much lost everything, including my medical coverage. I fell through the cracks of society and the health care system. I could no longer afford doctors or meds. Luckily for me, my family came and rescued me, got me out of  Newport and took me in.

I finally found a new job in my new home in 2011, a job which, after I was upgraded to a permanent, regular employee in the Fall of that year, offered medical coverage. But I never got around to hooking up with a new doctor and getting back on a regular medication regimen. I was feeling good, eating right, getting plenty of exercise, hiking around, even up mountains, and not feeling any ill effects. I figured I had overcome the cardiac troubles and was back to "normal".

A year ago I had a tangle with Shingles which curiously had less of a rash and more of an effect on my right kidney, causing a great deal of pain. My blood pressure skyrocketed, and everyone involved figured this was because my kidneys, which regulate blood pressure, were adversely effected. At this point I had to re-establish a relationship with the health care system, got meds for the shingles and for the high blood pressure, and saw everything go well again after the meds kicked out the Shingles. After it was done, I never continued the Lisinopril, which controls blood pressure, because once the kidney was back to normal I figured the blood pressure issue was over, too.

Ever since I was a child I've had sinusitis problems. My mother was always telling me to "blow, don't sniff" because she was convinced that sniffing caused the stuffing of the sinus cavities. I lived on a steady diet of Dristan as a kid, and for the rest of my life I've had to live with sinusitis. In the last few years the situation has gotten worse, and the really bad, migraine-level headaches have become more frequent. So I made an appointment for yesterday morning with someone at the same medical clinic that tackled my Shingles problem, to find out what I could do to manage my chronic sinusitis.

When they took my blood pressure, a natural thing to do when addressing chronic headaches, the panic struck; my blood pressure was 203/127, well into the danger zone for stroke. So I was bundled off to Chambersburg Hospital's emergency room and admitted for an overnight stay. An IV drip was used to bring down my blood pressure, and when that worked I was switched over to oral meds, which held the line and continued to keep the blood pressure down. I was sent home around lunchtime today. I'm taking meds again, both for blood pressure and for cholesterol/cardiac issues (just in case). In effect, I'm right back where I was in early 2000, right after the surgery.

I won't ever be that self-satisfied, and self-deluded, again. Health issues don't go away, and when things even out and life runs smoothly and you get careless, they jump right back on you and bring you up short. After I called people to let them know I was back and would be back to work, etc., I decided to walk over to the Dykeman Spring Nature Park to sit and reflect on my situation by the north duck pond, surrounded by the soothing arms of Mama Gaia. And while I reflected on my life, I also considered the reflection of Nature on the pond. And took pictures. And the result was this post.

© 2015 by A. Roy Hilbinger

It's a Ducky Day

Today the north duck pond was full of Mallard ducks, swimming and dabbling for the Duckweed, their favorite food, that grows on the bottom of the pond. Naturally I thought of Ratty's bantering "Ducks' Ditty" in Kenneth Grahame's "The Wind in the Willows". So here it is, along with some photos of the ducks and their dabbling tails. Enjoy!

Ducks' Ditty

All along the backwater,
Through the rushes tall,
Ducks are a-dabbling,
Up tails all!

Ducks' tails, drakes' tails,
Yellow feet a-quiver,
Yellow bills all out of sight,
Busy in the river!

Slushy green undergrowth
Where the roach swim –
Here we keep our larder,
Cool and full and dim.

Every one for what he likes!
We like to be
Heads down, tails up,
Dabbling free!

High in the blue above
Swifts whirl and call –
We are down a-dabbling
Up tails all!

Photos © 2015 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

In Transition

Late August, and Summer is fading into Fall as the season approaches the end of its cycle. Most of the Summer wildflowers have turned to husks or down, and the later season flowers are at their peak. Some Fall wildflowers, like Goldenrod, have started to appear, but the bulk of that flowering is yet to come. Even the berries seem to be winding down, although the wild grapes are just ripening.

Meanwhile, up on the upland meadow, the butterflies and grasshoppers are everywhere. And Wade is getting in another haying; he was out today gathering what he'd cut so far. The grass is very dry; since early July there's been little or no rain, and there's no rain in the 10-day forecast. Local farmers are worried, Wade included. Here's hoping!

Spotted Jewelweed in the Dykeman Spring wetland

Wild Grapes growing by the north duck pond

Some late Raspberries still hanging on by the north duck pond

Reflections on the north duck pond resemble a Monet painting

A Meadow Fritillary butterfly and a Halloween Beetle on Goldenrod in the upland meadow

A Clouded Sulphur butterfly on fading Red Clover in the upland meadow

Hay wagons in the upland meadow waiting to be filled

It's haying time on the meadow again!

© 2015 by A. Roy Hilbinger