A Sunday Walk in the Park

Now that I'm off work indefinitely, I can go back to doing my walk in the Dykeman Spring Nature Park on Sundays. With Spring coming on like gangbusters, these walks get prettier every week. Today's walk features one of the resident feral cats, a mystery bush whose white flowers let out a lovely sweet smell that can be smelled throughout the wetland, the perfect portrait of a pair of Canada Geese (I swear those two knew what I was doing and were deliberately posing), and the arrival of the Redbud blooms. Have a look.

One of the resident feral cats, sitting in the wetland

I don't know what this bush is, but the sweet smell of its flowers spreads through the whole wetland

A pair of Canada Geese on the north duck pond

The Redbud is blooming! It is now officially Spring!

© 2020 by A. Roy Hilbinger

Finding the Beauty in the Bleak

No snow in the middle of Winter makes for a very bleak landscape. But there's still beauty in that bleakness if you look for it. So I went looking for that beauty on my weekly walk in the park this morning.

A tree fungus growing along the Dykeman Walking Trail

Barberries in the Dykeman Spring wetland

Someone set up a bird feeder by the north duck pond; this male House Finch likes that idea

A portrait of a very handsome fellow

Looking back across the meadow on the way out of the park

© 2020 by A. Roy Hilbinger

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 

Scenes from the Sunday Constitutional

On this week's Sunday walk in the park the Fall color change is becoming noticeable, mostly yellows. All the Fall Asters are up and blooming - White Wood Asters, New York Asters, Calico Asters, Spotted Knapweed - all over both the wetland area and the upland meadow, and they're being visited by all manner of small winged critters. The north duck pond was especially photogenic today, as was one particular Calico Aster bush up on the meadow. Come and see!

Calico Asters along the Dykeman Walking Trail in the wetland

Touches of autumnal color around the north duck pond

A Dwarf Bumblebee on Spotted Knapweed by the pond

This Painted Turtle was giving me the stink eye from a safe spot in the middle of the pond

A pair of Mallards on the north duck pond

A Pearl Crescent butterfly on Calico Aster up on the meadow

I spotted this Firefly on a blade of grass as I left the park on the east end of the meadow

© 2018 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Racing the Rain

I'm off work today and tomorrow, and with two days of soaking rain in the forecast I decided to get all my errands done this morning before the rains descended. Which, of course, means I walked through the Dykeman Spring Nature Park on my way to the grocery store, camera in hand. I captured some pretties on the way through.

A Morning Glory in the woods by the north pond

Young Mallards on the north pond

A Common Buckeye on the hay path in the meadow

Horse Nettle in the meadow

A Variegated Fritillary butterfly in the meadow

You'll be happy to know I beat the rain. As I'm putting this post together it's pouring buckets out there, with an occasional rumble of thunder. And of course, me being who I am, I can't help but add Dougie MacLean's "Ready For the Storm"; this version is from the Transatlantic Sessions featuring Dougie and his regular performing partner at the time, Kathy Mattea, and backed by the TS "house band" - Jerry Douglas on dobro, Russ Barenberg on mandolin, Danny Thompson on bass, and extra backing vocals from Molly Mason. Enjoy!

© 2017 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 

Saturday in the Park

"Now Autumn's fire burns slowly along the woods and day by day the dead leaves fall and melt."
– William Allingham

I decided today was a good day to walk the whole of the Dykeman Spring Nature Park. The weather is perfect for this time of year and the sun was partially obscured by light clouds, so it wasn't too bright. Lots to look at while the leaves fall from the trees and things start to look a bit more bare.

A pair of Mallards floating on the creek

This Muscovy drake (a domestic breed) has been hanging around the duck ponds for over a week. The last two times I was there he rushed me and tried to bite me; luckily this time of year I wear jeans and big heavy knee-high socks, so his biting got him nowhere. Today I had my hiking stick with me, and either he's mellowed out or the hiking stick said "Don't even try it!" to him; he just sat under this tree and kept a wary eye on me.

Walking on the Upland Trail on the way to the meadow

Looking west over the upland meadow from its highest point

Autumn trees on the upland meadow

A flock of Eastern Bluebirds were flying about the fringes of the meadow. This was the best shot I could get.

Back down in the wetland on the way home, approaching the red bridge over the creek

The view from the bridge

© 2016 by A. Roy Hilbinger

All Creatures Great and Small

Last week's walk through the Dykeman Spring Nature Park focused on small wildflower portraits. On today's walk the focus was on small creatures met along the way. Unfortunately flowers are easy to capture; they stand still. Little critters are constantly on the move and a bit more difficult to to get them to sit still long enough for a portrait. Today's shots were all captured at long range.

A baby Eastern Cottontail on the Dykeman Walking Trail

A Spring Azure butterfly in the Dykeman Spring wetland

A Mallard pair on the north duck pond

A Groundhog sentry on duty in the upland meadow

© 2016 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Vernal Equinox 2016

Yesterday was the Vernal Equinox, but I had to work, so I'm doing my annual Welcome Spring post today. This morning I walked through the Dykeman Spring Nature Park to find Daffodils and Mallards. And when I got home I watched the birds visiting my feeder station in the back yard. I recently switched to a new seed mixture which has no cracked corn or millet and voila! No more House Sparrows! But the Finches seem to love the new food, and I'm hoping that the absence of Sparrows will attract other birds as well. 

It's still chilly here but it's supposed to start warming up for good tomorrow. So Spring is moving along; get ready for more flowers!

Daffodils growing by the Dykeman Walking Trail

Mr. & Mrs. Mallard promenading by the north duck pond

A male House Finch at the sunflower seed feeder

A male Goldfinch in mid-molt at the seed feeder

© 2016 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