I woke up this morning, expecting to find trash all over our area, after last night's fireworks and festivities, but I was pleasantly surprised. Other than an empty soda cup and a few minor bits of trash, it was pretty clean out there. Maybe people are starting to take care of our neighborhood... or maybe somebody just beat me to the clean-up. I was up pretty early, though, so it's hard to say.
But what a beautiful misty morning it was...
Much more after the jump. :)
My feet got wet very quickly this morning, but I didn't really care. It was so peaceful out there by the lake - so quiet and hushed. I didn't feel like speaking at all, and when I did, it was in a whisper. I love mornings like this.
I'm not sure what this is, but I think it might be a mushroom. It looked like a tiny, delicate flower.
There weren't very many birds out that early, but I did see this Greater Egret taking a walk, and fluffing his feathers in the early morning air.
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Then the sun started to burn through the clouds...
I know it's likely just a coincidence, but I've been seeing more birds in the last week or so. A lot more variety... but I've been working on cleaning out the lake, as well. Or at least as much of it as I can reach with a long stick. :) (A side note - after some of the hate mail I've seen here recently, and one troll comment, I've taken to calling my reaching stick a "socailist (sic) fuckstick". Silly, but it makes me laugh.)
This little guy didn't seem to mind that I was really pretty close. Most of the birds like a little more personal space, but I stood there quietly and this tricolor heron just walked right past me. He (or she) knew I was there, but wasn't fazed in the least.
As I said earlier (and as those who know me already have heard) I was out walking by the lake one afternoon, and was appalled by the amount of trash in and around the lake. My first thought was "Why doesn't somebody clean this up??" And then, sheepishly, my second thought was "Oh yeah. I could do it myself." So that's what I've been doing... I need the exercise, and it gives me an excuse to go out and take more pictures.
So far, I've pulled six bags full of trash from the lake (Target grocery bag size), two buckets, one gallon jug, two pieces of sheet metal, a mylar balloon (a "6" or a "9", not sure which), and much more.
But it struck me, looking at this piece of sheet metal, before I hauled it to the curb... it had interesting lines.
So I took that photo and played with it a bit. Here's what I came up with:
And the mylar balloon? This is what it looks like as "art"... in reality, it is now crushed up and in a garbage bag, awaiting trash pickup on Tuesday.
And an errant Coke can....
But the reason I'm pulling all this trash from the lake? It's for the wildlife, and for the humans who live in the area. It's so that we can walk by the lake, and see the amazing variety of animal life that is right here under our very noses.
We have to be the change we're looking for... where have I heard that before? :) I saw something that needed to be done, and had the same reaction I've had all too often - that "someone" ought to do something about it. I don't know why it took me so long to realize that I'm "someone"... and if I'm not going to do it, who will?
So here are some pictures of the lake and the wildlife around it... and when you ask yourself that question, "who will do this"... maybe these pictures will remind you that you have the power to make a change. It might be as small a change as what I'm doing, but it all counts in the end.
An odd note - I was swarmed by ants the other day because I was trying a new sunblock. I've since switched back, but I washed my funky sandals in vinegar and water, and now they squeak... just like a frog. Seriously. I actually had a green heron fly right up to me, almost. I suppose he thought I had a frog in my pocket. And the frogs in the area have been chirping when they hear me coming. It's a lot of fun.
Here's the Green Heron, after he heard me and my "froggy" shoes:
And here is a Great Blue Heron - watching me remove the mylar balloon. It was floating in an area that the blue prefers, so I took my pictures and moved it out.
And now, some random pictures from the lake... a few you might have seen before.
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A Wood Stork by the lake
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A Roseate Spoonbill - my first time seeing one here.
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An Anhinga, drying its wings - the difference between anhingas and cormorants is that the anhinga is slightly thinner, and the beak is straight. Cormorants have a slight curve at the end.
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Each of these flowers is actually smaller than a fingernail... but they're pretty. Scattered in among the grass.
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This is a heron (or egret?) underfeather... one that was pulled out during preening.
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A Little Blue Heron
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An Osprey, up in a tree...
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And since I'm at the end of the pictures, I'll show you this "featherbutt" for the end of the diary. This Red-Shouldered Hawk was just preening.. but it looked like he was mooning me. :) I love the look on its face.
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Update:
Just came back from a walk, and... did I say there was more variety lately?? Half an hour or an hour.. whatever time I was gone, this is what I saw:
And first, I have to add this neighbor's cat... staying cool. Smart kitteh. "Ooh... a kitty!"
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Then... three Wood Storks, a Roseate Spoonbill (again), and a Tricolor Heron - all together...
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I think these are Cattle Egrets flying overhead:
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And an Ibis
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In this picture: A Greater Egret in the background, a Great Blue Heron, a Wood Stork, and a Roseate Spoonbill. Jackpot!!
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Big Blue wasn't too thrilled with his company - he finally chased them a bit further down the lake, but they weren't all that upset with it.
So yeah... more birds! :) (And a kitty.)