Flickers Feast on Sumac

Its snowing here today. Back to white outside. There goes the gym for today. We'll leave it as a New Year's Resolution. Looking out my side window at the sumac trees on the side of the house I saw at least 4 Yellow Shafted Flickers eating berries this morning. One sat very close to the window so I could get a good shot of it through the window. At one point the Flickers were joined by a Robin and I could see a few other birds flying by in the background. This summer I was cursing the sumacs since they seem to be invading the yard from the forest next door and I have to pay to get one large one removed. But now I am saving on birdseed and get a much better view of the feathered visitors as they come into my yard to feed.

Fall Foilage for the Birds

Walking along the beach after the leaves have dropped off the trees and the vegetation has turned brown challenges me to find interesting things to photograph. One of my favorite things is finding a plant with berries on it. Red, yellow or purple berries stand out against the drab brush as the treasure that catches your eye. Here's an example.


Hopefully these berries will be food for some over wintering birds.
I've seen quite a few birds lately including a flock of Robins outside my window at home eating sumac berries in a tree the morning after the shoreline was blanketed in a foot of snow. Along with at least 6 blue jays across the street on my neighbor's lawn yesterday a cardinal and a few black pheobes flew into my yard to search for food in the lawn. The foot of snow was melted overnight in a rain storm that turned the yard from white to green.

The other harbinger of Fall is the appearance of the feathery tops of the phragmites on the tops of their tall stalks. I'd imagine the seeds in these fronds feed the bird species that stay along the shore as well.

Sunsets and swans

I haven't posted for a few months, but I have been taking pictures. This swan caught my eye in a pond to the right of the road as I pulled into the park. There were two of them gracefully gliding over the water.




It gets harder and harder to get to the beach before sunset as the days get shorter. Leaving the beach as the sun is starting to go down does present the opportunity to take some lovely sunsets and pictures with interesting lighting.

Kites

CT kite clubs use the wide-open fields in the state park I frequent to fly their kites. Some kites are fanciful shapes, others spout unique attachments that allow for multiple kites strung together or shapes that go far beyond the typical diamond-shaped kite. The kites can be seen from the boardwalk; something to catch your eye as you take your daily walk (besides the people and their dogs). This one looks like a puffy para-sail.

Summertime is fading

School starts this week. Summer is fading into Fall. I have been swimming at the beach as much as I can. The weather has been warm and the water inviting. I go at high tide, in the late afternoon so I can actually do some "lap" swimming. I only wish I could get there more often before it gets too cold to go into the water.
All kinds of daily demands have interfered with my trips. Today it was an impromptu trip to MA to retrieve the last of my son's possessions from his college apartment...in preparation for his transition to his own place. He is ready for his life to begin. Meanwhile I am enjoying a relaxing swim in the ocean, cooling down, but gearing up for one last year of having a child in public education. This is the last time I will fill out all the forms at the start of each year. The lasts time I will buy school supplies. Time flies and life moves on...next chapter. Meanwhile I am going to enjoy my swims.

More flower pictures

For some reason I wasn't able to add all the pictures I wanted to in the last post. So here they are..

Milkweed and Queen Anne's Lace


This pretty purple flower I found as I was walking up to the water. I am wondering what kinds of common factors all these plants have that allow them to grow in a shoreline environment.

Beach Flora

The "friends of the state park" organization at the park where I walk at have put up posters describing the birds, shells, flowers, shells. geology and so forth around the park. So I have started looking for the things displayed on the posters as I walk. This past visit it I looked for flowers. The poster on flowers alerted me to the fact that 2 types of roses existed at the shore. I was only looking for the rosa rugosa, which comes in pink and white, but there is also another rose, the virginia rose, which also inhabits the shoreline which is lighter pink. I found both types of roses on this walk. What makes these plants interesting all year long are the rose hips that


develop at the end of the season. Rose hips have been used as an herb and to make tea.

This is a close up or some rose hips from the rosa rugosa. The milkweek plants were in bloom this day. And, I located the beach pea along with queen anne's lace and a few other plants I've yet to ID.

Beach Pea
Lathyrus japonicus

• Family: Pea (Fabaceae)
• Habitat: sandy shores
• Height: 1-2 feet
• Flower size: 3/4 inch wide
• Flower color: pink to purple
• Flowering time: June to August
• Origin: native(http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/lathyrusjapo.html)

When to say " hello"

When I walk at the seashore I often encounter other walkers, strollers and bench sitters. At each encounter I have to decide whether to say "hello" or not. It is an interesting judging game I play. If their is more than one person, and they are talking to each other I usually don't say anything. They are engrossed in each others company. Most are happy to say hello back, sometimes offering some other comments like "beautiful day." Some are running... its hard to talk when your running. The people walking dogs usually let you admire their pet and often tell you a bit about it if you ask. Occasionally people don't want to connect; they have come to the beach to think, or cheer them selves up or are just too engrossed in walking. ipods often prevent communication.
Some stop and have whole conversations with you. Several days ago I stopped to ask someone about the new construction going on at the beach. A new building was being built. She knew what the building was going to be and I was grateful for the information. A new visitor's center; its been planned for sometime and just now is going up. One time I met an older man who when we exchanged greetings gave me a small christmas tree, it was that time of the year, he'd made out of wood. He was giving them out. Hard to refuse a present.

You know its summer when...

you see lifeguards practicing their rescuing skills at the beach. The Hammonasett's lifeguards were training this morning when I went for a walk. Lifeguard chair sans lifeguard!

Turtle Trouble

A knock on the door brought me running down from upstairs to answer the front door. There stood a woman and a turtle. She'd found it on my lawn and didn't have a phone to call the number on the small metal tag attached with a wire to the base of its shell near the tail. I'd call the number, I assured her, and the tag seemed like it had been cataloged into a scientific study.

I called the number but got an answering machine and no clue to whether this was a place where people would welcome a call about a turtle. But as fate would have it I knew a local keeper of turtles who might know something about who would want to hear about the turtle. It was a box turtle actually, a land reptile that also enjoys swimming in ponds and streams. The Eastern Box Turtle to be presise. From my contact I learned the name of a local naturalist who tags turtles and gave him a call. He was interested in the turtle. He had changed his phone number and moved. If I hadn't had a turtle lover connection, he would have missed out on finding this turtle.


Meanwhile the turtle was hanging out on my screened in porch exploring every corner of it on its stubby legs. The next day the turtle expert called and asked it he could come over and pick up the turtle to study and later release in an appropriate spot. I said sure and we talked for a while about the notes he had on this specimen. It seems that number 689 was a female, May and June is when they come out and about to find a place to lay their eggs, and has been picked up 3 other times near my house. The last time was in 2006. She was full grown and probably around 18 years old. I found out that they can live for about 90 years! Later that day he picked up the turtle and I haven't heard back from him about releasing the animal. I probably wasn't home when he decided to release her. I've posted a few pictures of my turtle friend.

Walking around my town

I know I haven't been posting lately bit I've been busy...walking around my town and getting paid for it. Yes that is right I am getting paid. I am working with the Federal Government to develop the listings for the 2010 census. I have areas that I drive to and then I walk around knocking on doors to make sure the census' address list is up to date and classified according to their system. The weather has been mostly rainy and drizzly with a few nice and warm days here and there.
Mostly I am enjoying looking at the flowers and flowering trees emerging from winter. It makes me want to go home and garden...
I've gotten to do some bird watching. I've seen gold finches, blue jays, cardinals and lucky for me I saw a rosebreasted grossbeak on a feeder one morning. I have seen this bird before but it's been quite a while and in a different part of the country.
I carry a little computer around with me so that working in the rain can get pretty tricky trying to protect the electronics. Very few people are around during the day; the ones you meet are mostly pleasant. Some get into long conversations with you when all I need to know is their mailing address. A few are hostile. I've met a lot of dogs. I ring the door bell at a house and then I hear the barking. I am probably the most interesting thing the dogs have seen all day. They bark and press their noses against the door. Some stare at me as I walk down the driveway. Some come out to "greet me." I've had a few narrow escapes from canines protecting their turf. It's funny, some of the nicest people have all kinds of "private" and "no trespassing" signs along their driveways. Go figure. Others have invited me in to see their place. Some houses are back in the woods in beautiful wooded settings. It's detective work to figure out how to categorize a structure; asking questions of people that are associated with a building and making observations about the structure from outside. Walking is also great exercize although the driving starts and stops can be hazardous if you don't pay attention to the road while you are moving.

Rainy, foggy. Still photogenic.

Driving along the shore early in the morning when the fog blanketed the water. I shot this photo.

Yes! The good weather is here.

Today if must have been 70. I was outside all day yesterday and for a few hours today. It was so warm and summery; it was great. All the bikers were out and people were enjoying milling around downtown. Hooray!

Will it ever warm up?

It's almost April but it is still in the 20's at night. The last 2 days have been sunny but still in the 40's with wicked winds blowing. Will it ever really feel like spring? This is Spring further up North, the kind that comes in June! I'm wanting to start digging in the garden, preparing the soil, starting some seeds indoors. I can't get motivated because its so cold. The spring flowers are coming up downtown near the shore, but up here on the hill there is so little to see of Spring. Still waiting...

Crepidula fornicata-Common Atlantic Slipper Snail

My favorite mollusk, the Common Slipper Snail, likes to stack on top of one another with the female snail underneath the male snail. Thus the Latin species name? They don't stop at two though. A stack of pancakes is what they remind me of-one that would more than likely fall over on itself. These animals also attach to inanimate objects as a way of anchoring themselves to one area. (eg. Slipper shells on Golfball)

Dogs at the Beach

From the signs along the beach I visit most it says dogs aren't allowed on the beach, yet dogs are almost always enjoying the beach with the humans. The dogs don't seem to disturb anyone and I've never stepped into anything questionable on my walks. It's actually fun to see them having as good a time as the humans. Some swim. Some run. Others walk. They seem to great each other with civility. It would be hard to have a lot of them wandering around during the summer when it is so crowded on the sand. In the off season it adds to the charm of the beach-side community.

March Beach Walk

At the beach Sunday I was greeted by a beautiful sunny day. The low tide left large swatches of sand peaking through water with a very distinctive pattern of lines etched in the surface sand. Imprints of ripples of water? What created this texture across the sand bar?

In any event, it was and inviting place to visit and look for interesting shells which, to my disappointment, I didn't find. I did come away with this photo of human and dog impact on this place.

This sunny day there was a huge crowd walking, running and playing on the beach. It was in the 50's yet I saw a jogger running shirt-less on the sand and several dogs fetching sticks in the water. Kites were flying and kids were digging in the sand.


AND...then, on Monday it snowed. Yes, the snow was mixed in with the raindrops falling in large flakes before the rain turned completely to snow. It still isn't spring!

Seashore in the Garden

I'm linking my love of the seashore to my interest in gardening by adding Google for Gardeners search engine (look left). In my small garden in back of my house I use shells as a decorative feature. It's also fun to decorate inside with shells. I've made windchimes, mosaics and have bowls and jars of pretty shells inside my house. There are many examples of home decorating with shells. Try searching in Google for Gardeners and let me know what you come up with!

Common Reeds Grace the Wintertime Beach

These reeds, with their feathery tops are common all along the shoreline. From another blog (Quincy Daily Post) I found out that this perennial grass is called Phragmites. Phragmites australis, called "the common reed," is a grass ubiquitous along the shore and in wetlands actually around the world. There is interesting detail about a European species that successfully competed with our domestic species in the USA and now covers New England. A mention of the scientific paper in which the genetics of these reeds in New England (K. Saltonstall, Yale, 2002) was uncovered is noted in the website www.invasiveplants.net/phragmites/natint.htm. The plants are invasive crowding out other wetland plants. The health of some wetlands has been evaluated by measuring the success of these reeds in an area although the usual causes of decline of a population of plants, urbanization, pollution etc., seems to hinder growth in the USA and stimulate growth in Europe. Information now coming in from scientists seems to support the rational that the invasive qualities of the plants parallel the replacement of the native American species with the European variety.

These reeds are very tall. So tall in places, where the shoreline is very close to a roadway, they form a natural thatched wall blocking the shoreline view. In the winter their presence gives shape and variation to the landscape.

Slipper Shells (pictures at bottom of blog)

Prominent on the beach in Connecticut are what are called "Slipper Shells." These are mollusks, animals related to snails that form shells. Slipper shells are in the family of gastropods, or mollusks that form a single shell as opposed to a bivalve, like a clam, that form 2 connected shells. Slipper shells are cap-like, not as complicated as the snail shells that twist in a coil or shells like whelks and conches that twist to a pointed shell. They are simple. The name slipper come from the underside where there is a shelf for the animal to hide under. Perhaps this was a precursor of a crude bivalve-like type shell a rudimentary snail shell.

The handbook I have on shells describes 2 types of Slipper Shells along the Atlantic shore. The Common Atlantic Slipper Shell (Crepidula fonicata) the larger species with little color in its shell and the smaller Convex Slipper Shell (Crepidula convexa) that is a reddish to purple color. The Convex Slipper Shells are more common further down the coast of the US and less arched, more oval than the Common Atlantic variety.

Definitely NOT Spring

Well I wrote about seeing Robins and how this might be a harbinger of Spring...not quite. It's been snowing all day. We have about 6-7 inches by now I'd guess and it is still snowing. Things are being canceled: school, choir rehearsal. I've decided not to go out.... unless I do so to go cross county skiing. I haven't put the skis away yet from a few snows ago. I'll have to do it soon though as it will get colder and dark. Probably not.

This weekend I was surprised on the way home from downtown by the sight of a wild turkey "in flight." The turkeys are about the size of a medium breed dog so the fact that it got quite a bit of height was impressive. Seeing wild turkeys is one of my favorite things about where I live on the Shoreline. Being situated in a wooded area with nature preserve land near by we have a lot of wildlife roaming our neighborhood. The turkeys are so interesting. They travel in groups with a lookout bird watching as the rest of the group forages for food. Sometimes the males will display their feathers. They puff up to look like the familiar Thanksgiving Day picture of a turkey with it's tail feathers in a fan. In the spring your in its luck to come upon a brood of chicks (young turkeys) following their mother along the road. Only once have I come upon a turkey road kill, making me pretty sad since they are such interesting birds to watch. They are not very quick-you have to slow or stop to let them cross the road and it takes a while because they are in a group-and most always travel in a group. Well I hope they are hunkering down in this weather.

Robin's and Spring?

As I walked up my driveway to get the mail and drag in the garbage can I noticed some birds on my neighbor's lawn. Getting closer to then I could clearly see the "Red Breasts" of the Robins searching for food in the frozen ground. That's right, FROZEN! It must be in the twenties today with a wind chill factored in to bring it down into the teens. Why are there 7 Robins looking for food in the ground when a worm couldn't wriggle through the solid ground if it wanted to? Beats me. Hopefully the Robin's know better than I do.

Cardinal Sighting

Noticed something red in the leaves as I drove down the road this morning on my way from the gym. It was bright red. As I got closer I could see it was male cardinal. Gorgeous!

Great finds on the beach.

Beach Walk

Walking on the Beach

Sunday (2/15) was a beautiful sunny day, great time for a walk on the beach. Collected granite pebbles. Snapped photos of whatever I felt was interesting: stones, shells, landscapes.... I've included some on this post.
It was great to be back out of doors by the water as I hadn't walked there for a while because of the cold (and snow). It was a sunny day and there were a lot of people and couples walking and sitting along the boardwalk. I walk at Hammonasett State Park in Madison, CT. There is a boardwalk just about half a mile long (see picture) made of recycled plastic timbers.
I was interested in what people were wearing that day. Some were bundled up in parkas with fur trim around the hoods. Some wore boots, although there wasn't much snow left. I had a winter coat on but nothing on my head. The sunshine felt good against my face. I met a number of dogs and their owners walking on the boardwalk. One, a golden retriever-poodle mix puppy, let me pet it as I asked its owner about the dog.
I found a number of stones and shells. There were some very large logs of driftwood scattered across the beach. The most interesting thing I found was a small sponge that had washed up onto the beach.

Bird spotting this morning.

An impromptu trip to drop my son off at school this morning resulted in a great bird watching opportunity. I love the early morning with the colors of the sun rising in the sky-especially when the day seeks to be warm and sunny. As I drove him to school we spotted a hawk sitting at the end of a vertically-oriented tree limb waiting to search for his morning breakfast. Finishing my trip to the High School, I tried to turn left by the line behind me was long and the traffic heavy so I turned right and opted for a longer trip home along the shoreline. The morning light was still growing spewing red and orange colors across the brightening sky. I love feel of the early morning, of a sunny and relatively warm, for February, day to come. On my way to the shore I saw a crow, and a gull perched on a street light. Along the shore I spied a Heron and a group of ducks- Mallards and a yet to be ID'ed black-headed one- floated in the water at a low point in the road close to the shore. The ice is breaking up in the marshes as we have been having a thaw-temps above freezing- for the last couple of days. Pulling into my driveway, then walking up the hill to get my newspaper for the day, I heard the vocalizing of songbirds- a sign of Spring? Its wonderful how a trip that started out as a nuisance could end up being inspirational. Enjoy your day!

Pictures of pebbles from the shore

I've added pictures of pebbles I've picked up on my walks. I like to collect the white quartz pebbles as they look like diamonds in the rough. I also am attracted to larger stones made of granite with their attractive striations and colors. Enjoy the pictures....

Welcome to my blog

This blog is a work in progress that will change over time. The title of the blog comes from my love of nature and the fact that I live on the coast. I enjoy walking the beach finding stones and pebbles smoothed by the sea and the remnants of plant and animal life having washed up onto the shore. I'm also a bird watcher. So watch out for sightings of species I see now and then. This time of year Bald Eagles nest along the Connecticut River. Last year I took a guided walk to see the Eagles....amazing. Those birds are big! I've noticed lots of Canada geese lately, flying overhead-not usually something one sees at this time of year. It certainly hasn't been warm this winter so I don't know why the geese are still around.