Looking Up and Slowing Down

Wildlife at Work

2009-06-22T14:10:00.008-04:00

One day last week I glanced out the back door of the building I work in. As I have mentioned in previous posts, it’s a house built around 1940 that we now use as an office. The scenery out back is constantly changing and because of all the rain we’ve had lately, it’s very green and pretty to look at. Every time I look out the window it seems I see something different, even within one day.

Out of the corner of my eye that day I saw something orange. It was the first tiger lily of the year!

The current owners of the building have done nothing except mow back there but when things start blooming, they bloom all over. Legend has it that one of the previous owners of this property had a very green thumb and would plant flowers all over. I am here to tell you that this legend has to be true because no fertilizing has ever been done since I’m there and the colors that come out of nowhere are beautiful.

Here is the one flower just growing out of the weeds. Next to it is another bunch of lilies ready to bloom very soon.

Being as I always have my camera with me I grabbed it and walked out back. I throw my used bird seed back here from my own pet birds. It attracts all kind of animals. I was happy to find a party of 3 squirds feasting.

What is a squird, you ask? It’s a furry creature relative to NJ that eats bird seed, as shown on the bottom of this blog. I seem to attract them everywhere I go.

Later that day, I noticed a new species back there which I was fortunate enough to capture with my camera. It’s the rarely seen Catird!

Six Unimportant Things That Make Me Happy

2009-06-21T07:36:00.003-04:00

My blogger buddy Jenny has tagged me to participate in this fun little exercise. The rules are that you name 6 unimportant things that make you happy, mention and link the person who tagged you as I have skillfully done already, and then tag 6 other people. Since I don't really know 6 other people very well here I'll leave that step out, but I'm very happy to participate in the rest of this.

1. Making someone laugh. I love to make people laugh, whether it's from something I've said or written. I get such a great feeling from doing that. It lifts my spirits probably more than the person's who is laughing.

2. Coming home from work and seeing my dog's faces in the window waiting for me. Makes me smile and get the warm fuzzies every single time.

3. Being able to sit and close my eyes for a mini nap when I am exhausted. At my lunch break I am able to come home and almost everyday I just lean all the way back in my recliner for about 15 or 20 minutes and doze. If the dogs aren't playing with a squeaky toy at that time it's even better.

4. Being able to ride my bike. There's a feeling I get when on my bike that I can't explain. I'm out in the world and a part of it, under my own steam, and I can go anywhere I want to as fast or as slow as I want, as long as my legs and time constraints are in agreement.

5. Having people comment on my blog. I am a writer at heart and always have been from the time I was a little kid. I was writing short stories as soon as I learned how to read. I was once told that a writer is someone who absolutely has to write, and it doesn't matter if anyone reads what you wrote or not. I started blogging just to write, never expecting anyone would ever read what I wrote, let alone comment or even follow the blog. When I receive a comment such as the one Jenny posted on my last blog entry it's such a great feeling. What a nice thing to say to someone! I'm still blown away. You can't buy that; statements like that cannot be purchased and they are so meaningful. Makes my day, that's for sure.

6. Being able to write and take photos and put them together in one place. I love taking photos and capturing moments in time so that I can go back and remember those moments. Being able to blog has absolutely given me the chance to do that and it's free? Such a deal!

So Jenny, thanks for tagging me and for all the times your writing makes me laugh out loud. Honestly, yesterday I re-watched "The Look" a couple of times and each time, I know what's coming but I still guffaw each time! I think it was the swift, downward hunch of the shoulders combined with the furtive glance and retraction of said glance before the jogger was aware of what you were doing that is so hysterical. Keep looking!

Good Thing I'm Still Moving

2009-06-12T16:16:00.004-04:00

Outside the back window of where I work during the daytime I happened to look up at the sky, just to see if it was ever going to clear up. This has been one gloomy, rainy week. I joke that I feel like I live in Seattle NJ. While looking at the sky I saw a big bird in the tree.

Usually big birds don't spook very easily so I went outside and got closer to the tree. It was a turkey vulture, commonly known as a buzzard. His feathers were absolutely soaked. It's a wonder he could fly. I am amazed at the wingspan of these birds; their wingspan can reach 6 feet. That's taller than my height!

Since no one lives around here I kind of told that bird that I was just passing through and was still alive and much too big for his meal. He just kind of looked at me. I know that look. It's the "what a stupid human" look.

So Stupid decided to just go back inside.

Better than Nothing

2009-06-09T09:29:00.003-04:00

Sometimes you just have to take what you get. And sometimes it's really cool!

As I have stated previously, I work in a wooded area. I went out to my car for something and saw that I had a visitor. Talk about slowing down!

He was very gracious and obliged my photo opportunity. I did have to restain myself from pulling that wayward piece of grass out of his mouth.

I then relocated him to a safer area of the property.

Thank you, Mr. Slowsky. Comcast is looking for you and your wife, though.

Right Around the Corner

2009-05-24T09:57:00.012-04:00

One day this past week I had gotten to work about a half hour early due to a before-work errand that took less time than I thought. I decided to just go for a walk, camera in hand. I left my car in the work lot and walked out the back dirt path.

The end of the path faces the rear of the town's library. The library was built on a sizeable parcel of land and the large, well kept field looked very inviting to walk through.

To the left sit a large group of trees. Where there are trees, there are birds so I headed in that direction.

I then thought I saw some kind of gap between the trees. I walked closer and to my surprise, there was a stream there.

Now somewhat excited, I walked around to where the bank was and edged my way down closer to the water. What a pretty place.

I heard a sound and apparently I had scared a frog into the water. I looked down and even saw a school of baby fish.

I stayed there for a few minutes before I realized it was getting late. As I walked back I heard an insistent, urgent chirping from the tree above me. Then I saw a movement on the ground. Apparently a young robin was being told to scram because I was approaching. I was almost next to him before he figured out that he should probably leave.

Then I was serenaded by a female cardinal.

You can be sure I'll head back here from time to time. It'll be interesting to see the changes from season to season. What a great little excursion this was.

Returning

2009-05-14T07:41:00.011-04:00

A few days ago I had the opportunity to drive someone to an appointment where the destination was in a wooded area and it was then that I realized how long it had been since I had been in the woods. I guess I've been concentrating so much on work and trying to ride my bike that I kind of let the other love in my life slide by.

So yesterday I went back to Eno right from work. It's less than a mile away and always good for a walk when I don't have a lot of time. I always have my camera with me so even though I didn't have my binoculars I was fine.

Once you start into the trail area there are picnic benches and barbecue grills. These barbecue pits always scare me. These woods are so full of leaves that if anyone would use one, I would truly be afraid of a spark flying.

I made my way down to the marsh area and saw something white out of my peripheral vision. It was a snowy egret. I love watching these birds. They are so huge and beautiful.

I kept watching and the egret made its way over to almost right in front of me. He or she plainly saw me and I was amazed it wasn't afraid to come this close.

On the way out are the remains of once was a house. Since I love local history I have asked around but all anyone says is that the Enos once lived there. But I want to know more-What did the house look like? Why did it disappear? When did it disappear? What did this area look like then? Where are the children, if any, that used to live here? I hope one day to talk to someone who can tell me more than it was just a house. I can't imagine how wonderful it must have been to live here, except for the summer. There must have been a ton of mosquitos as it is so close to the marsh.

It was so good to be back. I can't let that much time go by again.

It felt like coming home.

Sugar Sand Is Not Bland

2009-02-10T08:25:00.017-05:00

The other day I decided to walk in a local area I hadn't been to in years. It's inaccessible by car; you have to walk or take a dirt bike or ATV. The paths are all sugar sand. There is dune after dune and it's been a hangout for kids for years. The lake, which is referred to as the 4th lake, is pretty clean and I used to take my dog swimming there.

I headed out to the beginning of the trail. I parked my car and climbed over the guardrail in a somewhat ungraceful manner for a 50-something year old, but I did it anyway. Of course, later I was to discover there was an easier way to gain entry. Story of my life.

It had recently rained and the sugar sand was sugar mud. Then I came across my first obstacle. You see, I had never gone in this way before. There used to be a sand road into the dunes from another area but homes had since been built there and a large fence had been put up blocking off the old entry. So I really didn't expect to see this.

It's hard to see in the photo but the left side is a bridge made entirely of litter. Old wood, discarded boat parts, old decking; some kids must have put it there. Well, it was the only way across unless one was wearing waders so that's how I crossed the water. Not so pristine anymore, I was thinking.

Once I had safely (and dryly) navigated across, which I was surprised to have done without at least one wet shoe, I walked on and at a crossroads (or crossdune?) I went to the right.

The sugar sand was challenging to walk on. I was guessing as to where the lake was. There was a good amount of litter around and I sadly thought about how the area was being used. My way of thinking is that yeah, kids always have partied and always will party. But if they do, I wish they would at least bring a garbage bag or something. I know there's something exciting about that time in our lives when you do things you're not supposed to, and that seems like a rite of passage for most, but it's so sad for me to see empty bottles and cans strewn around in such a beautiful area.

Just past the path shown above, to the right, I found the lake. Now I know it's hard for someone to actually lose a lake, but hey, it's me we're talking about here.

Just at the beginning of the water there was a massive abundance of empty cans, bottles, plastic containers and wet clothes. I kept walking and the litter seemed to abruptly stop. Of course, I thought to myself. No one is going to want to walk any farther than they have to just to get drunk. The lake curves to the right and I had never walked to the other end of the lake before, so that's where I headed. It's a gradual curve and at one point I turned around to see where I was and was surprised to see how much of a curve there actually was.

I kept going and found myself at the end of the lake. There was a slight trail that went to the left. I had about another half hour that I could use to keep exploring so I followed the trail. I saw a little more water but when I got closer I realized it wasn't a puddle. It was a body of water I had heard about for decades but never knew where it was. The locals have referred to this as the Hidden Lake.

I think I actually stood there with my mouth open for a minute. The water was very clean and you could see that people had been there but had taken a bit more care in keeping the place clean. A lone beach chair sat in one area but beyond that, the area had been respected.

At that point I decided to turn around. I hadn't heard any birds before but now I heard them Some titmice were flittering back and forth in the scrub pines.

In the distance I heard an ATV. If I owned one I would probably be tempted to ride here too. But actually, even I wasn't supposed to be in here.

Oops.

Finally I crossed back over the man-made, or kid-made bridge, with dry yet sandy shoes and a happy heart. Why a happy heart? Because THIS time I knew what the red thing was in the distance.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

2009-02-01T08:46:00.006-05:00

I went for a quick walk in some woods behind a park near me. I live close to the Oyster Creek Nuclear Power Plant and because of that, there are signs all over showing the evacuation route if something goes wrong at the plant. I find this amusing because if something went kablooie we'd pretty much be vaporized and the only place I would be evacuating to is heaven. On an even more amusing train of thought, since this is the Jersey Shore and the roads are packed anyway in the summer from visiting vacationers, I'd like to see how smooth the supposed evacuation would go since there are only 2 main roads; Route 9 and the Garden State Parkway. But I digress...

Since I always carry my camera with me I was most definitely rewarded with the Amusing Shot of the Day. I came across a trail that was gated off. Next to the gate was posted one of the evacuation route signs. Upon further inspection, I found a slight flaw in the plan should anyone in that area be in need of evacuating.

That's typical New Jersey for you.

Sounds

2009-01-27T14:26:00.019-05:00

Sunday I had a lot of things to do before work that night but one of them was, of course, a walk in the woods. Oddly enough, I felt drawn to the small park nearby named Eno Park, which is about a 1 mile loop. I've been there many times but something was driving me to go there instead of Wells Mills, where I usually go every weekend.

Since I know Eno so well I decided to walk the trail in reverse for a change. There's a section right at the beginning that backs up to some homes and then turns right into the woods. I am a creature of habit and why it never dawned on me to walk the trail in the opposite direction before, I have no clue. So I started my walk and for the first time, saw things there from a different perspective as I was seeing them from the other side first.

Suddenly I heard a slight sound from across the stream and realized I hadn't brought my binoculars but I did have my camera. Odd I would forget my binocs but I dismissed it as having had a lot of things on my mind.

All at once I heard it...a slow, deliberate "whooosh...whooosh" of some large wings and I caught the tail end, literally, of a blue heron in flight. I tried to follow it with my eyes to see where it landed but was unable to.

As I walked on and passed the lookout bridges I began to hear a constant crackling noise. At first it was hardly noticeable but got progressively louder and louder the more I walked. I began to take very quiet steps and then stood still as I had no idea what it was. I walked on a bit farther and the sound was everywhere now. I stopped walking and stood stock still. The sound became even louder. After a minute it seemed as though I was in the middle of, or right next to the noise but I couldn't figure out what it was from. I trained my eyes in the direction I thought it came from and I began to see slight movements on the ground. Then I realized what I was seeing and hearing. It actually was thousands; yes, thousands of robins forraging in the leaves for food. Since they blended in so well with the brown leaves, and the leaves themselves seemed to not move at all, I hadn't been able to see them until I really stopped and concentrated. I was amazed at how many were in such a small area. I stood there watching them for quite a while. I grabbed my camera to take a shot but I knew that in the viewfinder they were invisible.

At the end of the trail it turns right to loop back. I suddenly saw a barely noticeable, light trail that didn't look very well used and lead a little closer to the bay. I trudged on through lots of thorny vines and low hanging branches and found myself farther down the stream in an area that was obviously not visited very much by humans. There was no litter and only animal footprints were visible in the snow that had frozen onto the icy stream.

It was bitterly cold out, about 20 degrees, and standing still for so long was making me feel somewhat frozen so I knew it was time to leave. On my way back to my car, I still was able to see things that I didn't usually see.

I am becoming increasingly more amazed at how I can look at something so many times and only this year, am able to actually see more than ever.

I am truly starting to look up and slow down.

The Peace of Snow

2009-01-21T08:01:00.008-05:00

I happen to love snow. It totally changes everything. Around here, the sight of a snowflake can close schools and send people rushing to the grocery store for toilet paper and bread. But I just love the way everything sounds. It's a rare, peaceful stillness that you have to experience to understand.

Of course, my first thought was that I wished I was off from work so that I could have gone to the woods but since that was not to be, I was able to enjoy the day from a different perspective and that was fine, too.

I made sure my backyard feeder was filled. Sure enough, there were birds waiting for me in the trees. I had brought my camera with me and took some shots which really captured what it felt like, as shown above.

Then I headed off to work. Since the rear of the property is wooded, I knew it would be a picturesque scene as well. I was not disappointed.

Even the boat in the yard next to our property added to the beauty of the day.

And yes, even in the dark, there was beauty.

The Other End of the Spectrum

2009-01-18T14:38:00.011-05:00

I wasn't exactly full of energy but I decided to head to Wells Mills again for a quick hike. After last week's trek and looking at the map, I had seen there was a trail that was a little more than a mile called the Conrad Trail. I knew if I didn't at least do something I'd regret it the rest of my week. I didn't go anywhere yesterday as it was close to zero degrees in the morning. So today, since we were having a heat wave of temperatures in the 30s, I boogied.

The start of the trail isn't exactly clear on the map but I knew it was marked with blue blazes and intersects with the Penns Hill trail, the longest one that runs about 8 miles. So I followed the white markers and sure enough, I found the first blue marker.

I decided to walk at a relatively slow pace so as not to get too tired because I had to work again in a few hours. I also had learned that walking a mile in these woods is not the same as walking on a paved surface (duh). On the map, it looks like the trail goes uphill but I am learning that the trail map is just a very basic map that isn't exactly full of exact detail. When I was coming back on the Estlow trail last week I had thought the Conrad trail was uphill above me but if it was, it was at a very slight incline that I hardly noticed.

It was a really grey winter's day and as I walked, I envisioned this trail in the spring when everything is greening up again. I walked by a beautiful frozen pond and passed by some people walking their dog.

A little farther ahead the trail got narrower and the landscape seemed like someone had trimmed it all at the same level. I had never seen anything like it in the woods.

I kept wondering when I was about halfway. I never checked the map because really there was no other trail intersecting it. There was a dry bed of a stream that ran downhill in the warmer weather but I hadn't seen it on the map.

There were a lot of fallen trees; some were pretty large ones.

I kept walking, just pacing myself and expecting to feel tired at any minute. I kept seeing something in the distance that looked lighter, like maybe a frozen lake or something. The trail went toward it so I figured I'd find out what it was eventually. There seemed to be a building of some type. I thought it was the Scout camp nearby. As I got closer I caught a flash of red between the trees from that area. I kept wondering what the heck was red in the middle of the woods as I hadn't thought I had made any turns yet. I took a picture of it so that the red item was smack dab in the middle of the shot.

Duh. It was my car in the lot.

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's a...Bird?

2009-01-14T07:45:00.003-05:00

My daytime, full time job during the week is located in an old building that once was a house in the historic section of my town. The rear of the property is wooded and is home to many squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits and birds, as well as the occasional groundhog. The upstairs portion of this building is used by another business. One of the owners of that business, whose name is Greg, is an outdoorsman. He's a really good guy and tells me about birds he has seen around our area, such as red tail hawks and bald eagles. I keep looking and I think I have seen the hawk but I keep searching for the eagles every time I drive by the area he saw them in. My joke to Greg is if he hears of a wacko in town in a red car who got arrested for loitering and looking up at trees, to please bail me out.

One day Greg told me to keep an eye out for the Pterodactyl he has seen out back. And gosh by golly, he was right.

The guy sure knows his stuff.

The Impetus and The Trail

2009-01-13T07:12:00.025-05:00

Ok, they may not look like much but they worked for me, although when I got them I had no idea what would follow that day.

Last Sunday I had to go to my part time job at 4PM so I basically had the morning and afternoon to do whatever I needed to or wanted to. So in the morning I decided to go to a local department store that sells decent shoes and has good prices. I was looking for a hiking shoe that I could also wear to my regular day job (there is no dress code which is a very good thing) because the building is cold and the running shoes I usually wear make my feet freeze. I tried a few expensive pairs on just to get an idea of how they feel and I came upon these Avia hiking shoes. With a sale price of $16.99 and a pair just my size, I happily grabbed them up.

Once I got home I decided to go to Wells Mills just to browse in the nature center and sit on the porch and look at birds. I dressed very warmly with 2 sweatshirts, one of them hooded, and a windbreaker, my normal baseball cap, my gloves and my new shoes. Of course, I also took my camera and binoculars.

I went inside the nature center and the volunteer there greeted me and asked me if I needed a trail map. I decided to take one because for about 9 years I have wanted to hike around the lake but either never had time or wasn't wearing the right clothing. I absently shoved the map in my pocket and went upstairs to the observation deck.

I went back downstairs and I decided to sit on the porch for a few minutes. I saw pine siskins feeding, a bird that is special to me because they were the birds that got me into this in the first place.

Then with nothing really in mind, I meandered down to the lake area and walked over to where the trail starts. I figured I'd walk down the trail a bit and turn around.

But for some unknown reason I didn't turn around. I kind of lost track of time and kept walking. I noticed that the trail kept getting steeper. But I kept walking.

At one point I pulled out the map to see where I was. I had been following the green trail markers, called the Estlow Trail.

I looked at my watch and it was almost 1PM. I saw that I was almost to the first right hand turn and if this part I had just walked through was uphill, the rest must be downhill, right?

Right?

Uh, no.

For a moment I started panicking. What if I ran out of steam halfway? Do I turn around? What if it's quicker to keep going forward? What if I don't make it to work? What if I get lost? No one knew I was out here and I didn't even have a cell phone with me. My car was in the parking lot so if the park closed and I was still out here, someone would know I was somewhere, but how would they find me? I had not seen anyone else on the trail except for a jogger who quickly passed me a while back, and that was it. I was out there alone. I was already getting tired and sweating a lot. My binoculars kept banging at me with each step and my gloves were warm but cumbersome each time I had to take them off to take a picture or look at the map. And where was the lake? I kept thinking that I would have to work that night and be on my feet for 4 hours at full pace. Then I calmed myself down, told myself to get a grip and decided to just go forward. I can do this. It's still daylight. If I walk at a 20 minute a mile pace like I usually do at the bike path near my house, I'll be fine.

(Note to self: walking 3.5 miles around a flat, paved bike path is not equal to an overweight, overdressed, out of shape person with a camera and binoculars walking 3.5 miles through sugar sand, mud and wet pine needles on a steady incline.)

I finally came to the sharp right hand turn. I can really do this. I'm halfway there, I thought. Easy schmeezy.

The trail got a bit narrower and very pretty. I kept my eyes on the trees to make sure I didn't miss the green trail marker under the white trail marker.

Either the park people or the boy scouts have worked very hard on this trail. It is really beautiful. At one point I had to stop and admire the work. I saw a trail that went off to the left and knew I would have to come back and tackle that one day.

I had become even more tired and was looking forward to my first view of the lake again. The narrow trail kept winding and I kept telling myself I was almost there and at least it was flat at this point. But I had mistakenly assumed that the trail would stay close to the lake because that's what it looked like on the map. Instead the trail suddenly lead up a steep, narrow incline. There was one section where I was able to catch my breath on a beautiful walkway.

After that it was a real challenge. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. My clothing was totally soaked from sweating and because of the 30 degree temperature, I was starting to get chilled. My legs felt like I had climbed up the Empire State Building. I rested against a tree every now and then while hoping to catch a glimpse of the lake to let me know I was almost there, but the trail kept going upwards. I knew I was ok as I was still seeing green markers but now I was doubting what condition I would be in at work. It was now past 2PM, much later than I had planned on being out there. I thought about stopping to sit but the more I walked, the faster I would get back to my car. Also, if I sat and my muscles cooled off, I might be in worse condition. So I kept going.

Finally, I saw it. That sweet, first glimpse of the lake, while still climbing uphill, was just the boost I needed at that point.

My legs were shot. I told myself that at least the shoes were fine and I had no issues with them; no blisters or rubbing anywhere. The tread did really grab the ground well, which was a good thing on this trail. And I kept climbing. My balance was now a bit off from exhaustion. I tripped once over a hidden root as I must have been dragging my feet but I caught myself and regained my balance. A trip to my right would have sent me down a steep incline so I stayed focused on the trail.

Any moment now, I told myself. Any minute now and I'll see the nature center. You're almost there. You did it. I kept pushing and pushing...and suddenly, there was the most beautiful sight ahead to the left...

While walking to the car, I kept telling myself "I can't believe I did it" over and over. I was in another world mentally.

Work wasn't too bad that night. I had so much imagery in my head as I went over and over what I had accomplished that the time flew by.

And yes, I will go back there soon but I'll go in the other direction first. I want to see what was down that other trail.

As I write this, I am filled with a wonderful sense of accomplishment. I feel a little more confident and am still amazed that I finally made it around that lake after all these years.

I had to laugh as I thought to myself, "Well, at least I saw the pine siskins".

But while I was walking I was thinking, "Birds? What birds?"

Ok, I'm Addicted...

2009-01-05T14:14:00.002-05:00

While walking in the kitchen area of the place I work in during the week, I heard it before I saw it. I cautiously crept to the window and there was a cardinal just feet away. I quickly flew to my pocketbook, grabbed my camera and got the shot.

A 120 second vacation anywhere, anytime, anyplace. Thank you God.

A Closer Look

2009-01-04T07:35:00.013-05:00

I was fortunate enough today to be off from both jobs on the same day for the first time that it wasn't a holiday! I decided to check out a birding retail store, Wild Birds Unlimited, http://tomsriver.wbu.com/, a few towns over because I didn't know when I would next get that same opportunity.

What a beautiful little store. I could go broke in there if I chose to. I was looking at the books and happened to notice the binocular case next to the book section.

Uh oh. My current weakness.

The binoculars I'm currently using are very old Sears 7x35s which make me dizzy and give me a headache when I use them. They give me a headache even when I don't use them. I figured I'd at least check some out so I'd have an idea of what I was looking for as everything I read says to check a few pairs out. I tried a pair of Eagle Optics Triumphs, which I have seen online as highly recommended for people who wear glasses due to the 18mm eye relief and were $79. They were okay but I still had to fuss with them to get them to work and honestly, it was like looking through my Sears binocs, just without the headache. The salesperson was really cool and showed me about 5 other pairs, all out of my price range. Then I tried a pair of Eagle Optics Denali 8x42 binocs and well...wow. They felt like a pair of $270 Vortexes I had tried a few weeks back but were only $159. This was still out of my price range but I reasoned to myself that if I was going to spend $79 I might as well spend over $100 (even though $159 is twice as much as $79) and at least these were waterproof, and if I got the Triumphs it would be like throwing away $79 because I wasn't really happy with them, and they do say to get the best you can afford, but I couldn't really afford either one so what was the difference...etc. I am excellent at justifying anything to myself given a minute or two.

So I forked over the plastic and bought 2 books too, and hightailed it out of there before I could spend any more money I didn't have. I had packed some warm clothes in the car with me because there's a state park I haven't been to in years on the way home, Double Trouble Park in Bayville, so I decided to play with my new toy there.

I was not disappointed at all with the binoculars, but was disappointed that the only bird I saw was a robin on the ground. That was it. As I pulled into the main lot I saw about 15-20 cars parked there. I had never seen that many cars there at once before. Apparently this was now The Place to bring your dog on a Saturday morning for a walk, possibly accounting for the birdlessness. But being as I was there, I wasn't going to let that stop me and thought I might get some practice in with the Denalis.

I used to come here all the time with my dogs years ago. I have walked these trails many times and even canoed down the creek, named Cedar Creek, below.

I heard a little kid's high pitched laugh nearby, which I am not opposed to but birds are, so I decided to turn around and walk around the cranberry bogs. Years ago this was an active cranberry farm and processing factory. Many historical buildings are on this preserved land and since I love local history, I always find it amazing to know I am walking the same paths that people walked on a century before me.

Some machinery that was used still stands on the grounds.

The main processing building is a large structure on the first bog.

It was really cold so I took the first left between the bogs and headed back.

The sun glinting off the ice was beautiful.

I happily played with my binoculars, looking across these expanses of water until I couldn't feel my fingers anymore and then headed to my car.

I realized that I didn't feel the same in this park as I do in Wells Mills. I can't explain it. Wells Mills feels like home and other parks seem to feel like I'm just visiting. I had some things to do but I wanted to see if I could squeeze in at least a half hour later on at Wells Mills, which I finally did.

I stood on the rear deck and watched the feeders. Since it was about 4:30PM and the winter sun was going down, there were hardly any birds around but I somehow felt complete just standing there, looking at the feeders.

The park closes at 5PM and it drew close to that time. I headed back to my car but got sidetracked in the trees next to the lot. I came upon a fallen log that was covered with pine needles which something had burrowed under, making itself a home.

As I drove home I felt like I had gone away on a vacation for the day. What a great day.

New Year's Day 2009

2009-01-02T07:47:00.007-05:00

I had the day off so I ran some errands in the morning. It was bitterly cold and windy but I didn't care. I was determined to get out to Wells Mills that afternoon. I was a bit concerned that the park might be locked again as it was back on Christmas but thankfully, it was open. Pulling into that lot somehow feels like coming home.

I shut the car off, grabbed my binoculars and camera and walked toward the main building. I intended to stand on the rear deck and look for birds. As I walked toward the building I heard geese angrily squawking. At first I thought it was like a warning squawk but apparently it was just a bit of tension within the flock, or gaggle. These geese are so tame that you can come within inches of them and they don't care.

I walked up the front steps to the rear deck of the building and in an instant, realized there were birds just a few feet in front of me, feeding from the feeders the observatory puts out for them and that there were people right there, watching them. I quickly stepped back and fortunately, didn't scare any birds off. I felt like a dork. Here I am, with camera and binoculars for the world to see, looking like a real bird watcher, and I didn't even see birds right in front of me. Duh.

There were 2 people sitting in the adirondack chairs, watching the birds I had almost scared away in my clumsiness. I met 2 wonderful and extremely kind people, a mother and daughter whose names were (I think) Kathleen, the mother, and Mary Jane, the daughter. They asked me if I was a bird watcher and I told them I was just starting. They were pretty knowledgable and pointed out various birds to me that I had been trying to find in my field guide and gave me many helpful pointers. I hope to run into them again in the future. I am starting to feel very at home at Wells Mills and that main building and those chairs seem to be a magnet for me.

After chatting with them a while, I began to feel pretty cold so I figured I'd better start moving before I got too cold to stay there. I headed down to the lake. It was getting to be late in the afternoon and the sun's angle on everything was a beautiful sight to see and be a part of.

I walked around the lake for a while but I was clearly not dressed warmly enough for the cold and windy conditions and I could barely feel my hands, so I headed back to the main lot. But on my way back, I couldn't help but stop for a moment and look at the tree and feeder that started all this just a few weeks back when I met a kind stranger who showed me pine siskins feeding at the tree and feeder below. I thought it was a wonderful way to bring in a new year.

I felt very blessed.

And cold.

Detour

2008-12-31T16:34:00.011-05:00

Yesterday I had to go to the post office while at work. I usually drive across a community center parking lot to get to a traffic light but at that time there were a lot of cars pulling in and out. I am not a huge fan of being backed up into so I went the long way, which takes me past a huge soccer field.

As I passed the field I saw movement out of my peripheral vision and turned to see a bunch of turkey buzzards, aka vultures, sitting together on the field. What made me laugh was very close by a couple of kids were throwing a frisbee to a Golden Retriever and the birds could have cared less. (Odd how I keep running into Golden Retrievers, but I digress.) The dog came within 15 feet of the birds and they didn't move an inch.

Since I am now in the habit of bringing my camera and binoculars with me to work everyday I pulled into the lot and zoomed in. Just as I snapped the picture, one of the birds spread his wings and I got a good look at the actual wingspan of these birds. Wow.

They're not pretty birds but they sure are big. There are a flock of them that live within a mile radius of where I work. It was like a 3 minute break from the worries of my world, which is why I have gotten into this new hobby of mine lately.

I was fortunate enough today to have a short day at work due to it being New Year's Eve. When I left work we were having a squall of sorts. The wind was whipping, the snow was falling and once I got home, I saw a group of sparrows all trying to eat from my feeder at the same time. They were pushing each other out of the way to get to the food. I realized they were a bit panicky over possibly not having enough to eat with a storm happening. So I went outside and filled the feeders and made them accessible to more birds. While doing so I looked up in the trees in my yard and to my surprise, I saw that there had to be at least 20-30 birds just sitting there, watching me. It seemed like they knew I was there to give them more food and as I turned away, they started flying toward the feeder. They aren't as shy as they were a couple of weeks ago. My goal is to sit out there in the spring and be there while they are at the feeder. That would be very cool.

My Christmas Gift

2008-12-27T10:38:00.018-05:00

Christmas morning I woke up really tired, which stunk because I really wanted to enjoy my first full day off from both jobs on the same day in weeks. Around 11AM I was determined to get out there and at least go to Eno Park, a tiny wildlife sanctuary less than 2 miles from my house. The total loop is only less than a mile. There's a blind in one area and a couple of overlooks into the ponds. These never really meant anything to me before but now they were places I couldn't wait to get to.

When I arrived, there were 2 other cars in the lot which was good because maybe it would be quiet enough in the tiny woods there to be able to see something. One area of the woods overlooks a stream that connects to the Barnegat Bay, and that's where I headed.

I have trampled through these woods since the park opened a few years back but now I was seeing it through new eyes. I was walking somewhat slowly when I heard a distant stomping sound and came upon a man walking his beautiful Golden Retriever off the leash. I really didn't care that the dog was going to scare anything off because I also have done that with my dogs there and I figured if I was meant to see something, I would. Being a typically mushy Retriever, the dog was very excited to show his human that she had discovered another human, which made me laugh, which probably scared more wildlife off than the dog did!

I slowed down and looked up (gee, sounds like a good name for a blog) and noticed a man-made birdhouse high up in a tree that some Boy Scouts had probably made. I had brought my binoculars and camera with me and was able to see that the birdhouse had been inhabited and well furnished with some leaves and such. This would have meant less than a hill of beans to me before, but now it was extremely cool to see.

I walked to the swamp overlook, stood there dead still for a while and quietly listened. It was a windy day and the dry reeds swayed back and forth, masking any sounds I might have been able to hear. They made a high pitched scraping sound and the trees creaked in the wind. I used it as an opportunity to look out over the water and practice using my loaner binoculars, which drive me nuts because I have to keep taking my glasses off to use them.

I was walking away after taking the above shots when I heard a rustling of wings across the stream. Out of the reeds flew a beautiful heron. I fumbled like a dork to get my glasses off and binoculars up and focused, by which time the heron found another heron and they both flew off together. Oh well, at least I saw them and that alone was cool.

I kept walking slowly and noticed things I had never cared about before. Something calls this fallen log "home".

As I walked, it dawned on me that when I'm outside, I get so sidetracked by my athletic past. For years I have either jogged, biked or walked, alternating with long periods of being a total slug, and because of this I get into "workout" mode. How much will this burn, what will I be able to log for today's training, how long, how far, how fast; I have gotten so sidetracked by the thought of hurrying up to burn more that I have never slowed down enough to enjoy what was right in front of me. I'm just glad I didn't miss it altogether and can now enjoy the trip instead of trying to rush through it for a change.

By the time I got back to the car I felt more energetic so I decided to head down to Wells Mills Park. Once I got there I was disappointed to see that the gates to the park were locked. However, I took it in stride and headed back home. I figured at least I had gotten into the woods, which was my goal, and I had seen those herons, which was a bonus.

Then I remembered that there is a park on the way home that has a lake for people to swim in and has some trails around it. I pulled in and slowly drove down the road that surrounds the lake.

I saw something move out of the corner of my eye so I braked and carefully looked across the lake. I thought I was seeing things so I got out the binoculars.

It's barely discernable in the above shot but just to the left of the lifeguard chair is a dark spot. It was a Great Blue Heron. I had never seen one in the wild this close before, or had cared to. I think I forgot to breathe. I slowly pulled around to the other side of the lake. The heron didn't seem to mind but did slowly walk away from the area. Once I got to the other side I grabbed my binoculars and camera and tiptoed onto the beach, making sure not to slam my car door. He (or she) allowed me to watch it for about a half hour. I was amazed at how tall it was. It had beautiful long blue feathers that hung down its belly.

Then I heard the sound of a dirt bike and I knew the bird would get spooked. Sure enough, as the dirt bike rider came into view, the heron took flight. I followed its flight path and it looked like it had merely flown to another pond which was separated from the lake by a tiny bridge, so I drove there. Sure enough, the heron was hanging out on the shore with a couple of ducks.

I finally decided to head home because I was getting pretty cold. I glanced at my watch and was really shocked to see that 3 hours had gone by.

But what a great day, and what a great gift.

Gee. More "Coincidences".

2008-12-26T15:04:00.006-05:00

If I didn't know better I would have thought I have been extraordinarily lucky, that I stepped in poop or that a bird crapped on my head. But I don't believe in luck. I believe things happen when they happen for a reason, or don't happen for a reason. I know 6 months ago if you would have told me to start being a bird watcher, I would have thought you didn't know me very well. I thought of bird watchers as being old men with safari hats, black knee socks and huge binoculars constantly dangling around their necks, or as old women who and sat in their rocking chairs knitting scarves and looking out the window in between soap operas.

Oops.

This morning I had to go to the post office for my boss while at work and while at the post office, I ran into a friend of mine, Pete, who I hadn't seen for over a year. I knew Pete was into snakes and reptiles because back when I worked at the pet shop he used to buy crickets to feed them. He told me he was heading to Mexico on a bird and reptile watching trip. I almost laughed out loud at the timing of it all. Because I was under time constraints to get back to work, I quickly told him I had recently gotten into bird watching and his eyes lit up. He started giving me some fantastic information about a local bird club just starting up and places to go watch locally. He asked me if I had a field guide yet, which I did. We discussed seeing Great Blue Herons recently. I hated to go. I wanted to absorb it all. He told me his email address, which I kept repeating so I wouldn't forget it until I was able to write it down.

And I now sit here and think about all the pieces that have fallen into place in the last few weeks with my new hobby. People, stores, places, binoculars, gifts...I needed something to really be able to get into that wasn't expensive or time consuming. I love cycling but it's been cold and wet and I keep getting discouraged because I need equipment I can't afford right now in order to ride in this weather and not be totally miserable. But I can do this from my house, from where I work, or drive a short distance to many local areas for even a short period of time to "get away" and escape to Bird World for a little while. Someone else who has office space at my place of work just this morning told me about a local lake where they saw Bald Eagles just 2 days ago. There's a great local store about a 10 minute drive from me that specializes in bird watching. So many "coincidences" in such a short period of time.

What an amazing God.

Stress and Peace

2008-12-26T06:32:00.000-05:00

Things are tough all over. I'm working 2 jobs and while some days I'm exhausted, I'm grateful to have the 2 jobs. Some people don't even have one job.

One Sunday morning a few weeks ago I woke up really tired and stressed out. I had to go to work at 2PM that day and I battled between going to church and doing something different, just to have a mental change of scenery. Because of my work schedule I hadn't been able to go to church in a few weeks and knew I should, but my church had just had a huge event the night before. I knew they would all be discussing how it went, which would make me feel even worse because I wasn't able to be a part of it.

While discussing my options with God, a new thought suddenly occurred to me. Why don't I just go for a walk in the woods? It was a sunny, comfortably cold winter day and I could sure use the change of pace. I decided to go to Wells Mills, which is a beautiful area to hike in nearby with well marked trails and a nature center. I always love going there and I figured I could bring my camera and take some winter shots.

I arrived and saw that the nature center was closed and there was only one other car in the lot. I wasn't planning to go into the nature center anyway so that was no big deal, but sometimes I have in the past because it's such a wonderful learning experience. I saw the owner of the other car up on the outer deck of the nature center taking photos of the lake area. I decided to hike a bit around the other side of the lake so as not to disturb the photographer. While walking the trail, I tried to rest my mind and see the beauty around me. I took some photos and attempted to focus on what I was doing at the moment as opposed to what I would be doing in a few hours and how tired I was.

I finally decided to turn around and hike back to the car. I did feel much better and felt like I had taken a super-mini-vacation. As I walked back to my car, the other person was also walking back to his car. We were about 50 feet apart so I felt like I should at least say hi to him, which I did. He responded enthusiastically and walked toward me, explaining about the birds he was watching. He pointed toward one of the feeders around the lake and explained that he was watching the pine siskins, who apparently come down from Canada looking for thistle. He went on to tell me that when these birds have exhausted an area for food, they keep heading south in their search, and that they were rarely seen in our area but apparently were voraciously feeding right there, just feet away. My acquaintance explained their markings and then kindly encouraged me to go over to the feeder and look up at them. I really had little interest in doing so but it would have been rude not to at least look, so I headed toward the feeder.

I stood there looking up at the feeder which was about 20 feet up, right near a huge pine. I watched these tiny little birds flit back and forth between the tree and the feeder.

While standing there, a strange sense of peace washed over me. I kept watching and realized that the cares of the world were slowly melting away because I was observing somethng so basic and beautiful. The tiny birds were gray with pretty little yellow markings. There were so many of them and they seemed to work together. Their chatter filled the air. I was amazed that these little beings had flown to NJ all the way from Canada for food. I stood there, respectfully in awe of their strength, determination and beauty.

Then it hit me. I could take a mini-vacation at any time. Birds are all around me and I could even set a feeder up in my yard. I could always take a minute or two to look out a window and observe a whole other world that existed right in front of me. It had been there all the time but I was too blind to see it. I had been so busy running around that I never even actually listened to the birds chirping and singing right outside my house in the plentiful trees surrounding my yard. I even remembered that my Mom had had a set of binoculars just taking up space on an upper closet shelf for years that had belonged to her father.

And then I also realized that in God's world, there are no coincidences. God had this planned for me on this particular Sunday; for me to focus on what was in front of me and not with matters down the road and to help me stay in the now and not worry about the future.

Once I reached my car I saw my friend getting into his car and thanked him for showing me the pine siskins. He had no idea how much he helped me and I didn't even try to explain that; I just thanked him. As I drove home I decided I would set up something for the birds right outside my window by my computer. From working at a local pet shop years ago I have a couple of small pet birds whose owners could no longer keep them; a lovebird, a conure and some cockatiels. So I had seed right at home to put out already. I laughed to myself, wondering how it could be that I had pet birds and had never looked at those outside? Because I hadn't been ready to see them was the answer, of course.

I took a few old cupcake tins that someone had given me and I had never used. I put some seed in them and set the tins out on my outside table. I put some rocks around the tins to keep them in place as it was an extremely windy day. I went back indoors and sat at my computer, looking out the window. Nothing. Be patient, I told myself. They'll learn there's food there. I got busy doing something and an hour later I looked outside. I observed that apparently, at least one form of wildlife had discovered my attempts.

I didn't care. Squirrels have to eat too.