I haven’t been to Riverside very often lately. It’s either been too hot or, if after a rain, too wet walking through the tall grasses in Riverside Lawn. Here are some photos from July 18, and then a few from the end of June.
With the insect apocalypse in the back of my mind, I was encouraged to see a few Chimney Swifts close to the water.
A Double-crested Cormorant was enjoying the sunshine.
I encountered an Indigo Bunting on the paved trail who sang beautifully for me until I tried to record him. I had to follow him as he sought other perches to sing from. I thought he had a rather distinctive twist on an Indigo Bunting song. A short recording is below the photos.
When I got to the swinging bridge, I first noticed a gathering of Canada Geese.
I took too many photos of the male Belted Kingfisher who is also at the top of the post. Between trying to stand on my toes so I did not have the top of the bridge in the photos, I was also having a hard time focusing. I hadn’t gone to pick up my new lenses yet.
A juvenile Common Grackle jumped up for a look.
I had been talking to a fisherman when I first reached the bridge. He called me back to the edge of the bridge to see a Smallmouth Bass sitting in the water. When he told me what it was, I was immediately reminded of Peter Mayer’s song, “Little Jimmy.” If you’re curious, here’s a link to a YouTube version. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_XCOynKJ3M
So, about the overgrown grasses obscuring the trail. I tried to take a photo or two. Walking through here after a rain is a good way to get soaked. It was dry this time, but I may skip completing this walk for a while during the summer.
From the river’s edge, I tried to capture a Northern Rough-winged Swallow.
I was attracted to the Red-winged Blackbird below. This is either a female or perhaps a juvenile.
On the Riverside Lawn trail, where I always see them, there were a few Blue-fronted Dancer damselflies. I was thrilled to see them, although there were not as many as previous years.
A Northern Cardinal popped up to sing.
The last birds I saw on my way out were three Double-crested Cormorants sitting in a dead tree. The one easiest to focus on is in the cropped photo below.
Way back on June 25, I saw tagged Canada Goose 98H again.
And a Mallard mom was with her offspring. My, how they had grown. I haven’t seen many Mallards since.
I followed a Ring-billed Gull as it flew over the water.
There was also a Killdeer.
I had a female Belted Kingfisher that day but I had an even harder time focusing on her.
I captured an adult male Common Grackle in semi-flight.
And a fly-by American Robin finished my walk.
It has taken me a while to get temporarily accustomed to not going for a walk every morning. Working in the yard has been a somewhat worthwhile substitute, but I can’t help but wonder what I’m missing. I hope to get back to Riverside soon, but with a lot of heat and rain in the forecast my visits will remain sporadic. Storms are possible tonight, which sounds like a nice, if temporary, break in the heat and humidity. Indoors, my birds have been keeping an eye on me to make sure I don’t take too many naps.
Kinda liked the picnic bench in the middle of the river. It does look inviting.
Some very nice shots of birds in flight, particularly the Chimney Swifts and the great shot of the Grackle displaying the bright blue.
The heat does slow us down and keep us grounded.
Thanks, Bob. Yeah, I don’t know what it is about picnic tables in the river. It seems all sorts of things turn up on the shore when the river is low and then when it rises, well, there you have it.
I have always been fascinated by the Chimney Swifts flying close to the water instead of being way up in the sky. But I guess it’s wherever the bugs are. And the Grackles love the river’s edge.
It looks like rain is going tp keep me grounded for a few days too. This is the total opposite of last summer.
“I took too many photos of the male Belted Kingfisher” . . . I don’t think that you can take too many pictures of a kingfisher, belted or not.
It’s just that the kingfisher did not move, was perhaps enamored of his own reflection in the lens, so I wound up with more of the same expression to sort through. But I couldn’t resist him because I don’t see him all that often.