What a glorious day!! Absolutely one of the best days, weather-wise, we've had here in LCO. Let me explain; yes, we do live less than a two minute walk from the beach but, and this is a mighty big but, folks, it ain't like the beaches in Sunny California.
Haha, no it isn't. Not by a long shot. First off, it's cloudy here. It's not a deal breaker, but it certainly does color life here on the Oregon Central Coast. To be honest, and don't take this too literally, the weather, the clouds, et al, have been weighing on me the past week or so. So we deal with the cloudiness which is like life in Seattle.
However, here's the second factor. The wind. The wind. The wind is always blowing. Always. Sometimes, in the early morning, it's not too bad but, then, it comes on, and on, and on. It seems like it is always there. Always. Hahaha, the wind has been wearing me down. I admit it, I am spoiled by the Sunny Southern California beaches of my youth. Then the days spent on the beach were idyllic; simple, sunny, gentle breezes and gentle waves. Not that I spent all that much time at the beach, but I do have a long memory (with some things) and, honestly, that's what I expected it to be like as the summer neared. Sunnier with some gentle sea breezes. The wind. It can send a chill through you if you're not prepared for it.
In fact, if someone were to think about visiting us here, I would caution them to bring a jacket with them. Seems incongruous, doesn't it!?! But, here's that 'but' again, even with the sun shining today, it's still cool outside with the wind coming in from the north. Chez cool. Chilly. And I'm not exaggerating, y'all. It's cold. And it's the Twelfth of June!! C'Mon, it'll be summer in a short bit and still we go out with jackets on.
Hahaha, life is tough. Still, bottom line, we live at the beach and that's the big deal.
So this long monologue of self-indulgent whining was simply to point out that today was glorious. It was absolutely kick-butt this morning!! And I felt like I was, not to put too fine a point on it, 'Walking On Sunshine'.
Now I'm walking on sunshine, oh, yeah
I'm walking on sunshine, oh, yeah
I'm walking on sunshine, oh, yeah
And don't it feel good
Hey, all right now
And don't it feel good
Hey, yeah
Katrina and the Waves
And, yeah, it does feel good. Very, very good.
Fun Facts: 'Walking on Sunshine' was written by Kimberley Rew for Katrina and the Waves' 1983 debut album. It was the Waves' first U.S. Top 40 hit. Originally conceived as a ballad, Katrina decided to belt the song out...and she did.
Here's the really fun part - Royalties from airplay and advertisements of 'Walking on Sunshine' have been extremely high. Especially from advertising.
Katrina and the Waves kept the publishing rights and the royalties that typically go to the songwriter have been divided among the band members ever since.
Estimates are the song has earned $1 million per year in royalties for the decade ending in 2010. According to a former employee of EMI, "'Walking on Sunshine' was the crown jewel in EMI's catalog," and it was one of EMI's biggest earners from advertisers.
Sometimes it doesn't hurt to be somewhat of a One-Hit-Wonder.
And, honestly, what better way to start a glorious day than meeting up with friends and taking a walk through a park? Hahaha, OK, it's the Audubon Society and we were meeting up for another Open Spaces walk. We look forward to seeing these good folks and enjoying the walks.
So we were off early this morning heading out to the Devils Lake State Park and our meet-up with the Birders. Oh, and it wasn't too windy this morning and nary a cloud in the sky!! Woo, woo!!
And what better way to start a walk looking for birds than with these five ducklings and their Helicopter Mom.
Fun Facts: I did not know this...Mallard Ducks are the most abundant and widespread of all waterfowl. Every year millions are harvested by hunters with little effect on their numbers.
Hmmmm, I would have thought the crow or the gull would have been more numerous.
Mallards are highly gregarious outside of the breeding season and form large flocks, which are known as sords. Really? Sords? Who makes up these words!?!
And, finally, in the 'Nice work if you can get it' category: Since 1933, the Peabody Hotel in downtown Memphis, TN has maintained a long tradition of keeping one drake and four hens, called The Peabody Ducks, as a popular hotel attraction and as guests of honor. The Mallards are provided by a local farmer and are rotated out and returned to the farm for a new team of Mallards every three months.
Hahaha, rich people, they're so silly some times. If you want to marvel at a Mallard then head off to just about any doggone lake in the nation.
But this was just a sample of the fun waiting to be had today.
Hahaha, if you'd told me back when I was a young, hard-core, brain-dead, hard-charging Gung-Ho Marine that one day I'd be out with a bunch of bird-watchers I'd have laughed at you and then, maybe, punched you out, lit up a cigarette, cracked open a cold beer and then sauntered out.
And now I'm looking forward to the meet-ups. Life takes some twisty turns sometimes.
There were about 15 folks today for the walk through the park.
And we started out with introductions and some background info concerning the open space we were visiting today. Seems the waterway has been reclaimed and again is an integral part of the migration system for the local coho salmon.
The D River, the World's Shortest River, provides an opportunity for the migrating salmon to transition from fresh water to salt water and then back again on the return trip.
That's Ian Keene there, the one in the black shirt and slacks. He's the Open Spaces Coordinator for LCO. And he has a blog, too. Here's the site if you want to visit...
http://lincolncityopenspaces.blogspot.com
Hahaha, you can see that, even with the sun out, people are still wearing jackets. Although there's at least one rebel in the group just clad in shirtsleeves.
Not me. No, I got out my sweatshirt jacket.
The last walk we went on I felt bad because I didn't have any bird pictures and so I determined that on this walk I would make an especial effort to get at least a couple pictures of birds. I admit, I am a birder by association but, still, I feel I have some obligations, however minor, to attempt taking some pictures of birds.
And so I did. I made the attempt. Hey, at least I did better than the last time I was out.
 |
| Oh, Rockin' Robin .... |
And just to keep my balance, whenever I looked up, I made sure to quickly look down. No need falling and embarrassing myself more than normal, right?
Hahaha, on a small side note, I was gently chided for having, in my last blog, promised, several times, that this would be the last picture of flowers and then reneging on my promise...again, several times. Hahaha, I deserved the chastisement and it did reinforce my goal of getting more bird pictures.
But, that didn't keep me from some flower pictures.
Not in the least.
This is a great park literally in the middle of Lincoln City. And it does boast the World's Shortest River, the D River. Plus a pretty good size lake. Someday, if I can figure out where to store them safely, I intend to get a couple kayaks and bring them down here for some kayaking fun.
I put this one in just because I liked it. Well, not completely true. There's really a bit more than just that. Carol has educated me to the fact that these old dead trees are important resources for woodpeckers and I've come to appreciate them.
Fun Facts: (Didn't see this one coming, did you!?!) Standing dead trees and rotting logs are essential to a healthy forest. When a tree dies, it usually remains standing for over ten years. I didn't know that.
And they don't just add to the scenery. Standing dead trees provide homes for birds that eat insects. When they fall, they provide a habitat for ants that eat the insets that kill trees. When these logs rot, they store water and provide nutrients for future growth in the forest.
And a standing dead tree is called a snag. I did not know.
Standing dead trees provide a place for woodpeckers to make holes for nests. The woodpeckers eat insects which kill trees. Larger woodpeckers eat the most insects and need the larger dead trees. When the woodpeckers abandon their holes in the dead trees, the holes become nest holes for other birds which eat the insects that kill trees.
Hahaha, if only I could be this useful after I pass on. But I don't think people would want me standing around for ten years or so.
Hahaha, you can always spot bird watchers. They sorta stand out.
And some waxy buttercups. It's fun looking up but it is equally as fun looking down.
But I was determined to get some pictures of birds. And so I kept my eyes out for them and when someone spotted these fine fellows, I was all over them.
Cedar Waxwings
Sociable birds, if you see one then you're likely to see another. And we did.
I was just a skosh too late to get all three sitting together.
But these guys hung around long enough for me to get the two of them.
Then they shifted and I got this one.
Woo, woo!! I wuz smokin'!!!
At least on Cedar Waxwings.
And our group slowly meandered along the paths. I enjoy the fluidity of these groups. People move in and out of small groups with ease. There's no rules on these walks other than you enjoy yourself and, maybe, see a bird or two.
I think today the goal, the hope, was to spot an Osprey. And they did get to see one flying away with a fish. Hah!! Success!!
OK, I know. Enough with the treetops. I like the angles. I like the lines and the irregular design. And the colors. See what a clear blue sky we had this morning!?!
Yeah, you'll see more of these. Maybe someday I'll even get good at these.
The biggest part of this park is given over to camping. They've got all kinds here: tent, RV and yurts.
And there were a lot of campers here, too. It's a nice campground but a tad too close to The 101. You get a lot of noise from the highway.
OK, I wasn't seeing too many birds and there weren't that many flowers and I had my camera and I had the time and ... Hahaha, get over it!!
It's not that bad. Nice contrast of colors. And, who knows, I might get good at these kinds of shots, someday. Heaven knows I've tried enough of them.
And my de rigueur shot of the small dock they have at the park. I'm a true Virgo, I guess, I like the straight lines, the symmetry of the scene.
And here are the docks again with the sun behind me. It's a kick what the placement of the primary light can do to a picture. And if you looked at each one by itself, it would look normal, what you would expect. It's only when you stand them up together that you can see the difference lighting makes.
I'm still learning this thing called photography. At least now I can admit how much I don't know.
It'd be a gas to live on the lake. Almost as nice as living on the beach. Less windy and no waves. Hmmmm, maybe it'd be almost as nice. Well, it'd be a change.
A detail from the scene above. Again I was attracted by the colors. What can I say? I know I'm a hack but, hey, I'm a lovable hack.
It was right around this time that Mark commented that he was ready to go home since he hadn't seen any ospreys and then one of the ladies called out that she'd just seen an osprey and it was winging its way along the lake taking its lunch back to the nest.
Hahaha, great timing.
And some more English Daisies. Or Oxeyes. Heck, I don't know. Anybody?
And I got into some flowers. Well, flowering plants anyway.
Tecamaria. These vining plants are good for hummingbirds. These are a kind of honeysuckle.
The color just snapped here. Thanks to the sunny day and also, in part, to the polarizing filter I keep on my cameras. Oh, I know most good photographers don't keep a polarizer on all the time but, then, I've never claimed to be a good photographer. I like the way they enrich the colors in my pictures plus the filter protects the lens. Hahaha, key point when you're as clumsy as I am
This gives you a good idea of the coherence of our group. We're all together but we all move in and out of our small groups easily. Hahaha, with all these independent spirits I don't think you could handle this group any other way.
And, hey!! I spotted a bird!!
A Steller's Jay!!
Hahaha, Score!!
Fun Facts: Steller's and Blue Jays are the only North American jays with crests. Hah, I did not know that.
Steller's Jays have the dubious honor of being one of the most frequently misspelled names in all of bird watching. Up close, the bird's dazzling mix of azure and blue is certainly stellar, but that''s not how you spell their name. Steller's Jays were discovered on an Alaskan island in 1741 by Georg Steller, a naturalist on a Russian explorer's ship. When a scientist officially described the species, in 1788, they named it after him - along with other discoveries including the Steller's sea lion and Steller's Sea-Eagle.
Hahaha, sorry, Jack. I have a thing for flowers.
And tree tops.
Oh, c'mon, it ain't that bad.
Hahaha, I do like me some daisies. I prefer the bigger ones but I'll take some of these in a pinch.
And we were heading back to the parking lot. We'd been out for nearly two hours. Hahaha, it didn't seem that long but, then, when you're having fun it seldom does.
So we got out, got to see the park again and it was a load of fun. And it was a beautiful day. A great day, really.
Afterwards, we ran errands and then back to the ol' casa.
Good times and good days, a great combination.
Life is good.
Hooah!!
No comments:
Post a Comment