In case you didn't know, the semi-annual migration of birds is in fever pitch right at the moment. My wife and I enjoyed the evening on the patio, as the sun sank. For once, the mosquitoes weren't ravening beasts and it was pleasant. There was no picture for it save the one I might be able to paint with words. We spend much of our time outside and enjoy the evenings on the Gulf Coast when it seems God smiles on the land. It is rare to see other adults outside and some almost never. We're on the OTHER end of that spectrum. It was pretty much a perfect evening due to the Bermuda high we've had for several days, so we grilled burgers. I take note of the air traffic and the wildlife (and the birds flying overhead as a default) while on the patio. On a side note, the jungle has made inroads in the last fifty years and there isn't nearly as much sky visible as it once was.
This evening the first Mississippi kite of the summer circled overhead as the burgers were coming off the grill. The wind has been from the south, helping all the birds migrating in and there were light cumulus clouds coming off the Gulf. It was good to see our kite had made it back from wherever it goes in the winter. As we chatted, I eyed it circling over the neighborhood and then caught a glimpse of something else in the air. Lots higher and further away, silhouetted against a cloud. 12-20 large raptor type birds wheeling in the air, headed north. We watched them as they went out of sight in the distance, up high, several thousand feet, riding the air north. They were a long way off and a photo would have been very hard. Although I keep a 25x scope handy, I couldn't identify them. Too far, no tripod, and the light was failing. But they were there....coming back north from SOMEWHERE.
I thought It was pretty cool to seem such big birds en masse. If I were to guess, it was more kites arriving because of the appearance of the local kite not five minutes before, but it would only be a guess. I did see the swallow-tailed kits do the same thing once over Theodore. AL. The guess of kites is because they weren't dark colored, although even that was hard to determine because of the distance. Maybe two miles as they spiraled and moved off on the breeze rather quickly.
We always appreciate the changes in the flora and fauna as the seasons change. Right now the 50 year old cherry trees in my front and back yard are in full bloom, a spectacular sight. The cottontail rabbits are everywhere, along with the jays, woodpeckers, wrens and other birds making their nests.
My wife and I had lunch at the "bluffs" which overlook Long Island sound. The ospreys were back, but probably a little early for the piping plovers, skimmers and oystercatchers. The egrets should be returning as well as the herons. Checked out the channel leading from the Nissequogue river to the sound. A new dogleg seems to have developed due to shifting sand and growth of oyster and mussel beds. The channel markers have been moved too. This is critical to getting out of the marina at near low tide.
My son and I fixed the tarp over the boat, hopefully a late July launch, depending on how fast my leg heals.
The "Great White" migration is also happening. While we were sailing south on the AICW, all the other boats are headed north.
What did you do to your leg Brian? Hope it gets well soon. I'm almost free to do a boat thing but grass cutting is gaining on me :P I didn't mention the cedar waxwings that have been stripping my neighbor's mulberry tree. I had visions of mulberry jelly once, but the daggum birds arrive every year and put an end to THAT. Mulberry jelly is the BEST! And you'll forever hate the waxwings if your car/boat happens to be under the tree where they're sitting!
Riley - Sounds fake, but I had a bad ski accident in Switzerland skiing the Engelberg glacier. The good news is I had a very talented surgeon (two surgeries) who has put me back together again.
I attempt to grow grapes, blueberries and strawberries, but without "netting" the plants; the birds, chipmunks, and rabbits get most of the crop :-\ . Deer, box turtles, racoons, owls, snakes, hawks all roam the area. Interesting until a hawk lands on your shed and and devours a bird during a family BBQ, or a family of racoons comes out to beg for a hot dog! The best was when a fox grabbed my sons flipflop and tried to run away with it. The real life "fox chase" was on, until the fox dropped it to get through a hole in the fence.
LOL, Brian, of all things I'm growing, I'm most successful with peaches. We planted a peach tree 3 years ago, had 2 tiny peaches that year, it's grown a bit. We didn't get any last year, and this year it made up for lost time and had hundreds of blooms, most turned into baby peaches, we culled them and ended up with around 60 (the tree was too flimsy to support more). I counted the 60 on Saturday of last week. By Tuesday, there wasn't a single one left, there were peach pits on every fence post surrounding our front yard. The squirrels had a field day eating peaches. I thought, if we took about 20 squirrels, there would still be at least 40 remaining, and the squirrel stew would have a pretty strong peach taste to it. Further, my corn field is barely getting nibbled, but my sunflowers I planted as pollinator attractors were all cut in half by deer eating the tops. I'm spending alot of money feeding the wildlife.