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Borrego Springs, CA

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Two more work days done

I had enough work and fun yesterday that the result was I was too pooped to post. 

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I was assigned to man the Chesser Island Homestead all day, and give tours to visitors.  The day started off with a bang as I had three visitors in the first ten minutes.  Then it calmed down to the usual trickle through here on a week day.  It’s been several months since I’ve had the rocking chair assignment on the porch of the homestead, so I relaxed and enjoyed myself.

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As I rocked away waiting for the next visitor, my ears just couldn’t ignore the songs and chips of the little warblers in the surrounding trees.  It wasn’t long before I grabbed my camera to see if I could get some pictures of these beauties that were working the trees for insects. 

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A whole bunch of one of my favorite warblers was moving through…the Northern Parula.  I think it is one of the prettiest warblers with its blue/grey wings, yellow upper breast, throat and back, and the reddish necklace around its throat.  They nest here at Okefenokee, but for a girl from the north, they are a real treat to see.

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This isn’t the best shot, but if you look closely you can see that this little guy has gleaned a spider to eat from among the branches.  I love that they almost continually sing their rising buzzing song as they constantly hop from here to there to thwart the lowly photographer. 

Once I closed up the homestead, I had to buzz my way back to the rig, at a whopping 15 mph, to get ready for the cookout we were having at the Volunteer Village to honor Jack’s visit.  It was not without drama, however, as we kept our radios near to listen for news from the group out on the water.  Besides the RV volunteers, occasionally we have other volunteers that stay a few days at the village in the double-wide trailer to do work on the canoe trails out in the swamp.  The group that was here yesterday went out in two boats on the orange trail to do some trimming. The motor on one of the boats died while they were out, and the other engine was having problems towing the broken boat.  We lost radio contact with them, and began to worry for their safety.  Being that it was a Friday evening, there was no staff around.  You sure don’t want to be stranded overnight out on the swamp if you are not near a shelter! 

None of us are certified to drive the refuge boats to go out and find them, so we had a dilemma.  Eventually, we notified the staff Law Enforcement Officer, and called Russell, who drove the boat for Wednesday’s adventure, to come help.  Just as the troops gathered, the group limped in with both boats.  That was a close call.  They were wet and tired, and we shared whatever we had left from our cookout with them.  Thankfully, everything turned out well.

Today, a couple of people showed up for my morning bird tour.  We went out, but there wasn’t much birdlife to be seen as it was overcast and beginning to rain.  After the tour, the skies opened up and a deluge began that hasn’t ended yet.  It is supposed to continue through tomorrow.

IMG_2143I went out to rove for about an hour this afternoon, and was able to document the first lily pad bloom of the season through the rain.  As you can tell, it was pretty dark and dreary out, but that didn’t seem to stop folks from driving the Swamp Island Drive.  I spoke with more people in one hour along the drive in the rain than any other time I’ve been roving.  Go figure!

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                                                                               THE END!!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

19 comments:

  1. Maybe people really like to explore in the rain. I prefer the sunshine. That bird is so colorful. And they eat spiders which is really a good thing in my book.

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  2. I love todays post Judy. The Northern Parula is so pretty and yes, I did see the spider. The rain on the lily pad bloom is so peaceful. I am curious as to what kind of lens you use...as I am new to photography.

    So glad the volunteers made it back safely.

    Its always a pleasure to visit you!

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  3. I just can't believe that you got all those clear and bright pictures of the warblers. I can hardly find them in my binoculars they move so fast let alone photograph them. Thanks for the close looks at those beauties. Glad both those boats got in and everything turned out well.

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  4. Could you send a few of those Northern Parulas over here to Arizona. Need a little extra color in our backyard Mesquite trees:))

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  5. I don't think I've ever seen a warbler as you have pictured. Will have to keep my eyes full open when in that area.

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  6. I've never seen a Northern Parula.... they are beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

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  7. I had never heard of the NOrthern Parula, sure is pretty. And the Water Lily is just beautiful.
    Happy landing for the crew.

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  8. You brighten my days with your wildlife images. Such a good eye!

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  9. Not only were the Warblers pretty so were the leaves on the trees. Makes me have hope Spring is coming....but obviously not until we get another major snow storm tomorrow. Then we get leaves :)

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  10. Such a colorful bird... my only sightings have been the "here and gone" kind... never any photos. You did good! Glad the crew got in safely.... and that you had some leftovers to share ;-)

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  11. I see you got hit by baju as well ... seems to like both our blogs equally ;-) Glad to hear the crew got in safe and sound ... no, being out there without shelter would not be fun.

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  12. The bird photos are lovely.

    So happy all turned out well. I would have been scared to death.

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  13. Beautiful bird photos, Judy. Also, great story about the boaters - glad they made it home safe and sound.

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  14. Love the Parula shots. They do sing a lovely zee, zee, zee, zip song.

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  15. I LOVED that photo of the Water Lily in the raindrops....very calming and lovely!!

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  16. Hmmmm... now that is some post comment by anonymous! lol

    Such pretty warbler pics. I caught a momentary glimpse of a bright orange bird here this morning. I have no idea what it is! Will have to see if I can catch another one to take a pic for you to identify.

    Sounds like the hip is well recovered!

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  17. The Warbler is sooo pretty! AND the Water Lily makes me miss my water gardens that were at our sticks and bricks. We only built four of them.

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  18. Oh my, the Northern Parula is a handsome fella. Don't think I've ever seen one, so thanx for sharing. Besides, anything that eats spiders is OK in my book!

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