Park In The City
Header Image: White Ibis
Honest. She literally pushed me out the front door.
“Go! Shoot some birds. Take your time!”
I went. Reluctantly. The shooting was good. Time is a precious commodity of which there is never enough.
Our local city park is located on a medium-size lake and has plenty of picnic tables, a boat ramp and several paved walking paths. It can be very crowded with people on weekends. Weekdays are somewhat busy early with joggers and dog walkers. In addition to the lake shore habitat, there are several oases of hardwood trees, a couple of wetland areas, a few Mulberry trees and a canal lined with Cypress trees.
Fall and Spring migration brings a very good selection of birds to the park. The remainder of the year is filled with plenty of local songbirds, wading birds and raptors using the relatively protected area for breeding. Butterflies, damselflies and dragonflies abound.
Arriving at the park when they opened at sunrise, I covered just under two miles and every few steps was rewarded with a new sight or sound. Nest building was in progress all over the park. Birds were beginning the daily task of finding food, a job which seems to never end. Osprey parents on nests screamed at anything which encroached on their space. Spring migrants have departed and resident birds are dedicated to raising a new generation.
The morning air was cool and fresh. Blue skies were reflected on the lake’s surface.
I miss Gini.
Time to go home.
“Back already? Breakfast is almost ready.” Home fried potatoes with roasted poblano peppers and red onions, smoked sausage and a fried egg. I truly do not deserve this woman. Don’t tell her.
Oh. I took some pictures.
Limpkins like to make sure everyone is awake about an hour before sunrise and fill the air with their somewhat eerie cries as the sky begins to brighten. Long, sharp claws certainly make scratching an itch a challenge!
Within a small wetland area, a beautiful lily known as Seven Sisters (Crinum americanum) offered a lovely bloom.
A Pied-billed Grebe bobbed up from a dive and created a nice circle of ripples in the warm glow of the morning sun.
Mallards do not discriminate when it comes to breeding. Scientists are concerned some duck species are nearing a point where there will be no genes without those of Mallards mixed in. These two ducks are a hybrid of Mottled Duck (Anas fulvigula) and Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos).
Few of us can wear all black with just a hint of white and make it look good. The American Coot shows us how it’s done.
Crayfish is on the breakfast menu for a Little Blue Heron. I know this because right after I lowered the camera he caught one and swallowed it before I could snap a record of it.
Happiness is sharing a spot of sunlight with your best friend. And hoping she doesn’t eat you. Young American Alligators.
It was a good morning outing at the city park. It was a fabulous return to the house where a superb meal waited for hugs and kisses to be completed. (Yes, it all did have to be reheated. It was HER fault.) If you have a city park near you, explore it to see what surprises you might find.
Enjoy your search for a natural place and come back for a visit!
Our Natural Places 
Your Crinum Lily has the same moniker as part of our mountain range, the Holyoke with a gathering of Seven Sisters.
The Limpkin may have to be cautious in its scratching with those toenails but they look like just the ticket for reaching one’s difficult to itch spots.
I don’t remember a solo walk by you before. Certainly there must have been some but this seems the first that I’ve read. The two of you make a good team.
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The namers of plants and other things may have a secret guild where they agree to keep the lay people confused. It’s working.
With those claws and that specially designed scissor/tweezer beak for extracting escargot, the Limpkin is a unique bird.
I’ll get frisky once in awhile and plan a hike for dozens of miles and Gini, the smart one, says “have fun, dear”.
Yes. We are a good team.
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Only saw my first Limpkin this year in January while down in Texas and then I go to Florida in Alabama and they are EVERYWHERE – kinda took the luster off ha. One thing for sure, they are LOUD. Linda got tired of me say “what the hell was that!?!” during our first encounters. I can say without question, none of our local parks have gators hehehe. Another batch of nice shots.
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Yeah, once the Limpkins fire it up, no one gets to sleep in!
We can ship a few of our swamp lizards for your local park visitors if you like.
Thank you for visiting with us!
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Nice walk and photos. I loved to hear the early morning calls of the Limpkins. When we lived in Florida, MaryLou and I usually got out into the wetlands before sunrise after a quick breakfast. She walked the route and got way ahead of me while I was busy taking pictures. Not very romantic.
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Thank you, Ken.
Hindsight being 20-20, you should have asked MaryLou to pose in front of a palmetto in order to make the view more beautiful. Might have slowed her down a bit? Of course, if you did it once, it would have to be repeated each trip. Often.
I have great advice on paper which reality seldom supports.
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A lovely and peaceful walk! The morning golden sunshine really helped everything look its best. And your breakfast had my mouth watering. Enjoyed every minute!
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When I can manage to make it out early enough, the light is usually very rewarding.
Breakfast was even better than I described.
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This is a lovely way to start one’s morning and, as always, your photos are fabulous. And coming home to a lovingly prepared breakfast after an outing is nothing to scoff at either. You are a lucky man. And I’m sure Gini is a lucky woman.
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Thank you very much, Tanja.
You are right. We are both extremely lucky!
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💕
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Beautiful sightings and shots, I especially love the Little Blue Heron!! You captured it fabulously with the lighting and the colorful water background. 💙 It is true love when we miss our bestie, even when apart for just a few hours. Apart, and our heart grows fonder. That fabulous, awaiting breakfast sure had it’s draw too! 😉
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Thank you, Donna. Wish I could have been fast enough to get a shot of that heron with his crayfish! Thought sure he’d take time to reach for the hot sauce, but he gulped it down whole.
As that guy sang, when I’m apart from Gini, I have an “Achy Breaky Heart”!
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🥰
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When you’re retired, it can be refreshing to spend a little time apart. Love all that you saw and took photos of to share! I like going to places that are easy to visit with lots to see. I’m going blackberry pickin’ tomorrow morning. Want to come?
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It’s definitely a bonus to have a few great spots nearby to explore Nature!
“Together” = refreshing. Apart, not so much.
Fresh blackberries sound wonderful!
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Great post, Wally! What a treat to see so many of your local friends out before breakfast at the park! Thanks for sharing this lovely morning outing with the rest of us.
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Thank you! It was a great way to start the day.
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Missing Gini? You old softie Wally. Good news for you. Andy is in Disney this week with his daughter and 2 Grandkids, 10 and 12. I said i would arrange for you to drive the short distance there and meet up with them and MickyMouse and all the gang to have a meal together at KFC followed by Dunkin Donuts. He’s seeing a few herons and things and I said you would be able to help with ID. Don’t let him down will you? Maybe you could catch a few of those little alligators for the kids to bring back in their suitcases?
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Let Andy know I’ll be the Goofy looking one.
Wish you had mentioned this sooner. We ate the little alligators or else could have given them to the kids.
Maybe next time.
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Every time I see a Crinum lily — which isn’t often — I remember why in truth I think it equals or exceeds the beauty of our spider lilies. You’ve offered an exquisite portrait.
I laughed at your comment about the Coots. I’ve always thought of them as the Coco Chanel of birds: the little black dress with pearls, and all that. Their behavior isn’t quite so dignified, but never mind that. Your Grebe reminds me of a post I’ve imagined offering: “By their ripples ye shall know them.” It’s so interesting how ripple patterns can show which bird was around, even when the bird’s already underwater; the Grebe’s spreading circles seem unmistakable to me.
I have a nature center less about two miles from home that I used to visit on a regular basis. In the old days, it was ‘undeveloped,’ and few people made use of it. Now, it sports wide concrete walkways rather than paths, and of course the bicyclists, dog walkers, and such have shown up. Still, I need to make another visit at a ‘down time,’ and see what’s developing over there. This would be a good day for it, since I’ve no desire to hit the road with the exhausted and perhaps even hung-over holiday goers!
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I wanted to get closer to that lily with the macro lens for some close-up images but a small alligator between the me and the plant gave me pause. A ‘gator that small meant Mom was nearby. The better part of valor being discretion (okay “fear”), the long lens image would have to suffice.
Coots can be so entertaining, and look dapper at the same time.
I agree with not wanting to be on the roads today. We’re resting today and will venture out tomorrow.
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If only there was a city park like that close to our home, Wally, I’d be there on a weekly basis at least! The nearest one to us, with any potential for wildlife is 25 miles away.
Was interested to learn of your breakfast habits. Mine’s a bowl of cereal with milk and dried fruit – every morning – even when away on vacation. Just can’t cope with a cooked breakfast!
My very best wishes to you and Gini – – – Richard
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We are, indeed, very fortunate to have such a nice park so close to home. Makes it easy to get a birding or dragon “fix” within a few minutes.
Breakfast “habits” normally include porridge with fresh berries twice a week and yogurt and fruit three or four times. Eggs and sausage typically occur a couple of times.
We both came from families whose parents grew up on a farm. Work started before daylight with a break a couple of hours later for a large cooked breakfast. Heredity is tough to avoid!
We both hope Lindsay is improving and we wish both of you a splendid brand new week.
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Our town park has a rough soccer pitch, tennis court and swings & slides any surprises are not usually pleasant!
Love the Grebe shot.
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Thanks, Brian.
We have those parks, too. In places I wouldn’t usually visit. Glad they are there for those who use them. We got lucky that city planners put this one on the edge of a nice lake and it’s well-maintained.
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A clear case of push coming to shove, avian-photography-wise (with a lily and an alligator thrown in for good measure).
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Behind every aspiring nature photographer is a very strong-willed Woman – pushing him out the door.
It was a good morning, even if I didn’t have to spend an hour on the road.
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Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day…
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“I’ve got a beautiful feelin’
Everything’s goin’ my way.”
Gini and I hope your Autumn has brought you just enough rain this year.
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Very nice wildlife photos. Watch out for the bitey end of the gators.
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Thanks, Brad. With these little ones, I tend to watch over my shoulder for their Mama!
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A city park can be surprising, you are absolutely right. 👍
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We can live with these sorts of surprises!
Have a wonderful new week.
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Thanks. The same to you.
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