Haven’t had much time for birding or writing since our return from Maine.The trip was great but unfortunately the rest of the world doesn’t stop just because I go on vacation. I was in such a daze the first day back at work it felt like day two of a three day bender. I am definitely ready to be a gentleman of leisure and cut out this work stuff. There is also the vacation aftermath, like about 600 pictures to edit and catalog. A more tolerable task than working for a living but still something that needs to get done. So, this has been a catch up at work and around the house week.
We have gotten some new species this week. Nothing spectacular, just species we can find around here with a little looking. Like an evening walk around campus to hear common nighthawks.
After looking high and low in Delaware I finally got a ruby-throated hummingbird at our feeder here in Okemos. I kept checking every feeder I could find in Delaware but never saw one. There was one trailer that had an elaborate bird feeding setup including several hummingbird feeders. They had everything except a real live ruby-throated hummer visible when I would cruise past. The owner’s probably got a bit creeped out having some guy slowly driving past their trailer, looking at it through binoculars a couple times a day. “Honest officer, I just need a ruby-throated hummingbird for my 2012 big year list. I’m not casing the place to steal their Elvis on velvet wall hanging.”
The work week was busy but we did get out to play this weekend. Saturday morning we went to Legg Park for a little birding and some odonate photography. Didn’t get any dragonfly pictures but I did get some of a spreadwing damselfly. Haven’t tried to key it out yet but I think it is an elegant spreadwing. Lise got a willow flycatcher there too.
Possible elegant spreadtail
Today we did a little leisurely family kayak float trip down the Grand River. Leisurely for some of us. Molly and her buddy Ian beat us by a tad over an hour. I want to emphasize that Lise and I were taking a leisurely saunter down the river. We were in no hurry and easily could have kept up with the two incredibly buff, physically fit teenagers, one of whom had recently completed a triathalon. We would have smoked them if we hadn’t been going for a Thoreau-like experience cruising down river. We went easy on them so they wouldn’t feel bad. I could easily knock off a triathalon if the events were billiards, gardening, and barbecuing.
On the float Lise got spotted sandpiper and prothonotary warbler and we both got Acadian flycatcher. For dragonflies I managed to identify midland clubtail, Illinois river cruiser, dragon hunter, and a lifer, comet darner. There were several other species about but using a bug net from a kayak isn’t recommended unless you want a bath in the Grand River.
Speaking of baths, it turns out that Fido, our desert lizard, likes playing around in water. She does something like a swimming motion through the water and likes to drink out of the hose. Nothing to do with birding but I think it’s kind of cool.
Fido taking a swim.
Ed's and Lise's Biggish Years 