Love Is Blue

One of the great all-time instrumentals from the sixties by Paul Mauriat.

"Blue, blue, my world is blue. Blue is my world now I'm without you."

Then Mrs. Indigo Bunting showed up a few minutes later.

And now there is a first time ever family of them living in my South Garden. Wow!

"Gray, gray my life is gray
Cold is my heart since you went away"

The Gnatcatcher was very hard to catch in the fence line thicket this spring. Now he is gone.

"Red, red, my eyes are red, crying for you alone in my bed"

Visiting a hidden pond, I approached carefully. Far to the left, at the north end, a bird perched at the very top of a dead tree. I couldn't tell what it was until I put the binocs on him.
"Green, green, my jealous heart
I doubted you and now were apart."
The Green Heron left his perch and flew silently into the forest.

"When we met how the bright sun shone Then love died, now the rainbow is gone Black, black, the nights I’ve known, longing for you so lost and alone."

We're up here dear, in Troutbirders feeder!

Many famous singers recoreded Love Is Blue. My favorite was a 18 year old Greek girl. Her name is Vicky Leandros. The year is 1968. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5tPUljBnXM

Life After People

TWO HUNDRED FIFTY YEARS AFTER PEOPLE: The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, its stainless steel body corroded and rusted, finally gives way.

The other night I happened to be watching The History Channels ten part series "Life After People." The premise is, what does planet earth look like after people all (for some unknown reason) disappear? A day, a year, a hundred years etc. later. It ain't good folks. Mother Nature, not always so beautiful and benevolent takes over.

The next day, I decided to return to the Big Woods in Fillmore County. My purpose was to recheck some White Ash trees in hopes of verifying a potential state record. The only problem was, Mr Woodsman (me), with the assistance of Mrs. T (the photographer), got lost. I turned up the wrong Minimum Maintenance Road, and then the wrong driveway. Well, they do tend to all look pretty much the same in the deep woods. Based upon the relatively shiny new mailbox at the entrance, the farmstead had only recently been abandoned. Mother Nature had moved in.....

"Sic transit gloria mundi" is a Latin phrase that means "Thus passes the glory of the world". It has been interpreted as "Worldly things are fleeting." Indeed.

Rookie Birder

From left to right - Ruthie (Nature Knitter), Lance, Alice and Chris (Johns brother)
The rookie birder (me) got an invitation to join the Zumbro Valley Audobon Society's outing to Forestville State Park. Top Minnesota birder John Hockema led the tour. It was definitely an eye opener. Here is how it went.

We met at the Dairy Queen, where John introduced me to everyone. Then he asked the group what bird they most wanted to look for today. Henslow sparrow, Louisiana Waterthrush, Cerulean Warbler etc. were mentioned. Ok, I had never heard of any of them before. The best I could come up with was, "er, well, there are so many, I hardly know where to begin." The group smiled in a friendly manner and nodded knowingly. I guess they knew where I stood. At least no one offered that we would probably run across a robin or two.

Our destination was Canfield Creek. In Bluff Country there are many disappearing rivers, sinkholes, caves and springs. The origin of Canfield is a beautiful cave set at the base of a high bluff. The stream is inhabited by many wild (not stocked) trout. That I could vouch for. Birds, well, I knew there were some. What kind.... I didn't have a clue.

The first thing I noticed, as we began the hike down the trail into the valley below, was that none of the group had their handy Peterson Field Guides like I did. Thinking that rather odd, it was a minute before it dawned on me.... oh oh, THEY DON'T NEED ONE!

That's John in the red shirt. We had hardly walked for a minute, when he paused looked up briefly and said, " I hear a....." and quickly rattled off about 4 names, to which a member of the group added another. This set the pattern for the next couple of hours. At least fifty birds were identified by sound. With the aid of this kind and very supportive group, I was able to actually see about half of them. And yes, I had forgotten my hearing aids. Who coulda known?
The old fishing path along the stream, on which I had spent many many hours accessing my brown trout hotspots, had been upgraded to accomodate the horsey people. It definitely made walking a lot easier!


The stream itself, as you can see, is gorgeous. It must be, at least partially, the reason why there were so many birds along its woodsy corridor.

So where are the pictures of all the birds? Well , to tell the truth, both the photographer and the camera were inadequate to catch the little rascals flitting amongst all the heavy cover. Maybe next time! Canfield Creek, in Forestville Park - a great place to visit regardless of what your looking for!

Fall Vacation

The Troutbirders will be heading West this fall. Plans are set to visit his cousin Roger and spouse Marky in Portland. This will be great. Then they will head north to VanCouver B.C., Victoria and VanCouver Island , where some serious beachcombing will take place. Mrs. T will bring her usual supply of bells and pepper spray for protection against marauding bears.

Ephemeral

Earlier this spring, The Baron and I did a overnighter at Myre-Big Island State Park. The purpose was to test Baron's ability to spend the night camping without causing a ruckus, in any way, that might disturb other campers. He passed with flying colors. I had thought about going fishing on Albert Lea lake the next morning. It being one of the top carp and bullhead lakes in southern Minnesota. No go. I forgot my fishing pole. Instead Baron and I opted to hike the "Big Marsh Trail." In the spirit of Gary Larson the following report may be too gross or childish for some tastes - therefore it is rated SM - Silly Mature.
It was very early in the campground and very quiet. Baron strained at the leash ready to go. Things went well till he spotted a wandering squirrel. Dragging me down the road and barking at the same time was not a good beginnning. Escaping the campground, I found the trail. It looked like we might be entering some sort of "black hole."

Escaping from the "black hole" at warp speed, we followed the trail along the edge of the lake. Someone in addition to the author had laid an egg. It was Mother Goose

The intrepid explorer decided to test the water. I called him back, where naturally, he did his shaking thing getting me all wet.

Further up the trail, the woods were covered with the ephemeral glory of spring wildflowers. Okay. I did it. I always wanted to use that word in a post. Mission accomplished!
More ephemerals: - Virginia Bluebells
Mayapples
Somehow though, I had the feeling we were being watched. Yes I'm a little paranoid. State Parks are quite strict on the notion that dogs are to be kept on leash. Where were those eyes peering at us?

It was Ranger Chipmonk! Shortly thereafter, we emerged from the deep woods to overlook the goal we had been seeking - the Great Marsh itself! Which brings me to the early development of my lifelong interest in great literature. In my youth, say at about 5th or 6th grade, young boys began sharing their interest in books by referring to such titles as "Under The Grandstand" by Seymour Butts. Or "Yellow Rivers" by I.P. Daily. As I sat on the bench overlooking the swamp, I couldn't help but think of the later.

Sorry folks. Some mornings I just can't help myself

Garden Guard Dog

A total of fourteen expert dog trainers (including police dog trainers) were consulted to compile this list of the top ten best guard dog breeds. During their evaluation they considered not only a dog's temperament and physical strength, but its courage, loyalty, and resistance to pain. There are some dogs who possess all of these qualities but didn't make the list because of their small size. Chihuahuas, most breeds of Terriers, and Miniature Schnauzers are certainly brave, but unfortunately can easily be dealt with by an intruder.

The top 10 guard dogs as chosen by the experts are:

#10 Staffordshire Terrier

#9 Kuvasz

#8 Rhodesian Ridgeback

#7 German Shepherd

#6 Giant Schnauzer

#5 Puli

#4 Komondor

#3 Rottweiler

#2 Doberman Pinscher

#1 Bullmastiff

As you can see my precious South Woodland Flower garden is "guarded" by a top ten dog. At #7 his breed (GSD) is known for their willingness, even eagerness, to put it all on the line to defend a few hepaticas. Upon a proper introduction though, Baron will be more than happy to show you around. We will need to stay on the path. It quite a maze in here.

The South Garden has filled in quite nicely from the gooseberry patch of a few years ago. I built a wall with limestone rock to separate it from the turnaround parking area adjacent to the garage. The rocks also delineates the pathway. Many of the wildflowers were taken from the flower gardens on our old property next door.

I love my hostas in the woods and keep adding more and dividing and replanting more. The more there are the fewer I remember their names. I tend to say things like "oh here's one that looks great in the dappled light."

"Or this one's a Sagae, I think....maybe." Etc.

There are several kinds of lamium and some make great groundcovers. Yes, they can try to take over, but I wasn't a classroom teacher all those years for nothing.

Thanks for the tour Baron. Good boy!

Day Of The Orioles

I was a rookie, last spring, pretty raw actually. Didn't really know which way to go.


The idea was to get some of those Baltimore guys in my backyard. You know. The kind that fly. I wanted to keep an eye on them. That's my job see.

Then I caught a lucky break. Some guy told me they were attracted to orange slices and grape jelly. Go figure. I tried it. The oranges that is. Would you believe it , no sooner than I went into the house for my morning joe, and came back out on the deck, there they were. Ten minutes flat. Over the next few days several more of the gang showed up. I thought I had them cold. Wrong! Just like that they all went on the lam. Maybe north of the border?
Well, this spring I was determined to try again. Maybe add some grape jelly. I thought at first they had sent a scout ahead. No luck there. It turned out to be a member of the summer tanager gang. They come from down south someplace. They were clean. I waited and waited. Nothing. Funny thing though. The oranges kept disappearing. And the Baltimores were nowhere to be seen. I finally set up an early morning surveillance. Turned out to be squirrels. No respect for law and order, I guess.

I'm not one to give up a case easily but 2 months and not a sign. Baron and I needed a break. Its' been hot, big city hot, you know where the asphalt is melting. A swim in the country seemed like a good idea. We headed off to the Goethite WMA.

From the pond we headed up a trail into the woods. Soon the path was lined by some huge cottonwoods. When I looked up to see how tall they were... that's when I noticed them. The Baltimore gangs hideout. I counted at least ten scattering in all directions. I thought I head one squeek "we're busted."

Well that's the story folks. They call it the Goethite Wildlife Management Area. Coulda fooled me. I can see these Baltimores, being from a big city, as used to a wildlife. But being managed? Not a chance. I know I couldn't control them.

btw - On the way back to the big city I caught sight of another related gang member - an Orchard Oriole. But that's another story.