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Monday, September 09, 2013

Nature Notes: Early September 2013

I was surprised to spot a flicker foraging in my neighbor's grass.
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Flickers tend to be shy and I usually don't see them on the ground. Sometimes they go to my bird baths but normally I only see them in the trees except when it snows and I put out food on my deck wall for them.
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The American Robins were also foraging in the grass a few feet away from the flicker.
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We've had a lot of beautiful clouds in the sky.
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The camellia bushes in front of my house are setting their buds early which may mean they won't do well since they shouldn't bloom until early spring. Normally the buds start forming later in the fall.
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The brown color on the leaves around the lake are from flooding. If they were washed off it would be green underneath the brown dirt.
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The cormorants have returned to the lake which they do in late summer to early fall.
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I was surprised how few geese and ducks were at the lake.
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The next shot is another to show the dirt covering left from flooding.
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On the higher parts of the walkway there is just low mud on either side.
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Where the path is low there was so much mud and debris that the city had to use equipment to pile it up on the sides.
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Some places ended up with dirt hills. The creeks that flow out of the lake must have had major flooding.
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Years ago a friend and I walked around the lake after flooding and when we got to the low places the water on the path was above our knees.
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10 comments:

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

The flood effects are obvious... I forgot to say anything about that on your other blog and almost went back to comment again ...but here the muddy leftovers show even better...I guess it's not as bad as it was that one year (that would scare me~)....

That grass must have been full of wonderful banquet food -- the flicker and all those robins loved it.

Hootin Anni said...

Here you're experiencing flooding, and we sit in a drought! But, behold, we have had RAIN the last few days. I'm thrilled 'bout that.

Your images are super Carver. Even tho the leaves are mud covered, there is still a lot of beauty in that image.

Karen said...

A great post Carver!

eileeninmd said...

I think the Flickers looks for ants and bugs in the grass. Great sighting and photos, Carver.

Rambling Woods said...

So much damaging weather and more to come. I enjoyed the flicker, I don't see them often.... Michelle

aspiritofsimplicity said...

great shots. I love this time of year

Reader Wil said...

Thanks for sharing these beautiful photos and for the walk along the roads. How strange that your camelia is having buds now. Ours is having them in January or this year it was even March, which was very late.We use to have flowers in February.What is going on with the climate??
Wil, ABCW Team

NatureFootstep said...

nice to see the flickers on ground level. :) There are just a few geese here as well. Don´t know where they are.

Unknown said...

Must be their day off :P
Hugs
My recently post Retracing the legend of Gangadhar Tilak at Kesari Wada

Arnoldo L. Romero, MLA said...

I thoroughly enjoyed my virtual nature walk with you. Blessings!