Ubiquitous Birds Post-Windpocalypse

American robin on tree branch. (3/10/17)

It has been months since taking my camera (and not the picture taking function of my cell phone) out for a walk but conditions being what they have been the past 48 hour this morning seemed a good time to do so. Following upstate New York's Wind Storm 2017, we and 100,000 of our neighbors find ourselves without power and I find myself with two days off from school. There are only so many hours one can listen to local politicians pat themselves on the back for being such amazing public servants during a catastrophe, so the silence of the trail provided a welcome break.

Emptied pond on Erie Canal. (3/10/17)

A short drive up the road from the Comfort Inn we have relocated to for the (sadly) foreseeable future, the Lock 32 Canal Park is part of a path I am very familiar with both walking and running with my wife and children. I did not really anticipate seeing too much of great interest beyond the traditional barren terrain of the emptied canal bed, but was pleasantly (okay, really) glad to come across some common park birds. It was like seeing old friends after a long absence. Amongst the creaking trees and polar winds, it was heart-warming to come across a few wood peckers, robins and crows on my short trip down the canal trail...

American robin on the ground. (3/10/17)

American robin keeping watch. (3/10/17)

Erie Canal in Winter-time. (3/10/17)

Pileated woodpecker doing his thing. (3/10/17)

Pileated woodpecker. (3/10/17)

American crow. (3/10/17)

Crows. (3/10/17)

Downy woodpecker. (3/10/17)

Duped water birds in winter. (3/10/17)

Kiosk of Discarded Cemetery Mementos

Took my mother to visit both my father, grandfather, and grandmother's graves today at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery this morning. In addition to regularly planting flowers at the family stones twice a year, on Memorial Day and Veteran's Day, we visit to replace the small American flags placed there. (Both my father and grandfather are veteran's.) Despite clearly posted grave do's and don'ts regarding decorating sites, I am always surprised by how many place artificial flowers and knick-knacks in memory of their dearly departed. I hadn't given it too much thought, but it does beg the question: what happens to these code violations once they're discovered by the proprietors?

While exiting the cemetery following our visit today we passed what looked to be a small kiosk of discarded items, much like a lost-and-found. Curious, we pulled into the small parking area, and I walked out to find a display of items left behind. Signs encouraged visitors to take things they had left behind back with them, with the caution that they would once again be removed if left again.

Seneca Park Zoo Roadie

Amur tiger. (4/23/16)

Yesterday was the Seneca Park Zoo's annual Earth Day Celebration. After assisting my wife and her colleagues in setting up their exhibition table, I took advantage of the opportunity to wander to zoo exhibits just prior to opening. This gave me an unusual (for me) chance to linger over each habitat and snap a few pictures. At this time in the morning, it was still grey out, so the colors did not pop like they might have when I came back later in the day to assist with the break down. I did manage to take a few good pictures though... even a broken clock is correct twice a day.

Amur tiger. (4/23/16)

Gray wolf. (4/23/16)

Gray wolf. (4/23/16)

Gray wolf. (4/23/16)

Canada lynx. (4/23/16)

African lion. (4/23/16)

Unique exhibit observation area. (4/23/16)

Olive baboon. (4/23/16)

Olive baboon. (4/23/16)

Olive baboon. (4/23/16)

African elephant. (4/23/16)

African elephants. (4/23/16)

African elephant. (4/23/16)

Sandhill crane. (4/23/16)

Sandhill crane. (4/23/16)

Sandhill crane. (4/23/16)

Sandhill crane versus squirrel. (4/23/16)

Bald eagle. (4/23/16)

Bald eagle. (4/23/16)

Bald eagle. (4/23/16)

Snow geese. (4/23/16)

White rhino. (4/23/16)

White rhino. (4/23/16)

Snowy owl. (4/23/16)

Basil Hawk in Summer

Red-tailed Hawk at Basil Marella Park(8/29/15)

To briefly resuscitate a tired metaphor, time does indeed fly. I took these pictures during girls' cross-country practice wa-a-a-a-y back in late August. Our team trains on our "home course" at Basil Marella Park in the beautiful suburb of Greece, New York. While spotting hawks on the Monroe County expressway system is a very common occurrence, I had not previously been capable of pulling over to the side of the road to take any photos (though the idea still often crosses my mind).

Like their cousins the American Robin and Northern Cardinal, the Red-tailed hawk can be frequently observed in Western New York. As written on the Canisius Ambassadors for Conservation website, Red-tailed Hawks "[are] one of the most widely-spread hawks found in the western hemisphere."

Because Red-tailed Hawks are so ubiquitous as to be nearly invisible, my wife (and the student-athletes I coach) think it goofy that I rush to the car to grab my camera. As I have often written, however, it is precisely because they are so common, that I find them so interesting.

(8/29/15)

Someone is hungry! (8/29/15)