This morning, the plan was to go to the Black Creek village wide rummage sales. I needed more blue jeans to get me through the camping season. I put on some weight this winter, and only three pair fit me, not enough when I figure on being at a campground for weeks at a time.
Gary decided to go with me, but when he drove through Black Creek and kept going, I knew there was something else going on. Sure enough, we went to the Van Patten Road marsh to see what birds were traveling through. He knew I wanted to welcome the yellow headed blackbirds and perhaps see one of my favorites, the ruddy duck.
As we drove down the road approaching the marsh, two blue-winged teal took off, the first we'd seen this spring. Next we caught sight of a redhead duck and I knew there would be good birding.
Sure enough we heard the yellow headed blackbird: grawk-grawk, not as pretty as the song of the red winged blackbird, but then the yellow headed variety should be cranky since by the time he shows up, the best nesting spots have been nabbed by the red-winged blackbird.
Then we saw them, the pelicans. There were about two dozen of them, just hanging out on the dikes. Nearer two us was a solitary swan, but it was too far away to determine if it was a tundra or trumpeter swan. The tundras flew in and out in March so my money is on the trumpeter.
Other birds in the water were coots, northern shovelers, mallards, pie-billed grebes, hooded mergansers and Canada geese. On the dikes we saw killdeer, red-winged blackbirds and sandhill cranes. Flying overhead were tree swallows, and one immature eagle.
With all that, it was 10:30 before we got to Black Creek. We went to five or six rummage sales and I had only bought one pair of blue jeans when Gary tired of it. Time to go home, he said, nothing here.
So he drove us home, but I was not ready to quit. I went back for just one hour at the sales, but in that hour I had what I needed. Four pairs of blue jeans, two sleeveless shirts, perforated paper to print out business cards on my ink jet printer. The Black Creek library was having a book sale so I stopped in for what I call a "bathtub book". I mostly read my books on a Nook these days, but taking an electronic book into a bathtub, or at the beach, is not a good idea, so I selected a mystery by Walter Mosley, one of my favorites.
All my purchases came to $6.25 and now I'm ready to go to Laura Lake for our first camping trip of the season.
On my way home, I spotted a rose-breasted grosbeak on a telephone wire.
Then I cleared another path through my gardens.
Not much wrong with a day like that.
Gary decided to go with me, but when he drove through Black Creek and kept going, I knew there was something else going on. Sure enough, we went to the Van Patten Road marsh to see what birds were traveling through. He knew I wanted to welcome the yellow headed blackbirds and perhaps see one of my favorites, the ruddy duck.
As we drove down the road approaching the marsh, two blue-winged teal took off, the first we'd seen this spring. Next we caught sight of a redhead duck and I knew there would be good birding.
Sure enough we heard the yellow headed blackbird: grawk-grawk, not as pretty as the song of the red winged blackbird, but then the yellow headed variety should be cranky since by the time he shows up, the best nesting spots have been nabbed by the red-winged blackbird.
Then we saw them, the pelicans. There were about two dozen of them, just hanging out on the dikes. Nearer two us was a solitary swan, but it was too far away to determine if it was a tundra or trumpeter swan. The tundras flew in and out in March so my money is on the trumpeter.
Other birds in the water were coots, northern shovelers, mallards, pie-billed grebes, hooded mergansers and Canada geese. On the dikes we saw killdeer, red-winged blackbirds and sandhill cranes. Flying overhead were tree swallows, and one immature eagle.
With all that, it was 10:30 before we got to Black Creek. We went to five or six rummage sales and I had only bought one pair of blue jeans when Gary tired of it. Time to go home, he said, nothing here.
So he drove us home, but I was not ready to quit. I went back for just one hour at the sales, but in that hour I had what I needed. Four pairs of blue jeans, two sleeveless shirts, perforated paper to print out business cards on my ink jet printer. The Black Creek library was having a book sale so I stopped in for what I call a "bathtub book". I mostly read my books on a Nook these days, but taking an electronic book into a bathtub, or at the beach, is not a good idea, so I selected a mystery by Walter Mosley, one of my favorites.
All my purchases came to $6.25 and now I'm ready to go to Laura Lake for our first camping trip of the season.
On my way home, I spotted a rose-breasted grosbeak on a telephone wire.
Then I cleared another path through my gardens.
Not much wrong with a day like that.
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