By Bike Rider
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
June 27, 2008
Can you believe it's almost the end of June? I can't.
When I went running this morning in the park, my goal was to run around the circuit at least 3 times. Then I changed the goal to 25 minutes (I run a circuit in about 6.5 minutes) and I almost made it, when I got a stitch in my side at 24 minutes. That allowed me to walk back to the house and get my camera and some bread and then go back to to pond where I got some fun pix.
Those are baby geese! The one at the back on the right is the parent. You can tell the babies easily because of their "whit-whit-whit" baby voices (they don't honk until they are grown up) and the white cheek patches haven't come in yet. But they are so big now!
The baby in the foreground still had a fair bit of fuzz on his neck.
I just like this "action" shot. And you can see what I meant earlier about "white bums".
And the babies aren't shy about coming right up to you.
I found a big difference with the baby ducks. They look like they have their adult plumage but they are still pretty fuzzy and I don't think their wings are developed. But they aren't yellow fuzz-balls any more!
And they aren't shy any more either! Last time, they wouldn't approach me, nor take anything from my hand. This time they pecked me unmercifully and came and stood right on the tops of my feet.
I don't know why we find waterfowl more engaging than many other birds, but they are.
When I went running this morning in the park, my goal was to run around the circuit at least 3 times. Then I changed the goal to 25 minutes (I run a circuit in about 6.5 minutes) and I almost made it, when I got a stitch in my side at 24 minutes. That allowed me to walk back to the house and get my camera and some bread and then go back to to pond where I got some fun pix.
Those are baby geese! The one at the back on the right is the parent. You can tell the babies easily because of their "whit-whit-whit" baby voices (they don't honk until they are grown up) and the white cheek patches haven't come in yet. But they are so big now!
The baby in the foreground still had a fair bit of fuzz on his neck.
I just like this "action" shot. And you can see what I meant earlier about "white bums".
And the babies aren't shy about coming right up to you.
I found a big difference with the baby ducks. They look like they have their adult plumage but they are still pretty fuzzy and I don't think their wings are developed. But they aren't yellow fuzz-balls any more!
And they aren't shy any more either! Last time, they wouldn't approach me, nor take anything from my hand. This time they pecked me unmercifully and came and stood right on the tops of my feet.
I don't know why we find waterfowl more engaging than many other birds, but they are.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
June 25, 2008
Here's that building that I mentioned yesterday, with the brick on one side, from the side with the brick.
Doesn't this building look awfully (as in "awful") close to the bike path and the hedge?
I usually bike through the park but I decided to walk to the library which is why I got this photo.
That's right. Someone stopped to enjoy sitting in the shade of some trees in the park, to enjoy the natural environment, and to have their cup of coffee. And then they spoiled it for everyone else by leaving the empty cup when they left. Shame on you. (To forestall the question, yes, I picked it up and put it in a bin by city hall.)
On a more pleasant note, I noticed killdeer in the park for the first time this week. I saw one running away from me and stopping to hunker down every few feet. it wasn't the "broken wing" decoy they usually use but it was close.
A wildlife photographer, I am not. I figure they must have a nest near by but I'm not going to look for it for fear of jeopardising the babies. I'm amazed that birds like this that just lay their eggs on the grass manage to survive year after year. I know that killdeer young hatch way late and can run about earlier than other birds but still - they must be so vulnerable.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
June 24, 2008
I didn't take the camera when I went jogging this morning but I noticed that my "fluffy dinosaurs" now have white bums! They are getting their adult plumage and you can even see where the white cheek patches are going to be.
The construction is still going on. This building has the brick on the other side already.
The parking lot was full at the old Nepean City Hall today. I asked a parking lot attendant, having never seen them or signs before, what was going on. He told me that was a graduation. Whatever happened to using the gym at school?
This is where the voles hung out in the winter. It is nice to see that they have pretty yellow and purple flowers and tall clover at the back to enjoy. I suppose they'd have to stand on their tippy toes to see it, however.
They've just been mowing a swathe of grass by the path and not the whole thing so far this summer.
And now there are parking meters on this side of Centrepointe! There never were meters before now. I wonder if there was a memo at city hall saying "bonus to any employee who finds new places to put meters."
In the 12 years I have been living here, I've never noticed there was a parking problem that needed meters.
The construction is still going on. This building has the brick on the other side already.
The parking lot was full at the old Nepean City Hall today. I asked a parking lot attendant, having never seen them or signs before, what was going on. He told me that was a graduation. Whatever happened to using the gym at school?
This is where the voles hung out in the winter. It is nice to see that they have pretty yellow and purple flowers and tall clover at the back to enjoy. I suppose they'd have to stand on their tippy toes to see it, however.
They've just been mowing a swathe of grass by the path and not the whole thing so far this summer.
And now there are parking meters on this side of Centrepointe! There never were meters before now. I wonder if there was a memo at city hall saying "bonus to any employee who finds new places to put meters."
In the 12 years I have been living here, I've never noticed there was a parking problem that needed meters.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
June 15, 2008
The geese will eat right out of your hand but not the ducks. But there was one baby goose who wouldn't take anything from me. The other goslings gathered right in, practically under my skirt and nibbled at the hem of my skirt while I was feeding bread to their brethren.
We are so fortunate to live here. There were baseball teams out playing in al the available diamonds. Some were camped out with dogs and coolers and chairs.
We are so fortunate to live here. There were baseball teams out playing in al the available diamonds. Some were camped out with dogs and coolers and chairs.
Friday, June 13, 2008
June 13, 2008
So I haven't abandoned this blog! First I was away, then I was sick, and now I am blogging on my other blogs. But today I finally went back for a run in the park and saw baby geese and ducklings!
I brought my camera with me while I went running and saw the fluffy babies on the first pass. When I came around the second time, I stopped to take pix.
An older man with his grandson in a baby carriage had stopped along the path and he started throwing bread to the birds. They were up and running toward him in a flash.
They didn't seem shy at all, not even the goslings. But the parents were pretty aggressive with the other birds.
Don't they look like fluffy dinosaurs?
These two parental geese were giving me the hairy eyeball, as I was trying to get close for pix. One of them took a chunk out of a duck that got too close too - there was a wad of feathers on the grass and the duck limped away after that. I scolded the goose but got scolded by him in return.
This duck was limping too but for a different reasons - he might be Waddles One-Foot! You can't tell from the photo but he was missing his right foot. Of course, I can't tell or remember which foot Waddles was missing but anyway.
Here's his faithful missus with their seven children.
To round it off, here's the progress of the construction to date. The first row done by the road has roof vents on and everything. This is the one where the back "yards" will be sitting right on the bike path.
But here is what it looks like from our quad. It looms over the houses by the park. Well, it doesn't look that loomy here but believe me, there is looming. And the constant noise is driving those guys crazy.
I brought my camera with me while I went running and saw the fluffy babies on the first pass. When I came around the second time, I stopped to take pix.
An older man with his grandson in a baby carriage had stopped along the path and he started throwing bread to the birds. They were up and running toward him in a flash.
They didn't seem shy at all, not even the goslings. But the parents were pretty aggressive with the other birds.
Don't they look like fluffy dinosaurs?
These two parental geese were giving me the hairy eyeball, as I was trying to get close for pix. One of them took a chunk out of a duck that got too close too - there was a wad of feathers on the grass and the duck limped away after that. I scolded the goose but got scolded by him in return.
This duck was limping too but for a different reasons - he might be Waddles One-Foot! You can't tell from the photo but he was missing his right foot. Of course, I can't tell or remember which foot Waddles was missing but anyway.
Here's his faithful missus with their seven children.
To round it off, here's the progress of the construction to date. The first row done by the road has roof vents on and everything. This is the one where the back "yards" will be sitting right on the bike path.
But here is what it looks like from our quad. It looms over the houses by the park. Well, it doesn't look that loomy here but believe me, there is looming. And the constant noise is driving those guys crazy.
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