Summer 10: Inventions

July 25-August 11, 2011

How to get back on the blogging-wagon after a long sojourn away?

It was a flurry-ous final couple weeks with Blue Sky Project and I just couldn't keep the blog up, though I did make the occasional birding excursion.

Daunted by the backlog and lack of written notes, I've decided to have some fun and be a bit inventive with my explanations for each recording. The dates, locations, and characters are more or less accurate. The stories are embellished. Enjoy!

August 11, 2011
6:45pm, on the road to Franklin Park, Jamaica Plain, MA
warm, golden, gorgeous

A mysterious animal with the face of a cat, the feet of a bird, and the tail of a squirrel, mewled at me from a low-hanging tree. The sound mesmerized me - it was disturbing, yet entrancing - and I inched closer and closer. I was saved from permanent hypnosis only by the familiar sound of human machinery. A close call!


August 10, 2011
7:00am-7:45am, Franklin Park, Jamaica Plain, MA

Before my astonished eyes, a rusty metal gate morphed into a blue jay!


August 7, 2011
7:45am, parking lot, College Park Center, University of Dayton, OH
misty and humid

I wouldn't have expected it in early August, but there they were - a large V of geese headed (roughly) east. A sparrow wearing a bright-orange safety vest directed them, much like ground crew at an airport.


August 6, 2011
7:00am, Woodland Cemetery, Dayton, OH

In the distance, I saw an Eastern Pee Wee teasing a large hawk. The hawk was clearly upset, so I hurried over to try to help out.
With the judicious use of animal sign-language (silent), I was able to convince the Pee Wee to lay off, though the hawk was a bit of a whiner in the end...


August 4, 2011
Woodland Cemetery, Dayton, OH

All it takes is one peewee.
As the cemetery maintenance staff revved up for their daily morning tractor race, an excited peewee managed to infect a nearby cardinal with his enthusiasm. Before I knew it, a whole gang of cardinals was gathered, cheeping with excitement and jostling for the best vantage point (branch).


July 31, 2011
Woodland Cemetery, Dayton, OH

If you ever need some very precise glass-cleaning, I highly recommend the chickadees. They have a special technique using only their toes, a bit of grass, and chickadee speed!

Here they are scrubbing away at the little glass house of a neighboring cardinal.