Duck... duck... duck... Coot!

Hooded merganser
Northern shoveler
American wigeon
Coot!

I had signed up for a bird walk this morning at Sandy Hook, but it was cancelled yesterday due to poor weather. Bummer. In all the years I've been birding I've never had a trip be cancelled because of the weather. Are birders going soft or something? It was barely even raining today, so I visited a few of the coastal ponds in the area looking for ducks. I found quite a few of my favorites, and even got to take a few of my signature fuzzy photos. The Wigeon are the prettiest, I think, and there were nice numbers of them. Wigeon have a sweet call; the Cornell site compares it to a squeaky toy. Very different than the Long-tailed ducks I saw last weekend at Sandy Hook. Clicking on the links will bring you to Cornell's page where you can listen to both songs.

Most everywhere on these little coastal ponds are gulls, Canada Geese, and Coot. They're funny birds, actually in the rail family, and I photographed this one among a group of twenty or so feeding in the grass beside a pond like a flock of chickens. I saw the Wigeon doing the same thing, which was a first, although I've read that they'll do that.

I stopped along the ocean on the way home, hoping to spot a loon, but the heavy fog and a lonely fisherman were all I found. Nice day, despite the rain.

Good Planets 1/13/07

Welcome to this week's Good Planets show. As usual, our beautiful earth does not disappoint.
Dave from Bird TLC in Alaska shares this photo of a Bald Eagle about to snatch a meal from the snow. The shot was taken by a friend of his, Britt Coon.
Amanda from Old Girl from the North Country took this pic looking east into a Northwest Washington sky on a day when it snowed.
Cindy from Woodsong sent this image of a yellow lady's slipper orchid that she photographed near her home. She says, "they grow in colonies and self seed- the yellows get quite tall before they're done, at least a foot 1/2 high.. they grow in a 'bunch' and they're hard to shoot since most of the slipper-petals all face in different directions, so I try to isolate one blossom, which isn't always easy. And yeah, sometimes I get on my belly for florals.. the trick is getting back up :)"
Lindsay shares this beautiful pic of turkey-tail fungus. I know a few of you who will enjoy that!
Susannah of Wanderin Weeta sent this pic of boats and weathered old buildings. Sarala sent this pic of a juvenille Cooper's Hawk that posed briefly in a tangle in her garden.
Karen at Rurality shares this pic of hoarfrost on an unknown weed in her yard.
Robin of the Dharma Bums sent this photo of a bushtit.
Whorled Loosestrife (thanks Bev!) and a reflection of the blue sky at Whitesbog in the NJ Pine Barrens, photographed by yours truly.
Kerrdelune of Beyond the Fields We Know shares this breathtaking pic of a maple leaf caught in the wind in eastern Canada.
Liza at Egret's Nest offers this pic of a lone raven near Boulder Creek.
Maggie from Banter, Bones, and Breath sent this pic taken on vacation in Virginia.
Naturewoman wanted you to see this image from the Adirondacks in upstate NY.
Pam at Tortoise Trail shares this pic of a beautiful male cardinal with the Santa Catalina Mountains in the background, north of Tuscon.
Cathy at Left Curve offers this serene ocean view from Canon Beach in Oregon.
Evan sent this lovely hibiscus flower; this photo was taken in Saba.
Bunnygirl sent this pic of the City of Rocks. The City of Rocks is a grouping of big, smooth rocks on an empty plain near Deming, NM. With nothing of note for miles around, the rocks seem to have grown out of the earth, and by some accounts, that's exactly what happened. The rocks go on for a long way, and the park has dozens of campsites nestled among them. Camp there on a clear night with a full moon, and see what a mystical experience it can be!
KGMom sent along this colorful pic of shutters in Amsterdam.
The Fat Lady Sings shared this photo of her favorite secret cove in Monterey, California. This is one of my favorite places in all the world. Through these trees, down a narrow little trail is a tiny cove, protected from wind and weather. I'm sure it’s been discovered by now - but 20 years ago, when I took this picture, no one else seems to know of it. I would go there almost every weekend - sitting on the sand, listening to the gulls, tasting the sea air. Trust me when I say the picture doesn't do it justice.- I'm afraid it's no secret any longer!

Finally, Cathy at Looking Up sent this image of fall-colored aspens.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Good Planets will be appearing here for the last two Saturdays in January and will then move to Wanderin Weeta for the month of February (mail to susannah AT dccnet DOT com). Until then, please continue to send your beautiful pics to me at lc-hardy AT comcast DOT net. Many thanks to those submitting photos this week. Also to the Dharma Bums and Tortoise Trail for continuing support (technical or otherwise). All photos (past and present) are archived at the Good Planets Flickr gallery.

- - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

*Note to photographers: Please leave a few details about your pic in the comments here to better describe them. I wasn't able to access the descriptions each of you sent me by email and had to describe each pic from my memory of how you described them. My email account is acting up tonight. Hopefully I didn't invent any details or otherwise make too many mistakes.

Two things meme

from Laura at Natural Notes 3:

two names you go by: Laura and Sweetie
two parts of your heritage: Pennsylvania Dutch and German
two things that scare you: fire and going to the dentist
two everyday essentials: Carmex lip balm and coffee
two things you are wearing right now: jeans and ridiculous slipper socks with pom-poms on the toe
two of your favorite current bands/artists: Little Big Town and Luka Bloom
two things you want in a relationship (other than love): laughter and shared values
two favorite hobbies: being outdoors and reading
two things you have to do this week: get ready for the start of Spring semester and clean up Xmas clutter
two stores you shop at: Barnes and Noble and Whole Foods
two favorite sports: people-watching and surfing (the net)
two shows you like to watch: Without a Trace and Real Time with Bill Maher
two things you’d buy if money were no object: nothing comes to mind right away!
two wishes for 2007: happiness and less stress

1/11/07 Mid-week bunny fix

Guess who!

Borrowed

My head still being elsewhere tonight, I offer you a borrowed painting from a wonderful artist named Alastair Proud and a borrowed poem by Mary Oliver.

Lonely, White Fields

"Every night
the owl
with his wild monkey-face
calls through the black branches,
and the mice freeze
and the rabbits shiver
in the snowy fields-
and then there is the long, deep trough of silence
when he stops singing, and steps
into the air.
I don't know
what death's ultimate
purpose is, but I think
this: whoever dreams of holding his
life in his fist
year after year into the hundreds of years
has never considered the owl-
how he comes, exhausted,
through the snow,
through the icy trees,
past snags and vines, wheeling
out of barns and church steeples,
turning this way and that way
through the mesh of every obstacle-
undeterred by anything-
filling himself time and time again
with a red and digestible joy
sickled up from the lonely, white fields-
and how at daybreak,
as though everything had been done
that must be done, the fields
swell with a rosy light,
the owl fades
back into the branches,
the snow goes on falling
flake after perfect flake."

I've just recently started reading Mary Oliver's poetry after seeing it referred to on various nature blogs. I like the way she so often relates to something in nature and surprises me with the images she creates from words. I like the feel of this poem, but I'm not sure that I understand what she is telling me here.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In other news, we had our first snow of the season today - a few snowflakes for about 30 seconds! I think they said on the news that this is the latest date on record for snow in NJ.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

If you haven't already, please consider submitting a photo for this Saturday's Good Planets to me at lc-hardy AT comcast DOT net. Thanks!

"Just Brant"

"If you can awaken inside the familiar and discover it new, you need never leave home." - Ted Kooser

I don't know where my mind is at lately, but it's certainly not on the familiar. I suppose many people enjoy this season of rest from the outdoors and are happy to curl up on the sofa day after day, but I don't. I have cabin-fever and it's only early January. The routine of everday, the normality and sameness of it is making me cranky. I think it must partly be because there's been no real change in the weather since late October; I'd like for it to either be cold and snowy or to get on with Spring already! I'm in no hurry for the Spring, really I love winter, but this is not winter as I love it.

The boredom and crankiness I feel is the fault of my own lack of imagination, I know. Sometimes it's hard to find anything to be inspired about. Getting out on the weekends is the best thing I can do for myself, but the effect doesn't last long enough to see me through the week. Maybe I just need to eat more ice-cream or something. Who knows.

So. The birds in this pic are Brant. Familiar geese that winter on the coast. They breed in the high Arctic, and while they look an awful lot like Canada Geese, they don't have the white cheek patch or pale breast. Plus they're much smaller and don't spend their days on corporate office lawns. Are they familiar to any of you? Would you drive past them on the bay and say, "Just Brant"? I'm guilty... I do.

Wired

This Canada Hemlock, like all the tallest trees in Peirce's Park at Longwood Gardens, had a narrow green wire extending from somewhere in the crown of the tree beyond our sight down the full length of the trunk and into the ground. The wires were inconspicuous unless you were really looking at the trees, like my husband and I were. We wandered around enjoying the towering lindens and tulip-trees and especially the hemlocks. Some of the oldest trees here are thought to be more than 200 years old and were thoughtfully labeled for those of us who are still learning to identify them. ;-)

We assume the trees are wired to protect them from lightning, as a strike would be life-threatening for the tree. Trees are often the tallest objects in a landscape and their deep roots and water/sap content make them a great lightning rod. From what I've read, properly protecting a tree from lightning can cost as much as $1,000 per tree and involves running copper cables down opposite sides of the trunk as well as along the main branches. These cables are then grounded well outside of the dropline of the tree to prevent root damage.

Lightning is nature's way of eliminating old or sick trees, but it would be a shame to lose such beauties as those at Longwood. This was the first time either my husband or I had seen such a thing and I wonder how common it may be. Any fellow tree-huggers know more about this?

Dropping in

I did my volunteer gig today at the bird observatory and spent an hour or two afterwards stalking the less-than-abundant waterfowl with my camera. Sandy Hook should be really good now, but the huge rafts of ducks I expect to see in the winter aren't here.

My favorites, the long-tailed ducks, were too far out in the bay for even my 200-400mm lens to reach nicely. They are such beautiful ducks; black and white with short, pointed dark wings. They were very vocal today - the males almost yodeling - have you ever heard them sing? Listen for them; you won't soon forget the sound of their courting.

Despite this lens that's near as long as my arm and which seems to weigh about as much as I do, the few small groups of waterfowl were little more than specks in a sea of blue. But the Canada Geese and Brant at Plum Island were close enough and cooperative and the light was good, so I found a dry spot in the marsh to sit and spent an hour or so in the company of these common birds. This pic was my favorite, a Canada dropping into the marsh and caught in the middle of putting on the brakes to land.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Good Planets show will be here again next Saturday, in case you've been newly inspired to submit a photo. Send one or two pics to me at lc-hardy AT comcast DOT net sometime before Friday. Wasn't this week's show grand? Thanks to all who submitted photos and stopped by to comment.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -

Every so often I get brave enough to tackle HTML code and add the links of some blog friends to the sidebar. In the last week or two I've added quite a few from my bookmarks that I hope you'll visit sometime. One of those friends, Vicki of Outside In, calls the community of people she links to her neighborhood. That's a nice way of looking at it, don't you think? What I find really neat is that often once I add a link here, I see that some of you are visiting that blog and making friendships of your own; maybe initially because of that link. I know that I've made some friends because of the links you include on your blogs. Anyway, that's just my long-winded way of saying thank you for being such kind and supportive people. It's nice to see people being nice to one another, you know? Oh, and go drop in at Vicki's; she's got a great blog and is very funny. Here's a link to her most recent post which had me in stitches.

First Good Planets of 2007

Welcome to this first 2007 edition of Good Planets celebrating the majesty of our natural world. We'll start with the sunrise over SW Ontario submitted by Ruth of Body, Soul, and Spirit. A beautiful new day is dawning.

Susan's cousin Cathy at Left Curve sent in some tulips photographed last spring at the Boston Public Garden.
Robin from Dharma Bums caught this Red-Tailed Hawk soaring over the Larry Scott Memorial Trail along Port Townsend Bay on the winter solstice.
Susannah of Wanderin' Weeta sent this view (reflected in a plate-glass window) of stern-wheelers and the "Sky Train" on the Fraser River, New Westminster, BC. Old and new, both in operation.
Evan aka *whisker* sent along this beauty. He writes, "I just got back from Saba in the Netherlands Antilles." He sent many beautiful photos; I chose this one to post simply because it looks the least like any view I've ever seen!
Bunny blog that this is, there's the requisite beautiful bunny pic shared by Sharon. This is their story, written by Sharon: "Not sure if this is too domestic a small wonder, but this nest of bunlings was (and remains) quite a breathtaking wonder for me upon their arrival 07/25/03, 2.5 days (yes, 2 point 5, not 25) days after I adopted their dear mamabun from our local SPCA. A complicated gestation of a remarkable 43 days (30 the mean norm) led to complications that resulted in two dark lops failing to thrive, but here are the five plucky survivors, a week later. As initial shock resolved, Dick and I determined to set the babes on their course, have them neutered, socialized, and foster them for placement in loving homes. Two weeks later we were hopelessly smitten, unable to part with any of the wee terrors who continue to dominate our home today. "
The Fat Lady Sings sent this image of migratory birds and writes, "There were literally thousands of them, filling tree after tree. The sound of their chattering was deafening."
Maggie from Banter, Bones and Breath sent this from her favorite park: Sawgrass Lake in St. Pete Florida.
Pam at Tortoise Trail writes, "... one of my goals for this year is to learn how to take closeups. I'm always fascinated by the detail the camera can show me that I had no inkling of before. ... I photographed [this] in the Tucson Botanical Gardens last February. I had no idea what the flower was until I noticed today that the centre pattern looked similar to that of the red poppies I photographed in my friend's garden in Canada. I took a wild guess and googled "white poppy" and came up with Icelandic Poppy."
Sarala sent this from Bryce National Park in Utah. She considers it one of the most beautiful places on earth.
Recently relocated to Florida, Vicki writes, "Up until a couple years ago I couldn't envision myself spending any time in Florida. Now that we have a little aging bungalow right by the bay I am enjoying the respite from Northern winters. One of the very best parts is the birding. This place is rife with stunning water birds. I hadn't seen a yellow crowned night heron before yesterday. This handsome fellow was making the most of a very low tide."
Jimmy from Details of Nature sent this photo of a Showy Lady's Slipper growing in the woods nearby to his home.
Naturewoman sent this view from Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument in Arizona.
Yankee Transplant writes, "Here is a picture I took at the playground just up from my house, where I would take my now-grown kids when they were little, in Boston. We had a beautiful ice storm in February of 1990. This close up of a bush, its branches laden with ice, brings back great memories of the wonder on my daughter's face when she saw the playground transformed into a winter extravaganza. "
My own submission of a captive Barred Owl, cared for by the Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge and used for educational purposes, photographed at the Tuckerton Seaport in NJ.
Carolyn from Roundtop Ruminations took this photo of the sunset near her cabin at Ski Roundtop near Lewisberry PA.
Gary sent this gorgeous view of the last sunset of 2006 over the island of Niihau from Polihale beach on the west side of Kauai.

And finally, the first pic I received for this week's submissions from SB Gypsy of the moonrise on 12/3/06 in central Connecticut.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Can you believe that this is just over half of the photos that were submitted to Good Planets this week? I'm delighted with the examples of beauty and wonder found by those sending photos. Kudos and thanks to you all for taking the effort to submit them. Please note that many photographers submitted more than one photo, but I've only posted one by each. Getting these photos up tonight has been something of a comedy of errors. The first 8 photos were uploaded quickly by Blogger, but then it went downhill when Blogger refused any more pics. The rest were uploaded via my Photobucket page, so if you click on them you will be directed there. I apologize for that. For the first time in more than a year, I then lost my internet connection - three times! - causing me to have to redo this post multiple times. If there are any errors, please understand that it's late and I've been at this for over 6 hours now. Let me know of the problem and I'll fix it first thing.

A rare recipe

Hold onto your chairs. I'm going to share a recipe with you.

I made these on Christmas morning and they were really wonderful. I've never made homemade muffins before and was very pleased with how easy and delicious they turned out to be. I recommend them warm from the oven spread with butter. Don't forget a nice cup of coffee or tea.

The recipe comes from the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound butter, melted and cooled
2 extra-large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 bananas)
1 cup medium-diced ripe bananas (1 banana)
1 cup small-diced walnuts
1 cup granola
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Optional: dried banana chips, granola, or shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 18 large muffin tins with paper liners. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into mixer bowl. Add the melted butter and blend. Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, and mashed bananas and add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Scrape the bowl and blend well. Don't overmix.

Fold the diced bananas, walnuts, granola, and coconut into the batter. Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each to the top. Top each muffin with dried banana chips, granola, or coconut, if desired. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly, remove from pan, and serve.

1/4/07 Mid-week bunny fix

I love photos like this one of Boomer sleeping in a patch of sunlight! The sunporch where they live is south-facing and the winter sun is low enough in the western sky in the afternoon to send the sunbeams down to floor level where Boomer naps. Many bunnies somehow manage to sleep with their eyes open - I like to call it *contemplating the universe* when I catch them at it - but Boomer just zonks out in the afternoon with his eyes closed and belly up. He'll allow me to ruffle the soft white fur on his belly, but if I dare to kiss it he wakes up and regards me with a pfuftf ! I've not ever found him sleeping on his back like some bunnies are known to do, but he does a not-so-graceful jump-twist-flop to get into this position, often beside Cricket. Sometimes I find them spooning together, but Cricket doesn't sleep soundly enough to allow a photo.

Bonsai!

I really enjoyed the bonsai at Longwood Gardens. The simplicity in this display was quite refreshing after all the dazzling Christmas colors in the other areas of the conservatory. My eyes were glad for a rest.

Each of the 15 or so specimens is displayed on a simple wooden bench that runs the length of the space. The collection is kept behind glass which made photography difficult, but I've tried to crop out as much of the reflections as possible. I was puzzled by the glass and my husband and I both assumed it was meant to protect the trees from too much fondling by passerby or to perhaps keep them from being stolen. The outdoor bonsai display at my local horticultural park is kept chained for this very reason. After reading a bit of the history of Longwood Gardens I found out that the collection is kept behind glass so that it's visible during the winter months while allowing the plants to be kept cool and dormant. The glass panes are removed during the more temperate months, I assume.

The grouping of trees in the pic above was my favorite, but of course I didn't include the botanical label in my photo so their name is a mystery to me now. I want to guess that they're some variety of Sycamore because of that bark, but the collection, of course, is heavily biased with Japenese trees so who knows.

Another interesting plant is this Japense Zelkova pictured at right. I'd never heard of them before, but my husband has been saying lately that he likes them. He's seeing that a lot of towns are using them as street trees to replace the ornamental pears that are such popular but weak trees. Zelkovas are in the Elm family (according to the label) and this particular specimen has been *in training* since 1909.

I think it's easy to forget the amount of work and foresight that must go into training a tree for nearly a hundred years so that it will look this way. The gardener has to prune the roots and branches to prevent it from outgrowing its container while also maintaining the tree's natural shape by wiring and bending the branches. Very cool, but not something I'm prepared to try anytime soon!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A gentle reminder to anyone who means to submit photos for this week's Good Planets on Saturday. Please email them to me at lc-hardy AT comcast DOT net by sometime on Friday. Please don't be shy about sharing the beauty around you with others via this carnival.

My old man dog

The old dog barks backwards without getting up.
I can remember when he was a pup. - Robert Frost

The signs have been appearing subtly for a few years now: the flecks of gray in the muzzle, the eyes blue with age, the slow climb into the car after a visit to the beach, stiffness in the legs that once seemed so clumsy with youth, more shuffle and less spring to his step. Most recently the change in him is more dramatic: his hearing seems to have gone, whether from chronic ear infections or simple old age he no longer jumps to bark at the mailman and more often than not sleeps through pizza delivery. It's hard to rouse him from sleep without touching him, harder still to communicate without eye contact.

Buddy is growing old and this realization seems easier on him than my husband and I. I've read lately that Labs often remain robust and healthy well into the winter of their lives, yet Buddy seems content to snooze away his days in front of the tv. He's chosen his querencia, his favorite napping place where he feels most comfortable and to which he always returns with a favored toy or snack offered at the dinner table.

While he is no more demonstrative in his dotage than he was as a pup, he seems much less selective when it comes to the definition of adventure. Ball playing and chasing squirrels or a long walk at the beach remain his favorites, but he will just as happily settle for supervising an afternoon in the garden. He's become very sly about begging treats and food from the table; mostly he knows best now how to charm us.

The predictable tragedy in our relationship with this dog, with any dog, is that there will eventually come a time for that last walk at the beach or in the woods and a final rememberance of all that has happened in the years since we first brought him home, so many years ago now that we can't imagine how it still feels like yesterday.

In the meantime, I try to be gentle with him and humor his eccentricities. He's learned to hate having his picture taken; in fact I had to hold his head today to keep him from turning away from the camera. We feed him a bit more and be sure he always has a soft bed to lie on. I walk slowly beside him and let him stop and sniff at everything without always dragging him forward. We let him get away with sleeping on the furniture because he thinks we don't know that he does it.

He's been a good friend these many years and I look forward to taking gentle care of my old man dog.

New thinking

A few of the nice things I received for Christmas are pictured in the fuzzy photo at left; two were gifts from coworkers and one was a gift to myself. The magnetic poetry kit and haiku handbook were gifts from Kathy and Debbie after I expressed an interest in both. The 2007 magnetic poetry calendar I bought for myself because it includes a magnetic board that I can use at work where my fabric-covered cubicle doesn't allow for easy magnetic poetry writing. The magnetic poetry kits are a fun toy - I had one years ago, but it's lost in the attic - so I was looking for another to replace that one and to play with at work.

What's especially nice about the calendar is that it includes a monthly quote and writing prompt. The prompt for January is called *New Thinking* and talks about how often the challenge of moving forward isn't just seeing the path ahead, but being able to take the first step. It suggests that the wanna-be poet choose a favorite word for the month and use that word in the first line of a poem, using it as differently as possible each day: as a noun, a verb, an adjective, as something good, as something bad, etc. to see where this one word can take you.

There are a little more than 200 magnetic word tiles included with the calendar and the word I selected for this first day of the first month of the new year was *promise* and I composed this haiku:

promise of morning
murmur of rain melts the dark
dreams of another

As if writing haiku isn't challenging enough by itself, I limited myself to the 200 words that are included with the calendar. I think I ended up with a haiku that's a bit darker than I would have liked for a New Year's Day poem, but today was a dark and dreary day. I like that I was able to express some of the hope and promise that dawns with a new day and a new year.

For more New Year poetry visit One Deep Breath.