 |
|
Journal (May 2006 - November 2006 archive) Journal now located at: www.driftlessarea.blogspot.com November 16, 2006 I'd be remiss not to mention that southern flying squirrels are fairly common around Madison, Wis. I personally haven't seen one. Not to violate my ban on personal references of family and friends, but reliable sources say flying squirrels are living in their roof. I hope to soon see these small and "seldom seen" (according to my mammal field guide) rodents. The "Gnawing Mammals" of the Rodentia order are prolific. From marmots to pocket mice to lemmings to pikas, the vermin take up 122 pages of a 288-page book on North American mammals. Today marks the six-month anniversary of the Journal, which means I'll start an archive before the next post. November 13, 2006
Eastern chipmunks, also actually a type of striped squirrel, are common in all of these places. Other ground squirrels and flying squirrels are more uncommon but they do occur in the Midwest. On the North Side of Chicago, gray squirrels provide a nice amount of entertainment despite their occasionally frustrating antics. Many times I've seen squirrels resting in trees, splayed out on a branch and sleeping during the middle of the day. I've also seen squirrels eat things I didn't think they'd eat: a dead flicker on a golf course, for example. I've seen a squirrel stick its snout into a little plastic cheese cup from a hot dog stand. They love the Dumpsters in the alley, too. Still, I had never seen a squirrel construct a nest, but I did in a tree on Kenmore Avenue. Changing topics, some might wonder why this journal is not interactive like a Web log or a message board. I guess that's because it is in fact a journal, where it's mainly me doing the writing. There is an opportunity for low-grade interaction by e-mailing sportsshrike@yahoo.com. That inbox, though, doesn't get much use. Someone did once e-mail me for directions to Vermilion County Conservation District but that was about it. The latest message in my inbox has the subject: "Portable toilets. We're there when you need them." November 7, 2006 Saturday began with a morning drive to the Forest Glen Preserve, part of the Vermilion County Conservation District. I learned of this location a few years ago when I spotted a trailhead symbol in an Illinois gazetteer. The symbol denoted the River Ridge Backpack Trail. It's an obscure place about 175 miles south of Chicago. The site is unusual because: it is the rare county park that includes a backpack trail; it's entirely free; the trail is a loop rather than the more common out-and-backs in the Midwest; and it's rugged terrain that resembles the Appalachian foothills rather than the surrounding cornfield sea. I like this place and thought it the ideal setting for a one-night, 11-mile backpack trip. The weather conditions were nice for the season: mid-40s and overcast. In two previous visits, the park was
lightly used. I was surprised to encounter a group of hikers gearing up in
the parking lot when we arrived. They began a little bit ahead of us, but
we soon caught up. We subsequently passed their group of six a few times,
and they passed us when we stopped for lunch. They were a group of Sierra
Club members from suburban Chicago. We decided to keep to our own pace and
keep some separation. Hiking through fallen leaves was deafening enough
without having to shout small talk at each other. We also took a spur
trail to check out the entrance to a one-person coal mine from the early
20th century. I had been hoping also that we would arrive at the three-site campground first to claim Site 1, an especially isolated locale that sits on a peninsular ridge surrounded by steep dropoffs on three sides. Alas, two hikers had already captured the spot. We settled for Site 2, which was just fine but slightly less dramatic. The evening offered enough time to recover and prepare for 3.5 more miles the next day. Sunday dawned brighter with puffier clouds and hints of blue sky. The next 2.5 miles were more of the same: constant undulations and creek crossings. We survived, and soon were enjoying the final mile which follows the edge of a cornfield and offers a stunning view of the surrounding farmland. (I'm a sucker for these pastoral settings.) All in all, a straightforward backpacking trip and perhaps the last night of camping for the year. A note on Austin: I didn't have any exceptional Camp Chicago-like experiences in Austin. I did see a dead armadillo on the road. I also saw a lot of turkey vultures, hawks and deer. I was within an hour's drive of the nation's hottest temperature on Tuesday, Oct. 31--90 degrees in Georgetown, Texas, according to the Multi-Colored Fish Wrap (USA Today). October 23, 2006
October 16, 2006 October 10, 2006
October 5, 2006
House finches often are confused with purple finches, a bird that sadly is becoming less common. Roger Tory Peterson describes the male purple finch as looking as though it was "dipped in raspberry juice." That's the key difference between the species: that the male purple finch is red-purple all over. October 2, 2006 While I suppose most campers consider themselves environmentalists, most also guzzle large amounts of gas and add greenhouse emissions to the atmosphere to get to their destinations. This seems especially poignant since Nunavut has air conditioners for the first time. While we hug trees and spoon the soil, we contribute to climate change and the oil crisis by driving hundreds of miles each year for a few nights under the stars. Last week, at Blue Mound State Park, massive pickup trucks and recreational vehicles dominated most of the sites (Albeit these largely weren't tent campers. The philosophical differences between tenters and RVers will have to be the subject of a future post.). Many in the granola set do, however, drive sport utility vehicles to access wilderness locales and to maintain a rugged, outdoors-y image. A bandana, Birks and a North Face fleece don't work as well when driving an Aveo. The alternatives? Maybe camp closer to
home. Take a train to the campground (Indiana Dunes, for example). Move
out to the sticks and sleep in the backyard. Or don't camp as frequently.
September 30, 2006 Read about the great blue herons that are overrunning Southern California here. September 25, 2006 Blue
Mound State Park is located about 30 minutes west of Madison, on the
edge of the hilly driftless area of Wisconsin. It's right next to the tiny
town of Blue Mounds, Wis. (the town includes two mounds,
After waiting out a tornado warning on the North Side, we departed Chicago around 7:30 and arrived at Blue Mound by 11. The weather had cleared up by then, and we set up our tent by starlight. The site was nice as car camping sites go. It was rainy in the morning, but we did make our way to the top of the mound about a 1-mile roundtrip from the campground. There we climbed observation towers on both sides of the mound. Perhaps the most interesting bird we encountered was a yellow-billed cuckoo (left, courtesy baylink.org). We've kept camp cooking to a minimum lately. We dined at a miniature diner in Blue Mounds that also rented videos. We spent most of our time in Madison, but it was definitely nice to get out on a crisp early fall weekend. September 21, 2006 There are a couple more birds that require a mention: brown-headed cowbird and american robin. The variety expands during migration, and that may be the subject of a future post (most common migrant species). Meantime, thank you to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Its campground reservation system is outstanding. It includes detailed maps of each campground and additional information such as whether a site is shaded or not. Only Quebec rivals Wisconsin in this regard. More to come from a weekend trip north. September 18, 2006
September 16, 2006
September 14, 2006
September 12, 2006 Mark Jenkins wrote an article in Outside Magazine not long ago about how hard it can be to get away sometimes. That was the case this weekend and perhaps that can serve as the explanation for the odd Woo-Woo anecdote. I had perhaps a half-dozen schemes for getting out of town in mind, but none came about. It was a weekend of football instead. The choices can be overwhelming: day trip or overnight? South to the flatlands? West to the driftless area? East to the Dunes? North to the moraines? Hiking or birding? I hope to have a report from a trip soon. September 9, 2006 Today's Camp Chicago experience was a North Side bike ride on a gray day. While running a few errands, I stopped at a red light at Leland and Ashland. A man standing in the middle of Leland began waving and yelling in my direction. "I got the camera. Hey!" he said. Between me and the man was a guy biking in a full Chicago Cubs uniform. It was Ronnie "Woo-Woo" Wickers on the bike, superfan of Chicago's miserable National League team. Woo-Woo roams the North Side in playing attire, washing windows to make ends meet. He also attends games and yells woo-woo a lot. Woo-Woo stopped and posed with the gentleman's young daughter. Perhaps to prove it really was Woo-Woo, the man asked him to take a picture back to the camera to catch the lettering on his jersey (the girl stood beside him facing the camera). "Was that amazing or what, Claudia? Was that amazing or what?" said dad to daughter as they walked away. September 6, 2006 UPDATE re 8/9 entry:
Strangely,
the third link on the
Iroquois County
home page is for Rabies Clinics.
A few days ago while seated on the porch, we encountered a beautiful green insect. The insect made a clicking noise while it made its way across the porch. In late summer, we often have heard this sound coming from neighborhood trees at night. I think the insect is called a katydid. September 6, 2006 UPDATE re 9/4 entry: There has been some chatter on the Illinois Birders Exchanging Thoughts message board about flights of nighthawks in Berwyn and West Chicago. There were hundreds of migrants flying together in recent nights. (IBET can be accessed through Yahoo Groups as 'ILBirds.') September 6, 2006 The Tribune featured a column yesterday where readers submitted 'interesting' animal stories from their backyards. It was surprisingly uninteresting. The uninteresting-ness continues here. September 4, 2006 I am going to continue reporting on local avian activity since I have not ventured into the deep wilderness of the Camp Chicago area in some time. Yesterday, I had an especially close encounter with common nighthawks at Robert Black Golf Course on the city's Far North Side. These members of the goatsucker family are common in the Midwest on summer evenings as they swoop and flutter in search of insects. They are most easily identified by their white wingbars and nasal "peent" call. What was nice about this sighting was the nighthawks were flying much lower than I've seen previously, just 10 feet above the ground in some cases. And there were at least a half-dozen, which is more than one usually sees together. I've still never seen a well-camouflaged 'sucker while perched. Whip-poor-wills, for example, I've only heard but have not seen. Continuing the mobbing theme of late, two american kestrels today swarmed a highly distressed immature peregrine falcon as seen from our porch. It's hard out here for a falconiforme. With so much energy devoted to fending off attacks one wonders how this could be evolutionarily favorable, especially for oft-targeted raptors, through the eons. Perhaps it's the sick, the old, the young that are most often targets.
August 31, 2006 Through the years, I've collected patches to commemorate many camping trips. In organizing them tonight, I located just six from the Camp Chicago area. Perhaps my favorite is at right. Note: I've finally changed home page photos. Still looking for wintry Iroquois County pictures. August 30, 2006 Another wedding weekend, this time with Cape Cod as the destination and a great union of friends. First, an anecdote from a week ago. Sitting on the back porch, I viewed a peregrine falcon flying north over the big vacant lot on our block. Silently following the falcon, about 10 meters behind, were about a dozen chimney swifts. Three things were odd about their behavior:
They were flying in a straight line.
I don't think I've ever seen chimney swifts fly straight except when
headed back to the chimney.
Cape Cod is a land of dense oak-conifer forests, marshes and lily ponds. We stayed inland and largely experienced the surrounding ocean via seafood. Temperatures were mild for late August (<70), and it rained most of the time we were there. August 20, 2006
The
Magee Marsh State Wildlife Area, near Oak Harbor, Ohio, is one of the
premier birding destinations in the Midwest, if not the United States. The
2,600-acre marsh area adjoins
Crane Creek State Park, along the southwestern shore of Lake Erie.
Here, birds stage by the millions during migration and make the flight
across the lake to Point Pelee, Ontario, and beyond. Because it is not
peak migration, the bird and human activity was limited this weekend. The
park features two .5-mile walks around marshes and woodlands. Much of the
terrain is wide-open marshland akin to
Horicon Marsh in Wisconsin or sections of Point Pelee. There
We spent the weekend in and around Port Clinton, Marblehead and Lakeside, Ohio, because of a wedding. This is a region of bays, swamps, rivers and open lake waters. In one section of Sandusky Bay alone we saw at least a dozen egrets from the car. Perhaps the most well-known destination is the amusement park at Cedar Point. Though there also is a Cedar Point National Wildlife Refuge about 50 miles away from the roller coasters. Note: This area is just more than a four-hour car ride from Chicago and thus technically outside of the Camp Chicago area. Because of its significance, it is receiving an exemption and being added to the Links page. August 17, 2006 Here is a link to a story about a squirrel rampage in Skokie. August 14, 2006 There now are pictures of the Humphreys Peak adventure here. August 9, 2006 The waxwings have long since left the nest in the parking lot at work. I'm not sure what happened, but I don't think they ever reared a brood. The vacant lot was finally mowed, and the goldfinches have taken to a small unmowed area on the east side of Karlov. I have been dreaming of frigid mornings in Iroquois County again. Last winter, I began driving tours of some of Illinois' most barren flatlands. There's something incredible about these places in winter--nothing but horizons and frozen soil. I recall driving to Springfield with a particularly undesirable co-worker once and listening to her complain of how boring the car ride was the whole time. I spent the journey counting rough-legged hawks. Places like Ford County and Livingston County are amazing. You can drive miles without seeing another car, house, farm, anything. The few woodlots and fencerows are certain migrant traps. I plan to post a picture soon. August 8, 2006 The most Camp Chicago-like recent development must be the squirrel that frequents our front balcony. First, this strange rodent gnawed the wood of our railing and the wood of our planters. Then we discovered small rocks from our neighbors' planters in odd places on the balcony. Soon we found that something had been digging in one of our planters. The squirrel is inexplicably taking rocks from the neighbors and burying them in our containers. We also keep finding pieces of the upstairs neighbor's rattan furniture on our deck (surely the squirrel). But perhaps the weirdest sight was the squirrel this past Sunday, perched on our railing, attempting to crack a marble it found lord knows where. It sat for at least five minutes, spinning the marble in its paws, licking it, putting it into its cheek pouch. Finally, it dropped the marble and scurried off. July 29, 2006
I hiked up a 12,600' peak last weekend, but
I'm struggling to decide how to write about it. Humphreys Peak, the
highest point in Arizona, was the location. The views were amazing (pictures
here), but I
suppose the tundra during the final few hundred feet may have been the
most memorable part of it. The only plants I saw were lichens, the rare
San Francisco groundsel, a perennial alpine plant with yellow and purple
flowers, and another striking yellow-flowered plant. It was chilly (~50s),
but there wasn't snow on the ground. There were a few birds around, even
at the highest part of the peak. Dark-eyed juncos (gray-headed form) and american pipits (only breeding location in Arizona) were about. There were
a few chipmunks, fatter than our eastern variety, but I don't think they
were marmot or pika species. At the Agassiz Saddle, a broad-tailed
hummingbird, perhaps attracted by a bright yellow stuff sack, stopped and
hovered for a moment just inches from me. The mountain really is part of a
volcano. It is crowned with rock fields resembling the Hollywood take on
Mars.
Next stop was West Clear Creek Wilderness
and an evening camped next to two swimming holes. We were now at about
4,500' and it was perhaps 100 degrees when we arrived. The spot was a
little partied out, but the swimming was ideal. In one spot, there is a 25'
bluff to plummet off of. Pancho Doll's swimming hole
Web guide
includes information on Fat Bradley and
Bullpen, which has the big jump. I slept in a hammock strung between a sycamore
and a small
The journey culminated with a ride on the Mogollon Rim Road, which skirts the edge of the 5,000' high escarpment that bisects Arizona. This is ponderosa pine forest country with vistas of canyons and valleys below. Among fauna was abert's squirrel, the tufted-ear creature pictured at right. The final stop was Tempe and the Valley of the Sun, 115 degrees and I still can't understand why they put a city there. July 12, 2006
This post is a bit all over the place. July 7, 2006 Thank you to Mark and Val Miltner for their Pine River Paddlesports Campground and three peaceful nights in Michigan this past weekend. As far as developed campgrounds go, this may be the nicest one I have ever visited. It's hard to miss the big sign stating "Clean and Quiet Campground" off of M-37. And if you did miss the sign, you'll be handed a list of regulations when you register. And if you didn't get it then, you'll read the signs posted in every campsite. The rules are strict but sensible. Round-the-clock quiet hours. No voices or music to be heard from another campsite. No pets. Alcohol is allowed. The bathrooms are clean. Each site has a garbage can with a sturdy lid. Each site has plenty of grass and privacy. The primary business here is canoe, kayak and raft rental. Signs in the office warn paddlers that the Pine River is not a "party river." There is a maximum of three cans of beer per person. Judging by the behavior of other paddlers on the river, not every livery is so strict or at least well-heeded. Why do 20 guys need to get together and canoe on this pretty little river? I'm not sure how hanging out with dozens of other people in the woods is fun. Still, we had a narrow, twisty stretch of the river from Elm Flats to Dobson largely to ourselves on a busy holiday weekend, and when we visited in October 2004 we were the only people in sight. We went with individual kayaks this time around and canoed last time. Maneuvering in the kayaks is easier, and splitting up will do wonders for you and your partner's relationship. I've experienced grumpy canoeing first-hand and again witnessed a perfect example of it on the Pine. The current sent a canoe into a logjam sideways. The paddler in the bow somehow missed a low-hanging log, but the paddler in the stern was about to be low-bridged by the same log. Rather than ducking, she clung to the log and stopped the canoe. I scooted by in the kayak (again the advantages of the 'yak). The rear paddler was clearly disgusted and exchanged a few words with her companion. She finally lay very low in the canoe and released the log to get out of the jam. A few years back, we capsized on the Willis' River in Virginia because of a similar situation. I'll stick with the kayak on the faster rivers and go with the canoe on the flat ones. June 28, 2006
The other interesting sighting is the male american goldfinch that frequents this gritty area of the Southwest Side. There is an abandoned warehouse that is surrounded by 6-foot tall thistle and pretty yellow wildflowers. The goldfinch is spending a lot of time in this area. Also, look for postings after Independence Day about a trip to Manistee National Forest in Michigan. June 23, 2006 I also changed jobs during the past year, going from Rogers Park to near Midway Airport on the Southwest Side. I would bird during lunch walks in Rogers Park. Most species ever totaled: 10. There were occasional migrants but limited variety in a largely residential area. My new workplace is located in an industrial area along I-55. There are a lot of vacant lots and semi-trailer yards. The birding here is better, I sense. There are a few clumps of poplars that could serve as migrant traps. I saw an american kestrel right before my job interview. I've recently seen a gray catbird, killdeer and cedar waxwings. June 16, 2006 My old address near Kenmore and Lawrence in Uptown attracted more than 50 bird species in my time there. The strangest rarity was a virginia rail. I haven't gotten a complete grasp of the bird species in my new home a few blocks closer to the lake. I did hear an ovenbird calling one morning in May. There is a healthy chimney swift population. There also is an american kestrel around. And a rabbit that hangs out in the alley and a nearby vacant lot. June 9, 2006 UPDATE: Montrose Dunes' site steward says the border collies will not be barking at Montrose Beach. The city is working with birders to identify places and dates for the barking, and right now it looks like it will be Foster Beach instead. May 26, 2006 Ring-billed gulls may be the scapegoats for swimming bans at Chicago's beaches. Studies have determined that gull waste is the leading cause of the high levels of bacteria in the water. The city is bringing border collies to Montrose Beach every morning for a month in an effort to scare away the gulls. I wonder if the dogs will venture into the protected habitat at the east end of Montrose. Here a rare form of a beach-dune-swale complex exists, and many shorebirds use the area during migration. I watched gulls sitting on eggs in this area last week. While gulls unfortunately are fast becoming the rock pigeons of the 21st century, they are native to the rivers and lakes of this area. The people feeding the gulls and leaving litter behind on beaches are as much to blame as the Larids.
May 23, 2006 I sat in U.S. Cellular Field last night and watched a gray squirrel run around the outfield. Play was delayed, and two unfortunate gentlemen were charged with the duty of corralling the squirrel. They first tried to corner it against the fence in left field. The squirrel eluded them and scurried along the wall toward third base. Fans reached over the railing, and it squirted through their hands and darted into the rolled up tarp behind third. Play continued, and I'm not sure whatever happened to the rambunctious rodent. (Chicago Tribune photo) May 20, 2006 The news that the search for ivory-billed woodpeckers was fruitless this season is saddening. The media frenzy of the past year has drawn much-needed attention to habitat protection. It's encouraging to think that more parcels of primeval land will be secured. May 19, 2006 The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has been in the news recently because of the funding reduction the agency has experienced since Gov. Blagojevich took office. The Chicago Tribune reported how Starved Rock State Park has struggled to cope with limited funding. IDNR responded that operations had merely become more efficient. A few weeks later, the acting director of IDNR admitted that budget cuts were hampering services. State park services include ranger patrols, concession operations, maintenance and naturalist programs. One IDNR staffer said he no longer could patrol park grounds by driving but instead drove to one spot and patrolled by sitting in his vehicle and watching. The debate misses the point. Fewer services and fewer regulations would benefit park visitors and provide cost-effectiveness in the long run. Imagine if public lands in Illinois were governed more like national forests. Maintenance costs would plummet once unnecessary infrastructure like concession stands, paved roads and visitor centers were removed. Hikers, hunters and anglers could roam the parks freely. Perhaps ecologically sensitive zones like the gorges at Starved Rock would be off-limits to camping. Rather than devoting vast expanses to parking lots and RV pads, more acreage would return to native habitat. There likely would be fewer positions for park personnel, and in a state with one of the lowest income tax rates in the nation maybe that makes sense. The transition to wilder state parks would be expensive initially, but the long-term cost-effectiveness and enhanced outdoors experiences would be worthwhile. Meantime, grow a few more bushes between the campsites, dammit. May 16, 2006 The peregrine falcon I saw land among the columns of Soldier Field will have to pass for today's outdoors experience. Not bad for rush hour. It was sunny on the Southwest Side, but rafts of fog were blowing in from the lake downtown. The weather this week has ranged from 40 degrees and a chance of sleet to 70 degrees and thunderstorms.
Home • Contact • About • Comments • Links
|
Frequent visitors to this site might
think I have an obsession with squirrels. This is true, but I love a lot
of mammals about as much as I love arboreal rodents. One favorite exercise
is to determine which species of squirrel is most prevalent in a
particular area. A couple of weekends ago, for example, it was the fox
squirrel in Vermilion County. Fox squirrels are the golden-hued varmints
about the size of a small house cat. Fox squirrels, in my experience, are
also the common squirrel in suburban Detroit, suburban Cleveland,
Northwest Indiana and Madison, Wis. Gray squirrels, though, are the
dominant squirrel in central Ohio, Richmond, Va., and Chicago. (Correction:
gray squirrels too dominate Madison.) I've also
seen red squirrels (photo at right courtesy of lakesuperior.com) in
suburban Detroit, Northwest Indiana and northern sections of Wisconsin,
Michigan and Ontario. The Detroit area is something of a squirrel mecca,
as fox and red squirrels reside there as well as black squirrels
(especially on Belle Isle in the city), a variant of the gray squirrel.
Occasionally you do see a black squirrel in Chicago also, and I recall
seeing them in southern Ontario as well. I'd be remiss not to mention the
white squirrels of Olney, Ill., about 250 miles south of Chicago. There is
some fascinating squirrel discussion
I
walked up to the front door at work today and noticed a tiny gray and
green blob on the sidewalk. It was a nashville warbler, and it wasn't
moving at all. Its eyes were open, but it sat there a couple feet from me
absolutely still. It was in the wheelhouse of a heavy door that could have
crushed it. I pushed it with my foot to move it out of the way. First, it
didn't react to the push at all, moving sideways with the toe of my shoe.
Then it sprung to life, flying first into the side of a garbage can and
then onto the lawn in front of the building. My work there done, I went
into the building for another day of cubicle mining.
Until
I forgot
another of the most common birds in Chicago outside of the top six: the
house finch (left, courtesy of some Web site). I remembered this when I
saw a male in the alley behind our building. The males are stunningly
colored and have a lovely song. They are exotics, though, and were
introduced to the United States on each coast. By now, their eastern and
western ranges have probably overlapped. I have a couple older birding
guides that treat the house finch as something of a new species for our
continent. 
October
1, 2006
the
state park just one). The park is on the side of the larger of the two
mounds that dominate this part of the Cheese State's landscape. 
Regarding the
Sept. 14 post on the common birds of Chicago...I thought of a few more
species that aren't as common as the top six, but still seen regularly
around town: 
I had the
opportunity today to join in a work day at Montrose Beach Dunes, on the
tip of Montrose Point, in Chicago. Site steward Leslie Borns first gave us
a tour of this idyllic pocket of duneland amid well-traversed Lincoln
Park. The area harbors several endangered species and features a panne, an
interdunal swale environment of which there are only 200 acres known
worldwide. We yanked cottonwood and other saplings while admiring sedges,
lakeshore rushes and marram grass (pictured at left courtesy of
lakemichigan.org and on the Camp Chicago banner courtesy of my
photography). This has always been one of my favorite parts of Chicago,
and it was great to learn more about it. The protected area only has
existed for a few years. About 10 years ago, cottonwoods sprouted on a
mound of sand the park district had accumulated from combing the beach. As
described by Leslie, more vegetation filled in, dunes began forming and
soon birders and other conservationists requested that a fence be erected
to protect the area. Sandbar willows, an invasive species, cover much of
the terrain, but Leslie said there is a plan to have them removed. The
beach and dunes attract a lot of birds during migration, and a spotted
sandpiper nested here this year. Recently the Montrose Beach Dunes gained
special conservation status from the state. 
Thinking about this while
on work assignment in the
September 6, 2006
As
for Cape Cod, the most notable bird activity were sanderlings (left,
courtesy Cornell University) and great black-backed gulls, the near
turkey-sized larids that frequent the East Coast. We saw both species on a
foggy beach near Chatham, Mass. This area includes a national wildlife
refuge and a national seashore.
also
are views of the lake and the secluded
but
sturdy cedar that night. Hammock sleeping, when possible, can be ideal. No doubt it's
more comfortable than the ground. 
UPDATE: I discovered a
cedar waxwing nest on the grounds of the workplace today. It's in a young
maple planted in a bed in the parking lot. You can see a waxwing head
poking out of the nest at right.