Red-Breasted Nuthatch

I just updated my version of Photoshop Elements, to Version 9. Now I'm testing it with this image.

Partnerships

We traveled today to New Ipswich to watch Jessie compete with her horse Dixie. While I know very little about horses and riding, I do know that it takes much skill, hard work and long hours to create that special partnership of horse and rider. It's always a pleasure to watch Jess and Dixie. Congratulations on your accomplishments today!

Nuthatches & Blue Jays

The nuthatches and blue jays have been plentiful lately -- the juveniles are being tutored by the adults in  the ways of the world and the bird feeders.

We got a video camera recently and this is my first attempt, with both the camera and with iMovie. I have a lot more practice to do with the camera (definitely need to use a tripod or monopod) and with editing video.

Bue Jays

The young blue jays are back -- I think there are about 3 or 4 of them. They've been crashing through the trees, screeching from branch to branch, as they follow each other. They already look very much like the adults, although their backs are still somewhat gray.

But the big give-away to their "juvie" status is their begging.

This one had figured out the suet feeder and was doing quite well, until he decided that he might get catered to if he hollered and begged for awhile.

When he didn't get any response,  he went tearing off across the road with the rest of his siblings.

Memorial Day -- Let Us Always Remember

Memorial Day has always had a special relevance in my family and my husband's family, as we both grew up in the military. My father and my father-in-law were both career military officers, serving in the Army and the Air Force respectively, from World War II, through the Cold War era, through Korea and Vietnam. My mother-in-law served as a nurse in the Army. My uncle fought through North Africa and Italy during World War II. My husband's grandfather served in World War I and World War II. And our nephew has already served one tour in Iraq and continues to serve in the Army Reserve.

As an Army Chaplain, my father was often called upon to speak at Memorial Day ceremonies. Among the sermons that he kept, I found a Memorial Day address he gave in 1979, which was adapted from a sermon he first used in 1956. In the excerpts below, his words are far more eloquent than mine.

Memory's Price

"The observance of Memorial Day comes from a resolve within ourselves that our soldiers and sailors and airmen, who have given so much of themselves to protect our country and our way of life, as well as the cause of freedom around the world -- and indeed, for many it has meant the sacrifice of life itself -- that these men (and women) should not be forgotten, and that what they did for us should often be recalled. And that by an annual remembering of what they have sacrificed for us we can honor them and also in a way rededicate ourselves to the causes for which they fought and died.

" . . . Lest it become too easy for us to think occasionally of our heroic dead, and then to quickly forget -- I want to remind you . . . that memories do not come cheap, and that Memory always asks its price.

" . . . An inevitable first cost in paying for memories is tears and sorrow. . . . As nature has given us a memory so that we can recall the past, so she has also given us tears. . . . So to remember here today can cost us a lump in the throat, or a sadness in heart and mind as we remember. . . . It may cost us something to remember, but it is worth the price!

" . . . A second cost we must add to Memory's Price is the cost of honoring those who we remember.

" . . . To honor means to regard or treat with esteem and respect. If the living and dying of those whom we honor means anything for us we will want somehow to say so. Let there be not only silence but also the voice of tribute or an act of praise to give substance to our honoring of these.

" . . . A third part of Memory's Price is involved in what we call Dedication.

" . . . It is this dedication to the principles upon which our country is rock-based, that would most honor those we remember today: a resolve to have respect for our fellowman whatever his race or creed; to be honest and just in our dealings with each other; to have a home life where love for God and for each other is nurtured; to be an equal-opportunity nation!

" . . . Let us willingly pay Memory's full price, for our country will be the better for it, and so will we. Then Memorial Day will have best served its purpose."

excerpts from Memory's Price

© D. A. Morey

Odiorne

Thursday was my annual trip to Odiorne Point State Park. Plymouth Regional High School's science department has been making this field trip for many years (must be at least 20 years). I have gone with them for several years and even though I retired 2 years ago, I still get invited to help with the day. (There are actually two of us who have retired and return just for this trip.)

I described last year's trip here -- "I Must Go Down to the Seas Again."  This year we had about 30 students between the Environmental Sciences and Oceanography classes. It was a perfect size group -- all worked hard and had a great time.

What I most enjoy seeing is the students' experience of "discovery" -- accompanied by the constant call of "Mrs. Badger, come over here and get a picture of this."  (And, yes, they return everything they find back to its original position.)

Here are some selected images of what we found this year ---

The crabs were plentiful, including a female with eggs ---

We placed this crab back down on the floating seaweed and within a few seconds he was back underwater ---

And, of course, there is seaweed ---

And from this view of our state's Atlantic coastline, it was only a two hour school bus ride north to our beautiful lakes and mountains of New Hampshire.

I'm already looking forward to next year's trip.

Raspberry- and Rose-Colored Views

During this last week, I've had two season's firsts at my feeders -- the purple finch and the rose-breasted grosbeak. I haven't been able to get new pictures of either of the males, so I've had to pull a few images from past years.

Spring Riding

Plymouth Regional High School's equestrian team had their first meet of the spring season today. We stopped in for awhile to watch one special young lady, Jess, on her horse Dixie. Good riding today, Jess! And best of luck for the season to the PRHS team.

Hampton Skies

We're enjoying the winter skies at the beach in Hampton, NH.

On Monday morning, I walked across the street for this view over the ocean toward the Isles of Shoals.

 

And this was our view looking out back over the saltmarsh.

  

Coming back from Portsmouth on Monday afternoon, the cloud patterns along the coast were striking.

This morning, from our front balcony, the sun was shining through the clouds, reflecting on the water and sand below.

And now this afternoon, the snow is blowing sideways, the waves are crashing against the seawall, and we're toasty warm inside watching Mother Nature.

Signs of Fall

At a friend's house recently, I noticed

some early signs that fall is just around the corner.

This is one of the last columbine blossoms . . . 

The woodpile is growing,

and the resident chipmunk is gathering

his winter stores by the mouthful . . . 

Early Morning at the Beach

An early morning walk along the beach

at the north end of Hampton

yielded some interesting colors and patterns

as the sun rose and the tide was going out.

I must go down to the seas again

When I was in junior high, our English teacher had us memorize a new poem each week. And one of those came back to me the other day. Do you remember John Masefield's poem Sea-Fever, especially the beginning of the second stanza?

"I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide

Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;"

Two days ago, I did just that -- went down to the sea again, with local high school science students. Every year a group of biology and environmental science students from Plymouth Regional High School go to Odiorne Point State Park (near Portsmouth) for an all-day working field trip. I've helped chaperone this trip for several years while I was librarian at the high school -- there were actually two of us who came out of retirement to help again this year.

Odiorne Point State Park is the last undeveloped section of shoreline in New Hampshire, is the site of the first New Hampshire settlement in 1623, and served an important military role during World War II. The salt marsh area was very important for the early settlers, who harvested the marsh hay every year. And the area was also part of the Portsmouth harbor defense during World War II; the camouflaged concrete gun casements and gun mounts are still visible.

But the varied natural habitats of Odiorne Point were the primary focus of our trip on Monday -- the salt marsh, the estuaries, and the rocky shore. The students recorded water temperatures and water density; they collected and examined organisms with a seine net (and, of course, returned all the organisms to the water).



Each group ran a transect line from the top of the rocky beach down to the water edge -- they measured and mapped elevation changes along the line, measured tidal changes as the tide came in, collected plankton samples, recorded organism identification and quantities at measured points along their transect line. All this (and even more) data will be analyzed in the classroom when they get back to school.

The day was a lot of fun and the weather was perfect. Hats off to all the students, who were prepared and worked well together. And hats off to the hard-working teachers and aides who plan and run this valuable hands-on educational experience!!

Why does the grouse cross the road?

For the same reason that the chicken does, it seems . . . to get to the other side.

We had just left the house the other day when we saw a quail-like bird crossing the road in front of us. And when we drove back through about an hour later, we saw the same bird slowly crossing the road the other way. What gives?

So as soon as we got home, I walked back up with my camera. And sure enough, the bird was still there, just standing under a tree in front of the corner house. It let me get within a couple feet of it and even started walking toward me as I was taking pictures. It seemed very content to be there, but I backed off, not wanting to startle it.















This was another first for me -- a ruffed grouse. And as I was reading several descriptions on web sites, I found a few that said that sometimes they will seem "tame" if they have not been around agressive predators a great deal.

The spring days are warming up, and so are the feeders. The pine siskins are fighting for the available spots on the feeders, so I spread some seed on the deck railing . . . and pretty soon that was busy, too.

Doing Spirals

I saw the brown creeper again yesterday, spiraling up the tree from the bottom -- almost didn't see him against the dark bark of the tree. I took these photos just about the same time last year.

Signs of Spring -- and another first

I'm finally beginning to believe that spring really is on the way. There is still plenty of snow on the ground in our area, but winter is slowly fading away. The snow banks along the roads are dirty, the potholes are growing, the mud is overtaking the back roads, and the annual "Frost Heaves" signs are sprouting like weeds.

As the temperatures gradually inch up and the days lengthen, the bird population is changing, too. The flocks of goldfinches are larger, the chickadees are noisier, and the blue jays are back with their bossy voices.

While I've had a few white-breasted nuthatches all winter, I've suddenly been getting a lot of the smaller red-breasted nuthatches. They do a fast grab and run at the sunflower chips, but stay much longer on the suet feeder. As fast as they are, they've been easier to get photos of than the larger white-breasted nuthatch.


This winter I've also added a few "firsts" to my bird life list. About three weeks ago I had a white-winged crossbill under my feeders. Yesterday, I had a LBJ (little brown jobby) with reddish chest up in the tree watching me for quite awhile. But it wasn't the usual house finch or purple finch. First I had a male common redpoll, then later a female staring at me from the branch.



Then, all of a sudden, I had about half a dozen common redpolls under the feeder.So, while winter probably hasn't had its last hurrah, signs of spring are here.

P.S. -- Did you look up last night and see the space station and shuttle overhead? It was a perfectly clear night and amazing to see how fast it seemed to move across the sky.