A visitor to the pond

Although the pond is regularly inhabited by the mallards, every now and then a visitor comes its way.  There are the seasonal visitors like the Canadian geese that fly in every fall on their way south. Then there are the occasional visitors that appear every now and then.  I remember the first such visitor we saw, a snowy white bird towering tall and graceful among the stout brown ducks.  Its yellow bill and black legs marked it as a Great Egret. It stayed around for about a week, its white feathers beaming like a beacon against the  murky waters of the pond. Then one day it left, most likely on its way to brighten another pond.

A Great Egret visits the pond



It stood tall and graceful among the ducks





A very hot week

"Topsie's gone flopsie, again," I remarked to Tinkerbelle.  It had been a very hot week and Topsie was having the worst of it.  Five minutes into a walk and she was flopped down on the ground. And there she would lay despite Tinkerbelle's coaxing, rolling around among the cooler blades of grass.  I wished Topsie wouldn't fuss so much about the heat because it usually ended up with a trip to the groomer. Sure enough, a few days later, there we were getting our fur clipped.  To be fair, a shorter cut is more comfortable and Topsie even got two bows in her hair.

Topsie flopped down

Topsie with bows in her hair

An unexpected surprise

Today, as we set off down the trail, I spotted in the distance what looked like a small pile of dry leaves on the side of the trail.  But, as we got closer, we were met with an unexpected surprise as the pile of leaves turned out to be a turtle. I stopped to say hello, but it seemed to be in a hurry and did not stop to chat.  As it marched off, about as quickly as a turtle can, we bid it good day and went on our way.

I stopped to say hello to an eastern box turtle

The spotted bird

This morning as we walked along the trail, a bird bobbing in the grass caught my eye. The bird was unusual in that it was covered in spots and had a distinctive crescent mark upon its chest.  Not having seen a bird like this before, we crept in for a closer look.  The bird, unperturbed, posed patiently for a picture. Then, in a flash of white, it flew away. Later, when Tinkerbelle looked it up, we learned that the bird was a Northern Flicker woodpecker, a species that likes to eat ants from the ground.

A Northern Flicker woodpecker

The rescue

Yesterday, as Tinkerbelle and I set off on our afternoon walk, we decided to try a different route.  It was along this route that we spotted the fallen baby bird.  It was still alive, so Tinkerbelle picked it up with a doggie bag and looked for the nest. The nest was carefully concealed among the branches of a nearby tree. Tinkerbelle climbed the tree as I stood guard below.  Placing the bird in the nest  proved to be difficult as the nest appeared to be occupied. Then, with the help of two passersby, and after a few more tries, the baby was back in the nest. When we went to check on it this morning we were sadden to see that it had not made it. But, as we looked up at the tree, the sounds of chirping reminded us that though the nest had lost one, it was still full of life.

The nest was wedged high up in the tree

A rare sight

One day, not long ago, as we walked by the stream that flows through the glen, a sudden movement caught my eye.  As I turned to look, I was startled by the sight of a large red fox drinking at the stream.  "Oh quick" cried Topsie, as Tinkerbelle fumbled for the camera.  Disturbed by  the commotion, the fox slunk away into the brush.  Undeterred, I scanned the banks until I spotted a splash of red amidst all the green.  And, there, peering at us from the bushes on the other side of stream was the largest fox I had ever seen. It was at least twice my size, maybe bigger. We stared at it for a long while not wanting to leave as a fox in these parts is a rare sight. 

It peered at us through the branches

The old adage

Now, the ducks that inhabit the pond are not the most organized creatures.  In fact, despite the old adage, I can say with some certainty that we have never seen the ducks organized in a row ... until today.  Straddling a floating log in the middle of the pond, was an almost perfect row of ducks.  So surprised were we, that we stopped to take in this charming sight. 

Ducks in a row

Something new

Every now and then, we discover something new along the trail.  Today, as we walked past the wild strawberry patch we noticed an over growth of bramble bushes.  There was nothing particularly remarkable about the bushes until I saw the berries.  I went in for a closer look and discovered that they were raspberries.  Most had not ripened yet, but as I sniffed around I spotted one ripe berry and pointed it out to Tinkerbelle. Tinkerbelle was delighted and said that it would be lovely in a fruit salad.



I spotted one ripe berry



An obstacle in our path

This morning as we set off on our walk, we encountered an obstacle in our path.  A large tree had come down during the storm the previous night and lay across the trail.  As we stood before it wondering whether to turn back or not, I moved forward to examine the fallen tree.  The trunk of the tree was fairly thick and high off the ground making it difficult to climb over.  I thought my best chance was to crawl under the trunk to the other side.  However, as I started to squeezed myself under the tree, branches and leaves blocked my exit.  Eventually, Tinkerbelle gave me a leg up and I jumped over the tree to the other side. 


I inspected the obstacle in our path

The view from the other side

The offspring

It was not long after we first met the newcomer that we were introduced to the offspring.  Although similar in appearance to the newcomer, we learned to distinguish it by its round appearance and youthful confidence. Where the newcomer was cautious, the offspring was curious.  It seemed unperturbed by our presence often lingering to observe us with interest even as the newcomer sought safety in distance. I  believe that we came to enjoy each others company whenever luck would have us cross paths.  Then, as spring turned into summer and fall, we ceased to see either the newcomer or the offspring.  It was not until almost a year later, earlier this spring, that we encountered those reminiscent flashes of tawny red.  Was it the newcomer or the offspring? It appeared to be neither, as this bird had a diminutive appearance and seemed to tumble through the air.  As we watched, another flash of tawny red.  This time confident and soaring.  And then, there she was, the newcomer had returned.  And, under her watchful eye, another offspring was learning to flying, testing its wings in the safety of the glen.

The offspring was distinguishable by its round appearance

The first offspring in the winter of 2012

The newcomer

We first saw the newcomer last winter.  I recall the blur of tawny red  feathers gliding silently past us that left us gaping in the wake of its presence.  Tinkerbelle looked in the bird book and informed us that the newcomer was a red-shouldered hawk.  The hawk was the first predator we had seen in the glen.  We saw her regularly in the days that followed...usually hunting some prey in the early hours of the morning.   She never seemed particularly bothered by us, moving only when our paths crossed then returning to her business as we went by. We wondered what had brought the newcomer to the glen...and we would soon find out.

She was a red-shouldered hawk

The newcomer

Things that magically appear

This morning as we approached the trail, we were met with a pleasant surprise.  Someone had paved the trail with fresh wood chips. We speculated about who might be responsible for this wondrous deed.  "Perhaps it was the city" said Tinkerbelle.  "Or the neighborhood association" I offered.  "I think it was the woodland elves" Topsie declared.  Well, we were grateful to whomever had placed the wood chips and spent the rest of the day in blissful acknowledgment that sometimes things just magically appear.

Hooray for wood chips!

The angry sentry

I should have sensed trouble the minute I spotted the bird perched at the top of a very tall street lamp, but I was distracted by the  flowerbed just below.  As I busied myself among the flowers, the bird flew down to a signpost and glared at Tinkerbelle.  It was a Mocking bird.  Tinkerbelle got the message and tugged at me, "Come on, Tango."  As I reluctantly moved away, the bird flew straight at my rear end.  Annoyed, I told it off.  But, it was not done yet.  It's next pass was at Tinkerbelle, flying across her face.  "It felt like a scene from The Birds," she later said.  We could only think that there must be a nest nearby. As we moved away quickly, the bird stood in the street glaring after us.

   

The sentry perched at the top of a street lamp



It stood in the street and glared at us



After the storm

Last night a violent storm swept through the area.  Heavy rains punctuated by flashes of lightening and claps of thunder filled the air.  Topsie, who hates storms, trembled with fear and paced restlessly through the house.  Eventually, the storm passed leaving the air a bit cooler and fresher.  This morning, as we set off on our walk, debris littered our path. Branches and leaves torn off by the storm lay scattered along the trail. We trod carefully through the debris, mindful that this was the beginning of the stormy season that lay ahead.

Debris from the storm littered the trail

Another broken egg

The mystery deepened today when Topsie found another broken egg.  This too was a duck egg similar to the one we uncovered the previous day.  It was located closer to the pond, and it too had been cracked open and emptied of its contents. We noticed similarities in both cases.  For one, both eggs appear to have been broken in a similar fashion with an opening or hole having been made in the top of each egg.  The other thing we noticed is that around both eggs shallow holes had been dug in the earth.  Despite these clues, we have yet to solve this mystery.

This too was a duck egg

The mystery of the broken egg

It was Topsie who found the broken egg.  Her sharp sense of smell led us straight to it.  We gathered around and looked at it ... a white broken eggshell a bit larger than a chicken egg.  "A duck egg," I surmised.  It was still nesting season and the ducks from the pond nest in the area.  Someone or something had raided a nest and stolen an egg.  But who or what?  We looked at each other in somber silence as our questions hung unanswered in the air. 

A white broken eggshell

Like rubies in a field

Along the trail where we take our daily walk, the wild strawberries are coming into season.  Patches of bright red berries dot the landscape. Tinkerbelle said she wished she could pick them, but thought it best to leave them for the birds and critters.  So there they stay, like red rubies in a field.



Wild berries dot the landscape

The crooked tree

Up the street and around corner is my favorite park.  It is an old battlefield park with cannons and things, but I love it for the smells, the trees, and  the squirrels. It was not long ago at the park that we first noticed the crooked tree.  There it stood among all the upright oaks, a small tree with a sideways trunk. Now, I've seen many a tree in my time, but none like the crooked tree. Tinkerbelle, Topsie and I marvelled at its unusual shape. How does a tree grow sideways? we wondered.

The crooked tree



Topsie gets away

Yesterday was grooming day.  Grooming day is my least favorite day.  It started out like any other grooming day with Tinkerbelle dropping us off despite my objections. Later, when Tinkerbelle came to collect us, Topsie slipped past the groomer and ran out a door left open by a person.  I was not so lucky.  Into the street went Topsie as Tinkerbelle dashed after her.  "Come here, Topsie," I heard Tinkerbelle call.  "Come and get me," I heard Topsie yip back.  "Let me out" I barked.  Down the street Topsie went weaving between the parked cars.  I could hear Tinkerbelle's calls getting louder as Topsie got closer to the busy street that lay ahead.  More yells, more yips, and finally silence.  Then, Tinkerbelle appeared with Topsie in tow and somebody finally let me out.  Can we go home now? I asked. 

Dandelion seeds - make a wish and watch it float away



Hooray for the mail lady!

It was hot today, so we only did half a walk.  Even then, Topsie didn't make it all the way.  She just sat down and wouldn't go.  So, Tinkerbelle carried her home.  On our way home, we ran into the mail lady who gave us treats. Who knew mail ladies carried treats?  Hooray for the mail lady!

Topsie sat down and wouldn't go