Promised Photos

Here are my promised photos.

Mentor Lagoons:

Domestic Goose (I think)

Veteran's Park Lake County:

Signs of Spring (I think this may be Skunk Cabbage.)

Mute Swan
There were several friendly swans.


Carlisle Park Lorain County:

Mallard x Domestic Hybrid and Mallard x Domestic Tufted Duck Hybrid couple
(this is my best guess from searching on Mallard Hybrid pages.)



Here is the same tufted one from above giving a better look at the brown puffball on it's head. Quite cute.

Another Mallard couple, the one with white being Mallard x Domestic

Ring-Billed Gull

Two of the several white domestic ducks by a nest like area. (No eggs.)

Sinful Sunday: I forgot Easter (But Celebrated Anyway)

Today I had a list of errands to run when I was done birding. To my frustration, the drive of every store I needed to visit led to an empty parking lot and dark interior behind the store window.

Damn! It's Easter. I kept forgetting. I haven't celebrated it since I was a kid. We colored eggs (often with subversive or humorous designs), my parents hid them around the house and left us Easter Baskets with colored grass and lots of candy and other small gifts. Usually we spent the day with the TV on with some sort of Jesus movie playing, mostly ignoring it and my dad asleep on the couch. Once my brother and I were no longer young kids, we stopped coloring eggs, but on our insistance, we still got candy. I think we used to have nice dinners, but that faded over time, too.

When I was in college, I started forgetting about it altogether. Now as an adult, I sometimes try to do something, like make candy, have decorations, or at least watch, "The Ten Commandments." I've always thought of it as a celebration of spring (so like with Christmas) I don't have any qualms about acknowledging it. I don't have to call it "Easter" but it's nice to use the same day since the vernal equinox is often in the middle of the week. (Perhaps I could just do the weekend after the vernal equinox.)

Friday I recieved many wishes of "Have a good holiday," and I would forget what they were talking about and then say, "Uh, yeah, you too." It's funny to me that they said holiday since there isn't an "Easter Season" like with Christmas, where you can generically use "holiday" and cover all your bases. Sure, Passover was very recent, but this Sunday, there is really only one "holiday" you coud be talking about. Just an ingrained sense of recognizing diversity or something.

So I forgot again, but I realized I actually did celebrate. I spent most of the weekend outdoors, enjoying the nice weather, sunshine, and the natural changes of the coming spring. For example, I saw many new birds I hadn't seen all winter, such as robins, herons (I accidentally scared a flock of 11!), and red-winged black birds. Various plants were coming up. And migratory birds are also passing through. Birding has forced me to become much more in touch with the natural cycles and conditions. You need to keep track of what birds are available what seasons and where if you want to see them. You have to think about the weather, too. For example in the winter, if the lake has been very iced up for a while, you must go to a location where there is warmer water creating open water. Hundreds of birds flock to these locations because it may be the only way to eat.

I have pictures to share I can post later. In addition to ducks, gulls, and seagulls, I saw several mute swans who were all very friendly (expecting food, I'm sure), and a group of muscovy ducks who will actually follow you around and stand right at your feet. (This is why you shouldn't feed the animals!)

Wickliffe Coulby Park- Muscovy ducks, and yet unidentified (juvenile red-shouldered?) eating one of the ducks it just took down. (It probably went up to the hawk to beg for food.)

Birds I saw- Eastlake Power Plant- Hooded Mergansers, Red-Breasted Mergansers, American Coots, Great Blue Herons (and not a bird, but a mostly black feral cat colony)

Mentor Lagoons- Many Great Blue Herons. White geese, probably domesticated. A lone male Bufflehead, a yet unidentified sparrow, red-winged black birds, a turkey vulture, and many Robins. (and usual Mallards, gulls.)

Veteran's Park- Mute Swans (about 4), many Buffleheads, a few American Coots, Ring-necked ducks, Lesser Scaups, and a couple American Widgeons. (and usual Mallards, gulls.)

Happy Spring everyone!

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Stop Sponging off of Public Radio!

Not long ago my local public radio station, WCPN Cleveland 90.3, had it's biannual fund raiser. They always sound so naively optimistic but then betray a faint hint of desperation when they point out that all the phones are open and they can meet their goal if one person just donates $500 in five minutes. It surprises me the amount of effort required to raise the cash considering that most people I know are loyal listeners who love many of the shows. I've even read many personal ads that say NPR is one of their "things (they) can't live without". Sadly, my local station said their research shows that only 1 out of 12 listeners actually donate!

I fell in love back in college and became a monthly donor at 23 and living off $7 an hour working at Friendly's. I think we both know the average public radio listener makes a bit more than that. Well, maybe we need a refresher on the meaning of the word "public". (to be honest, I've let my membership laps here and there, but usually because my credit card expired.)

The broadcasters hosting the fund drives make the same points over and over each year, but you know what? They are right. How much do you spend on Starbucks each month? On produce that goes bad before you eat it?

Cable TV is $30-$150 per month. What actually delivers you more *quality* material? What makes your daily commute more bearable? And who needs the money more?

Won't you feel better knowing you've done your part? How many times have you said to someone, "You know, I heard this really fascinating story on NPR...?"

How many times have you had a "driveway moment" when you are listening intently to something, get to you destination, but then sit in the car until you are done listening to a segment, and possibly even run into the house to hear the rest?

All of these talking points really speak to me. And they should speak to most typical public radio junkies. You are out there, I know you are.

Most memberships are only about $50.00 per year (and mine comes with all kinds of cool benefits, like discounts on movie tickets. I donated when I was a waitress, and my parents who were pretty tight on cash often mad a small donation to the local PBS. No excuses, do it now. Do a monthly donation, set it and forget it.

Donate to WCPN 90.3 in Cleveland.

Support another NPR affiliate.

Sorry about the hiatus. I've actually been writing a lot of different things at once. I used to write something impulsively late at night and then when I go back, I'm unhappy with it. I hope to spend a little more time on the posts, but I'm still trying to figure out a good rhythm.