Powderhorn Bird Watch

by John Karrigan
published Sept. 2

Dear John Karrigan, Here is a photo of one of the three Cooper’s Hawk youngsters living in the pine trees on the southwest side of the Park.  Michael Williams is the photographer, and he watches them most nights after work and should get credit for the photo. Sincerely, Lynn Gilbertson P.S. A Snow Wet Owl sat by our screen porch last week and let me shine a flashlight on him to look him over for 10 minutes (I got bored and went inside).

Not too many new or unusual bird or animal sightings, as is typical in August, but I just had a good neighbor sighting. As I was heading to the park, I came upon a young neighbor and her two children. They were heading to the trash container on 35th Street and 15th Avenue to pick up overflowing trash and soon were joined by another neighbor and her child. I helped for a couple minutes before they urged me to continue to the park so I could write more of my excellent nature observations. That might not be exactly what they said. Anyway, they went for more supplies and when I came back, the trash container was empty and in great shape except for the minor non-obscene graffiti that has been on it for the last couple of months. Another minor graffiti item appeared on the back of the Lake and Water Restoration Project sign near the park building. It was quickly painted over, but I am amazed that that was the first vandalism on that sign that I know of. I always wonder why the sign is still there after the water project supposedly ended six years ago this month.

A couple of other non-nature items: A few days ago a flashier than usual drug deal occurred on the block. It started on one end of the block, moved to the other end and overall involved at least six people, two motorcycles, one bicycle, one car and one SUV. Neighbors got plate numbers from the car and SUV and informed CCP/SAFE staff quickly. I don’t know how it will come out.

Back to nature: Butterfly numbers are still low in the yard and the park. I finally saw the first rabbit I have seen in the yard for months, but, unlike last August, no raccoons, and so far no Hummingbirds. Maybe the major rain that finally arrived will change all sorts of things. I did see one new (to me) kind of butterfly, the Checkered White. It is not a rare or flashy butterfly, but I was able to find it in my butterfly book and, for once, am certain I found the right one.

The Cooper’s Hawks are acting about the same as last year, very active in late July and early August, and then, as the young hawks learn from the parents, the family spreads out and is less visible. I still see them quite often, but usually only one at a time now. A few Crows are back in the park; I think it is one family. Sometimes the Crows are harassing a hawk and sometimes a hawk is harassing the Crows. I think it is a pretty evenly matched situation.

I have still had no luck seeing owls in the park, but they are still there, or at least were there until the middle of the month. A neighbor saw them in the far northwest corner of the park. I tried the same area and time of day but did not see any owls. I did see the neighbor and a couple of bats though.

The Double-crested Cormorants are continuing to come to the lake every day. There are from two to eight of them and I have seen them catch catfish various times. The Great Blue Heron is also coming most days and succeeding in fishing. I see the Black-crowned Night Heron once in a while. I think it is on the island many nights.

And speaking of fishing, or fish, there are once again Goldfish schools in the lake. So far I have only seen small schools with small fish, but in the past these have grown to very large schools with very large Goldfish. Time will tell. The usuals, Wood Ducks and Mallards, are always present and the usual Canada Geese are almost always on the water or the grass. The water is finally up a bit, but not anywhere near normal levels.

Not many song birds or other small birds to report, as is usual this summer, but there was a family of American Tree Sparrows at the northwest end of the lake for a few days in early August. This is about six weeks or more earlier than their usual migrating time, but for whatever reason they were here and doing well.
Other signs of fall: Park football practice has started,as well as South High cross-country practices. Ring-billed Gulls are starting to fly over the lake, but not congregating on the water as they will do later.

The dry, clear weather has provided lots of fantastic sunsets and moonrises in August and maybe sunrises and moonsets, but I am more of a sunset than sunrise guy.

An aside—Once in a while, when I am writing my column (at the last minute, as usual) in the back yard, I see a new bird or some unusual event. I did not see anything unusual this evening, but it was very pleasant. I saw Goldfinches, Pigeons, English Sparrows, a Blue Jay, a Robin, and, just as it got too dark to write, three Cardinals. All of the birds came within 15 feet of me, but now I am back within my lonely, austere famous writer’s garret.

The back yard is where I often sit and read the daily newspaper and make some of the backyard observations that I report. One recent observation was quite a large number of Goldfinches, apparently a family of seven, taking turns at the tube feeder, drinking at the birdbath, and resting in the tree or flower bed. This is also where I sat and watched the Chipping Sparrow parents demonstrate foraging on the ground to their two young.

Now for some of my usual ranting. The little house in the bottom of a tree at the park has been destroyed by some uncaring, misfit, misanthropic person or persons. With my usual pessimism, I figured this would happen. It actually lasted longer than I thought it would. My extensive research led me to believe it might have housed an elf, not a troll or a gnome as I said last month.

Then, of course, we had the well-publicized shooting of a small child in the park, on Aug. 7. The child was not the intended target, and stories said the child was not seriously hurt. It seems to me that any time a child or anyone else is shot it is very serious. I was not in the park or neighborhood when that took place, but I was in the park earlier this summer when an attempted shooting (no one was hit) took place in almost the same spot. I don’t have an answer for these events, just thoughts and concerns.

There were some minor production errors and omissions in my last month’s column, which upset me a little, but I guess they are not that important in the overall scheme of things, so I am withdrawing my demand that Ed fire the complete staff!

I could write an entire column about our block’s National Night Out party on Aug. 5, but it wouldn’t have anything to do with birds, though some bats did fly over as it got dark. It started with the usual food and friendship, a very good turnout, an elected official and one aspiring to be elected, a brand new fire truck with an accommodating, friendly and competent crew, kids’ games, etc. Then it advanced to the spontaneous and wonderful, such as unicycle riding, stupid human tricks, poetry recitations, and finally an unbelievable display of fire dancing presented by a pair of neighbors. Both adults and children were awed and amazed by the variety of entertainment and fellowship of the event and we are all already thinking about how we can equal or top it for next year.

The park and neighborhood lost one of the people that make this area special and unique with the death of Dorothy Sauber on Aug. 17. I did not know her well, but I could not improve on the description in her obituary—artist, teacher, mother, citizen, friend.

Comments and observations are always welcome. Send them to me, in care of the Southside Pride. Thank you.