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Powderhorn Park atmosphere holds
thoughts, birds and rockets
BY JOHN KARRIGAN
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This has nothing to do with birds, animals or anything else at Powderhorn Park, but to me and lots of others in the neighborhood and the city, the loss of Walker Church is tremendous. I am sure there will be a lot about this event in this issue of Southside Pride, but I feel like adding my own 2-cents’ worth. I never attended a church service there, but I attended many events of many types.
Most of the events, political or nonpolitical, involved deep concern for issues, large and small, and coming up with the right way to deal with the issues, be they neighborhood, city, state or world issues. People that met for many reasons and came up with many ideas at Walker Church had a lot to do with what makes Powderhorn such a great and unique part of the universe.
I was going to go on a late night storm inspection of the park that night, which I did, but first I walked to the fire. I eventually walked completely around the fire area. The many firefighters and other responders looked very well trained and were working very hard. There were many, many people watching. It was easy to see that a lot of the people had deep personal ties to Walker Church and they were deeply troubled and devastated by the event, as was I. I have faith that the community will come up with some solutions to the loss. Seeing the inferno and then walking around the park on a very stormy night, thinking about it, was a trying and draining experience. However, the park is a good place to walk, in any kind of weather, to think about bad or, hopefully, good events. One day later, we also had Memorial Day, another event of much meaning to a lot of people, and much to think about. An historic church building and grave markers are the symbols of the goodness of so many people.
Now back to a “normal” Powderhorn Birdwatch. The Bald Eagle has not returned to Powderhorn, at least not that I know of, so I will go with my second best raptor story. I have been watching the Cooper’s Hawk nest almost every day in May. I would usually see the tail or some other part of the incubating female hawk and that would be all, usually with little or no movement and no male hawk in sight. On May 22, I saw a male land one tree west of the nest tree. The male was carrying a medium-sized bird (I could not tell what it was). It made a few calls to the female and delivered the fresh prey. The male stayed for a while and the female started eating the prey. That was the only action I saw until today (May 30) when there was at least one young hawk in the nest. It must have taken about all of the 36-day maximum incubation that one of my books stated. The book also states there should be three to six babies. I have no idea how that will come out but it should provide lots of interesting hawk watching for the next few months.
My hope for good weather for May Day obviously did not happen, but I went to the park anyway that day and saw four Blue-winged Teal that also hoped to see the parade. While at the park, an unofficial May Day parade arrived with music, bikes, people of all sorts and a family of sloths. The founder of May Day arrived to see the unofficial gathering, which was probably much like the first parade 30-some years ago. Of course, I also went to the rescheduled official parade a week later, which was large, creative and wonderful as it always is.
Of course, the usual ducks and geese are doing fine. There are many litters of Wood Ducklings and Mallard ducklings, various Canada Goose litters, and one group of about 36 Canada Goose goslings with four adult geese at most times. I have no idea if this group is four litters with four female geese in charge, two big litters with two pair of geese in charge, or some kind of new Canada Goose child care operation.
Two, three or more Double-crested Cormorants are at the lake almost every day. Two Green Herons were on the island one day early in the month. They may be there more often, or hiding. I don’t know. Black-crowned Night Herons (from one to four) are there almost every day but are usually hiding. Once in May I saw an immature Black-crowned Heron, which are not supposed to be seen until July. I don’t know what the story is on that. One or once in a while two Great Blue Herons are on the lake almost every day, and a Great Egret, quite often. The Coot and one or more Pied-billed Grebes were around for about the first third of May and have now moved on like they usually do.
I see the muskrat (which now has a name it does not want to reveal) every week or so.
Powderhorn Lake went up about 2 feet in 24 hours during the May 23 and 24 thunderstorms and about 6 inches during the May 27 and 28 storms; it is hard to get exact readings when you go out in the middle of the night, or in the middle of the storms, yet it is kind of fun.
Chimney Swifts and Common Nighthawks are over the lake and other parts of the park on a few days and nights but not in very large numbers at this time. On May 4, I saw a Solitary Sandpiper on the west lake shore. It was indeed a solitary Solitary Sandpiper, or Tringa solitaria, as it is known in Latin. I have seen Solitary Sandpipers on the lake before but not very regularly. One and sometimes two male Red-winged Blackbirds are still often near the west side of the lake, but they don’t usually stay too long because there are never any females. They have stayed longer than usual this year although still no females or nests that I am aware of.
While others have, I still have seen no bats, and I did not see any waves of warblers in the park this year—only Yellow-rumped Warblers and a few Palm Warblers. Others have had much better luck seeing warblers and other spring migrating song birds than I have. The Bluebirds, Grackles, Crows, House Finches, Goldfinches, Song Sparrows, Chickadees, Robins, Starlings and Cardinals are pretty regular in some parts of the park. Chipping Sparrows were all over the park for a while, but I think a lot of them have moved on. Two have happily moved on only as far as our 15th Avenue backyard. A good northwest Powderhorn birder and I have seen Eastern Kingbirds in the park. Sometimes they stay all summer. A nearby 15th Avenue birder recently (May 20) saw a male Cardinal feeding safflower seeds to one of his offspring at her tray feeder.
Another flying-through-the-air-in-the-park sighting: On May 30, about 30 kids of varying ages, apparently from a nearby charter school, brought small rockets they had made in school and launched the rockets on the athletic fields that afternoon. Only a few of the South High Ultimate Frisbee Team, also practicing on the fields, were injured. Oops, I guess I made that part up. No one was injured and both the charter school kids and the South High students seemed to enjoy watching the others and their activities.
Saturday, June 9, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., is Get Outdoors Day at Powderhorn Park. There should be lots of activities for kids and grownups to enjoy and learn about on that day.
I hope everyone makes it through the weird weather and other strange happenings and enjoys summer.
Comments and observations are always welcome. Send them to me, in care of Southside Pride. Thank you.
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