BY JOHN KARRIGAN
I just made a short walk to look at the park after this morning’s (July 28) hard rain, the third hard rain in the last three weeks, and, as I suspected, the lake water was higher than it has been for several years. The usuals—lots of Canada Geese, some Mallards, some Wood Ducks, some Double-crested Cormorants, one Great Blue Heron and one Black-crowned Night Heron—were there, but as it turned out the biggest happening was a moderate sized Painted Turtle with a fish hook stuck in its mouth. A young-ish adult and several children were pondering the turtle problem when I and a regular Powderhorn dog-walking and trash-picking-up person came along. We figured, correctly, that pliers were needed. I was going to go home and get some fancy tools, but the dog walker went into the park building and the staff produced some OK pliers. Both of us older Powderhornians made some attempt on the very active turtle. Then the young man easily removed the hook and the Painted Turtle was soon on his or her way. It’s not a real exciting story but it came out well, strangers working together to do some good in the world.
Other turtle news that has nothing to do with fish hooks: There is a Snapping Turtle, about 3 feet long, which sometimes hangs out right in the same area, near the dock and the park building, which is also where I had a meet-and-greet with a baby snapping turtle that I wrote about last month.
I suppose I should be writing about birds, as usual, but I need to throw in a few other things, like bees, butterflies, dragonflies and other insects. There are really a lot of bees, from small to large, around all the flowers and plants near the lake, and quite a few butterflies, including Monarchs, which were supposed to be rare this year, along with a fair amount of various dragonflies. And on some evenings, lots of mosquitoes.
There are now a good number of toads which of course only eat insects we don’t like and on almost every evening a group of Chimney Swifts, flying quite high over the lake and park, also eating lots of insects we don’t like.
A little more on insects: On one day (July 15), I saw a firefly in the back yard and a Black Widow spider crawling on the side of the house. I know a firefly when I see one. But I went to the East Lake Library and looked in three spider books so now I am pretty sure about the Black Widow. Of course if anyone doesn’t believe me about the Black Widow, I will try to box it up and bring it to them and let it climb on their arm so they can see it.
Back to birds. Most or all of the Canada Geese are flying now. Usually I see them learning to fly in early July but I never came across that this year. Then a few days ago I saw a large group of geese take off from the grass near 35th Street and fly, below tree branch level, to the lake. I always think flying flocks of geese, flying high or low, are a majestic sight.
There is one Canada Goose with a broken leg. A concerned park walker/dog walker expressed concern about this to me and one week later I saw the goose, or at least I think I saw the goose. I saw a goose that seemed to be recovering from a broken leg. Of course I don’t know if it will recover enough to continue a successful goose life. I had a severely broken leg in my youth and I went on to have a successful goose life. Oh wait. I don’t have a successful goose life, but I think I’ve had a successful life.
I get various reports on the Cooper’s Hawk family. I have seen and heard a little bit from the hawks themselves. Others have seen a lot from various parts of the park. They, the hawks, don’t seem to have much at all to do with the family nest any more.
If you leave out the ducks, geese, shorebirds and water birds, I am seeing more birds in the back yard than I see in the park. There are good numbers of Black-capped Chickadees, American Goldfinches, American Robins, Northern Cardinals, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, Chipping Sparrows, and of course English Sparrows, with occasional House Finches, White-breasted Nuthatches, Mourning Doves, or Blue Jays thrown in.
Comments and observations are always welcome. Send them to me, in care of Southside Pride. Thank you.
