In this downpour, nothing living outside would appreciate the misery. Just after lunch, I was in the truck as we drove along Center Drive. Just past the hard curve along the Nethermead, my coworker spotted a hawk perched on the horizontal strut of a lamp pole, the bird very miserable looking, soaked in the pouring rain. It took me a few minutes, as I tried to first look at the bird through the windshield.But the distortion of the glass with a ten power was useless. Finally, risking raindrops on my head, I peeked out and looked again. Still couldn't confirm from the front though I knew what it likely was given its mid size and timing of the year. I told my co-worker to get past the bird ; seeing the back of the hawk confirm my suspicions. An immature RED-SHOULDERED HAWK. I really felt sorry for the guy.I don't blame him ( or her) for this day's misery and predicament.
ON a more ominous note, I can't stress enough the precaution folks must take being in the park during lighting storms.Fortunately a violent incident reaped no casualties (there were brave joggers running this morning. I was in the truck ( safely) around 8:30 am a quarter of a mile away in our nursery area called the propagation area when unexpectedly we all heard a terrific explosion of a lighting strike, very close to home. Obviously we knew some unlucky spot in the park maybe got zapped. Sure enough ,after departure from our nursery area, as we rounded the hard curve on the drive near Bartel Pritchard square, there was the unlucky casualty: a Tulip Tree, right next to the jogging/pedestrian lane in the drive, most of the tree gone , ruptured to the core, split down to the roots. The whole 2/3 of its top had disappeared--limbs, trunk pieces ,branches ,leaves scattered all over the ground and unto the West Drive. It was a scary sight and a hard lesson about the awesome power of lighting.(pictures on my cell phone, I'll see if I can download)
So, be careful out there.
P.
List
Red-shouldered Hawk -immature; Center Drive,perched on a lamp pole, bird very wet
Northern Shoveler- many northwest sector Lake
Black Duck-5 lake
Pied billed grebe-near duck island
Mallards
Mute swan-2 lullwater
chipping sparrow-4 near greenwood ave entrance
YR warbler- -Greenwood ave entrance
Ruddy Duck - Peninsula cove , ~9
Canada Geese
