Blessings

The three biggest blessings in my life have been, my hubby, my sons and my deep abiding love of nature. Each time I head out for my daily hike, it's like being given a beautifully wrapped present just begging to be opened. I never know what surprises awaits me inside the gift of a forest. Nature changes by the moment, each day so different and so much to see then the moment before. It's been raining hard for two days and I know one thing for sure that few people head out into the woods, because I can count on not seeing anyone while I'm out there. Today was just as glorious as any fair weather day, but so much more special to know you are the only human out there. The dogs and I had a wonderful time and came home wet, but happier then when we went. I can't wait for tomorrows gift! Get out there and enjoy!

Monarchs

As of Sunday September 26 we still have Hummingbirds passing through and feeding on the flowers. I cleaned and refilled one feeder, the rest are cleaned and stored for the Winter. This is the latest I've ever seen one in my yard.

This morning I have several Monarch's on the Butterfly bush. It is rainy, but humid and fairly warm, they are still migrating. I take great joy as I see each one passing by. The last few years there haven't been many during the migration season. This year has been the best in over a decade for the Monarch population. A massive die off in 2002 in Mexico their Wintering grounds took it's toll on the population. Tens of millions died due to a snow storm and then temperatures in the 20s for several nights in a row. This past warm Summer helped massive numbers of them survive and now make their long way down to Mexico. I've seen them every where I've been over the last month, in great numbers too. Not just the occasional sighting. Seeing something as fragile as a butterfly survive a long journey to Mexico, makes me realize that lots of things in life can be overcome with a bit of hard work and tenacity.

Turning over a new leaf

As the Summer of 2010 comes to a close....I spent my hike today reflecting on my past and planning my future. The close of a season and the start of a new one is always a good time to get rid of thoughts that are holding you down or back. During the past month I started to simplify my life. It is so liberating to get rid of possessions you no longer need or want. I find it makes me feel so much freer and very happy. My plan for this new season coming is to continue what I've started and each week have a goal to clean out and purge even more *stuff*. I hope to be fairly well cleaned out by the time Winter begins. It is so much easier to do everything when your home is neat and organized. Simplifying gives you more time to do what you love, it is also easier on your wallet, I haven't bought one thing since I've started.

This is going to be a very special Equinox, because the full moon is also on the same day. I'm sad that I have to work....I would love to mark it at our Tipi doing something meaningful.

Lifes a Beach

I spent the weekend on a friends boat out in Great South Bay. Gorgeous weather, good friends, eats and drinks....awesome time. Lot's of Osprey, a few Great Herons, some Sanderlings and tons of gulls. Monarchs everywhere in the dunes.

Garter Snake

I always miss them and feel like I didn't see them enough. They are such amazing little creatures.



Final Hummingbirds at the feeder were on September 13th.


I spent quite a bit time last week at the hawk watch. The Broad Wings began moving on Tuesday. Wednesday I skipped work and we had close to a thousand. That day we broke our Bald Eagle record, we had ten! I was there for nine of them. Thursday it was pretty good, but rain halted the count at 3pm. Friday was my scheduled day....I hit the jackpot! A total of 2299 birds! I had fantastic cloud cover, perfect winds and lots of great birders helping with the count. I ended up staying an extra hour and picking up another 340 birds. It was an awesome day. Love my hawk watching friends.

This was not the Summer of snake sightings for me, and it was bumming me out. Well that ended this morning when I almost stepped on the biggest Garter snake I've ever seen. He was was in perfect health, shiny and beautiful. What a joy to see him and get such a great picture with my phone.

Hawk Watch

Had a fantastic day at the watch yesterday....835 Birds, and we broke the Bald eagle record....10! Today they had another good day, I missed it due to work.

Our little slice of heaven has a name.....

We have had this sign for 27 years, found it in Maine when we lived there...why we kept it?....I have no idea...it has moved with us, and just been here all this time....but now it totally makes sense, this is what we have named the road on our property...what a fitting name for a turtle lover and rehabbers road to their home! My wonderful hubby hug the sign the other day. It makes me smile every time I go to our property.

Coffee Time

Took my two pooches up to Turtle Point Road with my coffee this morning. So peaceful and what a wonderful way to start the day.

Hawk Watch

Started the Hawk Watch September 10, 2010. I had a total of 34 birds. 6 were Ospreys. It was very windy, but 24 Monarch Butterflies managed to brave the wind and continue their migration down to Mexico.

Sunset

When you have to be out and about when you least feel like it, pay attention to what is going on around you....there is always something amazing and beautiful to look at in nature. Last night I had Monty's first OB2 class and didn't want to go, because I had too much to do at home with our big party coming up. As I set out....the Sun filled the sky,huge on the horizon due to a 95 degree day. I realized I'd be up on top of a mountain by a beautiful farm to see the sunset! I was running a little late, but pulled over anyway and treated myself to all it's spender. One small moment in a full day.....but the most amazing. Take time to be out in nature...it's free and it fills your heart.

Night Hawks

Happy 1st day of September! The splendor of Fall has begun to unfold. Bird migrations are already in full swing. Shorebirds, Warblers, song birds and some Raptors have already started their long journeys south to their Winter homes. Last night towards dusk I was blessed to see dozens of Night Hawks migrating. Being attuned to nature makes everyday special. To me every nature experience is a gift.

The right path....

I've been very busy the last couple of weeks getting ready for my sons college Graduation Party. This morning I decided to get the dogs and myself out for a hike nice and early. Once we were out there....I knew it was the right decision, it's always the best part of my day. Being in nature seems to take away all of my stress and fills me back up like nothing else I can do with only a little time available. I followed my heart and decided to add another trail loop to our little hike and I was handsomely rewarded with not one...but TWO bears....and best of all...a perfect recall from my bear chasing Petey! I've seen these bears before, I think they are about 2.5 years old now. We came around a bend and there they were. I don't think the bears were able to hear us coming because after two days of rain, it is quite windy out this morning It made my day to see the bears, to share their woods with them is an honor, one that I never take for granted. I feel that seeing them is a gift, to have intact ecosystems to hike in so close to home makes me feel like I've won the lottery every day of my life.

Wrens

I think the Wrens are finally done nesting! The last two nests fledged last week. One was a House Wren with five chicks who nested on our front porch in a bird box and the other was a Carolina Wren who nested in our window box, also with five babie. In our little yard we had at least 6 successful nestings of wrens. I will miss their daily calling. It was a privilege to be their hosts and help them be successful. I will miss the male singing all day long.

Happiness

I haven't been writing too often. I've been VERY busy raising my new puppy and spending time with my boy Petey. I've also had lots of kids around with my sons home from college. They leave in a week, and I am starting to feel sad. I will miss them. Last week it was nice to spend quality time with them up at Lake George. I rented a beautiful cottage right on the water. The dogs were able to come too.

It has been a brutally hot Summer, not one that I've enjoyed. I like the temperature up to about 80 degrees, any higher and I'm not comfortable. Today it is glorious out! I went for a nice little hike, and felt so good and happy. Amazing how the weather effects your moods. It is Breezy and cool, smells a little like an early Fall. Lots of the trees have already changed. It's been so dry and hot I think they are trying to conserve energy.

We were up at our property last night and for the first time it really sunk in that it is ours. That we will live there someday. I went back today and sat at the Tipi and saw it all with new eyes. Such an amazing piece of land. I am so thankful that it fell into our laps. It was meant to be. If you want something bad enough it does come to you. We are going forward with doing a Conservation easement to forever protect it. The Orange County Land Trust and Warwick Conservancy are going to partner in the easement. They both are very excited to have it become one of their parcels of protected lands, it is very different then anything else they have.

I had my beautiful boy Petey into the Cardiologist this past week and unfortunately his heart disease has progressed. I'm back to looking at him and crying. Trying so hard to imprint him on my mind so I will have him with me forever after he passes. He is simply the best dog to have ever gotten into my heart. I love him so much it hurts. He is now on the best drug for prolonging his life, I hope and pray it slows the disease down, I need more time with him. Gods biggest mistake....not giving Dogs longer lives.

Bounty of Beauty

My yard has become a bounty of beauty. All the flowers I planted are attracting butterflies. One more beautiful then the next. We also have had many birds be very successful nesting. Wrens have nested and raised young in at least 5 spots in the yard. Right now there are Wren nests on the front porch and another in the window box on the breezeway window. Each holds five babies. I think there may be another in the wood shed, which already had a successful hatching of Carolina Wrens back in April.

Baby Wood Turtle

After a lifetime spent in the woods there are still things that bring back my sense of wonder and make me feel like a little kid again. Today as I was on my daily hike, I was thinking about not ever seeing baby wood turtles. About 15 minutes later, there she was. I watched her for about ten minutes. What a beautiful animal. I hope she has a long uneventful life wild and free. I am thankful for sharing a moment with her.

Who I want to be

I keep this picture on my bedside table. It helps remind me who I want remain. It's me at eleven years old. I was still unspoiled by the world, but not completely naive to the pain of life. I didn't care about my weight, my hair, or what other people thought of me. I was nice to everyone and had a huge heart. Being out in nature and spending time with animals was my life. The bird I'm holding was my first successful Rehab. His name was Brat and he was a Starling that I was given by a neighbor, as a tiny naked hatchling. He survived and was released with a flock of Starlings. Behind me is my tent that I saved up green stamps for a year or more. On the stump are starfish from t he beach drying. The world seemed so full of possibilities, so exciting, each day a gift with something new and wonderful to discover.

Tipi

On 7/11/10 friends and family joined us up on our little slice of heaven and helped us to erect our Tipi. What a wonderful spiritual place our land is.

A simple Walk

I spent most of this week feeling really down in the dumps for no particular reason. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why, sadness just followed me around all week. I think the answer just came to me....I was suffering from Nature Deficit Disorder! I'm just in from my first hike in a week. I feel fine again. Monty ended up sick so we didn't hike all week. I did take the boys up to the park to romp with some other dogs, but that doesn't fill up my soul like a nice quiet walk alone in the woods. How blessed am I? I figured out what brings my soul back into alignment...and it's free....no medication, no head doctor, no other coping disorders....just take a walk in nature!

Another female Wood turtle today! She was just out of the water. I've lost count how many I've seen this year.

HOT!

I can finally hear again after months of issues with my ears because of a severe cough. I am so happy that once again the sweet songs of birds fill my ears. I've been getting the boyz up to Cascade Lake most days, staying close to water at all times due to a oppressing abnormal heat wave. We get out early and have seen so many varieties of birds. Pilateds continue to be seen most days flying across the lake. Yesterday a Pair of Broad Wings where soaring above the park. It won't be long now for it to be time for the Hawk Watch. Lots of fledged little ones every where including adorable nuthatches.

We had another Black Bear in the yard a couple of days ago. Hubby was working on our new patio and didn't even notice him walking through the yard. I tapped on the window and pointed out back, the bear had already disappeared in the bushes, but could still be seen through the brush. Hubby thought I was showing him about the doe he had been watching only minutes before. Seems the two crossed paths in our front yard, much to the amazement of a women and her daughters who were delivering a baby squirrel to me at the same moment. They wanted to know if our yard was Wild Kingdom.

My feeders are inundated with Black Birds already. A family of Cardinals have been here for the last couple of days. RB Grosbeaks continue. The House Wrens are nesting again. Too funny how many nests the male builds. He has a nest in every birdhouse as well as the roosting box and the window box. Seems they have had two clutches already. Guess he is getting ready for a third. They are one hard working bird.

Our Tipi is painted and tomorrow is the big day....we are putting it up.

County Park is a Refudge for wildlife

I was saddened to learn of the proposed future development of the Warwick County Park. As the entire world is being developed at an alarming rate and wild tracts of land are being fragmented to the point that breeding populations of flora and fauna are threatened with extinction, the Co. Park has remained a refugee for so many wonderful species of insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. It is a large, beautiful and unspoiled piece of land teeming with wildlife. For anyone who lives to get out into nature daily, like myself, you need nothing more then a pair of hiking boots to head out and enjoy what is free, natural and only minutes from your home.

For some reason, there are people who believe that a piece of property is of no value unless it is developed for human activities. When wild places are developed it changes the entire dynamics of the Ecosystem. Once destroyed they are gone for ever. Not only does our wildlife need unspoiled habitats like the County Park, so do humans. We all need places where we can get out in nature, so we can go back to the very core of who we are and where we came from, the County Park as it exists today is one of those places.

I can only hope that any future development of this rare gem is done with great consideration, not only for all the wildlife that already call the park home, but for future generations of children who deserve to have wild places to roam.

I love bears!

I've had two great black bear sightings this week. First one was on Sunday night, when a very large one, maybe about 300 pounds came around the deck and Petey went toe to toe with him. The bear did NOTHING to Petey. He stood his ground and when Petey came when called, the bear retreated. Gentle as always. This morning I had errands so decided to take the dogs up to Cascade Lake Park early. On the way home we went past this little guy rummaging through a garbage can.

Back to normal

After the last two weeks of chaos, since adding Monty to our family, I cans say that today, I'm finally feeling almost back to normal. Monty is a very smart puppy and laid back, he is making it very easy for all of us to bond deeply with him. He and Petey have become good buddies already, which was my main concern. They play on and off all day long and seem to know when the other has had enough. Today they even laid on the same bed together. Biggest shock of all, I caught Petey licking his ears! It has been an amazing experience watching Petey begin to bond with Monty. Every day I've seen him open up to the experience of a puppy in his life and embrace having his very own playmate.

We head to the woods every day of the week, usually VERY EARLY in the morning. The one day I didn't run them....WAS INSANE here! They roughed housed for hours on end. The hiking has been glorious. I really love getting out earlier then ever before. We have run into many wood turtles because of the hours. I also love being ALONE up in the woods.

Meet Monty!

On Friday June 11, 2010 I picked up our new little Dobeboy, Monty. He is three months old. For six months now I thought about getting another puppy while Petey was still here with us. It was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make. Male Dobes tend to like being the King of their castle and some don't tolerate sharing it with another Male. Because Peter is un-neutered we felt bringing a female into the house would be harder for him to deal with, because of the heats. With heart failure drawing ever closer, I know in my heart a female would have been a big mistake, causing Petey to be miserable. I wouldn't want to spay a female until she was full grown, as it can cause orthopedic issues. Right now Petey thinks Monty is a puppy, no gender. They play all day long. Monty is also very low dominance and drive. He is a sweet easy puppy, very easily worming his way into all of our hearts.

Every day since Monty joined our family, we have hiked together. Petey and Monty have become fast buddies during the hikes. The first morning we ran into a bear, thankfully Petey's recall was good. There have been lots of deer, turtles, and birds. It is fun watching Monty follow Petey and learn all about his new world.

Happy Summer Solstice!

Letchworth State Park