With apologies to those who are still buried in snow, I’ve really been feeling it lately — the first blush of spring. A few warm spots of sun, trees beginning to bud and even flower.
Sweet, small goldfinches called from this cherry tree. Petals sprinkled from a plum tree on our street. Acacia trees have been blooming with bright yellow. There seems to be new life all around.
Not long now ..
Photos by Susan Sachs Lipman
Posted in Deck Garden, Nature, Porch Swing, Seasons, Snapshot, The Great Outdoors
Tagged Cherry Tree, Flowering Trees, Nature, Photography, Spring
On Saturday, some friends and I participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count, a 4-day event that is winding down today. We had great fun and saw lots of birds while hiking around the Las Gallinas Wildlife Ponds in San Rafael, CA, a nearby place I’d never visited before! There’s still time to join this and other bird counts. In fact, they’re part of an ongoing effort by the Audubon Society and Cornell Lab of Ornithology to track, learn about, and assist bird populations. Here is complete information about bird counts and how you can get involved. In the meantime, enjoy our walk with us.
We immediately spotted lots of birds in the nearby trees, such as Yellow-Rumped Warblers, Red-Winged Blackbirds, House Wrens, and these Finches, both male (top) and female.
The large ponds were teeming with bird life, both on water and in the trees. It was amazing what I could see in the trees with binoculars. It was as if a hidden world opened up. There were birds everywhere — white glints of gulls, herons, and egrets. (I admit I’m not sure what kinds. My friends, and their kids, were all much better classifiers than me.) Flocks of Canada Geese flew by and we did our best to count/guess how many there were.
In the water were Avocets, and these graceful Black-Necked Stilts.
Plenty of ducks and geese swam by and called noisily to one another. Ducks we spotted included the poetically named Northern Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, Ruddy Duck, and, of course, the lovely emerald-headed Mallard.
I’ll never forget the first time I saw a Red-winged Blackbird. It took me a moment to register the bright orange-red color on the tops of their wings. These seem in repose, watching a duck.
We found a great stand of trees, hosting lots of bird life. (Quickly moving bird life, that seemed to sense when you were closing in with a camera, before flying away.) We were able to identify Robins and these Western Bluebirds.
I quietly followed this Great Egret for a while. I liked the way he mozeyed down the trail, taking his time (Slow Egret?), before sticking his neck out.
This tree was full of noisy, cheery blackbirds.
You can listen to a group of blackbirds, seemingly signaling spring.
The tally for the Bird Count got entered online. As of mid-day Monday, there had been 46,912 checklists submitted, 553 species observed, and 4,531,433 individual birds counted. In a little over an hour, we contributed 170 birds in 24 species to the list in order to help the Bird Count get a snapshot of bird activity over a busy, migrating weekend in February.
As for me, the activity really whet my appetite to do more bird watching and counting. Who knows? One day I might be able to identify those white birds in the trees.
Photos by Susan Sachs Lipman
You might like these other citizen science projects.
Posted in Deck Garden, Field Trip, Nature, Porch Swing, The Great Outdoors
Tagged Audubon Society, Bird Photos, Birding, Birds, Black-Necked Stilt, Blackbird Song, Citizen Science, Egret, Finch, Great Backyard Bird Count, Las Gallinas, Mallard, Marin, Marin Birds, Nature, Nature Activities, Photography, Red-Winged Blackbird, Western Bluebird
I am very excited about the Audubon Society and Cornell Lab of Ornithology‘s upcoming Great Backyard Bird Count. It takes place Friday-Monday, February 12-15, all over North America. Anyone can participate, even if you only have 15 minutes and are completely new to birding.
Here’s how it works: You can pick a spot to go watch birds (a backyard, a park, a trail, a marsh, or anywhere you think birds might be) or you can join an organized event. You can download a very thorough check list of birds that are likely to be seen in your area. You record the birds that you see and then go home and either send in your checklist or enter the names and numbers in online.
There are lots more tips about counting and recording birds, tricky identifications, binoculars, and much more on BirdSource’s Great Backyard Bird Count page. The site also features recordings of bird sounds and more activities for kids.
The All About Birds site has beautiful photos and information that can help you identify birds. These are the top 10 birds that were reported during the count last year.
So, why count birds in the first place, and why now? The Cornell Ornithology Lab, the Audubon Society and others use the information from the annual February count to track the health of various bird species over time and, in some cases, take steps to protect them. Mid-February has proven a good time to count, as it occurs just before the major Spring migrations. If you find you like counting, you can actually help year-round on various projects.
Last year 11,558,638 individual birds were reported by more than 100,000 people. This year you could be part of the Great Backyard Bird Count.
Photos: Painted Bunting and Green Honeycreeper by Doug Janson, Flame Colored Tanager by Jerry Oldenettel, Blue Jay: Creative Commons, Northern Spotted Owl by Susan Sachs Lipman
Posted in Deck Garden, Field Trip, Nature, Porch Swing, The Great Outdoors
Tagged Audubon Society, Bird Photos, Birding, Birds, Blue Jay, Bunting, Great Backyard Bird Count, Honeycreeper, Nature, Nature Activities, Owl, Photography, Tanager
Well, we got the bulbs in a shade before New Year’s. This was very late for us, but a neighbor and terrific green thumb assured me it was okay, as the bulbs had had more than their share of fridge time leading up to the planting, and the soil is still diggable.
I’m in Sunset gardening zone 17 (USDA Zone 9), in which you pretty much have to plant bulbs fresh each year. While each spring, some do come up where I’ve neglected to dig them out, they’re generally not as hardy or pretty as they were the first year. Perhaps this is for the best. Each year brings new trips to the local nursery and new types of tulips to try. I usually buy 60 or so bulbs — enough for a good show on the deck (one of the benefits of a smaller garden) and a volume discount, while not enough to upset the flower budget. The homely bulbs go into the fridge in mid-October for their long (especially this year) hibernation. And, on an invariably cold, crisp day — in 6″ deep holes (aided by a simple bulb digger) and with a little organic fertilizer — into the ground they go.
The Blooming Bulb site sells bulbs and offers more detailed tulip planting and storing instructions. The Plant Expert is a fabulous resource about choosing, planting, storing and growing bulbs and all kinds of plants. Another is Doug Green’s Flower Garden Bulbs, which sells bulbs as well. Brent and Becky’s Bulbs also sells bulbs throughout the year by mail order. A huge bulb and perennial seller worth knowing about is K. VanBourgondien and Sons. They offer good prices, an extensive selection, and a catalogue worth perusing, any time of the year.
Of our six different tulips, one was a returner from last year, the irresistible Negrita. The Negrita is a great tulip with a dramatic magenta color that provides a nice contrast to more pastel-colored tulips, and a classic big Triumph shape that is slightly elongated. This is one of our Negritas last year. It’s a sturdy, thick-stemmed flower, 18-22″ high.
The Beau Monde brings out many a poet among bulb catalog writers. Blooming Bulb writes: “Huge chalice-form blooms are a creamy white with flames of raspberry red and bright yellow around the inside bottom of the bloom.” Brent and Becky’s Bulbs calls them “beautiful and alluring”. Both note that, while the Beau Monde is officially classified as a Triumph, it’s strong and hardy like a Giant Darwin. I think they’re supposed to be around 18″ tall, but am seeing a wide range of heights offered. We’ll find out in a few months!
I am always on the lookout for classically shaped tulips in a soft salmon or apricot color. Last year I found it in a Daydream tulip and this year I’m hoping the Apricot Beauty is as pretty as its picture. Brent and Becky’s Bulbs tells me it’s also fragrant – hooray! – a Single Early tulip with a range of heights from 12″ up. (The tag in the nursery said 14″ — early flowering tulips tend to have shorter stems.)
In another section went two brightly colored and popular Darwin Hybrid tulips. Blooming Bulb tells me that “the Golden Apeldoorn has golden yellow blooms with a black star shaped base. Very weather resistant with strong stems.” They are predicted to be tall – 20″ or so.
Joining the Apeldoorn is the bright red Parade. That one is described by Blooming Bulb as “deep scarlet red with a black base. Regal blooms on 24 inch stems!” We can’t wait.
We usually try to plant one especially exotic tulip – one with frilly edges or flames of color shooting through it. This year’s is the White Parrot. Writes Blooming Bulb: “Large white blooms with apple green brush stroke markings sit atop strong, straight 18-inch stems. Impressive in the garden and in the vase.” Sounds pretty enough to paint!
Photos: Beau Monde, Apeldoorn and White Parrot: Blooming Bulb; Apricot Beauty and Parade: Netherland Flower Bulb Info; Others: Susan Sachs Lipman
Posted in Deck Garden, Nature, Seasons, The Great Outdoors, Tulipmania
Tagged Apeldoorn, Apricot Beauty, Balcony Gardening, Beau Monde, Container Gardening, Flower Bulbs, Flowers, Gardening, Nature, Nature Activities, Negrita, Parade Tulip, Parrot Tulip, Photography, Small Space Gardening, Spring, Tulip, Tulip Bulbs, Tulip Pictures, Tulips
Solitary Crow ... Companioning My progress Over snowy fields
-- Senna
To celebrate New Year's We feast Newly-opened eyes on Snowy Fujiama
-- Sokan
Photos from the season of going inward — when not playing outside. Click on any photo to enlarge.
Photos: Susan Sachs Lipman
More are available on the Slow Family Online Facebook Page.
Seasons, and changes of season, seem to bring out the poet in many of us. I think that’s especially true of the spring and fall equinoxes, when the drama of the turning year is most apparent, the earth teetering between seasons even as it experiences its twice-yearly equality of day and night.
And, between spring and fall, I’d have to give the drama nod to autumn: The air chills, the leaves blush and drop, and many creatures experience a turning inward — perhaps a period of contemplation, if not one of hibernation. Fall is when I feel the turning of the year most profoundly.
Japanese Haiku is a poetic form that has observations of seasons and nature at its core. The best 17-syllable word sketches are deceptively simple meditations on passing moments, beauty, and feelings, and ones place within them. Growing up, we had a book of haiku in our home called The Four Seasons. I still have it, and I chose some fall haiku from it to share.
The haiku ranges from the 17th century master Basho to the 19th century poet Shiki.
Autumn officially begins this year on September 22, at 21:28 Universal Time, 5:28 pm Eastern Daylight Time, and 2:28 pm Pacific Daylight Time. (Note: Updated for 2016: Fall begins September 22, 10:21 A.M. EDT, 7:21 A.M. PDT.) Happy equinox, and a fulfilling fall to all.
Jagged candle-flame …
The very shape of Autumn
Sifts through the shutters
— Raizan
Here is the dark tree
Denuded now of leafage …
But a million stars
–Shiki
Autumn breezes shake
The scarlet flowers my poor child
Could not wait to pick
–Issa
We stand still to hear
Tinkle of far temple bell …
Willow-leaves falling
–Basho
In unending rain
The house-pent boy is fretting
With his brand-new kite
–Shoha
A windblown grass …
Hovering in mid-air in vain
An autumn dragonfly
–Basho
Photos by Susan Sachs Lipman
Post-Tidepool Breakfast. August 6, 2009.
In my June tidepool post, I mentioned that tidepooling (waking up early and doing anything outdoors, really) always makes me especially hungry. After our recent round of tidepooling, we came home and made extra eggy French toast, with fresh, local blueberries and strawberries (seemingly at their peak) and Vermont Grade A maple syrup. Then we took a nap.
Photo by Susan Sachs Lipman
Posted in Butter and Egg, Home Ec., Snapshot
Tagged Breakfast, Food, French Toast, Maple Syrup, Photography, Vermont
A little while back, I visited Sonoma, CA, with my Beloved* and spent some time in the rose garden in the town’s central Plaza. (*Rose gardens bring out romantic nomenclature.) There’s an amazing variety of roses, and I had fun trying to capture the range of their beauty. Here are a few:
Photos by Susan Sachs Lipman
Posted in Field Trip, Nature, Snapshot
Tagged Flowers, Nature, Photography, Roses, Sonoma, Sonoma Plaza
Clouds at dusk. Mill Valley. July 18, 2009.
Photo by Susan Sachs Lipman
Posted in Nature, Porch Swing, Snapshot, The Great Outdoors
Tagged Altocumulus, Clouds, Mill Valley, Photography, Sky, Summer, Weather
Altocumulus Clouds. Mill Valley. July 18, 2009.
Photo by Susan Sachs Lipman
Posted in Nature, Porch Swing, Snapshot, The Great Outdoors
Tagged Altocumulus, Clouds, Mill Valley, Photography, Sky, Summer, Weather
