Fall Migration Begins at Timber Creek

And the Timber Fox Turns Silver

Is that a Northern Parula? I can’t tell for sure. This little one was daring enough to hunt spiders while I snapped away, standing in the muddy foreshore of Timber Creek.

I took Friday off from work as things finally cooled down a bit, and I wanted a day to myself to go for a ride when it’s less crowded on the trails. I still worked an hour or two to satisfy a demanding customer, and visited the Maurice River Bluffs, because it was a beautiful day and when the weather is perfect, my spirits are lifted by seeing mountains, or water, or both, and the nearest mountain of any majesty is half a day’s drive away.

Lake Parvin is my go-to, with its Bald Eagles and Buffleheads, but Maurice River is a little closer, has groomed hiking and biking trails thanks to the Nature Conservancy, and also has its share of wildlife. I heard a Belted Kingfisher and a Bald Eagle chattering, and saw the eagle and its broad white tail circling overhead, but only got to see a shy Downy Woodpecker. I want to see otters, so I’ll likely book a kayaking trip sometime this autumn; you’ll get to see what I see, of course.

I read somewhere that you hit a “wall” around ages, 45, 54, and 61; maybe it’s mind over matter, but I hit the middle one a few weeks ago and I’m still recovering. I coasted past the first wall, but this silver fox just mountain biked into the second one at full speed. Are you familiar with the movie adaptation of The Princess Bride, where Wesley is recovering from being Mostly Dead, and has to bluff the evil Prince Humperdinck while sprawled in bed, even though he can barely move? That’s how I feel these days. (See fox above for reference.)

Here’s more of what I think is a Northern Parula.

At least we can still write about birds without being doxxed and fired, or having the government threaten the publishing platform, so there’s that. I didn’t get a good look at the Great Egret at Timber Creek, I think he was roosting. This suspicious white shape could also be a volleyball stuck in a tree, though.

The Great Blue Heron was out, looking to inflict Grievous Bodily Harm on fish and amphibians. I only caught them mid-flight, and these are the best I could do.

There were a lot of female Redwinged Blackbirds feeding, and Northern Cardinals. I saw a pair of them, but only got a decent pic of the male. I call him the Postcardinal because it looks like a greeting card or postcard image.

I don’t only look up. If you look down, you find things like these Black Velvet Boletes. The orb weaver who made this web took shelter from the morning dew, and left us this glistening web.

Being old didn’t keep me from a good bike ride and getting outside. I’ve also been watching Nova and Big Cats 24/7 on PBS to keep from doomscrolling. Outside is better. The bats have begun feeding at dusk, and I like watching them swoop and circle.

Until next week…