Another Sunny Weekend

On Saturday, July 24th, I walked a familiar trail in Washington Valley Park, beginning at the Gilbride Road parking area. At around 9am, the temperature was already up around 80 degrees, and heading upwards quickly. The sun was very bright, and appeared almost white in several photos I took.

A Green frog (Rana clamitans) lounges in the shadows.

Not many critters were out this morning, and I noticed the light seemed different from my usual hiking time (right around noon). The shadows were longer here and there as the sun was not so high in the sky.

The light was just reaching the tips of the trees over the trail leading to the Hawk Watch platform.

I was feeling artistic as I headed back down the trail after viewing the falls.

The best fishing spots in several parks are marked by "Christmas ornaments" like the one above - lost floats from fishermen catching a line on a branch.

As I drove into the park yesterday, I wondered how many critters hang out in the slope leading down from the roadway to the water. The trail runs right along the river, so the area between remains undisturbed.

A Blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) feather along the side of the trail. Since just the one feather was present, hopefully the rest of the jay is intact somewhere.

I noticed that many trees appear dry, and dead leaves litter the undergrowth - just like fall!

This morning, I made it down the shore to Sandy Hook, a part of Gateway National Recreation Area in Highlands, NJ. At 8:30am, the sun was out the day wasn't too hot just yet. My companion and I started out at Horseshoe Cove, a spot on the bay side well out along the hook of Sandy Hook.Interesting stuff is always swimming by or lying in remnants along the sand here.

Kestrel nesting sights are set up out over the water logged dunes.

Over on the ocean side of the park (Parking Lot C), lots of folks enjoy the calm surf. After a great beach day, we depart around 11am. Despite the abundant sunshine, it is now raining fairly hard. With some extra water, I hope the plants will be revived.

Canal Walk and Blueberry Picking

This Saturday marked the latest in another string of sunny, hot days in mid-July. Each day around noon the temperature tops 100 degrees. Last week saw more of the same with the occasional switch to heavy humidity and thunderstorms. I headed out early (9:30am) to beat the worst of the day's heat, although I estimate the temperature as already at 85 degrees when I left my vehicle at the Amwell Road parking area of the Delaware-Raritan Canal State Park in Hillsborough, NJ.
The canal was beautiful in the bright sunlight. I have always admired the play of sunlight on water. Heavy greenery adorns each shore as we approach the midpoint of the summer season.

A purple flower lends a splash of color.

While the water of the canal can be completely opaque after a rainstorm, it has been some time since the last passing shower and most areas are at least a bit clear. In deep pools, the light fades down to murkiness in the mud at the bottom of the canal.

A tree branch hangs out over the water.

A floating log has grown some interesting fungi.

Heading north along the trail, one approaches Colonial Park via a bridge over the canal. Up and down the canal, turtles rise to the surface around this spot for some air and perhaps a little sun. I spot a Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) swimming up to the surface to say hi.

Solar radiation had the temperature kicking right up, although it was slightly cooler in the shade, at least this early on.

Crossing over the canal, I took a quick walk into Colonial Park. Above, a Groundhog (Marmota monax) has breakfast.

Even though I have been to this park hundreds of time over the past 30 years, I still find new pictures to take every time, new views that I have not seen before.

By the time I reached the parking area, it was about 10:30am and I was grateful to return the air-conditioned interior of my vehicle. The day was almost hot beyond my usual comfort level already! Walking in the heat is no problem, but I like to cool off afterward - I keep a thermos of ice water in the car to cool down with after summer hikes.

After consuming a moderate amount of ice water, I was ready for one more activity in the sun on Saturday. I drove out to Cold Soil Road in Princeton to visit Terhune Orchard for some blueberry picking.

Those tags hanging in the sky are a fine net that reserves the blueberries for folks coming out to pick containers full of the sweet/tart berries. Otherwise birds might devour them. However, the blackberries (ripening in the photo below) at the orchard seem to do ok without such protection.

After just a half hour in the sun around noon I was done for the day and I recovered throughout the rest of day indoors, with the help of heavy air conditioning. It is important to stay hydrated and keep electrolytes in your system during these days of extreme heat. Stay cool - see you on the trail!

Park walk, Beach walk-Perfect July Day

On Saturday, July 10th, I took a few hours to stroll around Colonial Park in Franklin, NJ. Before I drove to the park, I evicted an uninvited guest from our neighborhood pool - the field mouse or meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) below. He did not appear distressed and swam easily on the surface of the water, diving under and splashing around to evade us. He shot through the water so fast we had to chase him with a skimmer to rescue him (chlorine and other chemicals in the pool water can harm living things).

Once at the park, I admired the wealth of bird and other animal life that bursts from every tree and stretch of lawn. Summer is in full swing and most every species is active and noisy. I grabbed a few hours in the early morning (between 7am and 10am) for my walk to avoid the 100 degree heat (with rain and heavy clouds) of midday. Above is a Green Heron (Butorides virescens)I photographed from across a stretch of water.

The Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) nest I have posted pictures of previously contained a new batch of baby birds, with attentive parents flying to and fro with food energetically.

Despite the low water lines everywhere throughout the park, each pool and stream teams with life. I was unable to identify these fish (please help me out!). They were a size I had not seen before - larger than a minnow, but smaller than a sunfish, around 3-4 inches.

I believe this is another Green Heron, perhaps the mate of the one I saw earlier. It was perched on a tree branch over the water. I was sure he was fishing despite the heavy coating of duckweed on the surface of the water.

An Eastern Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) hops along a muddy beach revealed by the shrinking level of water. If he hides acorns there, will oaks grow in the water, or will he have to swim to retrieve when the water returns? (Just kidding).

Where I usually observe turtles sunning themselves, a family of ducks was enjoying a floating log. I believe the "mom" duck is standing and her latest brood of ducklings is seated on the log. These could be wood ducks, where adults have a colorful head and are about this size. I saw mostly ducklings with brown plumage from some distance, so I couldn't be sure. After a few moments, the parent ducks quacked and all 6 ducks moved off the log into the distance in a tight group.

A White-tailed Deer (or doe, a female) and her two fawns, latin name Odocoileus virginianus.

As I came around a corner, I came upon the body of this Southern Short-tailed Shrew (Blarina carolinensis). There was no sign of the cause of death, and per the circle of life a larger animal would probably arrive and consume the body shortly. I always feel sad to see roadkill and other carcasses. However, I felt I had to take the picture to confirm that these small, furry bundles of life are our there, living there lives, even though we never see them under normal circumstances. While they are both small and furry, shrews are in a different animal order (Soricomorpha) from mice and other rodents (Order Rodentia). Other animals in Soricomorpha are other types of shrews and all moles.

I noted that despite the dryness everywhere, there were still spots where water collected from the rain earlier that day (the new home of a whole bunch of happy frogs) such as underneath this wooden walkway.

Early on Sunday morning, I made it down to Sandy Hook National Recreation Area in Highlands, NJ with my family.

Here in July, wildflowers bloom among the dunes and bathhouses.

The Sandy Hook Lighthouse looks out towards the water from about 1.5 miles inland. Built in 1764, time and tides have shifted the coastline away from where it still stands today. Tours of the lighthouse are available throughout the summer months.

An easy right turn after you exit the park, I highly recommend a quick stop at Mount Mitchell Overlook before departing the Sandy Hook area for the day. A Quick Check marks the corner where signs clearly point the way up the mountain to the overlook.

Monmouth county park service conveniently trims back the native foliage to provide a beautiful place to sit and watch the clouds, waves and park visitors still on the beach at Sandy Hook.

I look forward to more summer weather next weekend. Stay cool!

Heat is On! Hot days in early July...

In the post last week (June 26th post), I have 4 pictures. After some web searching, I have identified these critters as follows:

Picture 1: Two Pearl Crescent butterflies (Phyciodes t. tharos) perched on a dried piece of scat, perhaps getting some nutrients.

Pictures 2 & 3: Two shots of a Bull Frog (Rana catesbeiana) submerged in the duckweed along the shore.

Picture 4: A Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) sunning on a sunken log.

I know I probably shouldn't include these, since all previous posts have been from hikes in New Jersey, but I can't resist. The following five pictures are from a Swamp Boat Tour I took in Marrero, Louisiana. The tour company conveniently offers transportation from New Orleans, LA, where I spent the rest of the week. You know what they have in Louisiana...

...the American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)! Several juvenile 'gators swam right up to the side of our boat during the tour. They were awesome!

The boat also cruised by a Tricolor (or Louisiana) Heron (Egretta tricolor).

(One more 'gator, snoozing on a log).

A Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) in danger of 'gator attack, according to our tour guide.

On July 3rd, I flew back to New Jersey. I was completely disoriented (even though LA is only 1 hour behind NJ), and I didn't make it out to a park until Sunday, July 4th. I hit the same trail as last week, in Washington Valley Park.

The sun was out and the temperature was hovering around 80 degrees when I started out around 10am.

A shortage of rain, and an abundance of sun had turned much of the trail to dust. All water lines were low, and grass had colonized much formerly submerged land.

Eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus) continue to liven the place up with their calls and antics.

I have no idea why my time stamp crapped out on me, but the picture of the Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) above is also from July 4, 2010. Aengus and I spotted two of them chowing down in one of my neighbors' front yard. I didn't want to disturb it, so I have no confirmation of what it was eating. Look at those legs - they look like fluffy feathery pants! Good thing this is a short week, because this vacation went way too fast.