Standing on the Edge

Stand on the edge of a field with the woods behind you, eyes closed.

Breathe.

Listen.

Open your eyes.

Take in the whole scene…use your panoramic vision. Don’t focus on any one thing. While the beauty of your environment holds you still, notice the birds but don’t focus on them. Before long their flight patterns will come into view…bird highways… as my friend called them. From time to time focus on the way a bird flies. The first flight pattern I learned was the woodpecker. Not good at soaring and in a hurry to get to the next tree, they flap and dip, flap and dip, over and over. Actually, this is how I began my interest in birds, by watching how they moved through the air. For beginning minds in the field this is an excellent place to begin. Classifying bird observations in this way also helps you to remember what you’ve seen more easily.

This past week, as I was giving a school group a tour of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, we were treated to a scene from the Carolina Wren family. As I practiced my “edge of the field” technique, my panoramic vision took in the bottom edges of the swamp, now my “field”. With the low canopy in the swamp above me, the sounds of their foraging pointed me toward the water. The Carolina Wren fledglings were begging for some attention with assorted calls and tugging at leaves growing on a fallen log. The mother swooped in and fed them, then flew to an adjacent maple branch hanging low beside the dark water. They flew back and forth to be fed but eventually, their exploration on that log seemed to garner some nourishment. What a sight! The children were elated at seeing this family scene, all without the aid of binoculars.

I’ve had so many wonderful moments in this way. Remember. Take in the whole picture. Listen. Stay there for awhile until you notice the patterns and sounds of flight, short or long, simple or complex. The edge is a wonderful place to explore!

Inspiration

Every time I come upon the bald cypress at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, I stand in awe of them. It’s difficult to hold all of their wonder in my head so I just hold them in my heart. Along with the warmer weather the canopy has grown in and as you look up, the branches are full with more than just needles…so many life forms living together! And as I look up, my eyes are brought back down to the action in the water. I wonder if James Cameron received inspiration from these giants for his movie.

Comparatively diminutive and more delicate in nature, the pond cypress swamp is bustling. I know it’s only May but summer is here with all its wet and lightening noise! Walking on a day like this after the rain with pig frogs punctuating the thick air with their loud guttural voice, is like pushing your way through clouds that have fallen and can’t get up. How do birds do it? Well a bird’s got to eat so you can always count on seeing them. This afternoon I saw a family of Mottled Ducks on the edge of the pond cypress swamp behind my house and two molting immature Little Blue Herons, just before a Tricolored Heron flew over my head. I spotted Red Bellied Woodpeckers on a number of oaks before a Downy caught my attention. The insect population has exploded with larvae still in the water and dragon flies on the prowl. I was told that they eat deer flies, which is fine by me!

We are out of the ordinary in our experience for this time of year with wet instead of the dry down but the cypress swamp is still a magical place. The petals from the pond apples are falling on the water…and the white lilies have started to bloom three months early.

So, whatever inspires a mockingbird to sing is happening all the time now.

Swamp Reflection in May

There is an openness to the swamp in winter but with the transitions of spring gone, summer is closing in and I am forced to reorient my field of vision. The canopy comes alive. I look up to see branches heavy with resurrection ferns, bromeliads, lichen, and if you look carefully, even orchids. Nesting is ongoing. The blue gray gnatcatcher's nest made out of lichen has to be the most unique nest I have seen this year. Parent birds from wrens to hawks are feeding their fledglings. Hunger is everywhere and with the mosquitoes forming the base of the food chain, food sources begin to multiply.

Besides mosquitoes, lubbers are out as well as tree frogs, oak toads, wasps, bees and the dreaded deer fly. As I look down at the water, fish are eating mosquito larvae and birds are eating fish. A grackle swoops down to pick up a lubber and the carolina wren is picking insects off the base of the trees where they meet the water, only to serenade me later with that fantastic song of his.

The leafing out of the cypress darkens the swamp and the reflections and sparks of light become more obvious and every sound is enhanced. It feels as though I am being held in a sacred space.

The water looks dark but is clear and beckons me to look closer. As I reflect on my time here this year, I have to voice how appreciative I am for the good fellowship of volunteers, staff, interns and visitors...people open to learning and guiding others how to be a part of this unique ecosystem. What a great time I had!

Learning never ends. Rejoice and thank you all!

Rediscovering Aldo Leopold

"We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect."

Aldo Leopold

Watersheds

Watersheds; a unit of study for survival
BEGIN WITH AN APPRRECIATION OF WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW
Think of all of your experiences with water.

Write them down.

Read them out loud.

Write down the water categories from your topics; rain, sleet, snow, hail, spring, reservoir, lake, canal, river, creek, ocean, gulf, etc.

Pick the category that has the most meaning to you and write it down.

WRITE DOWN THE FOLLOWING IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER;

A list of words that describe the experience.

A list of sentences that describe the experience.

A poem about that experience of water.

A short story.

DRAW A PICTURE

Share your story, poem and/or picture with a child or with an adult who is in a child-like state of mind.

NOW, LET'S STUDY WATERSHEDS
What is a watershed? Why is it important to know about watersheds?

Water on the Brain

Water…where does it come from? Where is it going? How do I live with it?
Before beginning any study of it is important to first recall what you already know about the subject and in the case of water I think it’s important to recall your memories of your experiences with water first. For me my experiences are many. Here are a few that stand out. What are yours?

Discovery…My first recollection of water was when I was about six years old and discovered a spring at Battery Kemble Park in Washington DC. I thought it was alive. I also thought it was magic that it could run under the road and appear as a creek on the other side. I became fascinated with its’ powers of erosion and spent hours watching its journey. Our favorite climbing rock had been uncovered by that magic and years later covered it up again.

I remember climbing a wild cherry tree in our side yard just before a thunderstorm and smelling the water in the air before the downpour began.

I remember the canals in DC and the Potomac River they took their water from. I remember the moraine that was scattered by the glacier on the river’s edge ions ago. Those were the best climbing rocks!

Lessons…My elementary school was also across the street from the reservoir where our drinking water came from. My questions were many and my father explained everything to my satisfaction. We moved to a house on a hill when I was ten and I was awed by the fact that the builders had tried to cover the stream that had run down the back yard. It was only diverted though into our neighbor’s basement. Later, when someone bought our house I heard that they had opened our old basement up by installing a door to the backyard where the creek had been and now wondered why their basement was flooded.
My father also told us that we would never buy a house in a flood plain. Come to find out that many builders and developers built there with dire consequences. I often wondered if they had paid attention in geography class or were they trying to rewrite our perceptions?

Sustenance…I remember drinking water to quench my thirst instead of juice.

As an adult living in the mountains of North Carolina I learned to fish in the fresh water streams. I heard tales of valleys being covered by water to bring electricity. With pipes frozen in the winter I remember cracking through the ice in the river to retrieve water.

Powerful…Living in San Francisco Bay on our sailboat I remember how hard it was to sail through the tumultuous Raccoon Straits where the incoming tide met the outgoing Sacramento River.

Florida brings loud and heavy rain. On Tuesday we measured 4.5 inches for the day!

Disaster…While living in Davis (floodplain) I remember many floods in the neighboring towns.

Renewal…In the hills above Davis I remember farmers and ranchers installing ponds to recharge the aquifer. I remember helping farmers plant drought tolerant plants along the banks of the canals to hold the soil along the banks. I followed their efforts to repair the riparian areas along the creeks that ran through their fields, bringing back beneficial insects and other wildlife.

Magic…While helping friends homestead in northern California, I remember when they had their property witched and found a spot to dig their well. They also looked for the trees that looked for the water and found it…the California Bay Laurel!

When we moved to an isolated property, we became very sensitive to the origin of our water, its purity, and its’ availability. Managing an organic farm, we also became very aware about our sewage and where it was going. We discovered marshes that helped to clean the water.

Living in Florida is quite an eye opener. With water all around us it is essential to learn about the ecosystems if we want to continue to have clean water, good fishing, and surround our homes with plants and animals.

Lullibies, Arias and Conversation

Sometimes when you experience an illness or you are caring for someone else who is sick, time as you know it stops and you find yourself dancing to an unfamiliar pace and rhythm. But you also find yourself with more opportunities to stop, rest, notice your surroundings and get your bearings. Sometimes it’s just a matter of finding the right music station.

Last night, I found one of those opportunities and it was nothing short of magical for me. It was one of those rare nights in Fl where the nights are cooler than the days so our windows were flung open. With the windows open the night came in. The moon was sweet. I mean that its light tasted sweet to me. No longer full the glow still filled the yard and spilled into our room. The first sound of the evening that came forward from the crickets and occasional frog was the Chuck wills widow, from the Nighthawks and Nightjar family (Caprimulgidae) …strange name with a strange, haunting and almost lonely sound. The bird calls its name over and over. Distant at first and soft, growing to a very loud call as it flew and landed closer to our window. After awhile the call stopped and picked up again farther and farther away. When we could no longer make it out I thought I heard the distinct call of an Eastern Screech-Owl, a whistled trill on one pitch…very romantic and soothing. I wonder if it was a call to a mate. Like the bird before, the call faded and for a moment I thought I heard the wind. Then an old resident spoke up, our Great Horned Owl. I could tell from the volume that this bird was in the distance and not in his usual roost in the slash pine behind our house. This bird was also alone. At dusk we are accustomed to hearing them call to one another.

Sleeping is so over rated when you have an opportunity to experience the night. Take someone you love on a moon walk some evening. Or stay up all night on a full moon. Children especially enjoy this adventure, as do I. Chances are you will be just as eager to see who wakes up first; although this morning there was such a flurry of activity it was hard to tell.

Just before the sun came up a murder of fish crows flew NW across the face of the moon that was just beginning to set. Herons and egrets rose from their sleep and set off toward the beach. I spotted the jay on her nest right away with its mate close by. As always our mockingbird got to work right away with his collection of songs. Then, I tried to follow a downy woodpecker on her breakfast rounds in the oak.

In the flowering oaks I heard the songs of warblers including a northern parula, a black and white and a palm warbler. Across the yard catbirds enjoying the berries on the firebush and cardinals were flying through the brush. Can you imagine the nest building going on? An incredible explosion of activity compared to those cooler, darker days just a few weeks ago. What a beautiful day to be alive! I wonder what music I will hear tonight.