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the other B

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my what big eyes you have!

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I had an early shift at work today. With each passing hour the day was becoming more pleasant, the temperature was rising and the humidity stayed low. I yearn for my work day to be over so I could get out and enjoy what was shaping up to be a perfect 10 day.

My shift was over. I raced home and bribed B (with a dinner out) to come along on a visit to one of the local Osprey nests. He was thrilled to go. He came along and after a great prime rib dinner and some shared stories of the day, we drove over to the park. The Osprey were busy fishing for their dinner and this bandit was busy stealing someone elses.

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Last Friday I witnessed a sight I had never seen. As a result of the warmer than usual winter and spring, the insect population has been and will continue to be on the rise this summer. Fortunately, along with the tick and other biting pests, the butterfly population has exploited. Thousands of Red Admiral butterflies hatched and had taken flight. The sky was full of fluttering. I, however, was at work and could only witness this through the windows. I suppose I could have run outside for a moment or two but, wouldn't you know, I did not have my camera with me. By the time my shift was over I find not a one Admiral in the air. Having off yesterday, I drove to the local butterfly garden to see if they had taken up residence there. I did see a few but not many. This monarch catch my attention and was having a grand time flitting among the milkweed and thistle.

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Not many butterflies at the gardens, just this fellow.

I am not well versed on inserts and am not certain what this is.

I just liked it's red color against the green milkweed plant.

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What the heck is going on with Blogger? Last evening I tried, unsuccessfully, to add a Flickr feed to my sidebar. Then this morning upon opening and viewing my little cyber place, I found the format was entirely mess up, the arrangement of sidebar, photos and text were askew. I tried numerous times to reset the format but had no luck.  This was the best I could get and I don't have the time nor the patiences to play anymore this evening.  So for today it will stay this way and maybe even for tomorrow and the day after that.

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Phriend and I are always on the "hunt" for interesting and sometimes challenging photographic subjects. One of our country parks features a butterfly garden and during last years visit I encountered and photographed many of these winged insects. We visited the other day and found only one tiny little one fluttering about. They seem to have been replaced by 100s of dragonflies. We didn't know which one to pick as our daily model, so we chose many.

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I can remember, as a child, when our family drove down one of the local barrier islands, the tops of the phone poles were lined with Osprey nests. I was impressed by the shear size of these nests. They seem to be 3 or 4 feet across. They were enormous compared to the much smaller size robin’s nests we would find back at home. But with each passing summer the nest numbers grew fewer and fewer, than one summer there were none. The Osprey and their homes were gone.

Years later, during one of my science classes, I hear of Rachel Carson. In 1962, she had written a book about the effect of the pesticide DDT. DDT was very effective and very inexpensive to produce, thus it became the pesticide of choice and was widely used throughout the country. I, also, have memories of running in the fog which spew from the back of the weekly spray trucks.

Carson‘s book, “Silent Spring” brought light to the fact DDT was not only killing insects, it was a contact toxin to animals, and could possibly accumulate in the food chain. Carson claimed it was a carcinogen, possibly poisoning food. It’s effects were building up in birds and causing egg shells to be so thin, they were crushed by the parents nesting them. Eagles, Hawks, Osprey and many other birds were disappearing in large numbers. Thanks to her persistence and her well documented facts which were published in her “Silent Spring”, ten years later, 1972, the government ban the use of this insecticide.

During the last several years, I am elated to see many Osprey nests reappearing. Admittedly, not to the numbers of my childhood but there are many. And recently I have even seen several Bald Eagles.

Each spring/summer morning which I am awaken by the squeaking of fledglings, I thank Rachel and I am happy for the lack of silence.



Osprey ~ mama, papa and hatchling 6/21/11 Cattus Island