Does This Day Have To Come To An End?

It was Sunday morning, and I was already heading toward one of my most familiar birding spots. Suddenly, I decided to turn around and head in another direction. I was due to try a new location. Some times it's sort of like an internal battle to try something new as opposed to the status quo. I find this applies to life in general, not just birding. I ended up at the grounds of The Wadsworth Mansion on the grounds of Long Hill Estate. The estate was owned by Colonel Wadsworth, who was an authority on the science of forestry and conservation. He had the same guys do his landscaping that designed Central Park in New York. it's a really nice area with a variety of plantings, surrounded by dense forest.

It offers a nice mix of History and natural beauty. I don't know why I've never bothered visiting this spot, but I'm glad that I did. As I was walking one of trails through the area, I spooked up a couple of young White-tailed Deer. I enjoyed views of Pileated Woodpeckers, Pine Warblers, and Common Ravens. There was a couple of drawbacks to birding here. The trees were tall and dense. This made it a bit difficult to lock in on some of the birds. There also had to be hundreds of American Robins there.

I really enjoyed walking around these grounds though. I want to take a trip back here when there are fewer leaves on the trees.

After I left, I drove by the house that I spent the first six years of my life in. The house and yard did not look the way that I remembered it. One thing that did occur to me was that we were somewhat poor in the material sense. I had no awareness of this at the time. I only have good memories of living in that neighborhood. It's amazing how much fun we created (kids in the neighborhood) with so little. I never worried about what we ate for supper, or whether my sneakers had holes in them. We didn't have a lot of fancy toys. In some ways, I feel sorry for kids of today that have so much to keep them entertained. You don't need to use your creativity to have fun anymore.

Do You remember your first home?

I took a ride to nearby Miller Road in Middlefield. There are a few large houses in the area, but they managed not to wreck the surrounding land.Birding this area is a little different for me.You actually just walk along the road which is bordered by fields, swamp, streams and woods. I often end up talking to the neighbors walking by, who are proud that they've been able to help protect the remaining land.

The weather was so beautiful today, that I moved along at a snail's pace. The cool, crisp air was so refreshing. It didn't matter which birds I saw because they all looked incredible standing out in sharp contrast against the blue sky. I did see a male Scarlet Tanager in non-breeding plumage. It was a kind of greenish yellow color with black wings. For a moment, I thought that I had spotted something really unusual. There was also about six Palm Warblers feeding in a couple of trees.
I noticed the way Red-winged Blackbirds react when they are scared off by me. A few fly off followed by a few more, and then the whole crowd. Like a Cavalry abandoning a battlefield. Blue Jays, on the other hand, seem to have a specific strategy in mind.There was a group of about 8 Blue Jays in the area.They started making alarm calls when I entered their territory. They then took position in certain trees that surrounded my location. Keeping contact through vocalizations, they slowly worked their way closer to me until they reached their desired locations. I like Blue jays. They seem very clever to me.

I wished this morning could have lasted longer. I felt like dropping all of my responsibilities, and just savoring the entire day. I know that Fall is almost here. I know there will be more days like this one. I am thankful for that.