Sunday, May 5, 2013

Birding Along The Trail of Forgotten Cars


As I was driving along route 17 in Portland a dirt pull-off caught my attention. I pulled my truck in and noticed an unmarked dirt trail going down a steep hill. 
 I was walking down the hill, curious as to where it might lead, when I came across an old car full of bullet holes. I like finding old cars in the woods. They're like a historic sculpture with a story to tell. What happened on the very day that this car ended up in the woods? Who was driving it and what were those people like? It all makes for an interesting mystery to me.
I see these old vehicles as self-contained time capsules from a different era. 
There was a day when these cars were brand new off the lot. They probably spent some time at the local drive-in theater or other hangout spots. It looks like they're lined up for the parade.
When I reached the bottom of the hill I found a couple of nice surprises. This was my first Blue-winged Warbler of the year "Bee-buzzzz". 
I also found the first Brown Thrasher I had seen in Portland for a few years. It seems it is going to be a good year for Brown Thrashers . A couple of days later I found 2 more at Haddam Meadows including the one in the photo which popped out onto the road for a few seconds before going back into hiding.

Do you recognize the year, make, or model of any of the cars in the photos?

7 comments:

Crafty Green Poet said...

What a pretty warbler!

Chris said...

Wow congrats on your lifer ;-) Nice post Larry!

troutbirder said...

Unfortunately when out and about I see them too often in sinkholes. A sad reminder of when these holes linked to our fragile underground water table were repositories of much junk often from farmers who used them to get rid of pesticides etc. Fortunately education and law has mostly ended all that....

Larry said...

Crafty-I agree-they are pretty warblers.

Chris-just a foy not a lifer but thanks Chris

troutbirder-Gee-I hadn't thought of it that way. It kind of throws cold water on my moments of nostalgia but it is still a reminder of the past. Not everything in the past was good but it's still interesting to look back.

Kathie Brown said...

I like the way your mind works Larry! What wonderful warblers to see! You are always taking The Road Less Traveled!

Larry said...

Kathie-I'm always looking for the road less traveled but it seems that someone was traveling on it years ago.

TexWisGirl said...

handsome thrasher!