Earth, Sky and Sun gifts us with another beautiful morning
Nature
Indiana Audubon Society’s Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary
We had been out picking up some items we had bought at an online auction last Saturday. Sher had already checked for “Things to do in Connersville” and an interesting bird watching place popped up. So after we picked up the items from the auction we had a 25 minute drive through farmland. The auction was north of town, and the birding place was south. It seemed like our destination was truly out in the middle of nowhere.
Easy to spot entrance
The Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary is located south of Connersville in Fayette County, Indiana. Alice Green Gray gave the initial 264 acre property to the Indiana Audubon Society in 1943 as a living memorial to her daughter Mary, who preceded her in death. Another Gray relative and Society members have made possible the acquisition of more property so that the Sanctuary now has 723 acres.
The road into the sanctuary grounds is a fairly long drive which immediately puts you in the middle of a semi dense woods. It truly allows you to prepare for atonement with Nature.
It was extremely hot that day. In fact an official weather service Heat Advisory was in effect. It became apparent as soon as we got out of the car that it was going to be a very unpleasant day to successfully do any birdwatching. In addition to the heat, a plethora of insects was present and quite annoying buzzing around.
Bench seating at the amphitheater
We will definitely return when the conditions are much more conducive to for a comfortable and safe bird watching adventure. There are many features within this sanctuary. There is a bird watching blind where you can observe the many stocked feeders and not be seen. Ponds and native trees provide a perfect chance to immerse yourself in communing with Earth. Click here for the MGBS website.
Mt. Rainier, a defining symbol of the Pacific Northwest
It is sixty miles from Seattle, closer yet to Tacoma and is the prominent feature on the horizon of this part of the State of Washington. Mount Rainier, also known as Tahoma, is an active volcano in the Cascade Range.
I took this pic from the highway near SeaTac Airport
Mt. Rainier is believed to have had some minor eruptions between 1820 and 1854, but these might have been merely rockslides or ash and pumice falls. Geologists think the most recent major eruption was in 1450 AD/CE.
Another view of Mt. Rainer (courtesy Alaska Airlines)
Mt. Rainier is 14,400 feet high and is is the most glaciated peak in the contiguous lower 48. The threat of eruptions is real, and evacuation drills are in place for the immediate vicinity. The biggest threat is from lahars, volcanic mudflows that form when the glaciers melt. These volcano spawned mud slides destroy anything in their path.
A portion of the Quinault National Recreation Trail System
Part of the Olympic National Forest includes some interesting hiking trails designated the Quinault National Recreation Trail System. We turned off of Highway 101 and hit the South Shore Drive near Lake Quinault. We came across this information sign and decided to stop.
Easy walking on the gravel trail
The look of a Pacific Northwest rain forest
New growth on top of a very old stump
Ferns and other ground cover
Delicately curled fern leaves
The forest on the portion of the trail we walked was tagged a rain forest and had some amazing vegetation. The trail itself was an easy to traverse with a firm gravel base. We spent a good hour on this section of the trail appreciating the thick dense foliage including massive trees and delicate leaves. “Nature at its awesome best” is a perfect description of this Forest.
Hurricane Ridge Road in the heart of Olympic National Park
Part of our recent road trip with our Seattle family took us into the heart of the Olympic National Park on a very mountainous road. Hurricane Ridge Road has a steep 7% grade, is windy with scary sheer drop offs and even has tunnels. Care is required when driving to the top of the Olympic Mountains.
Hurricane Road View
Hurricane Road View
Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park
There are several turnoffs along the way where you can stop , park and take in the striking scenery of the Washington State Olympic Peninsula. The skies were partly cloudy on the day we took the drive. A misty fog was rolling up several of the valleys adding an almost surreal feel to the landscape.
Hurricane Road View
Top of road, parking area
Beautiful scenery, Olympic Mountains
The top, or highest part of the road, was very cold and quite windy. We parked at the large parking area. As soon as I got out of the car I knew I was not dressed warmly enough for the mountain top environment. There were two large modular restroom trailers, both heated. You have to drive the road to really appreciate the magnificent vistas. Pictures do not do the land justice.
Massive amounts of driftwood logs on Washington’s Olympic National Park’s Ruby Beach
Sher and I recently visited family in the Seattle area. We all took a two day road trip to the Olympic Peninsula and other places. The natural beauty of this far north western part of the state provided one eye opening scene after another.
Driftwood logs on the shoreline
Driftwood logs, sea stacks in left background
Washington State Olympic National Park is on the Pacific coast in the north part of the state. This national park has stunning scenery and beautiful coastlines. Highway 101 follows this coast and near the north end of the park it runs next to Ruby Beach. Dramatic “sea stacks”, rocks remaining after ocean weathering are visible from the shore.
Islands in the background off shore
People enjoying the beach, small islands almost gone background
Ruby Beach is home to an unbelievable amount of huge driftwood logs. Tidal currents have for centuries been responsible for the migration up and down the coastline of the driftwood logs. Many of these weather worn logs have no doubt been on different parts of the beach over the decades.
A visitor showed up today in our backyard
Imagine our surprise when we looked out and saw this opossum strolling around the back of our yard.
These critters are normally nocturnal but can sometimes be seen in daylight hours.
Some views captured in the yard today
The chives have bloomed!
Thought the peony was gone, but no!
Hummingbird silhouette looks on
Another rose on the way
Rose has an unknown loiterer, it seems
A stroll around your piece of nature always reveals the wonders of Earth.
Turkey vultures get a bad rap
Some people are afraid of them, most state how ugly they are, many shudder when they think of what turkey vultures eat. Turkey vultures are, regardless of their reputation, wonderful birds that play a very important role in the ecosystem. They consume any dead animal carcasses they find, thus removing any rotting carcasses.
Warming up or drying out
What some think about the Turkey Vulture
Turkey vultures tend to roost at night in large groups. Their body temperatures lower overnight, and the next morning these large birds often spread their wings wide and hold them spread out. This behavior allows them to raise their temperatures. This behavior also is thought to dry wings.
Some more fun facts about Turkey Vultures
- They can soar for hours at a time, rarely flapping wings
- They clean up the carcasses of dead animals, keeping diseases down
- Wing spans reach up to six feet
- They stick their heads in carcasses, so no head feathers
- Buzzard is not the correct name for turkey vultures
- They DO NOT kill dogs, cats, or children
And finally, a group of Turkey Vultures roosting is called a “committee”. When they are soaring in the air on thermals they are a “kettle” and when eating they are a “wake”.
The bold, brash and beautiful Blue Jay
This common, large songbird is familiar to many, as it is a common resident in both forests and suburbs. Blue Jays are easy to spot with their blue, white, and black plumage, and have very noisy calls. Some of these calls mimic predators like hawks and eagles, scaring other birds into dropping their foods, which the Blue Jays gladly take for themselves.
The Blue Jay is an omnivore. Its diet varies according to the time of year and available supply. It is well known that acorns are their favorite food, and are gathered and stored for winter consumption. Forgotten acorns have reseeded forests for millenniums.
Blue Jays mate for life. A mated couple split the work of building their bulky stick nests. The male brings the female food as she sits on the eggs. He continues to feed the chicks for the first few days after they hatch. Blue Jays are fun to watch and exciting to hear. You’re lucky if you have them in your yard.
Roadtirement 