Delusions of grandeur…

Blue Angels on our shoulders?

Last year I was convinced the Blue Angels could see me waving from my deck, and that was the reason they performed so many breath-taking maneuvers right over my little house.

They fly faster than my shutter speed...

Since that time I have learned that almost everyone up and down the Fort Morgan Road suffers from the same grand delusion.

Absolutely everyone runs outside (you can see them on their decks with binoculars and cameras) but some people wave flags and others write messages in the sand as The Blue Angels thunder down the coast… and we’re all convinced they can see us, at 700 mph, as we frantically vie for their attention.

Well… they’re back at their home station at Forrest Sherman Field, Naval Air Station in Pensacola and I swear they’re even more impressive than last year.

Betsy and Terry were down from Kentucky last week and I had Betsy on the deck railing waving my UK and UL banners like a demented traffic control flagman.  Sophie hid under the table, but Terry came outside to watch the show.  Betsy waved them in so low that on one pass she swore she could see their faces!

Betsy waves them in

A few days later we took our bicycles over to Dauphin Island on the ferry, and we realized the Angels turned back towards Pensacola when they neared the end of the Fort Morgan peninsula.  Soooooooo,  it dawned on us they were probably reaching the edge of their airspace just over Surfside Shores and they performed one last maneuver before turning back.

Evidently my  personal air show is just a happy accident of geography instead of favoritism…

But I have a plan!

I have three cans of fluorescent paint Alberta left to me when she moved to Arkansas and I still have Brad’s ladder leaning against the back of the house. So I can spray-paint a giant ‘HELLO’ on my metal roof in lime green, and I think I’ve found a way to tie a banner to the dog…

(NOT my photo) Hoestly, they are closer than this!

Official Blue Angel website  http://www.blueangels.navy.mil (turn your speakers up!)

Hurricane Ida

The Eye of the Storm

I turned on the news when I awoke this morning and watched as the local weatherman on Dauphin Island explained that Ida had crossed over the barrier islands and was in Mobile Bay with landfall expected around 7:00 AM.  The satellite radar showed the rain had moved northeast of us on Fort Morgan and it was foggy and quiet outside.

I fed the dog, walked around the yard (a limb from the pine tree had narrowly missed the boat parked in my back yard for safety!) and got ready to take Sophie for a walk.

Northwest wall

Then it hit!

A blast of cold air roared across from the bay and two blackened pine trees snapped half-way off on the edge of the pond.  Sophie changed her mind about a walk and I came back in and turned on the TV. This time the weatherman was hanging on to his coat and was yelling into the microphone, the temperature had dropped almost 10 degrees.

We had been in the eye of the storm! I didn’t realize that, and I’m pretty sure the weatherman on Dauphin Island didn’t know.

Sophie refused to go back outside, so I drove down to the beach to get a look at the Gulf.

Debris washed up under GRITS house

The only real damage I saw was an overturned porta-potty and debris blown from a dumpster that should have been emptied a month ago. ( We were picking up debris from this construction site during the Coastal Cleanup.)

too much trash

The surf had washed under the houses on the beach, and the end of the walkway at ‘Million Dollar View’ was gone, again… but that was the extent of the damage here from Ida.

So long, Ida!

Hurricane Ida

Day Two…

We walked to the beach, but couldn’t walk on the beach. Even at low tide the surf was under some of the houses on the beach.

Low tide this morning

I dragged the deck furniture into the garage and the plants into the house, then cooked a chicken and some snacks because Sharon and Leah were coming over to ‘ride out the storm’.

We watched Arrested Development and played Loaded Questions until Leah decided we should take a walk to the beach. At 9:00 pm, as the tropical storm approached Fort Morgan, we set out. Sharon and I wore conventional rain coats, but Leah was sheathed in a commercial trash bag.

Leah's hurricane fashion

She stayed dry but Sharon and I were soaked to the bone. Too funny!

Storm chasers

And now we’re cooking pizza and settling in for landfall.

My first hurricane party has been great fun, so far…..

Hurricane Ida

Day One…

It looks like Ida is drawing a bead on Surfside Shores on the Fort Morgan Peninsula!  She is a category two now with winds over 75 mph.

The weather here is breezy but still beautiful.  Sophie and I were alone on the beach, but that’s not unusual.

The local experts predict the cool water in the gulf will slow the winds and it will probably deteriorate to a tropical storm before it hits land.

But I’m sure the ‘talking heads’ on morning TV will blow it all out of proportion and the entire Gulf Coast will take a real financial hit this week. Thanks Dianne, Harry & Matt!

Sunday morning

However, this might be a good time to check on my hurricane shutters, I’ve been meaning to do that all summer…

It’s a BEAUTIFUL day in the neighborhood…

Full moon, startlingly beautiful sunrise, and no one on the beach this morning…

and, finally some shells on the beach at low tide.

The water in the Gulf was endlessly clear and calm.

And the sunset was spectacular, again!    

Is a Bobcat a Wildcat?

Sunset 10/24/09

I saw one tonight.

I was driving home after running to a friend’s house at half-time, so I could get home in time for the Kentucky game… and I saw a Bobcat.

Sunset 10/24/09

Maybe it was because my little electric car is so quiet, but I got a good look at him/her as it crossed the road near Morgantown. I didn’t get a photo because I was gaping as it stopped at the edge of the road and looked at my car, and then loped across the dune… by the time I thought of the camera the moment was gone.

I knew they lived here, but seeing one tonite was an omen…. the Kentucky Wildcats will win tonight!

Sunset 10/24/09

So… no picture to post of a Bobcat, but I did get a photo of our spectacular sunset tonite from the deck when I got home.

Sunset 10/24/09

Wish you were here!

Sending ocean breezes and best wishes to Kentucky!

Sunset 10/24/09

Monarch Madness

Check your tags!

After banding birds this fall at Fort Morgan, marking monarchs would have been a natural segue. For the past week we have passed three bushes with butterflies hanging, like Tiffany ornaments, from the limbs.

Monarchs

Monarchs on Palmetto Dr

 It’s a mystery to me why the Monarchs prefer these three plants, identical to dozens we pass on our morning walk.

But it’s a bigger mystery how these great-grandchildren find their way back to their ancestor’s fall migration routes every year.

This is the 2009 Fall Migration map from Learner.Org and we are just past the peak dates for migration at this latitude. So it’s too late for me to tag butterflies this year, but the migration rates and routes can be tracked here.

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarch/index.html

 

2009 Fall Monarch Migration Map from Learner.Org

 The process and goals of the Monarch taggers are very similar to that of the Bird/Hummer Study Group, but their volunteers include thousands of teachers, students and gardeners across the country.

Interested individuals can purchase a tagging kit from Monarch Watch with complete instructions for only $15.

http://www.monarchwatch.org/tagmig/index.htm

 

Although rain is in the forecast, it’s dry here so I am watering my garden to encourage my plants to flower, instead of wilt, in hopes of providing some food for the migrating butterflies

And I will dutifully check for tags on the unfortunate butterflies that do not survive the fierce north winds on the Gulf.

Fragile victim of the storm

A Redstart for a Redhead

My friends, Ed and Sybil, are fellow bird-lovers, and they were in need of a smile this week… So I talked them into driving out to Fort Morgan to visit the Hummer/Bird Study Group.

The crew identifies a Redstart

The weather was hot and humid (again) and the birds stayed in the cool shade, so there were only a few specimens to be studied and banded.

But they did capture a female Redstart and Sybil was fortunate to have the opportunity to ‘adopt’ the little bird.

Bob Sargent entertains Ed while we wait

Bob’s explanation of the breed and description of its migration was fascinating.

And Sybil got that much-needed smile as Bob put the little Redstart into her hands.

But the release brought tears to her eyes…

Sybil's adoption is photographed

 

According to the dictionary, the Redstart gets its name from the color of the tail…

 <<These are insectivorous ground feedingbirds, many of which have the red tail (“start” is the modern English reflex of Middle English stert, Old English steort, tail of an animal), which gives the group its name. Most northern species are strong migrants.

Tears of joy

New World redstarts of the genera Setophaga and Myioborus are not closely related; they are New World warblers of the family Parulidae. Members of the latter genus are sometimes called “whitestarts”.>>

Bird is the Word

A student 'adopts' a bird from Bob Sargent

From October 10 – 12 a group of dedicated volunteers will be at Fort Morgan identifying and banding birds as they start their fall migration.

The Hummer/Bird study group

Bob and Martha Sargent began the bird study in 1987 and it has grown to include banding stations in both Texas and Alabama and hundreds of supporters.

But the Sargents are adept at attracting birders as well as birds.  Parking was difficult last Saturday as their fans hiked up the trail to the tents set up near the historic fort.

Birders clutching their ‘life lists’ mingled with children hoping to touch a ‘hummer’ .

The volunteers patrolled the nets and brought the birds back to the station in little mesh bags to be identified, weighed and banded.  Then Bob Sargent provided a ‘photo op’ and a fascinating discussion of the breed or a personal recollection to an appreciative audience.

Bob Sargent releasing a House Wren

And for a donation of $10 we could ‘adopt’ one of the tiny captives and be photographed with it before the release.  What a delightful gift for a grandchild or bird lover!

I was fortunate to be able to adopt the first hummingbird banded this season and I think I was as nervous as he was when Mr. Sargent put the tiny bird in my hand.

My adopted Ruby-Throat

Bob Sargent is the author of  the book, “The Ruby-Throated Hummingbird” and it can be purchased at the site. There are also a variety of hummingbird feeders and guide books for sale, including a spiral-bound book printed especially for the Hummer/Bird Study Group by National Geographic.

Many of these items are also for sale from the humorous ‘Catalog Page’ on their website

http://www.hummingbirdsplus.org/MissionHistory.html

I am headed back out there with friends tomorrow, with a prayer that the weather and mosquitoes will be better!

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

I will admit I was a little hurt when the hummingbird I rescued and raised did not stick around for the winter like Squeak  (my mother-in-law owned an autographed copy of “The Story of Squeak”). 

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird by the Neitzels

He stopped by for visits that summer and sat on the clothesline while I worked in the garden, but he left in the fall and never returned. He did, however, change my fascination with hummers into a lifelong love story.

So I was delighted when the Neitzels invited me over to see their way-stations for migrating hummingbirds.  They had, Janice boasted, over a hundred birds buzzing their deck in the evening.

Steve and Janice Neitzel are renowned locally for their avian photographs, some of which they generously donate to the Fort Morgan Volunteer Fire Dept fundraisers, in addition to other worthy causes. And they have shared some with me for the new Fort Morgan website.

 

Painted Bunting by the Neitzels

Their yard, in the family compound, is littered with dozens and dozens of bird feeders, bird houses, and bird baths.  It was then that I began to realize they didn’t have to travel very far to snap those amazing photographs, the birds were coming to them!

 

And they did come…  I watched in awe as Janice & her brother fed Harriet, the heron, and the little hummers buzzed the feeders on the back deck and front porch.

Harriet the heron

 

 

Neitzel’s feeder

I attempted to film the hummingbirds swarming around Janice as she held the feeder, but discovered too late I had selected the wrong setting on the camera. That is one sure way to tell the difference between a professional and a rank amateur!

 

 

 

Recent photo by the Neitzels

 The evening on the deck was a treat and I look forward to the bird banding at the Fort this weekend. But I’ll leave the photography to the pros!

You can visit Steve Neitzel’s beautiful website at:

http://alcoastbirdman.com/-/alcoastbirdman/

WaterWatch, Alabama Style

Spoiler Alert

Don’t read this blog if you were a Millersburg biology student, a member of the Bourbon County Water Watch,  or my long-suffering son, it will just make you cry.

Almost 20 years ago we tested the water monthly in Ruddles Mill, where Stoner Creek joined Houston Creek to form the Licking River. We suffered freezing rain, raw sewage, sequoia-sized ragweed, slippery mud, a stinky ‘Ollie the Otter’ mascot suit, and (honest-to-God) junkyard dogs.

Water Watch Scientists

So last week I was delighted to join the dedicated volunteers of the Gulf Shores Water Watch and help with their  study of water quality in the lagoon.

New instrumentation

They didn’t suffer like we did with the old plastic case filled with chemicals, comparison test tubes, and freezing weather. They had amazing instruments, their own incubator, and wonderful digital microscopes.  (Of course, they test every two (2) weeks at four (4) different locations every time…  But they don’t fight those dogs)

We drove to each site in beautiful balmy weather (barefoot) and performed each test and collected the required water samples.  But the experience did not seem to equate with that at Ruddles Mills, we were ‘watching’ crystal clear water and exotic flora & fauna.  Of course, we were actually ‘watching’ for the deadly Red Tide (not to be confused with the Alabama football team) instead of routine farm runoff.

It was a big relief to learn the property owners were involved…. in Ruddles Mills we had to escape them.  Who could ever forget the angry pig farmer on Millersburg Road?

Site 2

And they also have the cooperation of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, and all the happy vacationers  who welcomed us as we arrived to do the testing.

Their microscopes would make even Ken Cooke envious. These Water Watchers returned to an outdoor  ’lab’ at  a home on the canal and indentified and counted myriads of algae and plankton for several hours. And they have the ability to photograph and email questionable or interesting specimens to each other (and they actually do!).

Salt crystals emailed by Rebecca

These are amazing volunteers and they are totally committed to monitoring and improving the environment we all love.

 

 So, I invite all my former Ruddles Mill WaterWatch volunteers (including my sons – they endured the ‘Ollie the Otter’ costume for countless Scout meetings and Garden Clubs) to come to Fort Morgan and experience  a day with this group… you will be impressed!

Microscopic identification

The Mother of all Caterpillars

Life cycle of the Black Swallowtail Butterfly

A few weeks ago I noticed a caterpillar munching on my potted parsley. After identifying her as Black Swallowtail (how did I survive before Google?) I left her to her alone to graze in the sunshine. Evidently she chose to morph into a chrysalis nearby because only a week later I was privileged to watch as she warmed in the morning sun on bedding I was airing on the deck.

First Swallowtail

 

Days later I snipped some parsley as I prepared for Betsy’s visit, and I noticed little yellow dots on the leaves. I googled again, then tucked the leaves back in the parsley plant among the other Swallowtail eggs.  

Young Swallowtail caterpillars

When they hatched there were dozens of little black & white worms and they grew to fat caterpillars as they devoured the parsley. One evening I counted over 85 growing Swallowtails

 

After a few days I had to drive to town to search out organic parsley for my growing brood.

When I tried to gently transfer them they threatened me with orange forked antennae called osmeterium. (Apparently they smell awful to birds, but it’s not much of a deterrent to a determined ‘grandmother’.)

 

 

 

Swallowtails on parsley

One by one they dropped off the parsley and crawled away.

I was able to find about twenty and monitored them as each transformed into a chrysalis and braved the thunderstorms.

Swallowtail Chrysalis

And then last week they began to emerge – from everywhere!

I had Swallowtails sunning on the deck, on the steps, on the tomato plants, and on the chairs.

 

 So the cycle begins again (and the parsley is recovering nicely).

 

 

 But yesterday I saw little yellow eggs on one of the Passion Flower vines transplanted from Kentucky, and today I identified the hairy little caterpillars of the Gulf Fritillary butterfly…