Continuing Flow of Life (and a visit from the Boyfriend)

You can neither lie to a neighbourhood park, 

nor reason with it. 

'Artist's conceptions' 

and persuasive renderings 

can put pictures of life 

into proposed neighbourhood parks 

or park malls, 

and verbal rationalizations 

can conjure up users who ought to appreciate them, 

but in real life only diverse surroundings have the practical power 

of inducing a natural, 

continuing flow 

of life and use.

~Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities 

Texas Sage (Cenizo also Senisa) lines part of the walk. The plants were blooming and full of pollinators. But after the 100+ degree days the blooms were dry and falling.

This summer has been busy...one busy week took us all around two counties, but most days we started with a walk along Nolan Creek. This is a lovely park.  So many ponds and tanks are dry - or drying up that it seems the herons are taking refuge here.*And Nolan Creek is showing signs of distress too. Green scum hugs the creek banks and there are many "islands" and snags that were not there before. And we've seen birds fight for the best fishing spot.

The Great Blue Heron flew over - shooing away the Yellow-crowned Night-heron from its fishing spot.

The two juvenile Red-shouldered hawks still make an appearance every now and again. Some days we just hear them call from the trees - or we hear fussing birds that indicate a hawk might be getting too close.

This may have been the last day we saw them together. We hear one almost every day.

It's sometimes hard to see them in the trees, but this guy seemed to know we were looking...and looked right back!

We haven't seen many squirrels (except our squirrelly dogs) for a couple of days. Maybe we are there too early. Do Fox Squirrels like to sleep late? 

Fox Squirrel

The squirrels - when we see them - waste no time on the ground. They climb a tree and then fuss at the dogs and cats from a safe distance.

A few crows are often waiting in this tree.

The crows are early risers - greeting us as we exit our cars and get the dogs ready for the walk. Other creatures start lining up for the woman who will come feed them. We have talked to her a few times now. She is a love. 

Mama

Kitty

We don't know the names of these tiny wild kittens.

Sweet Baby decided to show up today.

We had not seen this little white kitten before. The second black kitty is in the shadows.

She has named the "regular"cats - Sweet Baby is the grey. Mama is the almost Siamese. Kitty is the black cat. The calico and yellow tom have no names as far as we can tell. They may just be transients. And there are now two black kittens that are very skittish. We always called the yellow toms in our neighborhood "Boyfriend"** so this guy became the Boyfriend in my mind. 

The Boyfriend with his back to the creek.

Recently a man showed up with food and we spoke with him. It seems the "cat lady" hurt her foot and he is helping her - making sure everyone is fed. The next day they showed up together.

Hungry creatures gather. The "gang of four" Mallards, Mama kitty, and others. No one wants to miss breakfast.

There is an older fellow who walks four dogs - 2 big dogs/2 munchkins. We see him enough to miss him when he's absent for a few days. I finally got a photo (or two) of that gang.

The pups took a long look...

In order to avoid the heat we start early - almost alone at first light. By the end of the walks we had been joined by walkers, runners, bike riders, and many dog owners.  [And cats, ducks, spiders, birds - domestic and wild, and even an armadillo.]

You will probably have to trust me*** on this, but four Mississippi Kites. They seem to be everywhere this summer.

I so rarely see these "alive" and this is the first we have seen in the park...

The sighting of the armadillo was so novel that Z was stunned (and ever barked - and she rarely barks).

Some people and creatures are becoming familiar. Others, like the calico and yellow, may be transient. It's a friendly bunch in our park - sharing greetings and sometimes a short chat.

And all the while the herons fish and fly and squawk...

Green Heron - we rarely see one standing. They are usually hunched down and are easily startled.

Yellow-crowned Night-heron hiding in what I believe is water-willow.

Great Blue Heron

YCNH

YCNH

GBH

YCNH

GBH

NOTE:


*Some days we count them. On Friday, July 20, we hit a record - 3 Great Blue Herons, 8 Green Herons, 4 Yellow-crowned Night-herons along this 3/4 of a mile stretch of creek. There could be more as there are times we cannot see the creek from the path.

**Whether it was him or another cat or just a family of yellow tomcats, the neighborhood was populated with flat-faced yellow cats. Clearly someone got around in the neighborhood and this yellow tom was always around the house. We ended up with two in this family line - Imagination and Hobbes (currently still with us). But what does that moniker say about the mother? Trust me, she has paid...including the occasion when the children (who had been hugged and kissed off to school) came running back into the house calling, "Mom, Mom! The Boyfriend is dead in Mrs. Guffy's yard." Mrs. Guffy lived just down the street on a busy corner and on the way to school. The mother walked back with the children to find a very dead Boyfriend indeed. He was likely the victim of a speeding car and his end a lesson for children who might poo-poo warnings (and mothers who might kiss their children off to school, allowing them to cross busy streets alone). The mother shooed the children off to school, walked home for a garbage bag, and gave the "Boyfriend," a giant cat in full rigor,  a decent send-off.  [Time has passed. I can almost miss the Boyfriend.]

***I am so not the same person I was even a year ago. A changed focus allows me to recognize more and more birds - sometime just by their call.




Extra photos with no place to go:

About a year ago two sets of lovers "locked" their love on the foot bridge. Seven more locks appeared over night this week.

A number of "dog-day" cicadas were found on the bridge. They appeared to have some kind of fungus.

A front blew through bringing clouds, but little rain.

It sprinkled on us, but the rain broke around our area and headed to the east and west.

The view off the bridge...upstream

Directions for the sidewalk. I think we all forget...treating it like a road...walk on the right. When we need to we step off....Z jumps and we do try to avoid more aggressive/poorly disciiplined dogs (and those that scare me).

XXXXXXXXXXX SPIDER WARNING!!! XXXXXXXXXXX

An orb weaver was busy