Untouched Wilderness
This past Sunday, we find a short break in the rain we've been having, and went for a walk in Riverside Park. Funny to see a group of bird watchers about 100m from tennis courts, set-up with lawn chairs and binoculors on a paved path, trying to catch sight of a rare avian species while cyclists and dog walkers zip past! We did stop to see if we could see anything interesting. There was an obvious wild turkey in the foreground - the creature that nearly become the American national bird. What a strange bird that turkey is - a large plump body with a rather long thin neck and tiny head. It spent most of the time we watched it just pecking at the ground, occasionally ruffling its feathers.
There was a bit of excitement amongst birders when a red-bellied woodpecker flew by and started pecking on nearby trees. It was followed either by a downy woodpecker or perhaps it was a mother-young pair. (We have a small pamphlet of NY birds to help us identifiy some of the creatures we may see in these parts.)
More walking about the park revealed many young squirrels tentatively climbing the rock wall or a tree. They were adorable in their clumsiness!
All this wildlife reminded me of a story we heard from Toby's cousin NIck and his partner Jen. They were in town in the fall, and we'd spent a fun afternoon just chatting over coffee and snacks. They recalled a recent hockey game, at which they were seated next to a New Yorker. As is usual at these events, they got chatting. The NYer was going on about how wonderful Stanley Park was, this respite in the middle of such an urban place! "It's like our Central Park," the NYer said, "untouched wilderness in the middle of the city!"
Here's a photo we took of this "untouched wilderness" one sunny Saturday afternoon a few weeks ago:
Central Park was actually designed by architechts in the 1800's, with parts resembling 'wilderness' and others a with more refined air. Many of the giant rocks were actually moved into place. All the ponds are artificial, and much of the flora was brought in from elsewhere. (Though it should be said that the plants in the park are native to the area, just not in such close proximity.)
That all being said, this was the first time I'd seen a wild turkey!
There was a bit of excitement amongst birders when a red-bellied woodpecker flew by and started pecking on nearby trees. It was followed either by a downy woodpecker or perhaps it was a mother-young pair. (We have a small pamphlet of NY birds to help us identifiy some of the creatures we may see in these parts.)
More walking about the park revealed many young squirrels tentatively climbing the rock wall or a tree. They were adorable in their clumsiness!
All this wildlife reminded me of a story we heard from Toby's cousin NIck and his partner Jen. They were in town in the fall, and we'd spent a fun afternoon just chatting over coffee and snacks. They recalled a recent hockey game, at which they were seated next to a New Yorker. As is usual at these events, they got chatting. The NYer was going on about how wonderful Stanley Park was, this respite in the middle of such an urban place! "It's like our Central Park," the NYer said, "untouched wilderness in the middle of the city!"
Here's a photo we took of this "untouched wilderness" one sunny Saturday afternoon a few weeks ago:
Central Park was actually designed by architechts in the 1800's, with parts resembling 'wilderness' and others a with more refined air. Many of the giant rocks were actually moved into place. All the ponds are artificial, and much of the flora was brought in from elsewhere. (Though it should be said that the plants in the park are native to the area, just not in such close proximity.)
That all being said, this was the first time I'd seen a wild turkey!
posted by blumaroo at
12:39 PM
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