Donk-glonk-thud. That was not the sound of a piece of cheese falling on the kitchen floor or dad opening the lid of his Greek yoghurt. No, this was something else. I had not yet figured out what that noise could be when I heard mom yelling. *&#@! And she doesn’t yell. Or even raise her voice. Not normally. Alarm bells went off and I rushed into the kitchen. I found mom sitting on the floor holding her right foot, or rather the toes of her right foot. 
And I got it. One of the noisy machines she’s been using had fallen on her toes. Poor mom. That’s what you get when you don’t listen. I had told her it was completely unnecessary to clean the house. She could have been massaging my ears instead and nothing like this would’ve ever happened. But I didn’t say I told you so. I just couldn’t. Instead I gave her a lick right on the cheek.
Anyway, she’s not been the only one suffering. Since last week, my walks have been cut short. Initially I could only get out onto the yard. To sniff the same trees over and over. That was boring. Eventually we walked on the sidewalk and I could read some of my newspapers in the grass. But then mom started limping and we had to turn around. After half a mile! And not one trip to the doggy park in the last 10 days.
I was living in the hope that I could skip my grooming appointment. But no such luck. I like my groomer a lot, but I don’t like the cutting, washing and drying. Luckily mom sat and waited for me. She was busy shooting the new dog paintings on the walls of the Grooming Shop.
But I have to admit, it always feels nice when it’s over. The clean smell is good. So coming home, I thought the worst was over. And it was – for a few days. We had family and friends visiting. I was basking in all the attention and enjoying frequent tummy rubs. All was good until early this morning, when mom told me I would need to see my doctor to get my teeth cleaned. And to get my shots. Not good news. I didn’t even want to look at mom after she told me this. Why would I need to go through such an ordeal? Why me?
Somehow mom managed to get me into her car and off we went. On empty stomach and all.
I have to confess I don’t remember much of today. I only remember the nice staff at the vet’s office before I fell asleep. It seems I was sleeping for a long while. But I can’t say I’m feeling rested. Or great. I’m groggy and I’m hungry. And my mouth hurts. I hope mom will make me a soft Crème de poulet for dinner. After going through all this I’ve earned something special, don’t you think?
In fact, I’m still so confused that I don’t even want to jump up on my favorite sofa. I might fail. And that would be embarrassing. I’m just laying down on the hand-me-down bed in mom’s office. No pictures please. I know this too shall pass.
I want to leave you all with a quote I found at my groomer’s. Something I want to encourage you to ponder. It just might have a useful message. I will discuss this with mom more in-depth when I feel better. And she is back to our normal routines. Hopefully tomorrow.
Much love, Dylan
And there were early signs of romance brewing in the bird community. Many couples, breeding plumages growing…and a few loud comments exchanged between suitors in some quarters.
And Miss Rosa was, of course, the object of everyone’s admiration. Including mine. I first spotted her hanging out with the big boys.
Then she flew to a pond where she could fish undisturbed. Photogenic. And I think she knows it.
While Rosa didn’t seem to have a boyfriend, the Yellow-crowned Night Heron did have company. She was sitting shyly in the bushes below the osprey nest, while her admirer was openly staring at her from a tree across a small ‘strait’.
Mama Sandy was there too. She looked regal on her new perch. And she was in deep thought. Perhaps mulling over ideas for home decoration, which is about to start in 3-4 weeks now.
Suddenly I heard osprey speak. I looked up and saw Papa Stanley right above the nest looking down. They talked.
I would have loved to know what was said in that brief exchange! You see, he has not yet been allowed to land in the new nest. I know it will happen early January, but only after he has performed his proposal dance and brought a gift to Sandy. Then they will start decorating their new home together. That shall be interesting. I will make only one 
I walked around the marsh and spotted two of our permanent residents, the Tri-colored Heron and the Little Blue Heron. They are such gracious little waders and by now not a bit shy when I approach them.
In fact, the Little Blue Heron kept me company. She walked with me quite a while along the southern border of the marsh.
Soon I saw the big birds chilling out in the ‘west wing’ of the marsh. Mainly Wood Storks and Great Egrets, in clans, couples or solo enjoyed the holiday smorgasbord.
I learned something new, namely how the Wood Storks ‘sit’ on the ground when only their heads are visible above the high grass.
This is how. They actually sit on their knees – bent the other way round compared to ours.
The older Great Blue Heron, the Mayor of the Marsh, was hosting the party. He patrolled the waters and talked to the guests.
At one point he said something to a Great Egret. I thought I heard “let’s compete who’s first at the osprey nest”. I can’t be sure, but off they went.
I have no way of knowing who won. Or even if that matters. But when I arrived back to the nest, I found each of them in trees close to the nest…in the company of the Night Heron couple.
But were there no small birds at the party? Of course there were. But these birds make me work too hard to get even one acceptable picture 🙂 I managed to make two of them to pose just for half a second, a Northern Mockingbird and a tiny Least Flycatcher who moved all the time. And I mean all of the time, which is obvious from my soft picture.
After being hosted by the Mayor, entertained by the Reddish Egret and greeted by Mama Sandy and Miss Rosa, I left the party and walked home by the bay side. There I spotted only one bird, a Brown Pelican at the Sailing Center pier. The pelicans prefer the bay or the ocean for their smorgasbord.
I hope you enjoyed this holiday party as much as I did. We all wish you a wonderful, stress-free week.
But there has been lots of drama in our area. Rescues from sinking cars, flooded streets, homes and businesses, a hospital evacuation and house fires. A storm surge in some places north of us reached 12 feet, while ours was only 2-3 feet. Luckily no lives were lost.
It was difficult to stay inside for over two days. Apart from some challenging bathroom breaks for Dylan. The cabin fever set in. I had gone to the terrace a couple of times during short breaks in the rain to take pictures of the ocean, the salt marsh and the bay .
And I had tried to take a few pictures from inside as well. With varying degrees of success 🙂
So late this morning when the rain did let up for a couple of hours, I went out with my camera. I wanted to check on the flooding and the waves pounding the beach. Or so I thought.
I walked through our back garden and among lots of debris from palm trees, I found our resident Northern Mockingbird.
Then I steered towards our ‘board walk’, which leads to the beach. It was not under water, but I could see ‘lakes’ on both sides, normally dry land.
And when I arrived at the end of the walk, I discovered the path to the beach was flooded. Much more water than my rain boots would take.
So I ended up shooting the waves from our board walk. The wind was still measuring at over 30 miles or 50 kilometers per hour. It was difficult to stay upright. Even the flood waters had noticeable waves.
The waves were still about 6 feet high and a group of terns was taking shelter at the narrow sand bank separating the ocean from the flood waters. Soon it started to rain again and I had to run inside. In the coziness of our living room I looked out towards the bay. Perfecting the art of staying inside 😉
I have not yet been able to visit the salt marsh due to the heavy flooding, but I hope to do so later on this Labor Day weekend. The only bird I have seen from my terrace is Mama Osprey. She was checking on the nest this afternoon. The water levels are currently too high for the wading birds to walk there, but I’m hoping for a rush as soon as the waters recede a bit. Happy weekend to all of you.
In my dad’s garden, the apples were still growing, getting more colorful every day. And the healthy buckthorn berries were almost ripe to pick.
On our daily walks, of which at least one went all the way around the lake, I noticed and enjoyed the small things in nature. Like the butterflies, the Peacock and the Mourning Cloak we found around our trail.
I heard the hum of the universe in the Finnish forests, mighty green with stately firs, pines and birches. And rowan trees full of red berries for the birds to enjoy.
And I admired the great variety of wildflowers we encountered on our walks: wild roses, blue bells, clover, dandelions, heather and floating beds of water lilies.
I stopped to take pictures of them and then had to run to reach the others. Great exercise…some days over 12,000 steps. Not that I’m counting :-). Although in fairness, our awesome guide would stop and wait for me if I disappeared from sight. He always made sure nobody was left behind in the woods.
Whether it was morning, late afternoon or evening, the lake always spoiled us with gorgeous views.
One evening we spotted a couple of Whooper Swans very close to the shore, but of course that time I didn’t carry my camera. The next evening I could only find one of them at the far end of the lake.
We often came back from our explorations around the magical ‘blue hour’ after sunset. Then, soon after night fall around 10 p.m., the moon climbed up onto the sky painting the lake in magical colors.
My last evening ‘back home’ I went out to the lake and got a surprising goodbye gift. A Loon swam quietly out through the reeds fairly close to me. What a treat!
The next morning I had to leave at 3 am to make my early flight to London and further to the US. The archipelago outside Helsinki was just waking up to a new day. I felt deep gratitude for having had this wonderful time with my dad, my sister, my niece, aunts and cousins.
The next morning after coming home, I found a welcome committee from the salt marsh right here in our garden. Snowy Egrets, White Ibis and a Northern Mockingbird had gathered to welcome me home.
That was wonderful, but nothing compared to the reception I got on my first walk at the salt marsh this morning. Can’t wait to tell you all about the welcome back party.
To add to the curves, the museum garden also boasts a statue of Dali’s curved mustache.
As you can imagine, there are many beautiful curves inside the building as well, but the only example I have been allowed to photograph is this impressive ‘fire horse’. It stands tall right in the entrance lobby, showcasing its many lit curves.
But how do the man-made curves compare with the curves created by nature? Like this giraffe on the savannah with its soft curves.
Or this Great Egret with its long, curved neck.
And how does any manmade curve, however masterfully created, compare with the perfect curve of the rainbow that hangs there, freely suspended in the air over the bay. Just like that.
And not to talk about the celestial ‘buildings’. The sun just about the dive into the ocean. Flawless, well-lit curves.
Or the moon laying on its belly in the evening sky. An impeccable 
I appreciate all beautiful curves, but I’m sure you can see what inspires me more…what about you?
It’s hard to listen to your baby cry, I know. But Sandy may have taken this drastic measure in an attempt to persuade the little lady to come on fishing trips with her or Stanley. And I think it might finally be working.
She was looking up and I saw Mama Sandy was flying above the marsh.
Although her crop didn’t look empty, she immediately started to ask for fish.
No fish was forthcoming, and after a few minutes she flew away. Supposedly to go fishing, but there is also the probability she went to check on her parents’ whereabouts. I decided to walk around the marsh. It was lively. Lots of Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets around.
And Miss Rosa was there too! She was in the middle of her elaborate beauty routine. I took a 30 second instructional clip so you can learn how it’s done.
He was fun to watch. He always is. And he knows it.
A big junk of my walk was taken up by chasing the Black Skimmer around the marsh. That was fun. He was skimming the surface of the small ponds. As soon as I got him in focus, he was in another pond. Two thousand steps later, this the best picture I got.
I was marveling about the big feet and the colorful red-green “boots”of the little Moorhen …
…when suddenly a familiar face shot up from the bushes. The young Great Blue Heron looked like a deer caught in the headlights.
He decided it was better to move to the other side of the deep water, away from the paparazzo.
He landed right below the Osprey nest, where some Red-winged Blackbirds were looking for food scraps.
Their enjoyment of the Osprey B & B was cut short by the return of Lady Cawcaw. As you can see, she has now mastered the same landing technique as her parents, coming from below and against the breeze.
However, she had not yet mastered how to catch a fish. But now she’d been trying. She shook off the excess water at the nest. Bravo!
I could see Papa Stanley perching high up at the fire station next to the salt marsh. He was wet too. I figured he might have been giving diving lessons to his teen. He might have told her something like this: hover over the water to spot the fish you like, size it carefully so it’s not too big for you, then dive in feet first and your talons stretched out, but don’t dive more than about 3 feet deep! That should do it…shortly.
While I was walking home on the bay side, Stanley passed me, in the air of course. He settled on his favorite spot at the corner of Marriott’s roof and immediately started to scan for fish in the bay. He is a great dad. I wished him Happy Farther’s Day.
Late in the afternoon, I saw that Lady Cawcaw was eating in the nest. I hoped it was a self-caught dinner.
Seeing the fish, Lady Cawcaw started to sing. She sang from the heart. You know that song. It’s quite repetitive, as you can hear in this 30 second clip.
And Stanley, once he flew towards the ocean, soon came back with a fish and started eating it in his usual hideout in the old pine tree close to the nest.
As you can see, Lady Cawcaw’s parents both caught the same kind of fish. I’m sure there was a school of that particular fish close to the shore and that was the reason they wanted her to come with them and learn. But no.
She was hungry. And she continued to ask for food. I was sitting on “my” bench and watching her desperate quest to be fed without getting her feathers wet, when I noticed some movement on the water below the nest. I couldn’t believe my eyes…
…when Mama Mottled Duck swam to the shore with seven ducklings. She climbed up on the grass and so did the ducklings. Where was she taking them?!
They marched straight towards the stone wall between the marsh and the busy street. Oh, no!!
Mama Duck knew about a hole in the wall and they went through it. I had to run around the stone wall to get to the road. The traffic had to be stopped! I was gesturing like a mad woman (that I am) to the cars. Mama Duck and the ducklings marched right on to the busy street!
The cars stopped! They did. And Mama marched onto the Sailing Center grounds. Then into the grass and further towards the bay.
I guess their nest had been flooded by the rains dumped on us by TS Colin, and she had to move. The salt marsh is brimming with water.
Probably the highest water levels I’ve seen. Many of the small islands are under water and marsh flowers are sticking up from the water.
The whole marsh looks more like a lake. No small “beaches” or mud flats.
All, apart from the younger Great Blue Heron. He was standing right next to “my” bench. And he didn’t like to see me.
In fact, he was very vocal about it. Before he took off.
Apart from Great Egrets, I spotted a Snowy Egret on the doggy park fence, next to a little “lake” that had formed there.
…while her cousins, the Moorhens, were cruising the marsh in big numbers.
And how was the svelte Lady Cawcaw, you may ask. She was just fine. She sang again. And this time her song was heard. Mama Sandy came in with half a fish.
I left her eating her small portion, and walked onto the beach. A big party was going on in the new fresh water lake.
Laughing Gulls, Black Skimmers and Royal Terns enjoyed the temporary bath tub. There were hundreds of birds around. Some flying in tandem…
…others just relaxing on the sand.
I was almost at home when an Osprey flying over the ocean caught my eye. It was lady Cawcaw!
I guess her small lunch had left her hungry. She flew beautifully, but was not looking down. She’s yet to learn that fish don’t fly. But this was a great start. Next time when her parents want her to go fishing with them, she just might follow them.
Those who have followed my posts a bit longer may remember that I thought Diamond came to visit her parents in December last year. This is the only picture I got of her, taken right against the sun, but you can see her “necklace” was still there.
Then last year, Sandy and Stanley had three chicks. You, the friends of this Osprey family, named them Lofty, Aspire and Sindile. Lofty was the self-assured older brother, Aspire was the middle sister who aspired to do everything Lofty did, and Sindile was the sweet little sister.
They all grew up nicely and fledged. Then in about four to five weeks they all learned to fish for themselves and left the nest. Sandy and Stanley were exhausted and went on a well deserved vacation.
You may remember I thought Aspire also came back to visit her parents last December. What a beautiful young lady she had become.
So this year they had two chicks. The little one was born at least a week after the firstborn, which in itself was strange, and unfortunately she did not survive.
The beautiful firstborn fledged last week and now deserves to be named. I don’t think she’d like to be referred to as “the chick of 2016” when she comes to visit her parents later on all grown up.
Last night I took my light camera along for our evening walk to the doggy park and took a few sunset pictures using the dog stabilizer, pictured below.
All my pictures are all little “soft” as the stabilizer was disturbed by some squirrels and other irresistible attractions along the trail. But you can see the Osprey chick was alert and looking intently at something on the ground, while Mama Sandy was enjoying some rest warmed by the last rays of sun.
I had to look right into the sun to see what she was staring at. Shading my eyes, I could finally distinguish a blue-gray shape hunkering behind some glittering long grass. The younger Great Blue Heron was in attendance. And the chick was keeping an eye on him.
And walking back from the doggy park, we also spotted a Snowy Egret still hunting in the shallow waters.
Walking back home, I decided to take a swing on the bay side. The last rays colored everything vibrantly so I snapped a picture of the Sailing Center pier, while Dylan was looking right into the water from the edge of the sea wall.
Only after taking the picture, I realized there was something familiar. I zoomed closer while making sure Dylan didn’t intend to do a somersault into the water below. And caught a wet Papa Stanley resting on the railing, after what I believed was a failed dive for supper. I thought he looked like a painting.
Back to the name issue. What’s it gonna be? I leave that up to you. Please propose fun names for this girl in the comments. Last year I found it difficult to judge all those great proposals, so this year we are going to do a lottery, or sweepstakes. All you have to do is to put 
We’ve agreed that I will tie the name slips onto small halves of his favorite cookies. And the name on the first cookie piece he picks will be the winner. That should be fair. The only challenge with this procedure will be for me to take away the hat before he eats all the pieces.
Dylan and I are hoping you’ll come up with some great sounding names that even he can pronounce. Thanks in advance for putting you creative thinking hat on. Be good now. Tiny & Dylan
The hen mother that I am, I was immediately thinking of Mama Sandy and the chick in the nest. They would lay flat, their heads pointing against the wind. The chick would be leaning to her mother tightly, or even lay partially under her, like in this picture from last year. I couldn’t see them, of course. It was pitch black over the salt marsh. I was hoping that Papa Stanley and all the other birds residing at the salt marsh were in safe shelters. The storm lasted for about an hour, and I made a mental note to go check on them in the morning.
We woke up to an almost cloudless sky. From my windows I could see the Osprey nest was still intact despite two of the four supports being loose. When I opened the blinds in my office, I saw Papa Stanley fly right past the window towards the ocean – going on a fishing trip, I assumed. Needless to say I was happy to see him.
Sandy was asking for fish. It seemed Stanley had not yet returned from his fishing expedition. And Sandy was also making a series of alarm calls. I looked around and did not see any reason for alarm. It occurred to me that she might have done that to get Stanley’s attention. Bad thought. She would never do that. And then I saw the young Great Blue Heron hiding in the high grass very close to the nest. Too close for Sandy to be comfortable.
To my delight I found many permanent residents at home. The great Egret was watching his village from on the beach end of the marsh.
The juvenile Little Blue Heron, who is growing fast, had found a hunting companion, a Tri-colored Heron.
They were happily foraging in the shallow pools formed by the heavy rains over the mud flats. I saw hundreds, if not thousands of fish fry swim around in those brand new pools. These two birds had a blast.
And so did the Reddish Egret. He caught a bigger fish at the shallow end of the marsh.
The “resort island” was occupied by a Snowy Egret and a couple of blue-eyed White Ibis. They seemed to enjoy the freshness brought by the rains. No pollen blanket floating on the water.
Just when I was crawling my way up from the natural “hide” close to the little island, I discovered Papa Stanley was finally flying in with a fish. I missed the fish, of course, as he had just landed when I could stand up and shoot a picture from the distance.
Walking towards the nest again, I saw that even the Night Heron couple had made it through the storm.
The fish Staley brought must have been a big one because he stayed in the nest and all three started having their brunch together.
The chick is eating by herself now, and was done first. She was looking happy having both her parents in the nest for brunch. And so was I.
All was well. And with those good news, I wish you all a wonderful weekend and a great week ahead. I hope that you too can make it out to enjoy the nature.
TINY LESSONS BLOG 