Under The Road

Out and about early...rolled down the hill to Town, and in between, and after, errands, visited Great Grasslands State Park, and rolled back up the hill on Osprey Road...at the Park, was able finally to get close to Birds, Cliff Swallows, that make Mud Nests under Road Bridges...the first big Colony I saw was on nearing the Charizzo Plain on the Second visit--Big Freeway Underpasses covered with Mud Nests and Swarming Swallows...and I've seen Swallows along Osprey Road when ever crossing a Bridge over Irrigation Canals...at the Park, the Bridge, I learned from an old fisherman, crosses the San Joaquin River, and after parking Silver, I threaded through the Willows along the Bank, and found some Pipes to sit on right next to the Bridge...Cliff Swallows everywhere!!...pics and clips...and a New Bird, as I finally id what Swallows I was seeing from the Books tonight!...picked up, and walked out the Path along the River, passed the fisherman'...'path dont go far'... which it doesn't!....Grassland has several units, and this one may just be a little one for Boat launching...I'm curious to know what it would be like to 'mess around' in a Boat on the Lakes and Waterways hereabout!!...many Snowy Egrets about...Great White Egrets, Blue Heron...Little Birds I need to id from pics...Redtail Hawks..Redwing...old fisherman had said...'you wont see many Birds'...he was sorta right, I could hear more Birds than I could see...I retorted, 'ya catch'n many fish?'...'nope, river too high or something...'...left off, finished the second errand, oil change for Silver, in Town...walked over to Downtown while this was being done...there's a new Art Gallery in the Square with the Clock...kinda cool...Building across the Street is renting Lofts for Artists...would be nice to have a Studio, even if I only used it maybe one weekend a month...maybe more in Winter...could share, or somethng...anyway...on Osprey Road, counted New Ospreys...Three Young Ospreys on the Upper Pole, Two Young Ospreys on the Bridge Pole..Adult Ospreys on the T Pole, and Bass Fishing Snag Tree...couldn't see Young Ospreys there, but couldn't sight very well!!....back in the Valley, did sight One Owlet snuggled down sleeping...dont know where Mama Owl, Sentinel, was off to...Sentinel, annoyed, dive bombed one observer friend....that's a level of annoyance I never saw or heard of before in previous Nesting, though Great Horned Owls are notorious for being protective...Sentinel might get too annoyed and abandon the Nest, which is a little Bowl between Branches....but I found a fine far away spot where I can set up the scope and observe, and not be observed observing by the tourists, or Sentinel!... and not have to answer, 'watcha looking at?'....more report of today for sometime...there's a growing backlog..oh!!...found the Nest in the Broadleaf Maple near the Cabin where Chicks are constantly peeping...Chicks aren't Tanagers, as I thought, but Downy Woodpecker Chicks...and Nest is a Hole in one of the Multiple Trunks that has broken off--Hole about three feet down from Broken Top...and, I should have know this, as Downy had Nest just like this Nest at Creek's End Two Seasons ago (which, sadly, Bear discovered...)...sunny blueblue morning, overcast clearing to blue in the big valley, sprinkles tonight hereabout, warm...'river pretty high?'...'lot higher than yesterday, warmer today...'a few more warm days, it's going to get a bit higher, I'd say'....'imagine so, lots of snow in the sierra'....