When I got to the park this Tuesday evening after work I parked on the south side and walked over the east to meet a friend for the rest of the way. Shortly after arriving I noticed an Osprey hovering over the water looking for fish. I watched him dive a few times but when he'd near the water's surface my view was obstructed by the cattails. On another try he seemed to be below the cattails for quite some time and when he eventually came up I snapped this pic.
I didn't even realize at the time but he was holding a fish -probably a little Bullhead- in his talons. Another thing I didn't know until I viewed the photo closer his that he had a band around his leg. Upon meeting my friend at the east side he explained that the planet Venus was moving in front of the Sun and tonight was the only night you could see it. I actually had no idea it was happening. My friend had seen a piece on the news that showed you how to view it using any old pair of binoculars and a piece of paper. So we found a good place in the sun and tried it out.
There it was -just a tiny tiny dot, but quite obviously in front of the sun. Apparently this is the last time the event will be visible in my lifetime which was kind of strange to think about. It won't happen again until the year 2117! If you want to see some better pictures than our little grey dot, visit this link:
http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com As we made our way around we spotted one or two Painted Turtles out in the open and near the paved trail. The second one was actually busy digging a hole with it's hind legs in order to lay some eggs. It was in a terrible place we both thought, right near the trail with all those people walking and biking.
I'm thinking it's probably pretty tough for the turtles to find any sand or loose soil at all in the park so I can see why they come out near the trail. We watched for a while but never did see her lay any eggs so we moved on. On the north side I heard a nice sounding bird and quickly spotted this Rose-breasted Grosbeak. He was perched near the same trees I've seen them before, on the outside of the trail loop right where the long straight part of the trail meets the edge of the woods. As usual when I've seen a Grosbeak he was facing away from me and hiding his bright red patch. We kind of stalked around him a bit trying to see him at different angles and eventually he turned around to face us. I took a bunch of pictures but was having a hard time getting one I liked with the sun getting low in the sky and piercing through the trees in an unpredictable fashion.
I finally got something I was satisfied with and was amazed that he stayed put for so long. Even afterward we stood there still looking and talking and he continued hanging out on the same branch. I'd never seen one stay in the same place for quite so long. It was great to be able to view him for such a long time as they are quickly becoming one of my favorite birds.
I didn't even realize at the time but he was holding a fish -probably a little Bullhead- in his talons. Another thing I didn't know until I viewed the photo closer his that he had a band around his leg. Upon meeting my friend at the east side he explained that the planet Venus was moving in front of the Sun and tonight was the only night you could see it. I actually had no idea it was happening. My friend had seen a piece on the news that showed you how to view it using any old pair of binoculars and a piece of paper. So we found a good place in the sun and tried it out. 
There it was -just a tiny tiny dot, but quite obviously in front of the sun. Apparently this is the last time the event will be visible in my lifetime which was kind of strange to think about. It won't happen again until the year 2117! If you want to see some better pictures than our little grey dot, visit this link: http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com As we made our way around we spotted one or two Painted Turtles out in the open and near the paved trail. The second one was actually busy digging a hole with it's hind legs in order to lay some eggs. It was in a terrible place we both thought, right near the trail with all those people walking and biking. 
I'm thinking it's probably pretty tough for the turtles to find any sand or loose soil at all in the park so I can see why they come out near the trail. We watched for a while but never did see her lay any eggs so we moved on. On the north side I heard a nice sounding bird and quickly spotted this Rose-breasted Grosbeak. He was perched near the same trees I've seen them before, on the outside of the trail loop right where the long straight part of the trail meets the edge of the woods. As usual when I've seen a Grosbeak he was facing away from me and hiding his bright red patch. We kind of stalked around him a bit trying to see him at different angles and eventually he turned around to face us. I took a bunch of pictures but was having a hard time getting one I liked with the sun getting low in the sky and piercing through the trees in an unpredictable fashion. 
I finally got something I was satisfied with and was amazed that he stayed put for so long. Even afterward we stood there still looking and talking and he continued hanging out on the same branch. I'd never seen one stay in the same place for quite so long. It was great to be able to view him for such a long time as they are quickly becoming one of my favorite birds.
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