Our Field Trip Destination for the Class on May 4, 2022

We will meet at the OLLI campus on New Road, and then go as a group to the U of DE campus on Canary Creek.  Wildlife we should see include Osprey, Clapper Rails, Fiddler Crabs, Forster's Terns and lots of saltwater marsh plants.  If the weather is not conducive to a field trip, my plan is to catch some moths the day or two before the field trip, and bring the moths to class and photograph them "in a cooled/torpid state".  So whatever the weather, you should have a good hands-on wildlife experience for our last class.

Blackwater NWR on 4/24/2022, Picture series #2

From the same boardwalk where we saw the King Rail, we also had great views of a female Barn Swallow bringing mud back to make a nest under the elevated wood boardwalk.

After that was a walk on the Woods trail with towering Loblolly Pines, a Pink Lady slipper with no flower stalk showing yet, and some species of Clubmoss.

Blackwater NWR on April 24, 2022

This tour was with our daughter Emily and her 2 children.  They did all of the Blackwater loop trail by bike, and Sally and I did it by car.  Sally was the driver, and I was the photographer. Below are some highlight pictures, and here is a FWS link to Blackwater NWR.

 

King Rail

Solar Power for Visitor Center

Ribbon Snake above

Great Blue Heron and Great Egret below

OLLI class participants at Cape Henlopen Yesterday

 

Joan, Maureen, Bill, Pam, and Diana....

with a lot of happy songbirds singing in the background.

 

Photo by Sally Fintel

Class Field Trip to Cape Henlopen State Park 4/20/22

 

We had a beautiful sunny morning, with very good views of several bird species, including:  White-throated Sparrow, House Finch, American Goldfinch, American Robin, Northern Cardinal, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, Red-winged Blackbird, Purple Martin and Turkey Vulture.  All except for the Turkey Vulture were singing their spring songs.

We all got some more experience uploading pics from a cell phone to iNaturalist, although with poor internet connection, that was a major challenge which I did not complete until I got home.  The pics I took, including 3 plant species have now all been uploaded to bill6711 on iNaturalist.  In our next class we will review possible ways to make the cell phone process easier.  Until then, just soar like a "Buzzard" 😀.

OLLI Plans for Class on 4/20/22

 Hi Class,

This coming Wed, 4/20/22, we will have a field trip to the Nature Center at Cape Henlopen State Park.  We will still meet at 9 am at the Trinity Faith Education Building in Lewes, and several class members have offered to help car pool others to the Nature Center.  Note that park fees or pass requirements are in effect.  The weather forecast is for sun and 60°, but do remember it can feel chillier near the water.

Hopefully everyone has a cell phone loaded with iNaturalist and/or Seeker by iNaturalist.  If you have a good camera with which to take nature pics, you are encouraged to bring it.  Then at home you can download pics, edit them if you wish, and upload some to iNaturalist.

If you have any questions beforehand, just email me at billfintel@gmail.com.

Bill

Scientists Are Strong....even in the face of oppression

I am now back on my feet....after having fallen out of my chair 5 minutes ago with an ID for my Spring Fishfly that came via an iNaturalist scientist in Crimea......yup you got it....once Ukraine, now Russia......I actually had to smile.  That was such a positive event that I personally experienced....and now of course wish to share. 

I do hope this continues........

For a reality check....  https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/111569145 

and     https://www.inaturalist.org/people/grigorenko

Scientist Bill....forging onward