I awoke today at first-light. For a while I lingered in bed, enjoying the cool air coming through the screen and listening to the regular staccato drumming of a downy woodpecker. The sound seemed to be coming from the island just across from the cottage.
The local woodpeckers have been doing a lot of such drumming lately. More than usual for this time of year—almost as if it were still early spring and the quick hammered bursts were intended to establish territories and advertise for a mate. Why? I have no idea. And maybe it's only my imagination or perhaps a faulty memory that makes me think the drumming this time around is more frequent than normal. But if I'm correct, then I don't know what to make of such atypical behavior—if anything.
Paying attention to the natural world is a lot like digging a hole—the deeper you go, the more you uncover. You expand the volume of your ignorance exponentially. There's always more and more to learn.
One thing I do know on this first day of July…we were very fortunate when we came home following Friday evening's violent storms and found our power out, that first of all, we didn't also find a half-dozen trees down in the yard—or worse!—and second and most important, that our power was restored during the night. Very, very fortunate, indeed.
On this second day after the storm, with temperatures across the nation expected to hit record highs—in many places well over 100˚F every day for at least the next week—literally millions of folks, nearly 200,000 in my county alone, are still without power—and may so be for days yet to come. No fans, no air conditioners, no cell phones or land lines, or T.V. or radio other than battery-powered, so no way to hear news and service updates, no way to cook, no way to keep food from spoiling in refrigerators and freezers unless you can manage to find and afford to buy multiple bags of ice, no illumination in their homes after dark except flashlights and lanterns—no way to do so many things we take for granted in the course of modern life. Old folks, those who are sick or infirm, people who need to dress up and go to work…there's going to be many who'll suffer, and considerably more who will be seriously inconvenienced.
I may not know why the woodpecker drums, but I know we've been mightily blessed because we're unharmed, as are all our friends and family, we still have a roof over our heads, plenty of food, and electricity to power our fans so we can stay comfortably cool as the heat index climbs. I only wish everyone who's hurting today were also instead in similar shape.
———————
8 comments:
Hi Grizz - I thank God every day for the A/C - and all my conveniences that make my/our life comfortable. I take nothing for granted.
Love to you
Gail
peace.....
Gail…
We don't have air conditioning, but that's by choice…and most of the time, it's comfortable. I've always preferred fans. Today was again a scorcher, but we had another ugly storm come through about 6:00 p.m. and the temperature dropped 20-plus degrees in a few minutes. So tonight will be cool.
But, for the things I do have—cable, fans, cell phones, Internet, etc. and all the necessities such as food and shelter—I hope I never take a single one for granted. So many people around the world have so much less…and not just in other countries, but not far down the road. We are blessed, pure and simple.
Take care of yourself…
Nature amazes me too! Wish someone could tell me if the following is true. For the last four years, our 'resident doe' starts the season with one fawn by her side and then 2-3 weeks later she has two fawns with her. This year and year before last, she later appeared with three! I'm wondering if she keeps them all in separate places for a month or so, to enhance their chance of survival. If so, they must be kept a far distance apart. We never happen upon more than one on the property at the start.
We had a few trees to fall during the storm and several tops to break off, but nothing to complain about. One neighbor has serious head injuries, after being struck and trapped by a falling tree. The electric was off 23 hours, but our generator kept the fridge and freezer going. One road over is still without power.
Wanda…
Re. your question wondering whether a mother whitetail keeps her fawns in separate places and cares for them separately for awhile until they grow a bit—the answer is yes, this is indeed the case. And for precisely the reasons you've outlined: to give each of her young a better chance of survival. She nurses them individually, and only a few times each per day; they remain in the places where she hides them the rest of the time, lying on the ground with their neck outstretched, trying to stay as quiet and concealed as possible. They can start to forage a few days after birth—and can be weaned six weeks after birth, though often the mother will continue nursing as a supplement until they're a few months old.
So, you're seeing exactly what you think you're seeing and for exactly the reason you've worked out. Wonder no more!
We actually hadn't realized how bad Friday's storm was, nor how widespread, until Saturday and we really began listening to news reports. We saw damage—trees and limbs down, mostly—on our way back from Cincinnati, and were on the road (Rt-4) when the storm passed us. But the power was out when we got home, so no TV, radio, or internet. And there was not much more than a leaf or two down on our property—due, I'm sure, because we're situated so low, right the river, and protected all around by hills. We were pretty oblivious of the real severity of things. And even when our power was restored sometime in the night, of how truly fortunate we were…in so many ways.
I hope your neighbor comes through his injuries with no lasting damage. And I'm thankful you and your husband and family are okay. In the end, that's really what's truly important.
Grizz: During my breeding bird censuses over the last few weeks, I've noticed a lot more downy woodpecker drumming than I'm used to hearing at this time of year. You don't think they're considering a second brood, do you, considering that the spring was so warm and they may have nested earlier than usual?
Friday's bad storms slipped to our south (thank goodness), but caused major and continuing disruptions in southern New Jersey (as they did with your neighborhood). I just heard thunder and we got a sprinkle.
Scott…
I'm glad to have you confirm I may be hearing what I think I'm hearing—i.e., an increase in downy woodpecker drumming—and not slipping slowly into the misty fantasyland of geezerhood. And I must say, I've been wondering the same thing—whether such an increase might signal a second brood.
There have been fledglings of all sorts of species out and about for over a month. And mallards on the river with their second brood already hatched (week before last), geese the same, plus I see robins, bluejays, along with other common dooryard birds again nesting for what I'm sure is a second family go-around. I just don't know how prone—if at all—woodpeckers in general and downies specifically, are to having second broods.
Along these same lines, I notice, too, that at least one of the local pairs of pileateds are again going in and out of a nest hole in a big sycamore across from the cottage…and I know this nest hole was used early by a pair of plieateds, and that those young have fledged and are now flapping independently and well more than half grown. The big woodpeckers are making a very similar to spring racket in their calling, too. So maybe they're also thinking round two, or else have started already.
This is such a strange year weatherwise that anything seems possible. I'm confused, and I can see why birds would be, too.
Glad you didn't have storm damage. We didn't get all that much rain here. The ground was wet, but the river shows little or no effect. We had a second severe storm front pass here late yesterday, and the sky turned really dark and ugly as it came—but again it mostly blew well overhead, and not a drop of rain fell, though all around rain was reported.
Yes Grizz, I read about the storm in Washington. I have a friend there so must send her an e mail. Love woody - we have them here and they are a delight (except when they rob the smaller birds' nests of babies).
Weaver…
I guess the Washington D.C. area really got hit hard. Or does your friend live in Washington State? Anyway, not quite so bad here, but lots of trees and power lines down, lots of folks initially without electricity…and one of the longest and hottest spells we've had in decades to have to endure without fans or air conditioning. So it has been tough on many, and still is for some.
Post a Comment