September 11, 2008

I returned home to the Muskingum County farm on Monday night. Too many
other obligations, as well as happy circumstances like great weather for
riding horses prevented my going to look for the storks until this
morning.

I arose at 5:00 AM and got on the road by 5:15, stopping for gas and
coffee. I wound my way up 93 from I-70 and found myself at the now-famous
pond by the dawn's earliest light, around 6:15. The dawn chorus doesn't
amount to much in mid-September, some rattling kingfishers, chorping
woodpeckers, mewing catbirds and whining pewees. No storks in or around
the pond. I ate a muffin and drank the rest of my coffee as the forest
lightened. Occasional bursts from an acadian flycatcher and both species
of wren (Carolina and house) declared how loud small birds can be on a
quiet morning.

About 7:00 and no sign of the storks, so I decided to wend my way
westward on TR145, further downstream to other stretches of the Will's
Creek bottomland. Four wild turkeys ran across the road. I saw a great
blue heron flapping powerfully through the fog along the creek. A
pileated woodpecker flew across an open field. Beautiful morning!

I turned around, went back to the pond and checked it out until 8:00 in
better light. A green heron was working the inside bend of the U-shaped
pond along the left leg. A spotted sandpiper in non-spotted plumage
bobbed and worked along the pond edge. A male kingfisher flew in,
perched, preened, and made a half-hearted swoop at motion on the pond
surface before disappearing into the trees. Another great-blue heron flew
in and out of the scene. A couple minutes after 8:00 I packed it in. Too
much to do. Beautiful morning. No storks.

Bob Evans
Geologist, etc.
Hopewell Township, Muskingum County

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