Bird Hunting

This morning was the "Feathered Friends Walk" at Cedar Hill Cemetery. Since "the early bird catches the worm", the walk started at 6:30 a.m. Someone forgot to tell the sun because it was a gray morning (actually all day). Someone also forgot to coordinate with the birds because we saw very few compared to last year.

Despite the early hour, there was a large crowd (at least at the start): ~60 people. This is one of the most popular walks at Cedar Hill. Jay Kaplan of the Roaring Brook Nature Center, as in the past, led this annual bird walk through the ornamental foreground of the cemetery.

Map of Cedar Hill Cemetery

I learned from last year and wore long pants this year instead of shorts. We started at the east end of the cemetery (near the main gate) and walked  along the east side and then the west side of the Llyn Mawr. Outside of a few ducks and a heron , though, not much was seen (unless you count robins and sparrows).

Then we piled in cars and worked our way around a couple spots. At the extreme west end, there is a quarry below. Outside of a few crows, didn't see much.

Trooping towards the quarry.

View of the quarry.

Then we moved NE on to the "scenic overlook."

View of the Valley (looking west).

Disappointed with the lack of birds, we trooped back down into the cemetery where we had better luck at the finish.

"Do you see it? It's on that branch at the right."

Last year, we cataloged nearly 60 species of birds; this year we were lucky to get 40.  If you want to see pictures of some of  the birds we saw this year, there are a few good pictures on the Cemetery Foundation's FB page.

I did have some luck with my binoculars (they are indispensable for bird watching). Sort of hard for being deaf in one ear. I have no sense of sound direction, so it's difficult for me to know where to look. Still, it was enjoyable and satisfying to get up and outside early trying to spot these fascinating creations of God.

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Links:
http://www.cedarhillcemetery.org
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2016/05/bird-walk.html
http://www.roaringbrook.org/home.html
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154745697818525.1073741850.80325463524&type=3

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Written Monday 29 May 2017 (Memorial Day).

Cedar Hill Season Opener

Today was the the season opener for walking tours at Cedar Hill Cemetery.  The theme was "Wethersfield Notables."  Melissa Josefiak discussed notable Wethersfield, Connecticut personages who now reside at Cedar Hill including:

• Wealthy seedsman Silas Robbins
• Civil War chaplain John Morris
• Tuskegee Airman Lemuel Custis (also see here)
• CT State Prison warden William Willard
• Pioneering female pilot Mary Goodrich Jenson (also see here)

Tour leader Melissa Josefiak is at left (purple with beige bag). I am 2nd from right.
(Photo courtesy of Cedar Hill Cemetery Foundation FB page)

10 a.m. start. The weather was gray and damp and the wind periodically  sent a chill. So it was no wonder only a small group took advantage of this 90 minute walk.

This time I did not bring my camera or use my phone to take pictures. I did not bring a notepad to jot down notes. Instead, I just listened and enjoyed.

Next weekend is the bird watching walk. Looking forward to that.

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Links:
http://www.cedarhillcemetery.org/
http://wethersfieldhistory.org/articles-from-the-community/lemuel-custis-first-class-tuskegee-airmen/
http://cedarhillfoundation.org/notable-residents/lemuel-r-custis/
http://www.odmp.org/officer/16799-warden-william-willard
http://wethersfieldhistory.org/collections/girl-pilot-mary-goodrich-jenson/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Goodrich_Jenson
https://www.facebook.com/cedarhillcemeteryfoundation/
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Written Wednesday 17 May 2017.

Happy Easter

Grace Church at Westmoor Park (at Sunrise on Easter Sunday morning 2017)

This Easter was considerably different for me than last year.  This year I was up and out for the crack of dawn service for Grace Church, the church I have been attending each Sunday for the past year. As you can see from the picture above, over 50 people were there. In the picture, I am standing in the back row at the left side (and wearing a baseball cap).

Virtually all of these people also attended the regular 9:30 a.m. service at our regular gathering place at Wilde Auditorium at the University of Hartford.

After church, I had brunch at the nearby home of my church friends, Don & Bonnie and their family. Since the weather was extraordinarily summer-like (sunny & warm/hot), after eating we sat on their pool deck and continued enjoying the company while soaking up the sunshine and the fresh air.

Things ended with a twist when Don's sister, Deb, arrived. She had been helping an elderly (90s)  couple prepare for their Easter dinner. However, life threw a curve when Deb went to rouse the husband from his nap and, instead, found him dead in bed. Stunning and not expected (except the guy was in his 90s).

All in all a memorable day.

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Links:
http://www.westmoorpark.org/
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2016/03/easter-sunday-latin-mass.html
http://www.gracechurchministry.org/
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Written Weds 17 May 2017.