A stroll down Memory Lane.
The sides of the Big Creek used to be overgrown with Osier dogwood, willows, Choke-cherry and the like until one could barely see the water.
Then last week contractors for the power company came in and took down everything on both sides of the bank for 10 feet in either direction. It is their right-away as there powerlines overhead. Nothing was close to be tall enough to interfere with the powerlines.
I am bummed. This is what is it looked like last summer. It was wonderful habit for some of my rarest summer visitors including the Willow Flycatchers and Bullock's Oriols. I fully expect it to have a significant impact on the numbers of birds I see in this ecosystem.
Gloomy February is full of lichens and mosses.
Here's a detailed shot - it truly is a very complex living thing.
Moss on the ground...
Moss on the trees...
Moss on the rocks in Dorothy's Creek!
Fresh green blackberry leaves.
Catkins on the hazelnut brush.
Oh! A bright flash of color and a chittering scold!
A male Anna's Hummingbird.
Nice post. I enjoyed it and am feeling melancholy too. Very appropriate. Thanks, Cathryn
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photography. However, I can agree with your sadness about the clearing of beautiful natural landscapes.......
ReplyDeleteSad. Very, very sad. So sorry to hear this....
ReplyDeleteMaryO1230
San Pedro, CA
How very frustrating. We see some of that up here too. They are often busy fixing things that do not need fixing!!!
ReplyDeleteHow awful they chopped away all that wonderful habitat! I'm sorry the birds and other critters will have to find other places this season.
ReplyDeleteI'll be nice, and confine my objections to calling them JERKS! There is a lot of that going around! Grrrrr.....
ReplyDelete