A Pair of Ruddys and A Lone Cormorant (Tuesday's Truths WK 121)

A male and female Ruddy duck who were swimming along in Central Park's lake this past Saturday, appear to have become camera shy by "hiding" under water; as evidenced by the series of pictures atop this entry. But the camera probably had little to do with this behavior, for this bird type forages by diving under water and straining mud through their bills to find food. In any event, it has been a long time since I've seen Rudy ducks (whom I initially spotted during the month of April 2018 ), so I felt blessed to witness their antics and I hope to see these creatures again.

Salinger Died 9 Years Ago on This Day of 1-27

The author, J.D. Salinger, died nine years ago (2010) on this day of 1-27. He was ninety-one years of age as he had recently celebrated his birthday (he was born on 1-1-1919).

My photos atop this entry are of a male and female Mallard duck (respectively) enjoying either the pond or the lake in Central Park and they are (along with the other Mallard images included within this posting) intended to be a tribute to him.

May 4th is STILL For The Birds!

VOLUMES ONE AND TWO

Today, May 4th, is Bird Day. It seems more special today in 2018's Year of the Bird, which, as you may know, was designated as such due to this year being the one hundredth anniversary of the passing of The Migratory Bird Act.

In any event, according to Holiday Insights, "Bird Day is the oldest of the days set aside to recognize birds. According to the U.S. Library of Congress, Bird Day was first observed  on May 4, 1894. It was started by Charles Almanzo Babcock, superintendent of schools in Oil City, Pennsylvania. By 1910, Bird Day was widely celebrated, often in conjunction with Arbor Day. Bird Day and Arbor Day events are focused upon conservation training and awareness."

If this breaking news sounds familiar to you dear reader, it may be because I discussed Bird Day in my May 4th posting for the year 2016, which was quite extensive, as it included many bird varieties.

You may reference it by clicking here. Since the publication of my Bird  Day post, I have published two hardcover versions within the Words In Our Beak book series and they can be seen in the image atop this entry.*

Today in honor of Bird Day, I am featuring images of all the bird types whom (in alphabetical order) I have met in Central Park or at the Hudson River, as well as in my courtyard, since that the last year's Bird Day.

Earth Day Eve: I met my ninth new bird!

It is now the eve of Earth Day for 2018 and as I write this post, it's at a much later hour than is my standard in terms of entries published here on Blogger. This is because I spent most of the day taking advantage of the one of the first full spring like day that we've had here in NYC.

I started with a walk along the Greenway that runs parallel to the Hudson River where I encountered many beautiful sites related to flora and fauna, which I hope to discuss in tomorrow's post in honor of Earth Day.

As for today and my walk along the greenway, I exited it at 104th street in order to head east so I could also walk in Central Park.