Thursday's Tandem Tales For 2018: Ride Two

This past Tuesday in honor of the beginning of the month of May for 2018, I posted an entry here on Blogger, reminding readers that this month is Gifts from the Garden Month. 

However the month of May is associated with many holidays and observations, not just gardening, and one of the things recognized in May is that it is National Bike Month. 

On evening of the first of May, but not necessarily in honor of this fact, my bike captain and I took our second tandem ride for 2018. The temperatures were much warmer than when we took our first ride for the year of 2018 (which I wrote about in a prior entry here on Blogger).

In any event, this past Tuesday, we did one of our "standard" rides which is cycling up the westside greenway (it  runs parallel to the Hudson River) to the lighthouse AKA The Little Red Lighthouse).

A partial view of it (with a partial view of The George Washington Bridge) can be seen in the photo atop this entry. I have published many entries here on Blogger that feature a more complete view of these structures and if you'd like to see these particular posts, please click here as well as here.

Usually when we cycle to The Little Red Lighthouse, we have a picnic on the grounds and enjoy the sunset. However, it was rather crowded with boisterous people and there wasn't an available picnic table.

Aside from the loud conditions that were occurring at our usual picnic spot, ZW (my captain) made the smart executive decision to have our picnic in an area known as Hudson River Park.

The 5th of July: Morning After Thoughts

The images above were taken less than ten minutes apart by yours truly as I stood by the Hudson River , last evening, awaiting the fireworks. You may notice, dear reader, the pinkish-red colored line (where the  black arrow is pointing towards) in the top photograph, but you may not recognize it to be a fishing line, which indeed it is. It belongs to a fishing pole that was leaning against a railing that separates the Hudson River (on the west side of New York City), and what has become to be known as "the westside greenway" (as it is a well worn path for joggers, cyclists and plain ol' walkers along the river).

Winter Solstice in Riverside Park 2017

ELEANOR ROOSEVELT IS FEATURED IN VOL ONE

At an entrance to Riverside Park located at 72nd Street and Riverside Drive in NYC, there is a statue of Eleanor Roosevelt, which I've featured in prior entries here on Blogger.* I passed it again today as I made my way down to the Hudson River to watch this evening's winter solstice sunset.

If one enters the park from the statue, a short walk down a sidewalk takes you to a dog run where I happened upon a lone ghost holding a Jack-O-Lantern (as seen in the image directly below).

I came to the conclusion that this ghost had not gotten the memo that Halloween was over, or, that he/she may be the ghost of Christmas past, awaiting the holiday, which is (as of this posting) now only four days away. But whatever this ghost's circumstances were, I may never know, for I did not stop to ask him/her.

Thursday's Tandem-Cycling Tale: Inwood Park

The photograph atop this entry features Trudy Hutter, an avid (understatement) cyclist, who is also a coordinator for The Weekday Cyclists in NYC. They meet on Tuesdays to ride in Central Park and on Thursdays, they ride to different locations in NYC and its surrounding areas.

I am not a member of this group, because, due to my visual challenges I am not able to ride a bicycle; unless it is as a stoker on a tandem. Therefore, I'm grateful to say that I have been able to participate in tandem cycling, ever since the opportunity was presented (2009) to persons with vision loss. At that time ZW was assigned to be my captain, and we've been cycling ever since.

It is through ZW that I met Trudy, and she she has joined us on her single bike on occasion, including when we've ridden to Piermont, a popular cycling destination for New Yorkers. The town is north of the hamlet of Palisades, east of Sparkill, and south of Grand View-on-Hudson, on the west bank of the Hudson River.

Today's Friday (September 29, 2017) Facts: Tashlikh ends. Yom Kippur begins at sundown.

Earlier today, I published a post re some interesting facts that I had learned about a Muscovy duck (who turns out is named Jewel) whom I initially met on Wednesday, September the twentieth, when I spent time on a pier which is on The Hudson River.

Last evening when I went down to that same pier to visit the birds, I saw Jewel on an adjacent pier in the company of Mallard ducks and pigeons, as evidenced in the image atop this entry. While I was there, someone pointed out to me that lots of bread varieties had been dumped in the river as evidenced in the next picture.

This included whole club rolls (indicated by light grey arrow), whole semolina loaves (indicated with white arrows), whole kaiser rolls (indicated with black arrows), whole bialys (indicated by yellow circles), as well as a whole bagel (indicated by an orange circle), as seen below.

The person who pointed this out to me was deeply disturbed, for she knows how dangerous it is for wild birds to eat most breads.

Down by Hudson's Riverside

New York City has seen record-breaking temperatures over the past few days. We've reached the eighty degree mark and beyond, surpassing October weather records set in 1928. This is something I mentioned in Wednesday's blog post when I reported that a Jack-O-Lantern had spent too much time in the sun while visiting my rooftop garden. I've truly had wanted to go to Long Beach over these summer-like days, but, alas I had to take care of matters on the home front.

Saturday's Sequel: Khaki Campbell Ducks

In yesterday's blog post, I mentioned that in the 1800's, Mrs. Adele Campbell of Gloucestershire, England developed the breed of ducks known as by the name Khaki Campbell. This duck variety can be seen in the images atop this entry, where he/she is spending time in NYC's Hudson River.

According to a web-page for Moose Manor Farms,"In a later attempt to create a duck with buff colored feathers, as buff was a fad at the time, Mrs. Campbell mated her original Campbell’s back to Penciled Runner ducks. The resulting color, not quite buff, reminded her of British army uniforms, so she named these new ducks 'Khaki Campbell.'"

Monday's Memo: A Most URGENT Reminder! Casting items in rivers is NOT for the birds!

Last Thursday when I was at a pier located on the Hudson River, a woman pointed out to me that vast amounts of bread had been dumped into the river. I discussed this fact in one of my blog posts, where I included the photo seen above this entry.

In the case of the bread, it had presumably been put (tossed) there by certain folks adhering to their religious observances. However, certain bread is quite harmful to the birds who swim in these waters, availing themselves of what they perceive to be nourishment.

Unfortunately, bread is hardly the only harmful thing thrown into the Hudson River, as evidenced in the set of images below, where a Mallard duck can be seen swimming near to a lot of debris, which was floating in the river, including a watch (which I don't think belonged to the duck).

Witnessing an innocent duck engage with the waste in the Hudson is most troublesome, and I do what I can to raise awareness re conditions concerning wildlife.

As you may recall, dear reader, from my previous entries here on Blogger (September 16th and 17th), I was involved in costal clean-up project, with a number of folks who care about these issues. It is most upsetting to see things floating about in the river, which must've gotten there by folks casting them there, either for the purposes of adhering to a religious observance, or by simply being too lazy to dispose of them in a manner that won't harm our wildlife.

Creatures Take Garbo's: Cue Part One

This past September when I was in Riverside Park, I encountered a house sparrow. She appeared to be a loner (as seen in the photographs above).

"We are all just passin' through..." (Wednesday's Wisdom)

The image atop this entry is a screenshot of a tweet from Manhattan Bird Alert. Accompanying the image of this Mandarin duck, (who has been making headlines as I've discussed here on Blogger) their text states: Where is our MANDARIN DUCK? He was not reported yesterday, and we checked the likely spots late day. If you see him, let us know! He likely still is in Central Park, but he has been known to fly to the Hudson River 79th-Street Boat Basin.

Hope that Manhattan Bird Alert is correct! I not only hope the creature is doing well; I would more than welcome a chance to see this beauty again either in Central Park or at the 79th-Street Boat Basin on the Hudson River.

Like the author of the tweet, I've also heard (through very reliable sources who do not report fake news) that this Mandarin did spent time near the Boat Basin and I was also told he got along very well with Jewel, the Muscovy duck (seen in the picture below) who lives there year round.

THIS MUSCOVY DUCK IS FEATURED IN VOL 3

Jewel, as some of you may know, is featured in volume three of my book series, Words In Our Beak, and that I have announced that I will be discussing her impact on my life when I give my talk at NYSEC (New York Society for Ethical Culture) on November 26, 2018.

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.

Frigid Temps are for the Birds!

Sometimes the wild birds that visit my urban (NYC) garden as well as the Ailanthus trees in the adjacent courtyard, got a break from being scrutinized by yours truly though the lens of my camera. This is because I go down by the river side to see how the Canadian geese are faring in the freezing waters of Hudson River. These photo-ops show how this bird type responded to the conditions occurring in the river.

It seems Canadian geese are good candidates for The Polar Bear Swimmers!
The Polar Bear Swimmers are a group of folks that always ring in a given new year by swimming in the bitter cold wintery Atlantic Ocean at Coney Island.
Info on The Polar Bear Swimmers can be found by clicking here.

Some info on the Canadian geese who frequent the Hudson River  can be found by clicking here as well as here.

September evening still can make me feel this way! (Sixth Cycling Trip for 2017)

It is very rare that I let anyone take my picture, let alone pose for one. But this past Thursday, when I was at my foot doctor's (Dr Q) office, I asked his admin person to take a photo (which can be seen atop this entry) of me wearing my boot cast, as it's my fifth week of having to do this. 

Flash Back Friday: The Sixth Day of Christmas (Three Years Later)

Today is the sixth day of Christmas and it is a "holiday" that I wrote about three years ago in an entry here on Blogger, where I included the image of the figurine featured atop this posting. If you'd like to refer to that post, please click here.

Meanwhile, dear reader, if you are familiar with the lyrics to a song known as The Twelve Days of Christmas, than you know, that on this sixth day of Christmas, someone's true love gave to them, six geese a laying, five golden rings, four birds a calling (or a colling or a coaling), as well as the gifts of three french hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.

As I mentioned in the day before yesterday's Blogger posting, John R. Henderson, has studied the meaning behind the lyrics to the twelve days song, and has posted his findings on a web-page which he has titled the 12 Birds of Christmas. Here's what Henderson points out re the bird (geese) type associated with the giving of six geese a-laying on this sixth day of Christmas:

"The important element is the 'a-laying' part. The Egg represents the creation cycle of birth, death, re-birth. And what about the number Six? Because of the shape of the number, which is a continuous, spiraling curve without angle, it too represents the cycle of life. Geese also represent Water, another of the four life-giving elements."

Mr. Henderson's ideas have truly given me something to keep in mind the next time I happen to see geese. My encounters with this bird type (the Canadian variety) have taken place in Central Park as well as when I've been down by the Hudson Riverside on the westside of  NYC.

'Twas a most bittersweet Fourth of July... (Tuesday's Truths WK 187)

It was a bittersweet Fourth of July what with the coronavirus pandemic still in place, keeping everyone on their guard, but also it was a strained time because of the political unrest in the United States over how issues related to race were handled (or not handled) in bygone years.

Therefore, I was grateful to see that a neighbor who lives in the building across my courtyard (and who has participated in many #ClapBecauseWeCare sessions), did not allow any disparaging feelings about our history stand in her way of expressing appreciation, which she did by hanging up her American flag (as seen in the image atop this entry).

Sunday's Statements: The "odd warty growths" (One Side-Effect of Being a Muscovy Duck)

The bird seen in the photographs atop this entry is known as a Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata). I encountered the creature last Wednesday (9-20-2017), when I took a walk along a Hudson River pier located in NYC's UWS.

The Children's Hour Reprised

Today is homecoming at Rutger's University, and although the weather is one of Autumn's best, a somber spirit looms over the football field where this afternoon, spectators will pause for a moment of silence before the Rutger's team takes on the team from Tulane. The somber spirit is because one of the students from Rutgers, Tyler Clementi, an eighteen year old freshman has died from what was apparently suicide. He allegedly jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge, a bridge that goes over the Hudson River, and connects New York City to New Jersey.

Tuesday's Truths WK 59: Molting & Mallards

It's the fifty-seventh week of my Tuesday's Truths series and I'd like to dedicate my entry to some facts re molting when it comes to Mallard ducks. I am prompted to point out a few truisms re this topic, because this past Wednesday, when I was at a pier on The Hudson River (in NYC) and met my first Muscovy duck; I also came upon a number of mallards going through their molting process; as evidenced in the photographs atop this entry.

A Red-Winged Blackbird is Bird Number Eight! (Monday's Musings)

This past Friday I met my eighth new bird type (who can seen in the photographs posted directly above) in this Year of The Bird! I encountered the little fellow when I was walking in Central Park.

This particular is a member of the Red-Winged Blackbird family and his ID, as well as his gender, was confirmed for me by Robert DeCandido PhD. As you may recall, dear reader, DeCandido is the one who ID-ed a Great Blue Heron whom I came upon in Central Park earlier this year. You might also remember that he a provided bird information (gender) when I met a Bufflehead Duck for the first time. Both bird types can be seen in the photos below (respectively).

In any event, I'm very grateful for DeCandido and I hope I can afford to participate in one of his many bird walks in the near future.

But getting back to my coming upon a Red-Winged Black Bird, my encounter with him was by mere chance, for I had gone to the park and headed to the pond in hopes of seeing an American Coot, a bird type that I initially encountered on March 19th under very bad conditions for taking a photo and I was hoping to get a better picture of this bird.

A Fear of Ducks Phobia = Anatidaephobia (Tuesday's Truths WK 109)

I recently came across some information re Anatidaephobia that I found interesting so I'm drawing your attention to it in this 109th episode of my Tuesday's Truths series.

Evidently (according to many sources including the web-page quoted here), "a person suffering from this condition feels that somewhere in the world, a duck or a goose is watching him/her (not attacking or touching, simply watching the individual)."

This page explains with apparent empathy that "There are many kinds of seemingly irrational fears and phobias prevalent in the world. What might be laughing matter to people, is not so to a phobic."

As you can see, dear reader, the photograph atop this posting is of a female and male Mallard. I took it when I was in Central Park a few weeks ago. Anyone coming upon this pair of ducks would notice that the male is preening, but if the person who happened to come upon these ducks was suffering from Anatidaephobia, he/she might have cause for alarm; for it does seem as if the male is watching as he preens.

By the way, the aforementioned page explains that the word "Anatidaephobia is derived from a Greek word ‘Anatidae’ which means ducks, geese or other water fowls, and phobos is Greek for dread/fear."