Monday, October 15, 2012

Celebrating Autumn



I had to work Saturday afternoon, my third weekend in a row, but it wasn't too onerous.  I was chaperone for hayrides through the native grasslands in the preserve.  Despite a frosty start to the day, the afternoon turned out sunny and clear; as long as we stayed out of the shade, the weather was perfect to celebrate October.

I didn't notice any migrating raptors coursing southward overhead, but there were plenty of resident Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) enjoying the thermals  and Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) sent skyward by the tractor, perhaps taking advantage of prey disturbed by the passing of the haywagon.

Red-tailed Hawk circling over the golden grasslands
During the last of the three hayrides, I saw three American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) kiting over the fields.  I haven't seen kestrels in quite a while, and to see three of them hovering in one location was a real treat.  It must have been good hunting for rodents or the abundant grasshoppers.
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In the evening, Kali and I put on some fancy duds and went downtown in Philadelphia to see the Lar Lubovich Dance Company perform.  The dancers were excellent--nearly perfect--but I have to admit that being out in the sun all afternoon made me a little sleepy.


6 comments:

Gail said...

Hi
What a glorious day form start to finish. Life is good your neck of the woods! :-)
Love Gail
peace.....

packrat said...

Sleepy is okay, Scott, as long as nobody had to elbow you to stop your snoring.

:)

Scott said...

Packrat: The dance performance was exciting enough to keep me awake. Sleepy is okay as long as you don't have to pay for the tickets and then miss the show. Believe me, there have been more than one instance when older guys seated near us have dropped off during a performance and really did need an "elbowing."

Scott said...

Thanks for visiting, Gail. I can't believe the weather's not much the same (i.e., glorious) there in Connecticut right now, too. We're not that far apart.

Carolyn H said...

Scott: Three hayrides in one day?! That sounds a lot more like fun than work!

Scott said...

Like I wrote, Carolyn, not too onerous, but someone's got to do it. Each ride traces the same route, so it actually gets a little tedious after a while, especially after you have to tell the 20th kid to keep his hands inside the wagon and don't grab the multiflora rose bushes lining the route. Maybe I just should have let the kids grab the roses...