Field Sparrow

 
I saw this little cutie, and knew it wasn't one of the ones I usually see up close. I took a bunch of pictures, and a few of them turned out!



Didn't that pose just make you smile? It's a field sparrow, Spizella pusilla. First of all, notice the clear breast- no spots or stripes, and the reddish crown. Those might be said of the chipping sparrow (although its head is much redder).




Ah, here are some real differences- the field sparrow has a white eye ring, white eyebrow, and only the upper back is striped. You'd have to be familiar with one or the other to have a sense of this, but the chippy is smaller. One more shot to point out the pink beak and legs.

He seems to be squinting at me, asking me why I'm spying on him.




I have to do the paper route for the next five days. Groan. I'm going to try hard to remain functional.

	See Chipping Sparrow
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From My Office Window

 
I thought the rain might have brought an end to the color season, but not so! Here is the view this morning (zoomed in on the far hill) out my office window, right above my desk.




If I turn and look out the other window, this is what I see



Not a bad place to work, eh?

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Red Oak

 
One of the fun finds at Nordhouse this week, was some red oak. Actually, all oaks with points on the leaves instead of rounded lobes are called "red oaks." The others are "white oaks." However, only one, Quercus rubra is the actual red oak.

Here are some leaves, and sure enough, they have points.



But there are other things to pay attention to to narrow it down. For one thing, count the number of lobes on the leaves. Most of these have 9. Red oak can have 7-9, the others 5-7. So, if you count a lot of 9s, you've got red oak. Also, the notches are more V shaped than U shaped. I know, that's hard to see unless you have others to compare. I'll try to do that another day. And to distinguish it from pin oak and scarlet oak, notice that the notches (sinuses) aren't very deep.

I am showing you the red oak this week because the acorns are really distinctive, and it's a good year for acorns. Here they are- almost an inch across.



They aren't always quite this big, but the notable thing is that they are rather roundly square. They are about as wide as long. Also note that the cap only covers about a quarter of the fruit.

They aren't rare or anything, but I see more of the black oak, so it was a nice find for me.

	See It's the Oak's Turn
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Something in the Rain

 
OK, we weren't singing, but Loren showed up and we hiked four miles at Nordhouse in the rain.



When we started it was raining hard and steadily.



By the time we finished, it was POURING. Like how they show it pouring in the movies where the water is coming down so hard you know it's fake pouring.



We sat in her car and ate our lunches. Another successful hike! (At least it will be memorable.)

	See Another Beautiful Nordhouse Afternoon
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Another Beautiful Nordhouse Afternoon

 
Today was another sunny, crisp and gorgeous day! I wanted to be certain I knew how to get around that big blowdown in Nordhouse by staying on trails. I'm supposed to be the leader of the trail club hike tomorrow.

Here are the pictures of the day.

Lake Michigan through the trees is a constant presence on one of the trails.



Just a lonely stretch of beach. I love having the whole space to myself (there were a couple other cars at the parking, but it's a large area).



This is my favorite one of the day. Open trail on a ridge with blueberry bushes turned red.



And on the way home, the afternoon light through the trees was just awesome.



Don't expect pictures like this tomorrow. I've said we will hike whatever happens, but it's supposed to rain. Seriously rain. I may be the only one there!

	See Nordhouse Loop- a Quick Tour
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