Wednesday, September 29, 2021

Kensington MetroPark

Several sandhill cranes at Kinsington Metropark have become tame.
I was very close to this one, which was hanging out near the parking lot.




KensingtonPark-09-28-4

This is a pileated woodpecker, which is slightly unusual but not rare. It resembles the ivory-billed woodpecker, which very sadly today was declared extinct, along with a number of other species that have not been found in many years. For the complete story about this ongoing tragedy see this just-published story in the Washington Post:
On the wall of the Nature Center: a reproduction of a painting from the Detroit Institute of Arts.

The work is titled “Cycles,” by Norval Morrisseau (1932-2007)
It depicts Ojibwa spirits of a frog, fish, bear, bird, and turtle:
animals you can see in the park — except the bear.

Blog post © 2021 mae sander.

16 comments:

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said...

What is it about seeing nature that lifts us up? And art somehow does the same thing...

Jeanie said...

Terrific sightings, Mae. Have you ever been to the Sandhill Crane festival in Bellevue? I think it was last weekend. We went once and one day I'll go again. When they all fly in at dusk it is like magic.

Divers and Sundry said...

What striking birds! I don't see either one around here so especially enjoy your photos :)

Anne in the kitchen said...

My mother had a very wooded lower back yard and each year a pileated woodpecker nested there. They have such a unique "hammer" sound, unlike the other woodpeckers that is was always easy to find it. She also had a blue heron and owl that nested there yearly. It was fun to sit in her bay window drinking coffee and birdwatching.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Fun pictures. When we lived in Florida we often walked around a golf course that was very near to where we lived (tons of golf course in Florida), and always enjoyed watching the sand hill cranes that arrived every fall. Loved listening to their calls, too -- so interesting and distinctive.

Tandy | Lavender and Lime (http://tandysinclair.com) said...

Such a peaceful looking park.

Iris Flavia said...

Especially the woodpecker is a beauty.
Fun mural, too.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I was surprised by the sandhill cranes being so tame. I got to see them by the thousands in Nebraska one autumn when they were flying south. The sight was pure magic. Nice to see the woodpecker, too.

LOVED that mural. It was fabulous. I loved how colorful it is.

Sorry I'm so late visiting. I have been having eye problems and the light of the computer kills my eyes.

Breathtaking said...

Hello,:=) The walkway in the park looks so inviting, lovey photo, and also of the Sandhill Crane and Woodpecker. It's so sad that some birds and other creatures have become extinct.
The colourful picture on the wall is great fun. I tried to find all the animals, and got most of them right, except for the bear!:=))

eileeninmd said...

Hello Mae,
I love your shot of the Sandhill Crane. I wish we could see them here in Maryland. Great capture of the Pileated Woodpecker. It is sad to hear more birds were added to the extinct list. The art work is pretty, I love all the animals. Thank you so much for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend. PS, I appreciate your comments and visit.

Shiju Sugunan said...

How nice to encounter tamed Sandhill cranes. Great closeup!

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

The art is nice to see and I love Sandhill Cranes. We haven't seen any lately but hopefully they'll be flying in soon. Love the big woodpecker too. We always call it a jungle bird because of the crazy call they make!

kwarkito said...

J'aime beaucoup cette peinture qui me rappelle certains graphismes de gaston Chaissac. en particulier les à-plats de couleurs et l'épaisseur du trait.

Sami said...

Nice cranes :)
Nice mural Mae, it reminds me of a Picasso painting.
Thanks for contributing to Monday Mural.

Bertiebo said...

That's a wonderful mural. Would love to have it in my room. Sad to read about the birds. We all know, of course, but sometimes it suddenly makes a deep impression

Linda said...

Interesting mural. Very colorful! Have a good week.