2 Eagles in 4 days!

For the second time in 4 days, I saw a Bald Eagle! I mostly consider this luck - being in the right place at the right time. People are often shocked when I tell them I've seen eagles multiple times in the area, but it really is just knowing what to look for and then being in the right place at the right time.

(Photo courtesy of Audubon Field Guide)

The first time was just outside my work on my lunch break Friday. I walk the Mishawaka River Walk frequently when the weather was nice and Friday was a beautiful Spring day. I got down to the bridge to Kamm Island and started watching 4 Tree Swallows immediately fighting, tumbling over each other in an aerial battle that reminded me of dog fights in WWI. Exciting to watch them chase each other and nearly miss obstacles. As I was gazing up in the sky, I saw a larger bird up much higher. Raising my binoculars, I immediately deduced it was one of 4 things: Bald Eagle, Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawk, or Osprey, by size and behavior (soaring at a high altitude) alone.

The broad wings of the bird suggested possibly a hawk - the largest and by far most common buteo in the area being the Red-tailed Hawk. Buteos are the type of hawk you'd see demonstrating this behavior of soaring way up high. They are so common that when I play the game "What kind of hawk is that?" [you'd be surprised how many times I play this game, especially while driving] I automatically assume it's a Red-tail until proven otherwise. Their red-tails (their distinguish field mark) aren't pronounced from below, but rather above. This bird did have a white tail similar to the Red-tail, but didn't have nearly the amount of white underneath to justify even a second guess as a Red-tail. [On a side note, it's always a thrill to dismiss a bird as "not a red-tail" in the game. Not that I don't love them, because I do, but it's seriously like 90% of the time a Red-tail!]

(Photo Courtesy of Audubon Field Guide)

Going down the list, I quickly threw out Osprey: they are mostly white underneath with a bit of black and this bird was the opposite: mostly black with a little bit of white. Furthermore, Ospreys often hold their wings kinked - in an "M" shape - not a flat plane like buteos and eagles. This is obvious in flight, even on a high flying bird. Although uncommon, they are not unheard of in the area, with several nests in Elkhart, Mishawaka, and South Bend. They are one of the birds that were devastated by the use of DDT 50 years ago, but have made a come back since it was outlawed. They are a fun bird to watch (they are pretty exclusive to eating fish, so if you watch them long enough you're bound to see them dip into the water and come up with a fish). I'd been happy to see one, but nope that's not what I was seeing.

(Photo courtesy allaboutbirds.org)

I narrowed my binoculars in on the head of the bird and quickly dismissed it as a Turkey Vulture. Turkey Vultures have little red heads that are literally naked and this bird didn't look like that. But I had to dismiss Turkey Vultures because they are very common pretty much every where in the area. They are also extremely large - like this bird was - much larger than any hawks. They are superb flyers, soaring without flapping for very long periods of time. They also have considerable white under their wing, although it's more of a grayish white and doesn't always stand out, just gives a two tone appearance. It's worth noting that Turkey Vultures often hold their wing in a shallow "V" form, in place of the "M" of Osprey, which is definitely not what what I was seeing. The head that I saw was white which was the biggest field mark there was.

(Photo courtesy of Audubon Field Guide)

Let's review - very large bird - broad wings and soaring above the river - not the common Red-tailed Hawk or Turkey Vulture or the uncommon Osprey - mostly black wings with some streaky white in them - and a white head.. that leaves me with only one choice: a bald eagle. This bird was not an adult though because the adults are pure dark brown/black with zero white underneath. In case you don't know, eagles take about 5 years to get their adult plumage - which (uncoincidentally) is when they are at the breeding age. It had the mostly white head and tail though, which indicated it wasn't a real young eagle though. A bit of research clued me into it's full identity: a 4th year Bald Eagle. This particular year is often referred to as the "dirty bird" because it looks mostly like an adult, but messy. They sometimes have a dark eye strip and a dark tail band and still have some white under their wings. This picture is pretty close to what I saw (honestly, I couldn't see the eye strip, but it was pretty high up).

(Photo courtesy of natureandwildlifepics.com)

I was ecstatic to the see the eagle - a great sign of how with the right protections a species can come back from being nearly exterminated. This bird might have been migrating still, but there are Bald Eagles nesting in the area. I personally know of 4 - St Patrick's Park, Potato Creek, near the Elkhart Dam, and near the Goshen Dam. There was also an attempt near IUSB recently, but I haven't heard if a pair is trying again this year or not. If there was a nest there, that is just downstream of the Mishawaka River Walk which means I'd probably see them frequently, especially after the eggs hatch.

Little did I know, I'd be seeing a second eagle only days later. The second time was this evening as I was driving home from my parent's house in Mishawaka. As I pulled up near Elkhart Memorial High School on CR 12 in Elkhart I saw a large bird in the sky. I had to stop at a light so I was really studying it , going through the same mental checklist as above. My mind decided Bald Eagle very quickly - this was a full adult and is unmistakable. It was also considerably lower and so I saw more of the bird. I quickly pulled over and got my binoculars out to confirm. Yepp, definitely another eagle! I grabbed my phone to take a photo, the only camera I had on me. This is what I got:

(Photo Courtesy of a crappy cell phone camera)

What, you can't see the eagle? LOL yeah it was my cell phone, so it wasn't able to grab a great shot, no matter how low it was in the sky. It's that tiny little dot in the middle of the photo. You'll have to trust me on this one. Also, with my binoculars, I could definitely make out a fish in the talons. My guess is he/she got a fish out of the old quarry that's located by the high school and was taking it somewhere to eat - or possibly to feed it to a baby or mate in the downtown Elkhart nest. Very cool to see!


Now, to get outside more this week and see if my luck continues! ;-)

Spring is here - I saw a Robin!

One of the most common things I get around this time of year from well-meaning friends and family is a statement like this "Spring is here - I saw a Robin"!!!  Usually, their faces are so full of joy at the prospect of a cold winter being over and they are so enthusiastic to share something "bird" with me, which anyone who has been around me more than a day knows I love birds, that I don't say anything other than "yay! that's great - bring on the better weather!"  When in fact, I'd like to share this post with them to share the knowledge that I have about the truth of the matter.

Actually, as time goes on, I tend to want to share more than leave them in ignorance.  So whether it is I who pointed you here or a friend or family member - read this knowing that we LOVE that you want to share your excitement and passion for spring with us.  We just want to dispel the myth that for the majority of North America, all robins migrate south and return in Spring.

 

(photo courtesy of National Audubon Society)

Here is how many of us picture arguably the most identifiable bird in North America: the American Robin (Turdus migratorious) [heck it even has the word migratory in it's Latin name!].  A medium sized song bird hopping around on the grass with a huge worm in it's mouth.  This is in fact how most people see them most of the time.  They do love worms, it's true.  They especially love feeding worms to their young - like most songbirds, they feed their young the nice protein-rich food of invertebrates to sustain them. In our yard-loving society (a topic for another day), robins are plentiful.  Thus leads to the argument people often have with the concept of Robins being year round species - how in the heck do they get worms out of my backyard that looks like this!:

(my backyard this winter)

That's just it - they don't.  They're not hopping around on the snow and we typically don't see them as we expect.  So we assume they are gone - ie went south for the winter.  Until one early spring day, the temperatures reach 50 degrees, the sun is shining, the ground begins to unfreeze, and back they come again - looking for worms on the ground.  We jump around, get excited, "The robins are back!! They came back!! It's spring!!"

In all truth, a high percentage of them have been around all winter.  True, they have "come back" - come back to their quintessential place as the yard hoppers most people think they are.  And there are some that migrate every year - but usually not as far as we think.  A bird has to make a choice: migrate or not?  -more about this later-

But first, you might be questioning my credibility at this point.  Have I seen them this winter?  Yes.  Have I seen them every winter?  Since I've been an out-in-the-woods birdwatcher, yes (I say this mainly to differentiate that before the age of roughly 18 I saw most of my birds from behind glass looking at bird feeders - not that there's anything wrong with this, mind you - it just limits how many birds you see and behaviors you witness).  But beyond personally, how do we know about this for a fact?  First, a scientific way - mist netting, aka bird banding.  Bird banding is an ornithological technique by which individual birds are caught in a hard to see net, measured and weighed, and fitted with a lightweight band that identify them with a unique number.  Some are recaught, thus telling us where they've been and how they've changed.  These studies help researchers greatly and give us a ton of information that we'd otherwise not know about birds.

(photo courtesy of Sand Bluff Bird observatory, http://www.sandbluff.org/bird-banding/)

 

I encourage everyone to check out a bird banding demonstration if they ever get the chance - it is very cool.  Another awesome tool that you can use right now in the privacy of your own home is eBird.  eBird is an online resource that many citizen scientists (ie amateur bird watchers) have entered data in for over 10 years now.  I can get lost for hours on the thing, exploring data.  I definitely encourage you to take a look.  But here is a graph I quickly pulled up, showing American Robins observed in December and January for the past 10 years, as a percentage of checklists submitted - the darker the purple, the higher the percentage. 

 

 

 

http://ebird.org/ebird/map/amerob?neg=false&env.minX=-147.8800213249042&env.minY=9.582376023585398&env.maxX=-35.38002132490419&env.maxY=62.89673847598747&zh=true&gp=false&ev=Z&mr=on&bmo=12&emo=1&yr=last10&byr=2006&eyr=2016

 

I know this image is not the cleanest - I strongly suggest you go to the weblink to check it out for yourself.  While you're there, play around with some of the parameters - this is for December and January for the past 10 years.... but you can change the date range, zoom into your area, even change the species.  This is an amazing tool that I just love... ok enough reading, go check it out!

Welcome back!  So let's assume that you've taken my word for it, checked out some data showing there is evidence that some robins do, in fact, over winter in your backyard.  Now, I know you're asking - where are all the birds if they aren't eating worms?  They group together in large groups called flocks.  Sometimes they are even in mixed flocks with other species - typically Eastern Bluebirds (or other bluebirds if you are in a different region than I am), sometimes even Cedar Waxwings or Yellow-rumpted Warblers.  The primary advantage of a flock is that they can find food faster.  And this time of year, what are robins mostly looking for? Berries!  They love fruit - and great news - you can provide it in the form of berry-producing shrubs in your yard (preferably natives - that is definitely for another post).

(photo courtesy of Kim Smith)

 

It is actually not that uncommon for a species to change it's food source to what's more prevalent at particular times of years.  Even humans did this before modern transportation and refrigeration allowed us the luxury of eating anything we want, whenever we want (that my dears is a topic for another blog!).  There are a few species that do not do this, but by and large, the majority of species of birds shift their food preferences to what's available.  The other option is to follow your food source - and that is the essence of migration.

 

Growing up, I always thought migration was about staying warm, but really it's about food.  Sure, these birds can freeze to death, but in a roundabout way that goes back to food too.  Food produces energy, which powers these birds and keeps them unfrozen (they are warm blooded, like you and me) - well and some nice places to roost help too.  Birds are much less active in the winter - I'll admit it, I am too! - another reason why we don't see them as much.  But if you want to find them, you can, you just have to know where to look.  Look for berry bushes/trees - sumacs, high bush cranberries, junipers... there is a wide variety that they like.

 

[Another tip for seeing bluebirds in winter - they still like to bathe!  Put out a unfrozen body of water and robins will come!  And you might also get other species too - especially bluebirds.  Honestly, putting out a bird bath in winter is one of the best things you can do.]

 

The thing about migration is it takes a TON of energy and there are great risks.  Every year, birds decide to either migrate or stay put.  I don't really think they mentally decide - it's probably instinct, but mostly it's about food availability.  The best way to describe this, I feel, is through an analogy.  Say you love crawfish.  Straight up, love them.  You know all the best crawfish restaurants in town - even sometimes making special trips just to try a new place.  Well then imagine a catastrophe strikes and crawfish become rare.  You start to pack your bags, stock up on what food you have left, and get ready to make the thousand mile trek down to Louisiana where they are still plentiful.  Yet, you start looking around and seeing all this other food that is all around you - maybe you should try some chicken instead.  You decide the favorite food isn't worth the effort (and risk) and decide to just eat chicken until crayfish become more plentiful (and easy to find) again.

 

I know, this is a silly thought, but it works as analogy - some birds migrate, some don't.  There are birds that make thousand mile trips every year - it really is a fascinating subject.  Some robins migrate - some don't.  The ones that do face the risks of travel, while the ones that stay face the risks of the cold and running out of food.  In mild winters, many will survive - in harsh winters, not so many.  The benefit if you survive?  You have spent less energy AND you are already near your territory and are thus more likely to mate and be successful.

 

Another bird that falls into this category of a harbinger of spring is the Red-winged Blackbird - similar thing here folks.  They spend the winter in MASSIVE mixed species flocks with other blackbirds, feeding primarily on waste grain in the fields.  Come spring, they will be back to their usual posts at the side of any and all bodies of water.

(photo courtesy of New Jersey Audubon)

 

I will end by saying that robin behavior can be a good harbinger of spring, if not the robin itself.  When the weather changes enough that the ground unfreezes and grass greens, the robins change their behavior.  They will unflock and find their respective territories - males singing their hearts out to any female who will listen (and other males they what to keep away).  That IS spring - new life stirring in the remains of the bitter winter.  It is my favorite time of the year.

 

Resources:

 

All about birds website: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Robin/lifehistory

 

Weidensaul, Scott.  Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds, 2000.

 

eBird website:  www.ebird.org



Here's to a Big Year!

Well, it's been 3 years since my last post.  That's crazy.  I don't even know if I have any followers still out there.

(cricket, cricket, cricket)

Well, ok, I'll just type to the invisible person, or the person who stumbles across my blog and wants to learn more about birds.  Or maybe my readers will return (I hope so!).

I'm back because my son has finally gotten to the age that I can take a breather and be my own person again.  I have done it a little bit, but being a mom is a full time job.  No, I didn't quit my job (well actually, I did change jobs, but that's another story), I just mean it takes up a lot of time if you want to do it right.  And I do want to do it right.  But now, I can have a little more time to myself (just a little), so I want to start writing again.

And there is one other reason.  I have decided to do a Big Year.  Ok, not like the movie Big Year, at least not exactly.  I just want to document all of the birds I see in a year.  Try to see new ones, but not go to crazy on it.  Many people sink tons of time and money into Big Years.  I just want to dedicate more time to birding.  In Indiana in particular, and in State Parks as much as I can.  I was inspired by the Indiana Bicentennial Celebration, which is this year.  The Indiana Audubon Society is trying to encourage people and so I'm going to take the bait.  I have to document all the birds I see (more about this later) and try to see as many as I can in 1 year (2016 to be exact).

Along with this, I'm committing to share my journey with you my loyal readers (or random person, I love you too).  Enjoy!

Vacancy... filled!

Sorry, everyone, I've been vacant for awhile.. but I have some exciting news that might explain my reasons.  My husband and I are expecting a baby in early December of this year!!  We're both very excited.  I hope that slowing down will give me more time to blog.. but we'll see how it goes! :)

Woman vs Cat

Once again, I'm sure my neighbor's are ready to send me off to the loony bin.  Wouldn't you if your neighbor came running out of their house screaming bloody murder to chase a cat 500 feet without any shoes on?

Yepp, that's me.  I was cooking dinner, yummy pork chops with onions and apples.  They are so tasty!  Anyway, I had just added the pork to the pan in order to brown them, when I happened to glance out my window towards the bird feeder  (when you're obsessed with birds, this is a common occurrence).

One of the six or so stray/roaming cats in my neighborhood.

And what to my wondering eyes should appear?  But a tabby cat, crouching under the bird feeder.  Now, we have the neighborhood cats trained that if we bang on the windows, they should take off running.  I went to the screen door and banged on the window.  The cat only crouched lower.  As I quickly fumbled with the latch in order to unlock the door to open it up and yell at the cat, he jumped.

Up, way up, to the bird feeder.  Probably a 4 1/2 foot leap.  And he came down with a bird.  A flutter of red feathers flew up, and my mind and my brain sprung into action:  CARDINAL!

That's the male Cardinal on the left and the female on the right.

Don't get me wrong, now.. I would have probably done the next thing if it had been any bird.. but a Northern Cardinal?  One of the most recognized and beloved birds.  Indiana's state bird as a matter of fact... And Illinois.. and Ohio.. and Kentucky.. and North Carolina.. and Virginia.. and West Virginia... Ok, I think you get the point.  This is a beloved bird, probably second only to Bluebirds.  And unlike bluebirds, which sometimes get mistaken for other "blue" birds, Northern Cardinals are VERY recognizable.  The male is a brilliant red with a black face, whereas the female is a tan color with a reddish tinge, especially in the tail.  They share a bright orange rather large beak (the color and the size are distinctive) that they use to crack open seeds, their primary source of food.  Their favorite is safflower, which I feed primarily for them.  They love it!  If you aren't getting cardinals in your backyard and want some, try putting safflower out for a week or so, and I can pretty much guarantee a cardinal will stop by to try it out!  Safflower is the white seed in the picture, similar to sunflower, but smaller.

Alright, back to the action.  As my brain witnessed this horrible act, my body sprung into motion.  I ripped open the screen door and RAN at the cat, full blast, screaming at the top of my lungs.  I honestly think I scared the living daylights out of it (and anyone else around for that matter).  I didn't care.  It was right at dusk and was getting hard to see, but as I approached the scene of the crime, I saw four or five large red feathers (confirming my cardinal guess without a doubt), but no bird.  I heard some very metallic chipping coming from a nearby pine tree and felt a huge surge of relief.  The cat eyed me from the safety of the other side of the fence.  Panting hard and looking at me like I was crazy and just robbed him of his dinner.

See the cat in this picture?  Yeah, ultimate sneaks!

Well I kind of did. But I did NOT feel sorry for it.  There are a bunch of feral and free roaming cats in my neighborhood that I chase off on a fairly regular basis.  Let me tell you, I love cats.  INSIDE cats that are spayed that is.  What I dislike are feral cats and, to a greater extent, indoor cats that a typically ignorant, yet well-meaning pet owner let roam around to "get some fresh air."

I've heard it all before.  "Awwww, come on Lindsay, what harm can one little cat do?"  Tons!  If you have a cat, you know they love to stalk and chase their prey, even if they just ate.  It's their built in nature, that's how God made them.  So even if you feed your cat well, then let him out, he will catch birds outside.  I've heard it all, but if your curious, check out this link.  It answers some common misconceptions about cats and the outdoors.  No one knows exactly how many birds are killed by cats each year, but I've heard anywhere from 100 to 500 million.  PER YEAR... YIKES!!!

Somehow, amazingly, I had gotten there in time for this one lonely bird.  Praise God!  Now, I don't know if the bird was bitten, scratched, and bleeding and died overnight.  I will pray not, but the sad reality is, if the cat broke the skin of the bird, it will most likely be compromised.  I do know that the cat didn't break the cardinals neck (it would be lying their dead) or its wing (it wouldn't have been able to fly off and I would have seen it struggling).  The bird scuffled up higher in the tree when I approached, so I will assume that it was temporarily ok.

At this point, my husband came out wondering what was going on.  After I explained it to him, the adrenaline started to leave my body and I realized I was barefoot in the cold wet grass and decided I should head back in.  As we entered the house, he quipped "well you might have saved the Cardinal, but who's gonna save dinner?"  HA!

Garden of Surprises

My neighbors think I'm nuts.  I know if I was in their position, that I would be inclined to agree... and I admit it, I'm a bit on the eccentric side.  I think it makes me interesting and I like to be myself!  This past weekend, I was caught laying on the ground in my yard staring at some flowers during a light rain... crazy, right?

I was lying down in the grass on the right side of this picture, my head buried in some plants. did I mention it was raining?

It began as any other day, I was out filling up the bird bath (if you recall in Water, Water, Everywhere, I do this nearly daily in the summer).  I had a bit of water left in the watering can, so I decided to water a few rain garden plants that looked especially crisp...

It took me months to plan this garden, weeks to dig it, and around three days to actually plant it (in 90 degree July!!), but I finally got my rain garden in the ground.  It was a lot of hard work but SOOOOO worth it! If anyone is even thinking about planting one, I highly recommend it.. feel free to drop me a line.

Now at this point, some of you might be asking "what in the world is a rain garden?"  (skip ahead if you know this already)  Simply put, a rain garden is a flower garden, typically of native plants, that is planted not far from the house that you divert water from a downspout of your roof into, typically through an underground pipe.  Sometimes they are runoff from a driveway or parking lot as well.  Why do this?  Stormwater issues are huge in this part of the country - I work in wastewater and it is consistently a matter of discussion.  Our sewers are called "combined" in most cities - the septic and water from storms are intermixed.  This causes huge problems during heavy rainfalls, the sewers get overloaded and overflow into "CSO"s - Combined Sewer Overflows... yucky water full of raw sewage and all the runoff of chemicals and sediment from our streets.

Water.. the lifeblood of the ecosystem...

YUCK!  But my rain garden is helping to reverse this.  By diverting water that would normally go in the sewer (or in my case straight into the river since I live <1/4 mile from the river), I am in effect catching this water with my rain garden = giving my beautiful plants water without having to water them (much! right now I've had to water them a few times just to get them stabilized from the transplant), plus I'm helping to recharge the aquifer.

There is more science that goes into this, but I'm assuming I lost some of you in the last couple of paragraphs. Bottom line   Beautiful garden, less polluted river = double bonus!  Extra plug: I got all of the plants ($250 worth) payed for through the County.  If you live in Elkhart County, in the Elkhart River Watershed, and pay a Stormwater Fee every year, you are eligible for the program too... just drop me a line and I can refer you to the right place!

Anyways, back to the matter at hand.. I kind of obsess over my rain garden.  I am really enjoying watching it grow - the plants have increased in size and some even flowered this year!  That I was surprised about, most of the time native plants spend the first year sending down their roots and don't bloom until the second year.  About half of my plants bloomed this year, which was fine by me!

Cardinal Flower in full bloom

I did buy a few larger plants (1 gallon size, instead of the typically plugs) that I knew would bloom this year.  In face the Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) was already in bloom when I bought it.  This is one of my favorite wildflowers with its bright red blooms on spikes.  I will never forget, being on my hands and knees planting on the 95 degree days of July.  Sweat is dripping off my face.  I had just planted the Cardinal Flower and was planting some Marsh Blazing Star next to it when a Ruby-throated Hummingbird comes and drinks out of the flower next to me, right at eye level!  I called this "instant gratification" - it was awesome!! Boy have I been blessed with the hummers this year!  First, my Impatient Hummer and now this!  I've also seen a record number while on birding expeditions, which is fairly rare.  It is hard to catch them outside of a feeder scenario.. they move so fast!

Marsh Milkweed just starting to open up

The other gallon-sized plant I bought was Marsh Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), which also bloomed this year... pretty pink flowers probably three weeks after I planted it.  This day, the flowers were done blooming and so I just bypassed it as I went around my garden.  It had tons of aphids on it, bright little orange guys.  There were also ants, flies, bees, and lady bugs all over the plant.  Oh no, something was eating the leaves!!  I stoop down and look closer - leaf damage always spikes my curiosity.  I love finding caterpillars on plants, it is sort of a game for me.  My husband and I actually play the "milkweed game" where we search milkweed for missing leaves, half eaten portions, etc.  Do we all remember what particular caterpillar eats milkweed? ...



YES! The Monarch!! One of the most striking, beautiful, butterflies in the world!  I absolutely love these guys!  I was so ecstatic to find a monarch caterpillar that I got down in the grass and watched the little guy chew up a leaf right before my eyes.  After watching the one for probably a half hour, I continued searching the plant and ended up finding a total of 4.  They were all of various sizes.  Caterpillars molt their skins and continuously grow until they are ready to form a pupae (chrysalis) and becomes adults.  When monarchs first hatch, they are barely visible with the naked eye.  They increase in size 300 times in the first two days.  300 times?!?!!!! that's amazing!

I have continued to watch the caterpillars grow in size and then leave the plants - I'm assuming to go form chrysalises nearby, though I have searched and not found any..

Monarchs mating

Here is a picture of some adults that I took out at Boot Lake.  Monarchs are definitely my favorite butterfly and I feel EXTREMELY blessed to have them in my rain garden in the first year.

I promise, this won't be my last post about my rain garden.  I'm obsessed. :)

Highway to Heaven

First of all, I know it's been a long time since I've posted a blog.  I'm sorry. I think in some ways I've been a little down.. and I want to tell you a few stories that have happened to me lately that have contributed to this.  I know this is a bit off my usually blog post, but I will get back to those soon enough.

About a month ago, my husband and I were headed to Mishawaka to go to a church service at Granger Community Church.  Now, we normally attend Nappanee Missionary, but Granger is where we first started and we still occasionally attend.  It was a big night, called First Wednesday, when the entire service was about worshiping God. Lots of singing, lots of artsy presentation.  Well, this was going to be the Last First Wednesday; they are changing around the programming.  I was sad, it has meant a lot to me the last few years.

So anyways, Ben and I were headed to Mishawaka, driving down CR 6/Cleveland road.  We cross over the Elkhart/St Joe County line and are probably a quarter mile past when I see a turtle in the middle of the road.  My natural inclination is to pull off the road and help the turtle out.  I started to do that, but the first place I could get over was several hundred feet down the road.  In case you don't know, Cleveland is a very busy road... and most of the road is 45-55 mph (I believe it is 50 in this section).  I jump out of the car, muttering to Ben "I have to TRY to save his life!" and run down the road.

I am in a dress and sandles, running past about 15 cars on my way to the turtle (I believe he was a painted).  I got more than a few looks, I'm sure.  I can see most of the cars swerving to miss Mr Turtle and I get hopeful.  I reach the spot where he is, but I have to wait for one last car to pass before I jump out to grab him.  One. Last. Car.  And then BLAM!  that last car, in my mind, totally in slow motion, hits the turtle and blood flies everywhere.  This was the crunch of full on tire impact, not a glancing blow.  The sound echoed around in my head for a few seconds while I turn back to my car and sob all the way back.

I was too late.  My brain whispers "you distracted the driver.  He was looking at you and didn't see the turtle. The turtle could have made it across the road."  A few minutes later rationality works in.  NO, it is not my fault.  I tried to save him.  Most people ignore these things, thinking "it doesn't matter", "it's just a stupid turtle," or just plain not thinking.  The driver probably wasn't paying attention.  In reality, I'm lucky I wasn't hit, as close to the road as I was.

The turtle haunted me for next few weeks.  I still feel sad every time I pass that spot.  But you know what?  God came to me that night in that church and comforted me.  In some ways, He gave me strength to face my next Highway to Heaven tragedy.

This past weekend, I was headed home from Indianapolis where I went to a friend's wedding and visited with some other friends.  It was Ben and our friends Brent and Cara in the car.  We were talking - Cara was sharing a rather graphic story about how a coworker once sliced his hand at work and blood was everywhere.  Blood makes me queezy, even talking about it, definitely couldn't be a doctor.  Well, I take a deep breath and try to distract myself from the idea of blood all over the floor.

My eye catches a Red-tailed Hawk as it lands in the grass next to the road about a quarter of a mile up the road.  Most people wouldn't have seen it, but I have an eye for such things.  I motion to Ben and my fellow car riders, who all look at it too.  We all watch, spell bound, as the hawk takes off.  His apparent destination was the electric pole he was undoubtedly perched on before he went after whatever critter that drew him to the side of the road.  Here's the catch: the pole was on the other side of this 55 mph highway.

I think we all caught our breaths.  I know I did - even letting out a useless 'nooooooo!' as the hawk took off, gaining altitude.  Apparently, "look both ways before you cross the street" isn't a lesson learned in Hawk School, for just at that moment there was a semi truck between the hawk and its beloved pole...

The Red-tail disappeared from view for a split second, then emerged off the top of the truck, spiraling down to the road below.  The whole time this is happening, the world narrows to just this Red-tailed Hawk.  I honestly was NOT driving for a minute or so.  I know I hit the breaks and was pulling off the road.  Looking over, I see the hawk that is literally smashed and broken and my heart breaks.  I immediately rule out any possibility of rehabilitation.  If there had been ANY doubt in my mind that he wasn't dead, I would have tried everything to help him.

Down trodden, I continue driving home but I can't talk.  Its taking everything I can not to throw up (remember, I was nauseous before all this started).  Later on the drive, I get into the lane next to the semi, whom I had been behind for several miles.  There is some grim satisfaction to see a huge bullseye of broken glass across the drivers window.  There was some debate in the car as to whether the driver even saw the hawk.  I know he did now.  Whether he felt any remorse or any concern for his own safety, I do not know.

Once again, I am reminded about how easily my witnessing another's death could have tied to my own.  It is amazing that the driver didn't lose control of the wheel and cause some sort of accident.  In my stunned state, I know my reflexes would have been slowed.  My mind turns to God and I'm both sadden at a loss of His creation, yet in wonder of the fragility of life.  I kid you not, I am thinking this one second and the next a teenager starts to pull out in front of me.  My senses had been on high alert since the hawk.  I had watched this car approach a T intersection, barely slowing down.  Almost as a delayed thought, the young man decides to look in my direction, only he is going to fast to slow down before the stop sign and stops halfway out in the lane I am in.  Had I not swerved into the other lane, I for surely would have T-boned him going about 45 mph.  Not pretty for him, seeing as it was on the driver's side.  Fortunately, no one was coming the other way and I was able to avoid this collision.

I believe that God wanted me to learn a lesson through all of this.  Actually several lessons.  The cost of our so called "better" life of quick transportation is often more broad than we realize.  How many animals are killed every year for our sake?  Sure, non-motorized transportation kills some, but not nearly the scale as our fast cars, trains, and automobiles.  Actually, this is part of the reason why the Amish have declined this technology.  Am I going to join them?  I doubt it.  But it has caused me to pause and realize the cost.

If you have any thoughts about how I could help honor these animals, I would love to hear them.  My heart goes out to them, and all the others killed every single moment in this country by a vehicle.

Typical sighting of a Red-tailed Hawk.  This one seen soaring over the Wellfield Gardens during EnviroFest in July.  They are arguably this most common hawk seen.  They soar high on thermals, their red tails giving them away.  They are also spotted by the trained eye perched on many telephone posts and the like on highways.  If I am looking, I can usually see one every 2-5 miles of highway on any given day.