Mornings on Fair Oaks Bridge Archives - Page 13 of 21

I Wonder Why?

February 2, 2018February 2, 2018

Thursday, February 1, 2018 740 am 46 degrees

This morning I sit and wonder why does that happen?

I have watched wildlife morning wake up rituals, morning cloud formations and brilliantly colored sunrises for nearly 18 months at Fair Oaks Bridge. This morning I sit with questions and no answers. As soon as I think of one question, that leads me to wonder about something else.

Dense clouds overhead remind me of a tightly woven basket, a fan or bubbles forming in the sky. As the sun emerges behind a blanket of clouds farther east, the clouds seem to magnify its yellow brilliance.

Looking at clouds always leads me to wonder how they can become so many shapes and change so quickly.

I imagine the wind moving clouds and stretching them until all that is left are faint wisps or fantastic creatures that walk across the sky. I imagine the wind pushes clouds together, so they are more dense, dark and filled with rain. I wonder if winds are different from one place to another, does that make the clouds different too? Are two clouds ever the same? How can we ever find out?

I wonder why Buffleheads dive for food in the center of the river channel? Is the deep center the best place to find breakfast? How deep do they dive? What treats do they find? Buffleheads swim calmly up and down the center of the river, diving in one spot and reappearing a dozen feet or more away.

I see the graceful flight of an Egret and wonder how many miles it travels and how many places does it stop in a day? Where does it sleep? Why does it stand far away from ducks, seagulls and especially the Great Blue Heron? I see a pair of Egrets fly over and wonder why they always fly low and close the water?

Why do pigeons circle Fair Oaks Bridge six, eight or a dozen times before settling on the bridge to rest. I imagine this to be their morning “warm up” exercise. They are warm-blooded and I imagine their rapid flights keep them warm to sustain their body temperature. The history of these humble birds dates back thousands of years.

When Canada Geese honk as they fly are they giving directions? I know the honking unifies the flock and actually helps them fly faster and farther.

My last question of the morning is wondering, where is the rain?

Last year at this time, our rivers were raging torrents. Jim’s Bridge (for bikes and pedestrians) was submerged under six feet or more of water. The fence on one side twisted and broke off during the storms. I stood on Fair Oaks Bridge a year ago today and watched the water underneath it swirl and churn. I was dizzy watching. The riverbanks, the boat ramp, the parking lot and the bike trail even further back, were all submerged under several feet of water.

I saw people lined up on Fair Oaks Bridge to take pictures of the wild river…Who has returned to see the river at peace? Was it just the drama of a raging river that attracted so many people to snap photos using their mobile phones?

Morning Wake Up Songs

February 20, 2018February 20, 2018

Saturday, February 3, 2018 720 am 46 degrees

Moments after I walk onto the bridge, I hear the chortle of a Great Blue Heron beneath me. It flies east under the bridge and settles on a nearby riverbank out of sight. Often arriving at 630 am, by 730, The Great Blue Heron has already surveyed one section of riverbank. I hear it chortle as it raises up to move to another site.

wake up, Fair Oaks Village, Fair Oaks Park, Fair Oaks Bridge, Canada Geese, Egret, Great Blue Heron, American River, water, mornings, chickens, roosters, — Good morning Fair Oaks!

Chicken call from the neighborhood, “Time to wake up everyone!” A group of six Canada Geese fly over the bridge from the east in traditional V formation, all honking in unison. They fly about 100 yards farther, make a U-turn to fly back over my head, fly east and vanish. A single bird is perched on the bridge frame over my head. It is quietly watching. Far too large to be tiny bird I used to hear every morning singing, “Ti Too! Ti Too!” A chorus of hidden birds begins. I hear the bird that sounds like a calliope and many other bird calls I cannot identify.

Standing on the bridge I hear the female Mallard quacking once again in the distance. (See video posted in “Morning Pandemonium” on January 14) She quacks as she swims. I continue to wonder what she is saying? Is she paddling in rhythm to her own voice? Since I cannot speak duck, I may never know. An Egret flies in from the west. A short time later, another flies in and they resume their low and elegant flight over the river to the east as a pair.

turtles, wake up, Fair Oaks Bridge, American River, water, turtles — Sunbathing turtles on a wayward tree branch

Arriving at the boat launch ramp, I see the female duck leading a line of ducks swimming upriver. Her quacking continues and I continue to hear the sound of her voice until it fades away in the distance. I walk back up to Fair Oaks Bridge. As I leave the river for the morning, I nearly miss two turtles out sunbathing.

Spider Spins, Seal Swims

February 20, 2018February 20, 2018

Friday, February 9, 2018 8 am 46 degrees

Warm day, sun high, birds are twittering from nearby trees. The level of water at the American River is so low and still, an island has formed around the branch where turtles sunbathe. The Egret takes it usual place on the riverbank. The pigeons are absent.

A collection of spider webs are attached to bridge rails. I wonder does a spider have a map in its head to create such complex webs? As I listen to the call of a single seagull call, I think of the 100 gulls crowded on a small island at Jim’s Bridge. Most have left this part of the river. Everyday I listen for the quacks of the female Mallard raising her voice on the river. Buffleheads skim the water as they take off flying. They move far too quickly to capture in a photo.

As I walk to the boat launch ramp, a hiker atop the Fair Oaks Bluffs calls to me, “Hey. There is a seal in the river!” I see its head just above the water. The seal dives and comes out of the water much too far away to see clearly. Where did the seal come from? What wrong turn led it so far from the coast?

Moon over Fair Oaks Bridge

February 20, 2018February 20, 2018

Saturday, February 10, 2018 630 am 46 degrees

I arrive at Fair Oaks Bridge and daylight is hiding in shadows. Chicken call out through the neighborhood as they break the silence of dawn. In the chilly stillness of morning air, birds chatter unseen. Two runners pass wearing headlamps.

An Egret walks the riverbank searching for early morning breakfast. A crescent moon shines above Fair Oaks Bridge. Canada Geese fly quietly over the bridge as darkness fades to light.

Mist on the river rolls in slow moving waves across the surface of the water.

These Beautiful Days

February 19, 2018July 29, 2018

February 16, 2018, 7 am, 36 degrees

I enjoy many early morning experiences on Fair Oaks Bridge, the boat launch ramp and areas nearby along the American River Parkway this month. My backpack, journal and camera are constant companions.

Sometimes I don’t have words to express the joy and delight of these experiences. The beauty of these quiet mornings is a far deeper experience than that act of writing words on a page or taking photos can express. I sit and listen. I watch and wonder.

Quoting from John Muir – one of America’s most respected naturalists – reflects my own experience .

“These beautiful days must enrich all my life. They do not exist as mere pictures. . . but they saturate themselves into every part of the body and live always.” John Muir

My mornings usually begin with greetings from Fair Oaks Village chickens – some still hiding in bushes or trees. Others roam the streets of the neighborhood on a search for breakfast. As I approach Fair Oaks Bridge, I wonder what colors will be painted across the sky today when clouds reflect the sunrise – shades of pink, fiery orange or gold? Will I see a curtain or a blanket of fog reflecting the colored sunlight that rolls slowly downriver?

spider web, experience, beauty, Fair Oaks Bridge, American River, Fair Oaks Bluffs — Spider waits to capture unsuspecting prey

experiences, mornings, Fair Oaks Bridge, American River, beauty, water, wildlife, spider webs, writing, photographs, John Muir — A thin sheet of ice that covers the bridge deck melts away in strips in the heat of morning sun.

quack, duck, Mallard, voice, morning, Fair Oaks Bridge, American River, swim, experience, joy — She greets each morning with a series of quacks.

I listen for the daily quacks this determined duck as she patrols the American River. She is relentless; quacking for 10 minutes and hardly stopping long enough to take a breath. I can hear her voice far off in the distance as she swims away. I listen for the calls of seagulls and watch them soar high above me. Birds sing unseen in trees – a calliope, a whistle, and other chirps and calls I cannot describe. I often hear the chortle of the Great Blue Heron and honk of Canada Geese long before I see them. The Egret and Great Blue Heron always position themselves at different locations on the riverbank – staying far away from each other.

I see soft ripples widen in the water as the ducks and Canada Geese swim through the quiet river. I watch the graceful flights of snow white Egrets as they extend their long, soft wings and glide under Fair Oaks Bridge. Buffleheads dive in the center of the river channel and rise to the surface many yards away.

Photographs and written narratives record memories of these magical experiences – and create an understanding that wildlife undisturbed live by their own rhythms as we silently watch and wonder.

Wildlife Flyway

March 20, 2018March 20, 2018

Sunday, February 19, 2018 645 am 47 degrees

Under partially cloudy skies, I hear the female Mallard quacking without end. I hear her voice every time I visit Fair Oaks Bridge.

flyway, Egret, ducks, mallard, quack, Fair Oaks Bridge, Fair Oaks, morning, wildlife, water, American River — Egret walks part way across the thin branch – then flies the rest of the way to the riverbank

Two men launch a rowboat into the American River at the boat ramp and float under the bridge and downriver to the west. The air feels warm outside at first, until I begin to feel the chill on my fingers.

Today the American River looks like a wildlife flyway. So many are flying in and away.

Usually I see one Egret flying in. Today I see a pair!

The Egrets fly under the bridge just above the surface of the water, land on the riverbank at the foot of Fair Oaks Bluffs (the north, sunny side of the river) and quickly fly back in the direction where they had come. I hear the chortle of an unseen Great Blue Heron. A dozen seagulls fly west – high for the long run – and three Mallards soar under the bridge.

I hear the female Mallard still quacking in the distance. Canada Geese fly in full animated with their loud honking to the boat launch ramp and then fly under the bridge. One settles on a concrete pillar supporting the bridge directly in front of me. It looks at me and whispers. More ducks arrive. The Egrets fly off again.

Shadows on the Water

March 20, 2018March 20, 2018

Wednesday, February 28, 2018 620 am, 38 degrees

The colors of sunrise change by the minute in strips of burning oranges and yellows that cast dark shadows on the American River.

mornings, shadows, mist, Fair Oaks Bridge, nature, Canada Geese, writing, American River — Canada Geese fly in through the mist on the surface of the water.

An Egret glides low across the water. A Great Blue Heron soars silently under the bridge. Buffleheads dive in the center of the frigid waters of the American River. Canada Geese honk as they arrive flying quickly over my head. Others fly under Fair Oaks Bridge and all I can see in their shadows on the water until they pass me – still honking.

I see small clouds of mist forming on the river bend, rolling slowly across the water. White puffy, clouds reflect like a mirror in the American River. I roam along the riverbank finding faces and shapes in the trees and branches.

A Reflecting Pool

March 21, 2018March 21, 2018

Saturday, March 3, 2018, 710 am, 37 degrees

I enjoy this stunning reflection as I walk on Fair Oaks Bridge looking east to the sunrise – Fair Oaks Bluffs lay on the left side.

Four Canada Geese honk loudly to greet me as they fly over Fair Oaks Bridge. They land with a splash still squawking on the west side. Two more come in and what a noise! Everyone is talking this morning. One lands on the concrete pillar supporting the bridge. I stand on the bridge deck and the goose stands on the pillar alongside. Mist flows from its beak as it continues to squawk and squawk for several minutes.

Who is this goose calling to? What could it be saying? Finally, it quiets down and begins to whisper.

Sun emerges from the heavy cloud cover, shining in thin strips of yellow. Clouds reflect in the American River like a mirror as a thin layer of mist rolls slowly over the surface of the water. I feel the icy air of morning against my face.

Birds sing in chorus with the Canada Geese, honking once again. A single Bufflehead swims and dives in the middle of the river. It is a rare day when at least one Bufflehead is not swimming in the middle of the river diving for breakfast.

An Egret flies in, stands briefly on the boat launch ramp before flying across the river to roam the riverbank at the foot of the Fair Oaks Bluffs. A pair of Egrets fly in next and glide underneath the Fair Oaks Bridge.

Now, the morning is quiet. The sunlight casts shadows on the bridge. The reflections of clouds vanish. Several Buffleheads arrive and swim in the center of the river channel, creating a circular wake in the still, green water.

Breakfast Time

April 12, 2018April 12, 2018

Wednesday, April 11, 2018 51 degrees, 7 am

The chickens roamed quietly in the street as I approached Fair Oaks Bridge. A chorus of birds greeted the morning with songs from the trees on the left, as the chilly air blew against my face. The sun was just emerging over the horizon through a heavy blanket of white and gray clouds. Two ducks swam from the shore. The river now quiet after several days of increased water flows raging downstream flooding the banks and the boat launch ramp.

A few people walked past quietly on this peaceful morning. I crossed the bridge enjoying different view of the sunrise, while my son kept his eyes on the resident bunny munching on its breakfast.

So Many Colors of Sunrise

March 20, 2018April 4, 2018

Tuesday, March 13, 2018 7 am

Some mornings when I cannot take the time to sit and watch wildlife wake up rituals, I make a quick trip to Fair Oaks Bridge. The colors of the sunrise are so stunning. I want to capture them.