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Of Harriers and butterflies
Click on image of Harrier for larger view
Ruecker Wildlife Refuge in Tiverton, RI, seems to be one of those slightly out-of-the-way places that doesn't get the attention it deservesand late winter may not be its best season, but after a slow start it proved delightful yesterday.
Don and I went there in search of birds and saw absolutely nothing for quite a while. Then a large flock of geese came over and seemed to wake the place up.
The highlights? A Harrier - marsh hawk - put on a show about 500 feet away that was still close enough for good pictures and lasted about half an hour. This was followed by a small flock of red-breasted merganzers who were kind enough to do a couple of close flybys. And the day was capped by a Mourning Cloak butterfly on the trail back.
For me it was a continuation of the process whereby my camera is reviving my sense of awe and wonder. In the field it sharpens my attention and raises my adrenalin every time something appears within range. When I get home I'm in awe as I sit in front of the compter screen and review the frozen action of these magnificent creatures. Beyond that, I feel nearly every picture is teaching me something about bird identification and sometimes, about their behavior as well.
This and more is documented in the web galleries included here.
Again, I put galleries up in two sizes. If your screen is just 800 pixels wide, use the smaller one. (The image at the top of this entry is 500 pixels.) If you have a larger screen, the larger gallery will look nicer.
Gallery: Visit to Ruecker 3.29.04 - larger version
Gallery: Visit to Ruecker 3.29.04 - smaller version
Ruecker is a Rhode Island Audubon Society refuge that provides a series of wooded trails which frequently open onto a real mix of vistas overlooking a multi-fingered, saltwater inlet and marshes that link to the Sakonnet Rover.
Paths are generally flat, easy, and well-cleared. Access is from RI 77. It's about 3 miles south of the coastal village of Tiverton on Sapowet Road. You go west on Sapowet and the entrance is about half a mile from 77. You may have trouble spotting Sapowet. My guide is the tall broadcast antenna that appears off to the east about the same distance in that direction that Ruecker is in the other. You can also find this by heading north on 77 from Tiverton Four Corners.
Posted by Greg Stone at March 30, 2004 12:46 AM