A Day in the Park

Yesterday was the hottest day of the summer so far. Probably 95+, yet I met with friends from work whom I haven't seen in more than a month since school ended. We decided to have lunch at Glenmere Park in Greeley, one of Greeley's little treasures, close to the university. Of course I took my camera and my telephoto lens. The photos are fair, a bit over exposed, but it was exciting to see the water fowl and photograph them. I need more practice, admittedly.  

The Pavilion 

Cattle Egret: Sports a bit of orange during mating season 

We are not real sure what this bird is. I saw movement and took a picture. Given the location of the bird in the shade underneath the rocks pecking in the water, I am not surprised that the bird is hard to see, and thus hard to identify. We are thinking some sort of Rail, Clapper which is found more in California or a Virginia Rail, which is more wide spread.

Cattle Egret in flight

Snowy Egret

Snow Egret all fluffed up

Carp in the lily pond

Glenmere Park is home to a variety of wildlife: from the carp in the lily pond, the crayfish, bull frogs I heard one), to dragon flies, a variety of ducks and geese, both wild and domestic, and a large variety of song birds and other water fowl. The egrets are nesting. With binoculars we could see a nest of baby cattle egrets being fed by their parents. The egrets were quite active, flying hither and to collecting food to feed their young. I grew up on two different small farms where dad nurtured wild life. He built lakes and ponds, stocking them with a variety of fish, turtles, and bull frogs (oh the stories I could tell about his adventures catching bullfrogs to bring home). He grew water lilies, having at one the largest collection of water lilies in Denver. Yesterday while I walked with my friends around the pond, dripping in sweat, swatting mosquitos, dying of thirst (forgot water), I returned to a piece of my childhood. It was the best day.