Is It Finally Spring?

Posted on April 7, 2011April 7, 2011 by Dusty Roads

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

It was a beautiful day. I wore a pull over “hoodie” but tossed my winter coat in the car just in case. I didn’t need it.

It looks like the Herring Run for 2011 has come to an end, as fast as it started, it seems to be over. I drove over to the Middleboro Herring Run today and there was not a fish in sight. The gulls were also absent. After all the activity of the last few days it was almost spooky!

I went on to Plymouth to see if I could find the fish ladder there. I was told there was one just a few hundred yards from Plymouth Rock. What I found was a hidden gem in plain sight!

Everybody knows about Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower II and even Plimouth Plantation but nobody ever mentioned the Town Brook and the little park called Brewster Gardens to me.

I parked at a meter on the waterfront not far from Plymouth Rock and started looking for a brook or stream connected to the harbor that fish might use to migrate to their spawning pond. I admired the little decorative benches along the way. I took some pictures of the shadows they cast on the sidewalk. I liked the patterns they made.

Crossing the road there was a park and that is where I found the brook. There were lots of people out and about. They were walking their dogs or feeding the ducks..in spite of a sign saying not to. This, it turns out, is Brewster Gardens.

I checked out some of the statues then crossed the little bridge to a path that followed the brook. As I wandered along I took pictures of the area. It was so lovely and the sky was so blue.

It didn’t seem like a very long walk before I came to the Jenny Grist Mill. This presented a lot of photo ops. The lady in the ice cream and souvenir shop told me to continue on to the top of the hill where I would see a pond. She said there were tons of photo ops there too. She was right.

I walked around the pond getting pictures of ducks and a swan. The swan was on shore and seemed to be doing some form of Swan Tai-chi or yoga. It was quite comical to watch. Once the swan wandered off, I headed back to the car. I wasn’t sure how long I had been but I had only put enough money in for an 1 1/2 hours.

Back at the waterfront I saw a couple more ducks and stopped to get their picture before I returned to the car. That’s when I saw a terrific scene. A flock of ducks was coming into the harbor but they weren’t flying…they were swimming. They looked like a tiny armada. It was the cutest thing. Definitely worth watching.

Once they got a little closer I got a better picture. I believe they are Merganser ducks.

As what almost always happens after I stumble onto something, I will do a little research on the park and it’s statues and the Grist Mill and fill you in on my findings.

The Herring are running!

Posted on April 6, 2011April 6, 2011 by Dusty Roads

It’s a sure sign that spring is coming when the herring return from the sea to spawn.

I’ve been watching more and more sea gulls gather at the Herring Run in Middleboro. I figured they must know something so Monday on my way to work I stopped to check out the waters.

The gulls were everywhere, lined up like they were going to a free buffet and in effect, they were. Those poor fish not only have to fight their way upstream from the sea but have to run a gauntlet of hungry gulls and even a great blue heron.

I was on my way over to the bridges when a man approached me. He told me he helped maintain the run. He saw my camera and said if I was into photography I should go to the fish ladder in the center of Middleboro. He said the herring run only last a a couple of days and that it had been two days already…not much time left. He gave me directions and I promised to check it out.

Since I had to work that had to wait until Tuesday and Tuesday was a “wonderful “, rainy, windy day. I reminded myself that April showers bring May flowers. When the rain seemed to be letting up I hopped in the car and headed over to Middleboro.

I didn’t think I’d remember what the little map meant that the gentleman had given me but before too long I found myself in the center of Middleboro heading toward the municipal light plant. And that’s where I found a little park and the fish ladder.

My informant was right! There were fish everywhere. I knew what a fish ladder was but I’d never really seen one up close or watched fish using one. This was really interesting. As the fish worked their way upstream the ladder made the jump smaller and provided calmer water on each side to let them recover for the next jump. The ladder was teeming and I felt bad when a fish would make the jump only to be swept back again because they didn’t get into the calmer water on the side fast enough.

Down at the river end was a little falls and there the tiny fish were trying to jump them. These fish are much smaller than salmon and don’t jump as high but trying to photograph one in the air was just about mission impossible. It gave me a whole new insight into those National Geographic pictures of the salmon in mid air flying over rapids and falls. I took over 60 pictures and only managed to catch a fish part way out of the water in one. It’s no prize winner but I will include it here simply because I don’t have anything better. It will illustrate the torrents these fish were trying to navigate.

The park itself is a very pretty little park with picnic tables and benches. I bet it’s a pleasant place on a sunny spring day.

The gulls were here too but they were just flying overhead. Maybe my presence was keeping them away. It wasn’t too long before the rain started again in earnest so I wrapped up my visit with a last picture of a grass-covered boulder or hummock that made me think of Cousin It from the old Adams Family Show.

Then I ran for the car before my camera and I got soaked.

Thar Be Whales Out thar!

Posted on April 5, 2011April 5, 2011 by Dusty Roads

Wednesday 3/30/11

I am still on my quest for National Parks Stamps and stickers. It’s a bit early in the year for me to be running down to the Cape but it’s such a pretty day and the weather is supposed to go back to winter for the end of the week. In fact they are saying we’re going to get an April Fool’s Day Nor’easter. With that in my future I couldn’t pass up a sunny, spring day like today.

I got a late start for a number of reasons and almost changed my mind about taking a drive like that (about 1 1/2 hours) just to turn around and come back but I justified it by promising myself I would stop in Bourne to take some pictures on my way back. As so often happens with my “seat of the pants” plans, that was not to be. But I would not be disappointed either.

The drive down was uneventful, the traffic this time of year isn’t bad and I reached the Salt Pond Visitor Center around 2pm. I was getting my Passport stamped and chatting with the clerk in the gift shop when one of the rangers rushed in with a pair of binoculars in his hand.

He said they were seeing the whales off the coast with the bird spotting scope. He was heading out to the deck to see if he could see them with the binoculars. He said the Right Whales were in the area and the Humpbacks were just returning. He hadn’t seen them himself yet but one of the other employees had said she was seeing breaching behavior which is typical of Humpbacks.

He suggested I go down to Nauset Light or Coast Guard Beach to see if I could spot them from the shore. He told me Nauset Light was a little higher ground so that was where I headed.

In spite of the sun, it was pretty brisk with the breeze off the ocean. I layered on a hoodie and winter jacket, grabbed my binoculars and camera and headed to the stairs down to the beach. At the head of the stairs is a landing with a bench so I made myself at home there. I no sooner set my things down and turned to look out to sea when I saw my first “blow”. Another followed and then another! I grabbed the binoculars first as they have more range than the camera. Through those I could see a whale flipper slapping and rolling on the surface. The only whales that I know for sure do that behavior are humpbacks. A few minutes later there was another spout but this one was a definite “V” shape, a trademark of a Right Whale.

A mother and her son came down to join me so I pointed out where I had been watching. The mother was skeptical but it wasn’t too many minutes before the little boy yelled that he could see it, pointing excitedly in the same direction I had been looking. More people joined us adding their opinions as to what kind of whales we were most likely watching. The show went on for probably 1/2 hour, maybe 45 minutes. My co watchers slowly drifted away, I think because of the cold. I tried to get a couple of pictures just to confirm the sightings but I knew it was a long-shot.

I watched as the various spouts worked their way up the coastline eventually disappearing altogether. I packed up my gear, snapped a picture of Nauset Light and headed home. I made 1 stop at the Christmas Tree Shop in Sandwich where I was finally able to see where the trail goes up over the Sagamore Bridge. I have been saying for ages that I wanted to climb that bridge and get pictures from there. Now I know where to get access.

From there I headed home. I was tempted to make that stop in Bourne but it was too early for sunset shots and I didn’t feel like “hanging around”. I was more than satisfied with my day after seeing the whales.

As a surprise ending I saw a rainbow trying to form as I pulled around the rotary in Taunton. It was very faint but I tried to capture it. It was a great ending to the day.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Boston Light

Posted on April 4, 2011April 4, 2011 by Dusty Roads

In my post about Hull, Ma and Nantasket Beach I included pictures of Boston Light. I decided to do a little research to see if I could get some more information about the lighthouse. Even in the bright sun I was able to see that the light was working.

The island that is home to Boston Light is known as Little Brewster Island and is located in outer Boston Harbor. The first lighthouse built on the island was built in 1716 and was the first lighthouse to be built in what is now the United States. Boston is just full of “firsts”!

This lighthouse is not the original. This one dates back to 1783 and it’s the 2nd oldest working lighthouse in the US. (Sandyhook Lighthouse in NJ is the oldest). This is also the only lighthouse to be actively staffed by the Coast Guard.

In 1964 Boston Light became a National Historic Landmark.

The first lighthouse keeper drowned along with his wife and daughter while returning to the island in 1718.

During the American Revolution the lighthouse was held by the British. American forces attacked and burned the original structure not once but twice. When the British withdrew in 1776 they finished it off by blowing up the structure which completely demolished it.

The lighthouse was rebuilt in 1783 to its original height of 75 ft. In 1859 it was raised to its present height of 89 ft.

The light was automated in 1998 but is still staffed by a resident civilian keeper and volunteer watchstanders from the Coast Guard auxiliary. It’s light flashes white every 10 seconds and can be seen for a distance of 27 nautical miles.

A tour offered of the Boston Harbor Islands includes a stop a Little Brewster to visit Boston Light. You will also view Long Island Light and Graves light.

I think that tour will go on my “must-do” list for a summer excursion!

A Sign of Spring

Posted on April 2, 2011April 2, 2011 by Dusty Roads

I remember a poem from when I was little. I think it was in the Little Golden Book series but I never forgot it. I would like to share it with you along with my Pussy Willow Photos from Roger Williams Park and Zoo. Maybe it will bring back memories for you too.