Annemarie Rand, volunteer bird monitor, sends this report:
On the morning of October 11, I went to the trail for a fall bird monitoring session. Thank God for the later sunrise in the fall! I saw some great birds. Many were just passing through in their travels south. I saw two Hermit Thrushes, an Eastern Towhee and many Golden-crowned Kinglets. There was also a Brown Creeper making its way up one tree.
It was a great morning for herons: I observed two Black-crowned Night Herons (one successfully fishing) and a Great Blue Heron.
The usual Mallards were there as well a the European Starlings and the Belted Kingfishers.
I was looking for the Red-headed Woodpeckers, but didn’t see them at all. I’m not sure if they have left already. I truly hope that they are back again next spring as they are one of the species declining in population in our area.
It’s great to see the signs up at each end of the trail declaring it a recognized bird and butterfly habitat. We truly have a gem of a natural area at Ronan Park!
Categories: Wildlife
I spent a little time entering emails and organizing our short but growing email list today. Made some phone calls to people for whom I had only a phone number.
Along the way, I got to chatting with one person who thought her work schedule would keep her from participating… but it turns out she was just out walking the trail and picked up a bunch of trash. Well, that counts as participating! Almost certainly somebody noticed her doing it, and now we have here, too.
If you’d like to be part of conversing and connecting and caring around the Trail, click the request link at the top of the sidebar, and I’ll add you to the list. Or just keep walking and quietly tending to what needs to be done around the Trail, whenever and however it’s easy for you!
Categories: Contact · Needed · Trail Care
Here are some pictures of the record rainfall flooding the trail earlier this month. These were taken shortly after the river crested. Best guess, the river rose maybe 8-10 feet above normal.
Categories: Pictures
Finally got out to transplant the last of the seedlings that have been incubating on my front porch since Kevin Anderson brought them to our first Trail Day. Found a nice spot for them in a flood-washed section and planted them with help from Lindsay and her small son Alex, who happened along the Trail at just the right time.
Categories: Trail Care
Last Trail Day was rained out. So I got to sleep in and listen to the rain. But now the Trail might disappear into the greenery again.
Becky Schillo at CPD has ordered us new tools, some shovels, gloves, trimming tools, for our very own. We will add more as we find more volunteers to use them.
We’re also working on setting up a Trail Day with a group of student volunteers, to install some (donated!) wood ties along edges of the Trail. Anybody else got a group that wants to do some light Trail maintenance work together?
Our next community trail (work/play) day is in August, TBA. Join our mailing list if you want to get that announcement and join us.
Still working on updates and corrections to the plants guide page, as well. Stay tuned.
Categories: Contact · Trail Care · Trail Days
Annemarie Rand, volunteer bird monitor, sent this report:
I went to Ronan this morning, but not at sunrise! Now that we are out of June, I don’t have to go at sunrise unless I want to. I showed up around 9:45-ish to see the birds and the new fence etc…
I think I have pin pointed which tree the Red-headed woodpeckers are nesting in. Although I didn’t see any young, I did see an adult make a food delivery. That’s great news!
The immature Black-crowned night heron is still hanging out where I usually see him. A Herring gull was successfully fishing and eating right in front of his face, poor guy!
I saw two Belted Kingfishers, but couldn’t tell if they were male, female or juvenile from where I was.
I watched a Green Heron fish successfully beneath the Argyle bridge.
I saw a bird I hadn’t seen before which I think may be some type or tern, perhaps a Black tern. It flew over the river back and forth. It had a charcoal gray/blackish body. Peterson Field guide says that we are in their summer range, so it very well could be a Black tern. It’ll be interesting to see if it is there again for our next Trail Day.
Thanks!
Categories: Wildlife
A Trail Neighbor has donated 25 landscaping ties for lining the trail! She lives just a few blocks away, but probably too far to carry so many ties. We’d like to find a vehicle (w/driver) to deliver them to a trailhead on (or before) July 19th.
We want to install these things on our NEXT COMMUNITY TRAIL DAY – SATURDAY JULY 19TH.
Can you help?
Also on the 19th… we want to clear the edges of the trail (pulling weeds and cutting back overgrowth), pick-up any trash, and perhaps do some planting around some of the posts of the new fence (Lawrence all the way to Argyle) that’s been installed by the Park District in the last week or so. There’s a low hanging (somebody pulled it down) tree branch that needs cutting, too. Some fence post caps need to be re-glued.
Categories: Needed · Trail Days
Picked up two 5-gallon buckets of trash along the trail and along the new fence this afternoon. Probably not too bad a mess, after the 4th of July holiday.
Replaced 8 or so fence caps that had been pulled off, but apparently were too uninteresting to take with… or even throw away into the brush or the river. So we still have a full set, even if some are only set (no longer glued) into place.
Trimmed a good section of the north end of the trail where overgrowth had narrowed the trail. We need to do more pulling and trimming on the next Trail Day – Saturday July 19th – gather at 9AM.
Categories: Trail Care
Join us for the next trail day: Saturday, July 19th. Meet about 9AM at North End of Trail. We’ll be catching whatever burdock and thistle we might have missed today, cleaning up trash…
…and talking about the possibility of Ronan Friends doing a canoe day together.
mailto:info@ronanparktrail.com with any questions.
Categories: Trail Days
About a dozen folks showed up for our first Trail Day. We dug out burdock and thistle along the full length of the trail, both sides, and cleaned up some trash, and trimmed some along the edges of the Trail. We planted three spiderwort plants that Kevin Anderson brought, and brought some other offerings home to keep nursing a bit longer in their dixie cups. Thanks to all who came to help clear and trim, identify plants and birds, offer plants and seeds, and clean the place up.
Categories: Trail Days
