Loop Island (Thanks Steve, Ann & Rosie)

After a tip from the kind folks over at Diggin in the Dirt, we ventured down to Loop Island wetlands Sunday Morning, and it was definately worth it:

Humming Bird By Charity

Double Crested Cormorant taking off

Great Egret Flying

"Shore Party!"

Great Egrets, Blue-winged teal, Great Blue Herons, and Hen Mallards

Killdeer

Fall is here....

By far my favorite season! I would suggest to the few followers of this blog to take the time to get out there in the world, and you don't have to drive far to experience some of the best mother nature has to offer....

And sometimes, more often than it should happen, we get not so subtle reminders that we are but stewards of this amazing world, it does not belong to us, we only borrow it from our children and the animals which live here with us, and we are NOT doing a very good job....

" Do I leave Animal Carcasses in your living room?"

Other blogs have covered the damage of the windstorm rather well, and I too, had made the tour with camera in hand, but this I absolutely loved. A lot of people know about the herd of deer at the radio towers on grant line road (if you dont, all you have to do is drive by right before the sun goes down, and usually you can three to eight deer, bucks, does, and yearlings)

This particular group of deer pictured above can be found in the early morning hours on Coes Lane, just off of Charlestown road. I have never seen them after 7:30am, but have seen them more often than not if I drive down Coes lane before 7:15. Look for them on the left side of the road if you are driving away from Charlestown road just before the first bend in the road.

Another scene, which of course, I did not have my camera for this morning were three raptors all in a row, lined up from big to small, a red tailed hawk, a red shoulder hawk, and an American Kestral. Reminded me of one of those commercials "more bars in more places".

Hope the clean up is going well for everyone, and please try and help out a neighbor!!

Every Cloud...Er wind has a silver lining

5 large grills filling the electric free air with the wafting aroma of steak, burgers, BBQ chicken, sausage, hamburgers and dogs....
Children laughing and playing, adults talking and relaxing, and EATING like there was no tomorrow.
From about 5pm to late into the night that was the scene here in the neighborhood. The meat from freezers that was about to be lost was lined up, seasoned, and slapped on charcoal and gas grills, before too long, what started off as a way to be able to keep the meat a little longer should the power not come back on, turned into a no-electric post hurricane winds, block party.
After the trees blocking the street were cleared, and the fireworks provided by the exploding transformers had banged its last bang, it was time to relax, and what the hell, there was no TVs with the exception of two small battery powered TVs, a battery powered radio.
What could have been a total disaster, at least in this neighborhood turned into something good. Connections were made, dialogs were started, and a few running problems were solved over paper plates full of steaks and hot dogs.
By the time the last chunk of cow came off the grill, and no one could possibly eat anymore, everyone was relaxed, and ready for bed. At least if nothing else, it knocked quite a few hours out of what was to be a long and VERY dark, and eerily quiet night. Some of the neighbors hung outside until about 2am or a little later, and when the sun came up, we were all back out there helping each other clean up.....
Its just a shame it took a storm like this to bring this neighborhood back together, but at least it happened....

St. Mary of the Annunciation

Built in 1853, it would appear that the remnants of Hurricaine Ike has severely damaged one of New Albanys most beautiful churches, the steeple as of monday at 2:30 was being held up by a pair of cranes and was leaning badly towards 8th street.
For more information on the church: http://www.stmarysna.org/index.html

First Real Day Out In A While

Its been a little while since I could go out trekking around on foot for hours taking a hike with my camera, and the wait was rewarding today....

Photo #1 A Juvenile Osprey, one of Five currently hanging out at the falls of the Ohio.
A Black Vulture, one of hundreds who have been down there, this guy was nearly close enough to reach out and grab.
A double crested Cormorant Juvenile, one of a pair who was swimming and flying around. Usually these guys are extremely wary of people and do not often get close enough for a good shot.
My all time favorite "shore bird", the green heron, he and I ended up playing a game of Hide and Seek, he decided if he hid in a cherry tree I would not be able to find him.
One of the neatest things I have seen in a long time, this wood spider was trudging her brood of young across the fossil beds of the Falls of the Ohio. Every time she would stop dozens of baby spiders would crawl off of her back and scurry around, when it was time to move on, they would all climb on her back and she would run off, I watched her do this for about 25 yards.

Preparing for Enhanced Code Enforcement Opposition

Photo Ops

The evenings are cooling off, and the flocking and migration of the birds have begun, which affords excellent opportunities to get some pictures of birds that are refreshingly greeted like friends who only stop by once a year:
The Number of Raptors hanging out should start increasing as fall approaches, this red-shouldered hawk will be in the same place nearly every morning on the way to work. When he is not out, a red tailed hawk more than likely will be....

Wood Duck and teal will start increasing in numbers, though the wood duck will not be in their best dress, they are still none the less a very beautiful bird....

Common Nighthawks are passing through now, where you find Chimney Swifts and Swallows twisting and turning in the air, right now you will probably find these guys as well. A very Aerobatic bird, their speed and grace is amazing. Look for them in in and among the previously mentioned birds, they will be about the size of a blue jay, with very distinctive white bands on the outer edge of their wings...

The Great Egrets will be passing through as well, and soon following them there will be a return of the large numbers of Great Blue Herons, followed by my favorite migratory birds who come to southern Indiana, the massive flocks of Sandhill Cranes that will cover Muscatatuck and Ewing Bottoms outside Seymour....

Sad....

I feel really guilty, the last time I saw Jim Hollis at the "corner store" near our neighborhood, I ducked out before talking to him, and I did so on purpose, as I was running late to work.
Mr. Hollis died this past Saturday, and his funeral is tomorrow. A long time council member, and a contender in the last primary elections, and he was a contender with his home made election signs. The little man could talk the ears off of a mule, but he always did so trying to do his best to serve the interests of this city. He was an old school politician who believed in face to face one on one campaigning, and he seemed to actually care.
Sorry I snubbed you last time I saw you Mr. Hollis, may you rest in peace.

The Next Great Debate

Soon, I am sure the great debate of Take Home Patrol Cars will come up in the great chambers of city hall. And there are many people who feel that the very act of a police officer having a 24 hour patrol car is an abuse of authority, and waste of tax payer money, etc.
But let me relate to you a little story, and we will have to reach back into some antiquity to set the stage right.....
One summer night, what seems like a lifetime ago, two police officers had just finished their tour of duty on second shift. One of them the shift Sergeant, the other was the shift Corporal. Just as they had done for God knows how long, they went to the police headquarters to turn in the patrol car, the huge bulky two way radios for the next shift to use. The climbed into a soft top 1976 Jeep CJ-7, grey with silver stripes, they carpooled to work as these two officers lived right down the street from each other.
On the way home, they stopped at what was then "the state street store", to pick up a few things. The walked through the doors of the store right into the middle of an armed robbery. Now this was back in the days before our officers had bullet proof vests, semi-automatic pistols, etc...
The Sergeant was reportedly greeted with 12 gauge shotgun, and immediately gunfire broke out, thankfully, neither officer was hit, nor was the store clerk, but if memory serves me correctly, all three suspects were wounded, one with a shot to the face, one with multiple shots to his upper leg, and the third, memory eludes me as to his injuries.
In the moments after the shooting, and right before the shooting these two officers were alone, no radio to call for backup, no patrol car with a 12 gauge of their own to match firepower, no extra ammunition outside of the 18 shots, 6 in the revolver, and 12 on the belt.
It took a little while for back up to get there, to seal the scene and get the wounded to hospital, it takes time to match up a set of keys on a peg board to a car parked outside the station, precious seconds that can cost lives.
These two Officers were Sergeant Bruce Drake, and Corporal Mike Helms, both of which are gone now, if they were here, they could both attest to the importance of take home cars. Because not too long after that incident the city had purchased a handful of used dodge aspen 6 cylinder cars slapped some monstrously large light bars on the top and dressed them up with the insignia that clearly labeled them as New Albany Police cars, brandished with a proud "24 Hour Patrol" on the sides.
Nothing truly of note happened in the years following the shooting, a few major accidents of the highways, severe weather incidents, large fires which required extra officers to ensure that the city was properly covered.
That is until July 27Th, 1996 John Ingle walked into Tommy Lancaster's restaurant and shot his wife, Debbie, to death with a .45 caliber handgun. Officer Russ Witt responded to the scene and had went after the suspect on foot. Officer Witt was shot 5 times with that .45 caliber pistol, and was left basically to die.
This time around, there WERE take home cars, and the turn out of Officers was immediate, Officer Witt was taken to the hospital were he eventually recovered from his wounds, with the exception of on .45 slug that had to stay in his back.
An intensive man hunt began, and the area was effectively sealed off, leaving virtually no escape route for Ingle, who was soon captured.
We have had other incidents in this city where Officers have needed immediate assistance, and the community needed more than the four or five officers on the street to resolve the situations, The stabbing of Officer Laura Shook, the shooting of Officer Dannie Price, and the Murder of Officer Denzinger and serious wounding of Officer White, both from the Floyd County Police Department.
Yes, it costs money to have take home cars, and yes there will always be those who criticise everything the police do.
But we do not even have the luxury of having a police force that has the proper number of Officers as that relates to the population, and quite frankly shit happens. What is the cost this community is willing to pay to save money? An officer being wounded, or killed, or people who need help right at shift change having to wait for officers to find their assigned patrol car, transfer all the equipment that modern law enforcement requires into the car?
Those who would seek to do away with take home cars would probably be the first to raise holy hell if their call for help was delayed, or if their loved one was in need of immediate assistance, and in an effort to save money, there simply were not enough officers available to get the job done.........