by Winding Pathways | Mar 21, 2017 | Birds, Nature, Wonderment
We’re lucky to have a pair of bald eagles nesting within walking distance of our home. Occasionally we clamber through the woods to check on the couple, but we’re careful to not disturb them. We stay a hundred yards away from their nest tree and spy on them through binoculars.
On March 12 Rich witnessed a remarkable trait of eagle parentage. Incubation is a female task with most birds. The male rarely sits. Not so with bald eagles. The soon-to-be father helps keep the eggs warm. Rich happened to be near the nest during the changing of the guard.
Watching from a distance.
He could see just the white crown of the sitting eagle’s head protruding from the huge nest built high in a white oak tree. Its mate perched on a limb about 50 yards away. Suddenly the sitting bird climbed off the eggs, spread its wings, and began circling the nest. Its mate joined the circling. After a few revolutions around the nest the recently sitting bird made a beeline north, presumably to look for dinner. The remaining eagle circled a few more times before settling down on a branch near the nest. After a minute or two it hopped into the nest and settled down over the eggs.
Who was who? Male and female bald eagles look alike, so Rich couldn’t tell if the male or female was the first incubator. It doesn’t really matter. Cooperation between the two is fascinating as this link shows.
Eagle parentage is an exercise in teamwork. The pair built the nest, take turns incubating, and both hunt for nestling food.
Eagles share parenting duties. Photo by M. Norlander
Eagle nests are becoming more common everywhere. The birds mostly feed on fish, so likely nest locations are near rivers, lakes, or the ocean. Nests are enormous piles of sticks, usually high in a tree and easy to spot. Bald eagles don’t seem bothered by roads, stores, or houses and often nests are within sight of heavy human activity.
Find a nest, dress warmly and sit some distance away with a pair of binoculars. You’ll be treated to examples of outstanding parentage. We plan to spy on our local eagle pair from a distance through the 35-day incubation period and as they raise their chicks.
by Winding Pathways | Mar 9, 2017 | Labyrinths, Wonderment
Set next to a busy sidewalk yet, discreet in location.
The world seems stressed now and yet, the tools we can use to help center and calm are sometimes gathering dust as we try to “figure things out.” In this time of Lenten Reflection and approaching Passover, Sheryl Crow’s song and lyrics resonate with me. “Out of Our heads”
And I remember the work of Ellen Bintz-Meuch in DuPage County Jails with women helping them find themselves and their way back to positive relations and productive lives.
Additionally, the Hampshire County Jail in Massachusetts sets an example of growth among inmates.
Let us reach out in compassion to help all be positive citizens. Indeed let us “get out of our heads and into our hearts.”
by Winding Pathways | Mar 8, 2017 | Children/Play, Wonderment
This blog from Community Playthings caught the eye of Winding Pathways. Indeed, today’s society is too concerned with correctness, cleanliness, and convention. A Buddhist saying goes something like this: spend twenty minutes outside everyday. If you think you are busy, spend an hour. At Winding Pathways we find this to be true. No matter the weather we try to get outside to see the sun or stars or clouds; to experience the wind or cold or heat; to feel the rain or snow on us. We keep our bearings, feel the roughness and gentleness of the environment and learn. Observe the changes of the seasons, find your Cardinal Points using the sun and structures, listen for the birds, watch the sky. Be. Above all, let kids be kids to slop around, spin, jump, tumble, get filthy dirty and then enjoy a warm bath and fresh clothes with a cup of hot chocolate and conversation. Go Outside and Play!
by Winding Pathways | Feb 10, 2017 | Labyrinths, Wonderment
“It is better to light just one little candle than to stumble in the dark….” SONGWRITERS
GEORGE MYSELS, JOSEPH MALOY ROACH
A collection of labyrinths I visited and walked across the country in 2016.
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A slightly neglected and charming labyirnth is tucked in near the church in Fairfield.
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A special gift from Amy and Mark.
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Intriguing and beautiful.
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Set next to a busy sidewalk yet, discreet in location.
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This labyrinth is surrounded by colorful forbs
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Valparaiso, IN, houses several beautiful labyrinths.
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Emily and Zach created a fanciful and practical labyrinth in Kansas.
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Accompanying a friend after the death of her spouse. An honor.
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A large river stone labyrinth set among garden plots.
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Walking alone yet together.
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Inspiring pilgrims to move through.
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Creating a visual of their journeys
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A special quality surrounds walkers at night.
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Chartres replica in courtyard.
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Wesley Cntr Labyrinth_Woodward,LA
by Winding Pathways | Jan 20, 2017 | Amphibians/Reptiles, Children/Play, Nature, Wonderment
Almost all substances contract as they get colder. There’s one notable exception and it enables life.
Ice expands and floats
As water cools, it gets denser. As the temperature continues to drop, cold surface water sinks to the bottom. When the lake’s surface water reaches 39 degrees Fahrenheit something amazing happens. As weather continues to get colder it expands. When it turns to ice it expands even more! That’s why ice floats. If it didn’t, ponds and lakes would completely freeze and nothing could live in a solid block of ice.
Ice floating on a lake moderates the temperature of the water beneath it. Although the air temperature may be below zero above the ice the water beneath it is never below freezing. That’s why fish, frogs, and other aquatic organisms can not only live but also bask in the relative warmth of the water while terrestrial animals are forced to survive in arctic cold.
This phenomenon makes ice fishing possible. The following blog was written by a friend who took her children fishing one cold morning.
Ice Fishing With Kids
Story and photos of people
by: Kelly Carr
“They weren’t budging. Even with the overhead light flipped on, gentle shoulder shakes, and promises of the fun they would have, my kids feigned sleep. It was 7:00 a.m. on New Year’s Eve, and it had been about a year since our last ice fishing attempt. This particular day was the sixth of a seven day stretch of the new shared-custody arrangement I had with my daughter and son’s father. As if putting them through a divorce wasn’t guilt-inducing enough, now I was trying to drag them out of the security of their warm beds. My mind drifted back to the present – if I could just get them going, I knew they would have a great time. So, I played the “Let’s Get Donuts On The Way” card. Sleeping forms shifted, eyelids sprung open. We were out the door in fifteen minutes, teeth unbrushed, bedhead tucked under stocking caps, and feet snuggled into a double layer of socks.”
Donut Bribery works!
“I’ve tried to raise kids who feel comfortable in nature. Driving to the park for the ice fishing clinic, the car filled with the smell of maple frosting. I mused silently upon some of our past outdoor adventures. We have been geocaching newbies, tramping at a roadside park, looking for a “small bison container”, which, as it turned out, was NOT a buffalo figurine after all! We’ve packed picnics into cemeteries, and talked oaks and stones and stories while we ate.
“A voice from behind jostled me back to the present. I passed a cappuccino to waiting hands in the backseat and then pointed up to a hillside, “Look – a cemetery!” My daughter protested, “Not today, Mom! Ugh!” You win some, you lose some.
The Outdoor Thing
“We wound through the park to the shore. After a quick presentation by a naturalist and distribution of fishing guides, bait and poles, we were set. My kids chose spots not too far away from their last year’s spots, got settled in on mats and sipped from their gas station cups while waiting for spring-bobbers to bob. The sun made things sparkle, and as I looked at them handling things and sitting in peace, I knew I had nothing to feel guilty about. Tummies full, bundled in warm layers, taking a chance on adventure, we were doing this “outdoors thing”. And we were finding our new “normal” while doing it. They each pulled two fish out of the water that morning before asking to go back to the car to listen to music. I consider that as success.
Smiles
A warm bed is no match for the coolness of catching a panfish in winter.
“I had a few moments to myself out on the ice, to take it all in. Even when life changes, there are constants we can count on. The fish may not always bite, but while the sky is above and the earth (or ice) is below, I am a mother who loves her kids.”
by Winding Pathways | Jan 14, 2017 | Labyrinths, Wonderment
We walk a common path yielding and communing allowing all the right to be.
Light One Candle is a ecumenical service and labyirnth walk to encourage people to commit to or enhance good works throughout the year to bringing light and love to lift up others and ourselves.
For more information on labyrinths go to Veriditas, The Labyrinth Society and Labyrinthos.
