Day 15, October 2, 2023 At Salisbury MA
Monday wash day! everybody happy! well I should say. And that's what it was at least in the morning. The laundromat here has five washers and dryers and the price is right so we took advantage of it. It was a nice sunny day temperature and already up in the 60s and the laundry was only a few hundred feet away. Washers for two dollars for 30 minutes and dryers were eight minutes for a quarter. I don't think you can beat that anywhere . It did wonderful washing as well. I brought a chair for Ruth to sit at a table and work on Christmas cards (she never sits idly!) And I caught up on some computer work.
The couple that runs the camp ground is very cooperative and helpful. Their friendly attitude makes the stay that much better. Thank you John and Sissy!
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| The camp sign next to the laundry. (Left) |
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| A type of pyracantha grows wild . |
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| Greater Yellowlegs at rest with a Green Winged Teal |
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| Merrimack River has dozens of Boat and Yacht clubs along the river. |
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| Ruth was attempting these photos when the camera mirror dislodged. |
So we finished the laundry and of course put all the clothes away and remade the bed. That may be about the toughest thing to do when trailering on the inside of the trailer. It depends a lot upon how the bed is situated and whether you have room to move the mattress or not. There usually is a cabinet next to the beds which makes putting on the sheets difficult at best. At about 11:30 it was time for lunch, where I finished the other half of that clam chowder that I saved. Yum.
There still was sometime in the day so we went back to Parker River NWR one more time. Today was sunny and in the 70s so we had anticipated the birds would be flying more than the previous days. It was true, but seeing birds flying across the road from one woods to the other is not amenable to identification. But, at a few stops when we were able to stand in one place and watch the bushes or shrubs it was much more profitable. We did see 25 birds today and although there were no new species we finally were able to identify a very elusive Savanna Sparrow that we had seen previously but could not make a positive identification. There were the usual Yellowlegs, Harriers, Semi Palmated Plovers, Gadwalls, a Widgeon, a Tundra Swan, and of course many Black Ducks which are very common in this area.
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| Green Winged Teal in flight |
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| Turkeytail Mushroom |
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| One of the boat lifts at Merrimack R. |
The tide was high again in the afternoon, so shorebirds were not generally visible. Of course there were the Snowy Egrets and Great Egrets as this is a perfect habitat for them. Marshy, but not too deep water and enough grasses to keep it interesting
The traffic was much less than previous days being on Monday, so getting in and out of places was quite easy. I am sure this the wildlife area during migration is buzzing with activity. Particularly the northern migration in the
spring. Migration to the south is more erratic as birds have their own schedule depending on many factors. Of course that includes but is not limited to; the weather, light, wind, food source and water levels. A few days ago we saw flocks of 30 to 40 tree swallows on the beaches catching flies and other insects as they journey southward. Later that day someone said that a few days before there were thousands of tree swallows heading south.
One of the viewing stations has a bench to make one more comfortable and we used that a few times. This day we shared that bench with a Young man named Marko. He has frequented this wildlife refuge a number of times and lives south of Boston. He knew his birds quite well and was learning more everyday. Unfortunately, he had lost his job about two weeks ago and was sort of "in between jobs" as it were. We talked to him for a while and left for our car and the parking lot when he arrived at the window of the truck and indicated he had a photograph of a bird that he just took. The same path we just walked on is visible for the large growth of reeds growing on the edge of the water. And in those reeds a man saw a Gallinue or a type of wading bird that lives in the reeds and rushes. We had only seen those in Florida previously. It was quite a find for the young man and he was really excited as he should be.
We exited the Refuge and headed home to download pictures again. Ruth's camera had a problem when she was taking some grasses. It seems that the reflective mirror slid out of place. And even the instructions on internet for the camera could not solve the problem. We will attempt to get that repaired ASAP.
Supper followed and it was leftovers for sure. There were about seven or eight choices, so there was good variety and many offerings. I chose mash potatoes, cornbread under John Wayne stew, cole slaw, chili and rice, and a few leftover chicken and noodles that we had saved. Meals on the road can be interesting.
As we are leaving early in the morning to work on that brake of the trailer, we will get an early start. I took care of the dark water so we won't have to do that in the morning. We hope to be at the repair shop by 9 o'clock. It's about a half hour drive so we should make that okay.
Our next move is to Maine at a campground in Scarborough Maine.
Check in tomorrow for an update.--Jim
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