Granville Daily Photo

  While walking the rail trail the other day, I passed these slate holdings on the other side of the fence. They belong to a company called Millenium Slate.  This small section of Granville could be called our industrial zone. Also here are Telescope (maker of casual outdoor furniture) and Saint-Gobain, a French-based manufacturer of materials including plastics. The Granville facility makes tapes and adhesive products. I wanted to get a photo of the Saint-Gobain facility, but there was a man in a bright yellow jacket keeping an eye on me -- clearly a security guard. So I politely kept my camera at my side. I don't see a lot of people using the rail trail, but if they do, that security guard would be busy a lot!

Birds have been on my mind lately as we move into peak migration season in the Northeastern U.S. And they've been popping up in other DPBs too. Here's a not-very-good photo I took the other day of a European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris). Native to Europe and Asia, it was introduced to North America in the late 1800s and is now among the most abundant species across the entire continent.  There is an apocryphal story that a man called Schiefflin wanted to have all the birds mentioned in Shakespeare's works brought to America. He snuck 100 starlings into Central Park in New York City and released them -- and the rest is history, as the saying goes.  Alas, a researcher in the past decade or so pretty much debunked that story. At least that wasn't the first time that starlings were introduced on the continent. The bird in this photo was singing -- if you can call their variety of squeaks, whistles, and mimicry a "song" -- with its throat puffed up, presumably showi...

It finally occurred to me on Day 56 (if I'm counting correctly) that I haven't shown you what the Village of Granville looks like! So here's a view onto Main Street or "Downtown" or whatever you want to call it. The clock at the far right is part of the town's war memorial. Businesses line either side of the street beyond the yellow lights. A couple of pubs, two pizza shops, and other miscellany. The road goes straight for about a quarter of a mile, then curves left to merge with Quaker Street, which has more shops -- gas stations, car washes, Dunkin' Donuts, a hardware store, the school, the pharmacy, etc. If you turn left at the light, onto Church Street, where the white pickup truck can be seen, you cross the river, pass the funeral home and Telescope, and come to the Price Chopper (grocery store) plaza. Across the street from that is the Van Riper Greenhouse where I took photos the other day. My house is only two blocks from where this photo was taken,...

It's fun to imagine what this restaurant, "The Forum," was like. Half lighthouse, half Granville's own "Windows On the World." The only thing I could find online says it seated at least 100. I can't find any information on when it closed. I'll have to ask the town historian. It gives off a vibe of "many years," although the painted name looks relatively fresh. "Bernardo's 5" is a more recent casualty, having only closed a few months ago. The restaurant business is hard everywhere.

What could be more perfect on a warm spring day in late April than watching a greenhouse/nursery in Granville get ready for the season? The greenhouses were bursting with color! The sentiment seems apprpriate! Van Riper's Greenhouse is a family-owned business. The owner (at back) and an employee get ready for next weekend's opening day. Red, white, pink, green. Hanging baskets and hard work. A symphony of color. I'm running out of words. The photos and the flowers speak for themselves. If you happen to be in Granville, New York, USA, on May 1, stop by Van Riper's Greenhouse for opening day! It's right past Telescope and across the street from the Price Chopper plaza.

These pictures are from a ramble yesterday at the West Rutland Marshes, another Important Bird Area (IBA), this time in Vermont. Unlike the complex of agrigultural lands and state-owned parcels at the Washington County Grasslands, this mix of freshwater marshes and forested swamps is presumably preserved for the future. If I had to guess, I'd say the sprawling Phragmites (aka Common Reed) and other invasives are probbly the biggest threat. West Rutland Marsh IBA from the boardwalk, Most of the photos here are from the Whipple Hollow Trail, which features a path through the forested swamplands.  Bloodroot flowers along the Whipple Hollow Trail. Spring green birch trees at the back end of the marsh. Are youi sick of green yet? False Hellibore in the swamp. Ending the day with a deep pink sunset. Among the many species of birds scene/heard included: Osprey, Marsh Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Yellow Warbler, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Raven, Swamp Sparrow, and Brown Creeper. P.S. I mi...

On a blustery Thursday afternoon, I left work early and drove the 25 minutes from my house to look out on this scene: the Washington County Grasslands (also known as the Fort Edward Grasslands). For miles around, this area is agricultural land. The complex of grasslands themselves are believed to be the largest intact such habitat in the northeastern United States. For good reason, the area was designated in New York State as an "Important Bird Area," or "IBA." In winter it supports a population of Short-eared Owls (Asio flammeus) and Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius), and in breeding season one can find Boblink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna), and other grassland-obligate species. American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) are found year-round. Short-eared Owl has been declared an endangered species in the state; Northern Harrier is threatened. As I stood there and looked, a beautiful adult female harrier cruised over the fields. The owls ...