Friends of Brightwood Park
  • Home
  • PRESERVE
    • Ecology
    • Invasive Species
    • Ponds
    • Clean Ups
    • Trails
  • ENJOY
    • halloween-22
    • Photos
    • Birding >
      • greenHeron
    • Trail Maps
    • Calendar
  • B W Kids
    • Nature Detectives - the latest news
  • History
  • Who We Are
    • Chuan-Chu Chou Blog
    • Perspectives on the Park
    • MemberInfo
    • presidentReport-1Q-21
  • Shop
  • JOIN
  • biancaTemp
  • loisTemp
  • Home
  • PRESERVE
    • Ecology
    • Invasive Species
    • Ponds
    • Clean Ups
    • Trails
  • ENJOY
    • halloween-22
    • Photos
    • Birding >
      • greenHeron
    • Trail Maps
    • Calendar
  • B W Kids
    • Nature Detectives - the latest news
  • History
  • Who We Are
    • Chuan-Chu Chou Blog
    • Perspectives on the Park
    • MemberInfo
    • presidentReport-1Q-21
  • Shop
  • JOIN
  • biancaTemp
  • loisTemp






brightwood park discoveries

Heron Portfolio

5/26/2022

 
​

A blue heron appeared near the east shore of the large pond around 6:15 PM today.  The big bird allowed me to get close, within 10 feet.  We stared at each other for quite a while.  I guess the bird was interested in having a portfolio of portrait pictures for finding a date or a job in Hollywood.

Flicker Home Life

5/26/2022

 
Last year a red-bellied woodpecker couple made their home in a dead tree in the forest.  A northern flicker couple checked in this year.  The male can be identified by having mustache.  It appeared that the male took the main responsibility of guarding the nest and hatching the eggs. 

Every time I walk by, I whistle.  The male sticks his head out and sometimes jumps to a nearby tree branch but quickly returns to the tree hole when the female flies back.  The female carries food back home and shares with  her husband inside the nest.  When both birds are home, only the female is seen at the front entrance.  One can easily tell who wears the pants in the house.

Wood Ducklings are Growing Up

5/26/2022

 



​The baby wood ducks are growing fast and getting big.  The mother looked proud and a little relaxed, without much yelling and screaming any more.  A couple of the babies always stay close to mom.




Rainy day greetings!

5/15/2022

 
​It was a wet day.  I took a quick walk in the park to fulfill my duty as spark ranger.  Unexpectedly, several folks came out to say hello.  I guess rain cannot stop the party.  I was greeted by several geese, two chipmunks, a green heron, a mallard duck, and the family of wood ducks.  The geese and the ducks performed parades in the air, on the shore, and in the pond, respectively.  I felt so flattered.

Outside the park, the Japanese maple and a flower of creeping woodsorrel caught my attention.  I stared at them for quite a while.  How could I just leave without taking pictures to tell the world how beautiful they are.

The Dance of the Flowers Begins

5/11/2022

 
​The plants are taking turns to present their songs and dances on the stage of Brightwood.  Lily of the valley and bluebell flowers are tiny but noticeable for their cute shapes and colors.  After passing the bridge and before reaching the "Big Slope" they can be seen on the right side of the trail. 

There is a princess plant located between the entrance and the parking lot.  The flowers are like a bouquet in a luxurious but mysterious gift wrap.  Although the fluffy wrap gave a little hint, the color of the flower was very different.  Yet no one would have doubts about the perfect style and color match of the wrap and the content.

Sandpipers and Killdeer in Brightwood?

5/11/2022

 
​Several solitary sandpipers and killdeers came to visit, and enjoyed their breakfast near the north shore of the small pond.  A robin stood by to watch them with curiosity.

Red Winged Black Bird v. White Egret

5/11/2022

 
​An egret appeared next to the west shore of the large pond.  It was constantly harassed by a herd of red-winged blackbirds.  I was wondering if the black birds acted out of being territorial, like what the blue jays did to the owl a while ago.  Finally the egret opened his mouth and screamed: "Enough is enough!".  He was then left alone to move on.  I gave the egret a thumbs up.

Morning Stroll of Discoveries!

5/11/2022

 
This morning while I was walking and singing in the park around 6:45, a squirrel stuck his head out and a big turtle came out of the water,  Both seemed to "walk out of their way" to greet me.  I felt a little bit guilty waking them up, as these two friends usually got up late and did not come out till mid-morning.  

Wood ducks loved morning swimming.  Recently I saw mostly male ones.  I figured the females may be home hatching eggs.

While a few geese were swimming from the bush near the parking lot toward the central island, they were accompanied by an usual creature.  When I used my camera as a binoculars, I cried out upon identifying the object being a swimming deer.  It appeared to be a young male, with buds on the forehead.  As I shared before, Brightwood Park never runs out of pleasant surprises.

In the Morning Light

5/4/2022

 
I went to Brightwood Park before 7 AM Sunday and found a few wood ducks settled in the bushes.  The ducks did not appear to mind me taking their photographs, and I hope this is a sign of trust building.

​While I was paying my full attention to the wood ducks, I heard a noise from my side.  It was a rusty blackbird, seemingly trying to get my attention.  The fellow appeared to be a little narcissistic.  When it saw itself in the water, its eyesight was locked to the image.  For a good 5 minutes or so, the bird would not leave the spot.  It was like a replay of the fairy tale of the young prince, which I read in my childhood.

Blue jays have totally different characters.  They have much healthier self-esteem, singing, dancing, and enjoying themselves whenever and wherever they can, alone or in groups.

A few geese were swimming in the large pond.  Two of them approached me as if they were asking: "Did you bring coffee and bagel for us?"  Others were having a good time eating and drinking from the pond, occasionally swimming or flying around.
Among the birds I observed last year, the blue jays were the dominant species..  They were highly territorial and forced the owls to terminate the lease on the famous tree hole.  This year another species is taking over and are much milder and friendly: northern flickers.  You can hear their sound like machine gun firing or like old Shanghai grandmas lecturing young children with no pause or break.

This morning I first saw a northern flicker standing by a hole on a tree.  The bird looked around carefully and made sure no one (except me) was spying, and quickly entered the hole which apparently was its home.

I then headed toward the park entrance to finish my morning walk.  All of a sudden I heard several birds making strange noises.  It turned out to be a group of northern flickers partying on trees between the trail and Prospect Street.  They seemed to have a lot of fun.  Some of them were performing and spread their tails like outfits of gypsy dancers.  Some others were playing hide-and-seek as if in an opera.  A few would pair up and sing intervals.  I did notice that some of them were dozing off, perhaps they got up too early because of peer pressure of going to the party.

For a while I saw northern flickers extending their wings and tails while they flew.  But I was too slow to catch the pretty yellow color for picture-taking.  This morning it seemed that my prayers were answered more than what I asked for.  In addition to seeing the bird's beautiful color display of the feathers, there were multiple birds gathering on a stage right in front of me, opposite to the nature of these timid birds.  They danced and sang new songs.  What a special treat and a Sunday blessing! 

Evening in the Park

5/1/2022

 
I went to the park in the evening.  It was past 7, and there was not much sunlight.  My original thought was to take a quick walk around the pond and go home.  Well, the park will never let you go that easily.  There are always some objects too amusing to walk away from.

The first thing that caught my attention was a blue heron flying from the large pond to the small one.  I stretched my camera to its limit to get an image of the big bird.  What surprised me next was a wood duck coming along.  It appears that with a big guy standing by, there was no reason for the usually very timid creature to fear.  The heron opened its beak and sent a message around that nobody is allowed to touch his friend under his protection in his territory.  The first wood duck then waved at his friend.  Then the second wood duck came to join the party.  Thanks to the heron that for the first time I was able to be so close to wood ducks.  Regretfully, it was too dark to take pictures with good resolution.

I heard a noise in the bushes along the fence.  It turned out to be a coyote.  The fellow was apparently disappointed not being able to challenge the heron, and gave up his hunting.  It moved fast and I could barely get a couple of pictures.  I was glad, though, to see the healing of the skin disease he  had when I last saw him about 3 weeks ago.

The blue heron was more colorful than the other ones I saw before.  After we stared at each other for a while with no signs of hostility, this fellow seemed to take me as a friend, and said farewell before flying away.

After crossing the bridge over the dam, I heard the singing of frogs and spotted one.  This is the first time I saw a frog here this year.  The back of this frog looked like a mini-hippopotamus to me.  The side view was more typical of a frog.  I said a soft goodbye to the little friend and finished my last walk of April, 2022.
<<Previous

    Chuan-Chu Chou

    I am a frequent visitor of Brightwood Park and enjoy sharing my discoveries.

    Archives

    March 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022

    ducks
    fox
    pond
    ​owl

    All

    RSS Feed

Location

Brightwood Park is on the North end of Prospect Street.  Go past Franklin School and look for the entrance on the left.

What Our Members Are Saying

"I love the work you are doing at Brightwood.  Your efforts have shone a light on the essential elements of the park that we all cherish: its natural beauty and tranquility."

"I have a deep fondness for Brightwood park and would like to see it restored, remain natural and continue to be a site of passive recreation."

"I loved growing up in Brightwood Park !"


"I found Brightwood a few years ago and it's a great place to find wildlife, fish, and enjoy nature. Nice and quiet; good place to un wind and relax. Love it!!!"

​"As a resident for almost thirty years in the Brightwood area of Westfield, I am thrilled to see what is happening to improve and preserve Brightwood park for today and future generations. "


Contact Us


Become a Member!  We'd Love to Have You Join Us.