The cormorant recently appearing in the park apparently took a job here and reported to work early in the morning.  Although I am still guessing what has attracted the bird here, I have no hesitation treating the fellow as a model for practicing my photography.  The colorful and expressive face, particularly the blue-colored eyes, fascinate me.

In some countries, cormorants are raised by fishermen as slaves to hunt for fish.  The neck of the bird is tied with a rope to prevent them from swallowing the catch.  The slaves work for long hours to satisfy the masters and are finally rewarded with a few dead fish on the boat.  Having such a knowledge background, I am thankful both for the cormorants and for myself for residing in  "one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all". 

 
It appears that recently the predators like coyotes, foxes, and eagles have migrated somewhere else.  The park now is well populated by chipmunks and squirrels.

I stopped by a tree where I was greeted two years ago by two squirrels from separate holes.  This time I thought I saw an eye staring at me from one of the holes.  After using my camera to zoom in, it turned out to be a spider web with an eye-like opening in the center.  This seems to be in contrast to the current housing market in Westfield.

 I  would like to bring to your attention the harm fish lines and hooks did to a green heron.

This morning I was accompanied by an old-time colleague and close friend, Li Zhu, who was on a business trip from Nanjing, China to New Jersey.  Li was determined to conduct a pilgrimage at Brightwood Park after seeing some of the photos I took and shared with him in the past.  

Li and I arrived at the park around 7:30 a.m.  While we were passing the bridge and dam, we heard a noise in the pond and saw an object struggling underneath a tree.  After a close examination, it turned out to be a young green trapped in fish lines and two fish hooks.  The bird looked exhausted and was extremely nervous. 

Li and I tried to untangle the lines to release the poor bird.  After being bitten by the bird a few times and stung by the fish hook once, we were able to set the heron free and gladly saw the bird standing up on a tree branch recovering.

I hope the fishing activities in the park can involve some self-discipline by not leaving behind fish lines or hooks, to allow little or no chance of creating hazards for both people and animals.
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 Today the cormorant was back to work.  A wood duck was invited to co-host the show in the large pond.

A gentle breeze flew black locust flowers in the air and left them covering the trails.  

While I was on the two-bridge trail, across from the huge root of a fallen tree, I heard a non-stopping noise of birds.  It turned out to be two baby downy woodpeckers, a male (with a red dot on the head) and a female, taking turns sticking her head out and crying for food.  The mommy bird was standing by a little distance away, with a caught insect in her beak.  I decided to walk away, so that the family can enjoy the meal together. 

 ​I would like to share with you what I saw and discovered in Brightwood Park this past weekend.

A cormorant has become a point of attraction in the past week.  On Saturday the bird decided to take a day off and asked a blue heron friend to fill in as my photography model.  The blue heron along with the turtles chose the small pond to be their studio.  The reflections of their images in the water and the color presentations convinced me that the animals do have a pretty good sense and taste for art.

About a month ago, a red-bellied woodpecker built a home on a tree near the border of the parking lot where the trail leads to the meadow area.  As time went on, the bird kept making improvements, including a small balcony with plants growing, and color painted around the home (hole). 

I saw another woodpecker home being built on a tree located on the trail section between the two-pond junction and the dam/bridge.  I was impressed by the shape design.  Most of the other ones I saw were round and this one is square.  The edges were well-trimmed.  One can see both the discipline and the taste of these birds.