Penn Swamp dawn

[whippoorbill]

The Old Earth Darwinist (reflected above) phoned the Young Earth Creationist this morning ...

"Alfie!"
Silence.
"Alfie?"
"It's three o'clock in the morning, Whip. Why are you calling?"
"Alfie! I forgot to mention to you that I was getting up early this morning to do some field recording and scientific research in the barrens at dawn today! You wanna come? I'll need somebody to help me if I get lost!"
Silence.
"Alfie? Listen, this research is important. Besides the field recordings, I want to find out how the wildlife is affected by the transition to Daylight Savings Time. Alfie? Alfie?!?"

He'd hung up. So I went at it alone.

I've spent hour upon hour at Penn Swamp over the past few years. It's become one of my favorite places in the pine barrens. Especially at dawn. A plethora of songbirds make noise there then. I've sat through dozens of sunrises here. This morning's trip was my first of 2009.

The birds were relatively quiet this morn'. I'm keen to enjoying more owl action (as only one was heard today) and whippoorwills (too early in the season), but I savored a beautiful chorus of mourning doves long before daybreak. A soft breeze whistled throughout. As I sat here scanning these photos, I listened to the two-hour recording. Early spring subtlety. It's very nice.

The portion of the swamp I visit is tucked off of Quaker Bridge Road.

One of the reasons I prefer this swamp for field recording is that it is located well out of sound range of the nearest paved highway. I know my microphones have picked up rip-roaring vehicles in the past from over five miles away, but none register at Penn Swamp.

I approached a calling (no beautiful song for Whip? ... drat!) Carolina chickadee soon after daybreak, intending upon doing my scientific research. "So, Mr. Chickadee. Got time to answer a couple of questions?" chickadee-dee-dee. "Great. So, tell me! How does your brethren stand up to tonight's clock adjustment and the one-hour loss of sleep?" chickadee-dee-dee. "Really! That's fascinating! By the way, did you know that you descended from dinosaurs?" chickadee-dee-dee!!!

It was at this point that I called Alfie again (the lazy bum was still sleeping) and told him that I was hopelessly lost.

If one would listen closely to the field recording, he or she would hear a sobbing voice off in the distant background. This voice would be mine.

I was contemplating religion when I took this photo.

High ground!

Thank you, Darwin!

Now if I can only get up there...

"Alfie. You bum!" I woke him up again.

This is my favorite photo of the day.

Back at the gear.

 

[Teegate]

That last photo brings back many a nightmare

Thank you Bill for the photo's. I would have never have thought that Al would hang up on you

Guy

 

[manumuskin]

Billy,

You know i would never hang up on you.That was the Lord Himself that did that.He was tired of you depending on me and wanted you to depend on Him.I see it almost worked but you appealed to your old god again.One of these days if you keep it up your going to end up sandwiched between two varves in the bottom of a pine barren bog.A new species.Wipoorus Darwinicus.Tell me did the chickadees crap on your head for your ancestral remarks? Kinda like telling me I came from monkees when I know damn well I came from beatles.Where was your gps?In your truck?You gotta quit doing this crap alone.We have run up on people at night in the barrens that I really do believe descended from apes.Now I have studied your geneaology and your millionth great grandad was the honorable monkee Davy Jones.On his tombstone was reported to be inscribed "I'm a Believer" Now why aren't you?
Also while your recorder is running you might want to hike west a half mile on the sand road paralleling the south side of penn swamp stream.It will brush you up against Penn swamp pond.I've had you there(not literally) before and you will recognize it when you see it.You may get some new nightnoises there and they won't be celtic.Maybe some ducks or frogs.If you like it go back and git your recorder.
You should really start keeping your gps on you.Even if I'm with you I could quite literally be raptured at any moment,then where will you be?Up crap creek without a paddle especially if it.s cloudy,I know your night nav skills are sound as long as the stars are out but then again in a cedar swamp your hard pressed sometimes to get a view of em.
Alfie

 

[whippoorbill]

Billy,

You know i would never hang up on you.That was the Lord Himself that did that.He was tired of you depending on me and wanted you to depend on Him.I see it almost worked but you appealed to your old god again.
Alfie

No! No! No! I didn't appeal to Darwin. I didn't appeal to anybody (besides you, and a lot of help that turned out to be). Here's the deal ... I crawled over the remains of several others who failed to find their way out of the swamp. I made it! I'm the fittest! I live to propagate! Me and all my mutations ...

Yers,
Billy

 

[manumuskin]

No! No! No! I didn't appeal to Darwin. I didn't appeal to anybody (besides you, and a lot of help that turned out to be). Here's the deal ... I crawled over the remains of several others who failed to find their way out of the swamp. I made it! I'm the fittest! I live to propagate! Me and all my mutations ...

Yers,
Billy

yer a mutation alright,I'm just trying to figure out what kind.I believe perhaps a man mutating into a whipoorwill.You barely come out in the daylight anymore and the other night I hit your eyes with a falshlight and i could swear they were red and I wish you'd quit sitting in the middle of sand roads and flying up in my windshield annoyingly as i approach and what you did on my windshield the last time was really uncalled for.
Alfie

 

[glowordz]

Billy and Alfie:
This has got to be the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. And my poor husband's sitting here beside me watching the show too, trying not to laugh b/c of his stitches (no, literally, he just had surgery). Love that dawn photo, fifth one down. Wish I could copy it onto my desktop . . . Couldn't make it to the Pines/Lines party tonight--thanks for the (huge) diversion!
~ Glo

 

[oji]

Laurel and Hardy of the pines!

 

[manumuskin]

Laurel and Hardy of the pines!

I forget which one was which.I must be the fat one.Hold on a minute,I meant to say the smart one.
Alfie

 

[manumuskin]

Billy and Alfie:
This has got to be the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. And my poor husband's sitting here beside me watching the show too, trying not to laugh b/c of his stitches (no, literally, he just had surgery). Love that dawn photo, fifth one down. Wish I could copy it onto my desktop . . . Couldn't make it to the Pines/Lines party tonight--thanks for the (huge) diversion!
~ Glo

One of these days Billy will take his final photograph of himself expiring in the pines if he don't start taking that gps with him and yes Billy spare batteries are a must..
I vaguely remember a dream of a telemarketer calling and trying to sell me Pine Sol.I think that was Billy screaming "I'm lost in the pine barrens".I am definitely not an insomniac.My wife can vouch for this.
Alfie

 

[glowordz]

One of these days Billy will take his final photograph of himself expiring in the pines if he don't start taking that gps with him . . . Alfie

Say it ain't so! Do something! Can't you pin that GPS to his jacket (use a big diaper pin like we do for the kids' mittens). OR: modify your brand new super duster varve buster to recalibrate his memory banks? Ignore his objections--this is important. We're depending on you, Alfie.

~Glo

 

[manumuskin]

Say it ain't so! Do something! Can't you pin that GPS to his jacket (use a big diaper pin like we do for the kids' mittens). OR: modify your brand new super duster varve buster to recalibrate his memory banks? Ignore his objections--this is important. We're depending on you, Alfie.

~Glo

Ahh! A kindred spirit.I had forgotten totally about the super duper varve buster! I could use it to napalm the barrens to find my buddy.The barrens rejusvenates quite well from fire so no worry there but Billy will look quite the character with his little cheesy moustache all kinked and crispy and his new sportingly grey goatee.And then agin there is his equipment to think of.If I fried his recorder I might as well turn the varve buster on myself.So much for the varve buster.I'll just pick him up in the Delorian and head back to the year 1981 when i met him in a cave in NY.He was much younger then and might listen to my rantings on the necessity of his gps then.Wait a minute,their was no gps in 1981:-(...Back to the old drawing board.
Alfie

 

[whippoorbill]

Look, we're over complicating this. (Alfie, you can give yourself a colonoscopy with that useless varve buster, for all I care). All the guy has to do is get his tush out of bed and join me on these excursions. He knows I won't remember to use my GPS (believe it or not, the ol' Triton was in my camera bag Sunday and I never thought to turn it on). He knows I let my camera lead me to places I shouldn't go and that I get distracted in the process, paying no attention to where I am heading or where I've been (until that all-too-familiar uh-oh, where in Charles D's name am I? moment arrives).

Fact is, I'm thinking about replacing Alfie. What is the name of that "Who's on First, What's on Second" guy?

Whip

PS. See you at 9:30 sharp tomorrow morning, Alfie! Bear Swamp, here we come!

 

[oji]

Hey abbottttt!!!!!!!!

 

[oji]

Bill, Just remember This little quote "No matter where you go, There you are"

 

[manumuskin]

I must have worms.I am dragging butt.Whip put it on me in the bear swamp today.I am increasingly finding it harder to keep up with his ancient arse anymore.Pictures will be forthcoming.We ran into some enviromental wackos out there as you will see.
Alfie