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Last week I wrote about all of Spring’s nature offerings and how this season doesn’t disappoint ... image-wise anyway.

But down at Council Point Park, Spring is still MIA. The desolate and barren landscape remains. Those buds I spied a few weeks ago remain closed and the weeds and reeds that line the Ecorse Creek are still as dead as a door nail.

Yesterday I was enjoying my fourth straight trip to the Park with no precip, knowing that lucky streak would stop this morning, beginning with three days of rain and soggy weather. Like the past few visits at my favorite nature nook, to avoid any juggling acts in the still-cold morning (25 degrees F/-3 C), I just kept the camera tucked inside my zippered vest under my coat, plus I left the flip-up finger gloves behind. So, I traveled light, just my Ziploc bag of peanuts and a separate bag of bird treats that I scrounged up for the sparrows that watch my arrival every morning from their perch on the pavilion roof. Yes, I see them every day, their expectant faces registering a silent plea for something to eat. Peanuts aren’t the usual sparrow fare, so I made them a goody bag they’d like, even though there were no seeds to speak of, unless you want to count those sprinkled throughout the seedy bread. I spread my offerings along the picnic table and soon the sparrows were feasting on crumbled-up bread, crackers, oatmeal flakes, raisins and Craisins.

As I ambled along the perimeter path, tendering peanuts to the usual bounty of squirrels scrambling to get my attention, it was a peaceful and quiet walk. Admittedly a few things piqued my interest, and, had the camera been readily available, I’d have taken a shot of the Red-Bellied Woodpecker drilling into the tall tree, or the Red-Winged Blackbird trilling in the marshy area. A male Cardinal tweeted to me, eager to announce his presence so I might spare him a peanut or two (which I did because he would have swiped a few from the squirrels anyway).

That beautiful streak of bright red on the bare branch almost made me lunge for the camera, as did Stubby, the squirrel missing half of his tail, who contentedly noshed on a nut on a low branch in the same tree.

But I kept on walking, camera still tucked away.

When I was on the second loop of the perimeter path, I noticed something blue nestled in between some branches of one of the memorial trees, that I’d never seen there before. It looked like a birdhouse.

I got close up and checked it out and what a beauty it was and very sturdy as well. Here is an up-close look at it.

I wonder who will occupy this fine residence ... and when? It is something else for me to monitor on my daily trek around the second loop.

I next looked to the ground to determine whom the memorial tree was dedicated to and discovered this plaque in memory of James Gordon Compton, Jr. and its inspirational message:

(John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”)

So ... was he a “James” or a “Jim” ... maybe a “Jimmy”? Was he a nature lover, perhaps partial to our fine-feathered friends? Sadly, he was only here on Earth for 27 short years.

I hoped to gain some insight about James Gordon Compton, Jr. by Googling around for an obituary notice, but there was none to be found, in fact no information about this gentleman out there on the internet.

I took my photos, then continued on my walk. I kept the camera out, deciding to just deal with my frigid fingers and retrace my steps to capture those images of the male cardinal and Stubby, but both subjects were long gone.

All I saw were the same drab-looking reeds and weeds and crumpled brown leaves at the base of the trees and a pair of mallards paddling in the Creek.

As I departed the Park a lovely contrail bisected the now-brilliant blue sky and became my parting shot.

You can catch up on my blog posts before I started blogging at Patch in August 2013 by going here: http://lindaschaubblog.net