Page 7 - Boca ViewPointe - May '23

May 2023 Viewpointe, Page 7
It’s Spring: Keep Your Eyes And Ears Open

By William A. Gralnick bird watching. It seems that this is an activity that grows Stork, recently absent because it is nesting time. After it
with age. Older people are drawn to watching birds. To re- rains, innumerable Ibis stalk the grass for grubs and such.
Being retired, I have enforce that, I realized my long-ago neighbor, a professional Every so often, a Giant Egret shows up. There’s not a lizard
found that I have an photographer who now lives in Southern California (or what’s around that’s safe from its jet-propelled beak snatching
insatiable appetite for left of it), has made a sub-set of his career photographing it from hiding. About a week or so ago, there was a new
Google. I’m looking up hummingbirds. He’s 84. As for me, I guess then it’s my age, addition. My first notice of swallows dipping and darting
everything that strikes my as it was for my mother. to catch all those tiny flying things you don’t want in your
fancy. It’s easier and more fun than exercising. My readers I don’t get up as early as I used to, but I do get the dog out house entranced me.
know I’ve developed this thing for birds; you shared my by nine. My feathered friends are still having their morning But my friends, ’tis the time to look up, and if necessary,
encounter with a borrowing owl here on Mandeville Place. seeds and sharing yesterday’s gossip from tree to tree. I love turn up those hearing aids because it is the migratory season.
Where did this come from? It took me a while to figure it the sounds. Wish I understood the gossip. You’ve heard Here’s a list of birds that will be showing up, some passing
out. It wasn’t in Google. It was my mother. She had the bird from me that I’ve seen two kinds of woodpeckers, myriad through, some not. To be seen, some will require you to visit
bug. I found this unusual, especially after my parents sold the mockingbirds, clouds of crows and other noisy black birds, beaches and marshes.
house and moved into an apartment in a very urban section and squads of sparrows. I’ve learned that there are many • Sandhill Crane
of Brooklyn. So where did she get it from? And does one kinds of sparrows. It takes a fine eye and ear to tell them • Cedar Waxwing
inherit it? apart, but I can no longer say, “Oh, it’s just a sparrow.” • Anhinga
Enter Google—again. I receive information from and There is my gaggle of Egyptian Geese parading outside my • Spotted Solitary
support the Audubon Society. Therein was an article about door with ducks, large and small, and the occasional Wood • Semipalmated Sandpiper
• Gull-Billed Tern
• American Redstart
• Red-Eyed Vireo
• Ruddy Turnstone
• Marbled Godwits
• Swallow-Tailed Kite
• Alder Flycatcher
• Merlin Falcon
• White-Crowned Pigeon
A Homeowner’s Piece of Mind And if there is one bird, of them all, you don’t want to
miss, it’s the Sand Hill Crane. Majestic, gorgeous and tall,
Interior & Exterior Home it is a show-stopper, with its never to be tamed red crown of
feathers. They are also an endangered species.
I’m not pumping for any particular group of “bird-ites,” I
Services just want to tell you that Google found for me a service of the

Handyman Services Audubon Society. Every week they send out a picture of the
“Bird of the Week.” It has pictures, fascinating information,
its chirping and song patterns and those of birds confused
Mail Services with them, and an advisory on whether the bird is increasing
or decreasing in population. Most are decreasing. In the past
Vehicle Services decade and a half we have lost over a billion (yes, with a “B”)
birds. This will have an impact on our quality of life and also
Key Holder Services on ecology. Wind farms, water pollution, glass skyscrapers,
climate change, loss of habitat—a short list drawn from a
Concierge Services much larger one.
Ok, you’ve now decided to leave the reservation for a few

Hurricane Preparation hours and get a broader view. Here are some suggestions.
Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray is a total mind-blower,
especially now in nesting season. You’ve never seen a bird
nest until you’ve seen a wood stork’s nest. It’s big enough
for a small person. The concentration of birds, large and
small, some so close you could reach out and touch them
(bad idea) is a forever memory. As a bonus, you get turtles,
561-906-5304 | www.yourhomess.com snakes, fish—it is truly the cageless zoo. The entrance to
Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Reserve on 441
is an opening to a wilderness wonderland. Bring water, and
a walking stick if uneven surfaces are tricky for you. You’ll
get a taste of what Florida was like before we fouled it up.
Try also Green Cay out on Hagen Ranch Road. It is not
as extensive as Arthur Marshall, but it will give you the same
experience. Imagine strolling, no cars, almost no noise while
being embraced with sights, sounds, and smells of what
Mother Nature put here for us to enjoy.
A word about cameras. I am a big picture taker. We
have an electronic photo album and revel in the memories
captured by the shutter. Yet there’s another view to this
kind of viewing. I don’t remember where I read it. AARP?
Somewhere. It was a suggestion to travelers to leave their
Scott Cohen is Here to Help! cameras home, or use them only for people pictures. The

Your fellow Boca Pointe Resident is available to writer says the best camera you have is in your head, the
combination of your eyes and your mind. Those memories,
help with Property Insurance Claims to ensure he said, are impressed in 3-D for whenever you want to call
your insurance company treats you fairly! them up. Just a thought.
So, get out there with those binoc’s. Just take care where
Do You Have an INSURANCE CLAIM? you point them—or you may end up being part of the gossip,
if not the police blotter.
● Water damage? ● Fire?
● Roof leak? ● Mold? Columnist and author Bill Gralnick was born and raised
● Damaged floor tile? ● Storm damage? in Brooklyn, NY. He is writing a three-part humorous memoir.
The first is “The War of the Itchy Balls and Other Tales from
● Plumbing leak? ● Kitchen/Bathroom damage? Brooklyn.” Just published is the sequel, “George Washington
● Cabinet damage? Didn’t Sleep Here.” Both are available on Amazon. You can
Scott Will Get You the Settlement YOU Deserve! find his writing at https://www.williamgralnickauthor.com. 

Closed, Denied, Underpaid Claim? He can help! Call for a FREE no obligation inspection!
No recovery? No fee!! Attention Dog Owners
Your insurance company has experts on their side – SHOULDN’T YOU? It is your responsibility to pick up after your dog.
Call Scott directly (954) 937-1224 / scohen@tpc.insure It’s the law.
www.tpcpublicadjusters.com Some of you have been negligent in doing so.
Please keep our
Policyholders who hired public adjusters for non-catastrophe claims received 574% more money than those who did not hire a P.A, Filing a claim can Boca Pointe community beautiful!
not legally affect your coverage. This is a solicitation if you have filed a claim and are happy with your settlement please disregard this advertisement.