Kip’s Comments - May 31, 2025 and June 1, 2025

It Happened to My Friend - The Story of Our Weekend

Of the many people I have witnessed this happening to, the majority are in denial for as long as possible. Then, as I observed this weekend, I watch them get excited when a yellow-bellied sapsucker appears. After sapsuckers other birds cause even more excitement. The apprehension of what was next was in the air. My buddy became a vocal birder. It happened!

Their campsite was in an area of perfect habitat - edge cover for a small wooded area with open campground nearby. The little timber held many birds that we watched and I photographed. Two of the most interesting species were the yellow-bellied sapsucker and orchard oriole.

The six of us were camping at Volga Recreation Area. While those with horses use the lower campground, we were in the upper area where the bugs were nearly non-existent and the relaxation was plentiful. Haze from wildfires in Canada was obvious, otherwise the conditions were quite pleasant.

Volga Recreation Area Aerial - Image 980756

Kristy and I set up camp early Friday afternoon. After camp was established we took a drive to look around the park and to visit the Lima Church Cemetery. At the cemetery we saw many old stones, but two in particular caught our attention. One was quite old, the other not so old. Both were respectful and created with great detail.

By the time we returned to our campsite I had found several clumps of golden oyster mushrooms…a perfect addition to the burgers we grilled over an open fire.

Now for the rest of the fungi story… The last time I enjoyed golden oysters I had a memory-making gastrointestinal reaction. Not wanting to accept that maybe I should not eat golden oysters anymore, I tried them again Friday night. Wow, the violent rejection from my system was fast, intense, and continuous throughout the night. By morning I felt like I had been hit by a bus and had no desire to take anything by mouth. After several hours I was recovering, but the end of the story is that I will likely harvest the fungi for Kristy and my mom, but chances are I will not eat them anymore. Dang…..

Our day ended with an impressive aerial display by common nighthawks. The light was low, so this was the best I could capture.

The rest of the weekend consisted of a low-performance fishing tournament, wildflower and more bird photography (for me), meeting some of our campground neighbors, and relaxing at camp for our group. Northern lights might have made a really good weekend even better, but even without them, we had a great time.

Following are other images from the weekend.