Charlie Fineran’s Photo of the Week captures a squirrel taking a swim across the Delaware River on a hot summer day. Like humans, animals need to cool off in water on hot summer days.

THIS HAS BEEN A HOT SUMMER!  I know I am not telling you anything you don’t already know.  Like myself, you have had that sentiment ‘INSTANTLY’ reaffirmed, every time you opened the door from your home or whereever! 

**Just a personal observation. ‘LOOK’, I don’t mind, when it is two or three o’clock in the afternoon on a hot summer day and you open the door, WHAM – “WHEW!”  You receive that reminder, that the weatherman was actually correct, when he said it was going to get Hot!!  ‘I GET IT’, sunny day, sun has been beating down all day, heating everything up!!  AND we reach the hottest part of the day !!  HOWEVER, when that door opening, is occurring at 6 a.m., and I am getting that WHAM – “WHEW! There is something wrong with “This Picture!”  There were even a couple of times, I checked my thermometer located on the porch when I was up at night, and had 82 degrees!!  ‘AND TO BOOT’, Ladies and gentleman, we have only been talking about the word ‘HOT’, hate to add this burden on you, What about that other uncomfortable word, HUMIDITY!!!**  ‘SOoo’, remaining on those thoughts, please read the following.

INSPIRATION BEHIND THE PHOTO OF THE WEEK

August 12^th, 2021 Thursday:  It is about 11:15 a.m. and I just picked up some medication for Anne Marie’s cat, Criss-Cross at the Blairstown Animal Hospital.  ‘Hmm’, while over here, let me go check on the Paulinskill and see what wildlife might be around.  Arrive, lower my driver’s side window and begin my slow journey down Sipley Road along the Paulinskill.  “Whew, it is warm and muggy with the window down.”  Have my camera out and begin to look through the viewfinder and “It’s foggy!”  I have to get my lens cleaner cloth and dry off the lens.  This is now a challenge, if I stick the camera outside the car and out of the air-conditioning the lens fogs up!!  OK, I shoot from inside the car!  Don’t see anything exciting, but notice and make a film clip of a couple of gold-finches bathing in the river along the shoreline, he takes off and I am now watching a little sparrow feeding along the river bank, he pauses and then hops into the water and takes a refreshing bath!!  Suddenly I’m connecting the dots, HOT HUMID DAY, birds taking baths in the river!!  This might just make for an interesting ‘Wildlife Cooling Off’ story.  I finish my river visit and return home.

WRITING THE ARTICLE

August 14^th, 2021 Saturday:  I am writing up my Photo of the Week story. I copied a photo of a grackle taking a bath in the Paulinskill.  For this article, he is cooling off!!  The next photo I am looking for is a squirrel swimming across the Delaware River!!  I was on one of my journeys years ago at the DWGNRA (Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area) and was visiting the Douglass Recreation Area parking area in Worthington State Forest.  (Note: named after U.S. Supreme Court Justice, William Douglass, who supported the concept of protecting Sunfish Pond)  I am right along the river’s shoreline when I notice something swimming across the river!!  When I zoomed in for a better look, I was quite taken back to see it was a squirrel!!  Never really thought about them and water much!!  Especially swimming across a large river like the Delaware River!!  Again, for the purpose of this article and its theme Wildlife Cooling Off, he is enjoying a refreshing dip in the Delaware River!! 

Hope you enjoy viewing Wildlife Cooling Off and hope maybe we can get a little more temperate weather with less humidity!

Enjoy Your Open Space

Charlie Fineran

Director Open Space

Allamuchy Township Environmental Commission – Chairman