September was for the Birds, October is for the Ghosts
We’ve had some pretty fabulous rides lately, thanks to one of our newer regulars, Robert Sherman. Because of him, two of our rides during the month of September were devoted to doing a little bird-watching.
First Came the Chimney Swifts
Robert is an avid attendee of the First Wednesday opening reception at the Baton Rouge Gallery. Because of this, he noticed an unusual natural phenomenon that went unnoticed by all but him: the roosting of a flock of Chimney Swifts.
After grabbing ice cream at Gail’s, we rode over to the Baton Rouge Gallery to watch the show at sundown. About 50 birds started to swirl around the gallery’s chimney, and one by one, they sharply dropped from sight into the chimney shaft.
Why do they do this? Click here to read all about this delightful little bird.
Then the Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds are magical little creatures. They buzz like a bee, float like a butterfly, but they’re actually birds. Just like all birds, they migrate during the changing seasons. And like most people, they know where to stop on their journey for some good eats—LOUISIANA!
This is a big stopping point for the ruby-throated hummingbird from spring through early fall. Although September is toward the end of their stay, we still managed to stop at a house in Ogden Park to witness a handful of them feeding in one yard.
The homeowner has a yard full of plants that attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. To learn more about hummingbirds, click here!
History Rides Return in October
October is the last month when we will have daylight during our ride, so we’re going to combine the Halloween celebration with our love for historical stories. Every Monday in October, I will tell a new “ghost” story. We’ll go to a different historical gravesite in the downtown area and visit the grave of one of its residents.
If you love graveyards, this is going to be a really awesome month of rides. At the end of the month, Mark Martin is planning to hold his annual Velo de Muertos. This ride also visits historic cemeteries but focuses on what the different features of those cemeteries tell us about how society operated at the time of their use.
It’s going to be a fun and fascinating month, starting off with a rather shocking discovery made purely by accident. The picture below is a little tease.
Ongoing Reminders
We will continue to gather supplies for the feral cat program. You can bring newspapers, old towels, cat food, or cat-related supplies to any of our rides, and we will make sure they get delivered to the rescue group in charge of the program.
Click here to learn more about the feral cat program
Additionally, we will relaunch the Light Up the Night campaign around mid-October. We have a new partnership that we’ll be announcing, as well as an update on how our last campaign went. If your organization would like to become a sponsor of this program, send a message to downtowneastsocialride@gmail.com.
Now Available in the DESR Store
Some new items have been added to the DESR Store, including a hoodie for your pet! Yep, it’s real, and it’s stinkin' adorable!
We also have a hat, long-sleeve shirt, tank tops, t-shirts, coffee mugs, and a water bottle. There are several more things I’m looking to add to the store, and I’m brainstorming some new ideas. If you have a suggestion, send a message to downtowneastsocialride@gmail.com and I’ll see if we can get it.
The big bummer is that the distributor I’m currently using does not have any reflective items. I’m researching to find out if anything like that is currently available in the print-on-demand industry. Until then, we’ll just have to stick with the standard items available.