Lemon Creek Park

So, it only took me a week to get around to writing this post. (Very lazy, I am.)

On Tuesday past Roland and I were in Staten Island. I was looking for a place to eat my breakfast where I could walk him around before beginning the hike back home. Also, I was looking to wait out the morning rush hour. So we happened upon Lemon Creek Park, which is located at the end of Seguine Avenue in the Prince's Bay part of the island.

The park was pretty interesting. In addition to stumbling upon the afore mentioned horseshoe crabs, we learned that park is known for its large and pristine salt marshes, which is part of the reason the crabs like to mate there. It also attracts the Diamondback Terrapin (mascot of the University of Maryland; go terrapins!) and fiddler and blue crabs, as well as the ducks, et. al. you'd expect wherever there is water.

The park also is home to a purple martin colony, the only one in New York City, according to the city's parks department. I found it pretty interesting that the purple martin is the only bird that does not nest in the wild. They are totally dependent on human-supplied housing. Thus the odd assortment of bird houses on polls — like a retirement community for birds. I expected to see a purple martin come out on the porch of one of the bird houses in a mumu waving a cane at me. But alas, nothing that amusing happened to us while we were there.

And in case you are wondering about the park's name, according to the park's Web site:

Lemon Creek, which empties into Prince’s Bay and, ultimately, Raritan Bay, has been known by several names over the last few hundred years. In 1830 the freshwater stream was known as Seguine’s Creek, and later, as the Little North River in 1885. Shortly thereafter, the name of Lemon Creek began to appear on maps, although the origin of this unusual name is not known.