Sandpiper's Place

The Year Twenty Eleven

2011-12-23T17:55:00.023-05:00

It's been a year of ups and downs. I spent much of it recovering from a paralysis of half my face. It has been a time of healing, and progress has been slow, but there are signs that the healing process continues.

It was a year of loss of some very dear people in my life, but also a year of joy with new babies, and witnessing the little ones in our family growing up.

I still travel to my mother's place every weekend. She will turn 90 in about three weeks. Happy Birthday, Mom.

Whenever I can fit in time, I get out and enjoy nature. The warmer weather of spring brought the flowers, nesting birds, young fawns, and baby bunnies. It's a time of renewal and I don't think there is a better time of year.

Summer was a time for walking in the woodlands and along the shore. There was the normal assortment of Cottontail Rabbits, White Tailed Deer, Egrets, Herons, Swans, and a variety of songbirds.

When autumn arrived, there was some very strange weather. First a hurricane, followed by flooding rains, and then a rare snowstorm that left about a foot of snow on the ground here.

When Hurricane Irene made its way up here, we decided to pack up the cats and head west to New York. Because of the brook behind my house that rages out of control in the rain, and weather forecasters talking about "feet of rain", it seemed like the best thing to do. It was great to get away for a couple of days, but coming back home was a nightmare, with most roads underwater. A six to seven hour drive took eighteen hours to get home.

The first morning after returning home, I discovered a couple of raccoons had taken up residence in the "squirrel nesting" tree. They allowed me to get very close to them and I would stand there, or sometimes sit there, watching them for awhile. Sometimes they watched me, too, while at other times they were relaxed enough to just fall asleep, fully aware that I was still there. Great fun!

About a week later, there was some very heavy rain that took its toll on the rivers and streams. That storm caused some damage to certain areas around my brook. The neighbors had substantial damage to their little footbridge that crosses the brook.

A few weeks later, a very rare autumn snowstorm moved in. The leaves were just beginning to turn color in late October, and with the weight of the snow, there was heavy damage. All night I listened to the branches on my trees cracking. I cringed with every crack, knowing that my favorite tree was out there and being destroyed limb by limb. The next morning, my fears about the weeping cherry outside my window were realized. About 3/4 of the tree was lost in the storm, so I'm not sure if it will survive. Aside from its beauty, the weeping cherry has been a wonderful perch for the mama and daddy birds that would bring their babies to that tree to feed them, which gave me a "birds eye" view to observe them from my window. Spring and summer next year should reveal if the tree will make it.

The storm took out the electricity and it was out for days - no generator, no fireplace, no way to heat the house. It was so cold that one morning I awoke and it was 38°F/3°C outside, so I opened the windows to "warm" the house. The town opened the school for warm showers, offered charging stations for cell phones, computers, etc., and provided food and shelter to those in need. After eight days, the lights (AND HEAT!!!) finally came on in the middle of the night and I think I might have gotten up and danced... or maybe that was just a dream. ;-)

The snow melted within a week, and what was left of the autumn leaves, gave us an acceptable autumn. Many of the leaves were damaged in Connecticut - mostly wind and salt water damage from the storms, but this area of the state wasn't bad compared to the rest of the state.

I hope you all are well. Missing my blogging buddies, but life takes its turns. Some pictures from the past year. I hope you enjoy!

In the spring, I enjoyed fields of daffodils

Watched this wonderful Mute Swan family

The cygnets were adorable and so much fun to watch!

There were many Wild Turkeys, as the population continues to grow here.

This bird was at a local park and sitting in a garden of daffodils

What is spring in the northeast without the fragrance of Lilac?

The Red Winged Blackbirds fiercely defended their territory

Baby Tree Swallows demanded their food.

And little American Black Ducklings tested their winglets

By the end of summer, this swan and I had become good friends. I would softly call to him from across the pond, he would wiggle his tail, start to swim, and decide it wasn't fast enough. He always came directly toward me and would settle into the water right in front of me. They would bring their babies right to shore. On the last day I saw them, before the parents took the babies out to the marshes, he came up onto to the land to greet me, as if to say "Goodbye". This is the third year we've watched the swans and their babies at this pond. Maybe he recognizes me. Who knows?

Tri-Colored Heron... not a common bird around these parts. At least not for me.

While sitting at Mom's bedside, I can look out the window and sometimes see deer frolicking in the grass. What a treat.

Swallowtail Butterflies were plentiful this summer, but even more so in the autumn

Some mornings, I would stop at this place and have breakfast by a pond. When lucky, this Egret would show up and catch its breakfast too.

I know it's "just a swan", but I do think they are such beautiful birds.

Hammonasset State Park is overrun with Cottontail Rabbits, but I never tire of seeing them

Cedar Waxwing. I seem to see more and more of these every year.

I spotted this Beaver on the banks of a stream in Litchfield. He was munching away on grasses.

Yellow Warbler. When I see them flying across the fresh water marsh where I like to walk, they look like little yellow bullets

Great Egret with a fish

A Mallard Duck with some early autumn reflections

A black Swallowtail

Crane? No... just the craned neck of a pretty swan

This was the first time I spotted the rockies. I was looking out my kitchen window and couldn't believe my eyes. These two critters stayed upside down sleeping most of the day.

Could that face be any cuter?

No, it's not winter. October... how strange!

Sunlight glowing on the snow covered autumn leaves

My street, blocked by fallen branches

An autumn leaf in the snow

Looking out my upstairs window and viewing the damage to some of my trees

Snow falling off the branches

Like I said earlier, the weather has been strange. Lilacs in the autumn, as well as some apple blossoms and daffodils!

This is one of the baby squirrels I used to write about. There were four of them. One of the babies and the Mama were hit by cars, but three of them still come back to the squirrel tree. They had left for awhile because of the raccoons, but they are back. They still sit there and watch me. I love it!

After the snow pictures, it seems strange to see colored leaves, but yes, there was still autumn after the snow.

And that brings us up to winter again, but there isn't anything to show you. The leaves are off the trees, but the weather is fairly warm still, and it looks like it won't be a "White Christmas" here.

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas, Hanukkah, or whatever Holy holiday you might celebrate. Happy 2012!

Spring!

2011-04-12T15:56:00.016-04:00

It was a long and very snowy winter, but spring has come to Connecticut. We've had a few flurries here and there since spring arrived, but overall, winter is giving way to the warm sunshine. We were visiting family one day when we looked out the window and saw this opossum.

Have you ever seen possum toes? Seeing them against the snow like this makes me want to put little mittens on this critter. :-)

The snow has melted in most places in Connecticut now, leaving pools of water behind that will soon be filled with little peepers. We tend to feel joyous about the leafing out and the blossoms because the bright colors are so welcome after months of the monochromatic landscape of winter. But, even before the flowers and leaves, there is a greater happening, as the birds return and woods come to life with the sounds of critters. It's wonderful to walk in the woods now and hear the excited peeps, twitters, cheeps, and chirps. We are beginning to hear the sounds of the peepers in the vernal pools formed by the spring rains and snow melt. Soon, I'll go there again and try to take pictures of the frogs and tadpoles under the water.

While some American Robins stay for the winter, we have now had the great spring influx of what is considered a harbinger of spring here. The Robin is Connecticut's official state bird. Their song is beautiful to hear while walking in the woods.

If you click on the pictures, you can see them larger. In this picture, there is a Mute Swan swimming past a previously well-used Beaver lodge and Canada Goose nest. We've seen it used as both over the years. The beavers tend to win on this one, as the nests for the geese often get flooded in the springtime.

Some of you might remember Veronica, the Red-Tailed Hawk. I've written about her before. It is believed that Veronica might have once been kept illegally as a pet and then released. She is wild and free, but sometimes visits this place where she will sit and let us get very close, which makes it nice to take pictures. It was extremely windy this day and she was being blown around, as was my camera.

Here she is showing off her "red tail."

If you're a follower of this blog, you might remember our baby squirrels. They are all grown up now, and I think (?), entering their third year. I still enjoy watching them... or are they watching me? I haven't seen much activity at their normal nesting hole yet, but I'll keep my eyes open.

We still spend part of each weekend helping my mother, but on the way to her place, we try to drive by local parks and take in a bit of nature when we can. Mallard drake showing off his pretty colors.

This Snowy Egret has beautiful plumes.

Snowy Egret - We've seen dozens of them in Milford.

A female Red Bellied Woodpecker... the males are getting very beautiful now, but I haven't been able to get a picture yet. Hopefully, when they bring their babies to my trees and feeders, I'll have some good opportunities soon.

Canada Goose... This one was very handsome.

A colorful House Finch sitting on a photography blind at Hammonasset in Madison.

Female Cardinal. They look very different from their scarlet counterpart, but I think are equally as pretty.

A wild Turkey - we saw about a dozen of them. This one flew up onto a fence, then jumped back down and crossed the road to join the others that were in the distance in a field.

White Tailed Deer. They still have a bit of their winter coats, but are slowly losing their thicker hair and fur. We usually see about 7 or 8 when we go to Silver Sands in Milford, but on this day we saw over 50 of them, which really seems like it might be an overpopulation for the amount of land they are on.

So far, they look very healthy, so I hope they stay that way.

What would the shoreline be without a gull or two or a hundred?

Another Mallard

Great Egret

Tree Swallow... a pretty bird.

Song Sparrow

Mute Swan. I haven't seen "our" Mute Swan at the pond in Litchfield for quite some time. I'll keep going back to see if I can find it.

This swan and another approached me and I actually had to step back to take a picture because it came too close.

Another swan

The Greater Yellowlegs are back.

Canada Goose

This one stuck its tongue out at me. ;-)

Gives real meaning to "Go soak yer head." The birds really seem to enjoy the water now that the ice is gone. Not a swim I'd enjoy just yet. Brrrr

Brants. They seem to come to this place every spring, so I watch for them.

Rock Pigeon... Yes, I know. It's "just" a pigeon, but I love their colors!

Reflections of spring as a tree begins to get leaves. The sap is running on maple trees. Soon there will be fresh maple syrup. The buds are formed on the trees now, the willows are golden, the forsythia beginning to bloom. The daffodils and crocuses are in bloom, which means another drive up to Northfield to see the daffodils and narcissus at Laurel Ridge.

And finally.... SPRING!

Thank you all for your visits, comments, and messages. I'm doing well, slowly recovering. Learning patience is not my favorite thing, but I'm trying to keep a good attitude. Good days and bad days - fortunately, mostly good.

Have a wonderful spring. I hope to post some spring pictures when things really come to life.

It's Winter!

2011-02-03T13:55:00.013-05:00

Hi Everyone,

Can you believe it? A winter post and it's still winter! ;-)

Thank you for your visits and your kind notes. I'm still dealing with Bell's Palsy. My smile is nearly back, flexibility is much better, but I still can't blink, produce tears, or taste flavors. I had heard of this condition before, but never realized the discomfort people go through. I'm trying to adjust to the paralysis, but I have good and bad days. Compared to the first days, I'm soooo much better! I actually look fairly normal now. :-) I do miss being able to walk outside, but given the freezing temperatures, I can't stay out for long because of my non-blinking eye. Even so, I do manage to take a few pictures, which is great!

Winter has come upon us in full force this year. You may have heard about a "wee little storm" this week that had a large impact on a great many places in the States. If you were in its path, I hope you made it through the storm okay, didn't suffer any damage, and are all shoveled out now.

We were fortunate not to get hit too severely. Connecticut has had a record amount of snow this year, to the point where roofs and buildings have collapsed. In fact, we had our roof shoveled off as a precaution, but this particular storm pretty much went north and south of our home, so we got off lucky with several inches of snow and some freezing rain.

Looking out my window today, I see blue sky, sunshine, beautiful newly fallen snow, and spectacular ice coated tree branches, glittering and dancing in the light.

I chose a few pictures from the past week or so. It's so beautiful here, and believe it or not, I'm not sure that I would trade it for palm trees at this moment. If you wish, you should be able to click the pictures to see them larger.

Snow by the side of a field in a neatly folded drift

A very friendly horse stopped by to say hello

One blue eye and one brown eye

Tracks in the snow

American Black Ducks swim in a stream that cuts through a salt water marsh

Skeletal remains of Queen Anne's Lace

A New England House. The snow was coming down fairly steadily.

An icicle on our house. We have many. Some are close to twice my height! Mr. Sandpiper knocks them off and they grow right back.

Yes, this is one of our "babies"... not a baby anymore.

Icicles on my house on a grey and dismal winter day.

One morning we stopped for coffee and saw these Mallards. Someone had tossed some cracked corn on the ground and they were crowded in together in a tight group enjoying their snack

This is a road I often took to get to my walking trails. I hope to be able to do that again someday.

And I think I'll end this blog with a sunrise from my window.

Take care everyone. I'll be back when I can.

Hello Friends

2011-01-25T16:31:00.016-05:00

Hello Friends,

It's been longer than intended since my last post. A lot has happened in the interim, which prevented me from posting these pictures earlier.

Mom had a series of small strokes, but has now recovered. She just celebrated her 89th birthday. She doesn't get out anymore, and needs a lot of assistance.

Oddly enough, the larger news was about me. I managed to burn my mouth and the result was an injury to my seventh cranial nerve, which left half my face paralyzed with Bell's Palsy.

It's been over forty days now. My smile is about 80% back, but my eye doesn't blink or produce tears, my vision and hearing are off, my tongue is numb and food doesn't taste like much. I have a lot of ear to jaw pain, but even so, all being said, I'm doing fine, although frustrated at times, wanting to be back to normal. Usually this condition is temporary. I hope I'll be among those who have full recovery.

Summer passed by and a beautiful autumn followed. The leaf colors were magnificent this year.

We managed to take a week off to do some daytripping. We took a drive into Vermont, another over the border into New York, and still another to Massachusetts. The weather cooperated and we enjoyed being tourists in our own surroundings.

We enjoyed some beautiful sunrises and sunsets.

We took a boat ride out to the Thimble Islands. A series of small rock outcroppings, where people have built some lovely homes. Some of the rocks are only large enough for one small cottage.

But then, there are others where the homes are far more than small cottages, too.

An interesting place, and though we both grew up here, we had never been to this area, so we were excited to find a "new place."

While on the boat trip, we spotted this egret. Do I ever go out without looking for "my" nature and wildlife? ;-)

On another day, we drove along shore and explored some parks we hadn't visited before.

Some of the scenery was lovely.

And good fortune was with me when I spotted these brants alongside this kayaker.

A gull flew overhead with a treat in its bill

At another place, I spotted this couple. What a pretty place to relax

Some lovely homes there too. Some swans swimming off in the distance and there were some geese there, too.

Another sunset. Caught this one as the sun slipped below the horizon

Standing on cliff, looking down at some colorful foliage

A lovely view from a popular place in Meriden

Walking in the woods, a lone leaf stands out against a tree trunk

As dark as the woods were, sunlight filtered down and highlighted these leaves, showing off the beautiful golden color

A cormorant at the beach

This artist had the right idea

A squirrel in the path enjoying a treat

Berries

Sunlight made the leaves glow

Along one of my favorite trails. I was there yesterday and the snow was so deep that I couldn't approach it.

Mockingbird

Butterfly on Goldenrod

There are a lot of farms in this area of the state, so drives into the country can offer off some picturesque rural scenes

And that's about it, for now. We are buried in a couple of feet of snow now. Another nor'easter is on its way. Time will tell how much snow that one will leave. I'm getting weary of winter, but I have to admit it's truly beautiful.

I hope all of you are doing well. Thank you for your continued visits and your kind comments.

Summertime Flew By!

2010-11-26T14:31:00.013-05:00

Hello Everyone,

Did those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving enjoy the holiday? We spent the day with family, had a lovely meal, and later visited Mom with a sampler plate. She could not be with the family yesterday. We came home feeling very peaceful after a pleasant day.

I hope you all had a wonderful summer. I've been told by friends who live faraway that they had heard we "had a terrible summer with a lot of bad weather" here. I have to say that despite what people have heard, we actually had a very beautiful summer. Any bad weather that there might have been seems to have gone all around us, missing us completely.

Mom is back in the nursing home after having setback, but she is on the mend again and hopefully will be returning home in a week or two. Never let it be said that the human spirit isn't strong. :-)

While I no longer am able to get out for my daily walks, we make the best of our time by stopping by nature places on the way to Mom's or on the way back home, so we do get our nature fix in bits and pieces. Occasionally, we make some day trips on Sundays, rather than doing what should be done around the house. Hey, we only live once. The house can wait!

One afternoon, we drove across the state and enjoyed some seaside scenery.

This was an old barn window reflecting a scene where we saw the sailboat above and the boats in the pictures below.

While it was a very beautiful day, the wind was strong.

Driving around, we spotted this canal. There were houses dotted along this canal and others in the area. What a pretty place to live!

On another day, we stopped by this waterfall to relax for awhile and listened to the rush of the water.

In the woods, we spotted a number of these pretty little Golden Crowned Kinglets.

Along the shore, a Little Blue Heron waded and fished

Greater Yellowlegs and reflection

It was a big year for Osprey. We saw many nesting pairs and watched as the young ones fledged

While taking a walk in the woods, we spotted this chipmunk having a snack

What would you do with sea grasses that washed up on shore? Would you build a replica of a Native American hut, and then turn it into a bird watching station? Inside was a seat to make yourself comfortable and observe birds that came to visit a nearby feeder.

A boat sat idle on the shore. Oh how tempting it would be to get out on the water.

This is a plant called Salicornia. Looking out over the green and golden marsh grasses, bands of pink dotted the landscape.

Back home again, two of our "babies" now full grown. They still live in the tree outside my house. Sadly, one of them was hit by a car this year in front of our house, but the remaining three still play in the garden and run us into the poor house eating the bird seed. :-) I don't mind. I love them to pieces.

They still come to the cut part of the tree, sleep in the sunshine, and look at me through the window as I stand there looking at them.

Just up the street, we happened to spot Veronica the Red Tailed Hawk. She is wild and free, but comes to this place to grab a few "free mice" that are sometimes put out for her. Just look at that beautiful red tail!

One of the trails I sometimes walk.

Well, our favorite swan is still at the pond. For awhile she had a companion, but she seems to be alone again.

Bet ya thought I was going to say "Canada Goose"... ah ha ha... Not so fast. Much smaller bird, smaller bill... Maybe a Cackling Goose? http://www.sibleyguides.com/2010/09/bill-size-not-shape-distinguishes-cackling-and-canada-goose/

Well, yes, I know it's not actually summer anymore. We did have a beautiful autumn, too. I will be putting together some pictures of autumn around here- and yes! It will be before winter! ;-)

See you again soon!!

Winter Moves to Spring, Spring to Summer...Hello!

2010-07-20T09:43:00.027-04:00

Hi everyone,

It's been a long time. Winter moved into spring and then into summer. Where does the time go? It seems the older I get, the faster it goes.

I've been keeping busy here, but on the way to Mom's, we try to stop somewhere to get in some camera time. Is there any better way to wash away stress and melt away the world around us? I don't think so! I get out there with my camera, concentrate on why I'm there, and I don't care if there were a thousand people around me, they would all disappear while watching a beautiful swan family, an egret catching fish, or beaver swimming in the calm waters of a pond.

We had a bit of excitement this year, as "Mr. Sandpiper" walked in our residential neighborhood. There he was, minding his own business, and what to his wondering eyes should appear? No, not Santa and his reindeer, but a MOOSE! Came trotting on past him, as if he belonged there. Shucks, I wasn't there and I missed it!

If that's not bad enough , Mr. Sandpiper and I were walking this weekend. Usually, there is at least a good 30 feet between us as we walk, if not a mile. :-) I tend to take my time, noticing all the details, so sometimes he leaves me behind, which is fine. I don't even notice. Well, not so fine this weekend, when he waved me up to him quickly - not quickly enough, it turns out, to see a "thought to be extinct" EASTERN COUGAR!! I can't believe I missed it! We went through all possibilities of photos on the net to identify it, and he is VERY CERTAIN. There have been many sightings of "Mountain Lions" (the same thing), but no good verification, but if he says he saw one, I have no doubt at all! I've suggested to Mr. Sandpiper "in the future" to first click the camera - THEN call me!! At least then we would have a picture. LOL

Okay, let's get down to it! You can click on the pix to see them larger.

What would spring be without the baby animals? Mama and Papa Mute Swans, and barely visible, little cygnets in the grass.

Six little fluff balls all in a row

Cygnet

Five of the babies

In the afternoon light

Moving into summer... A Mockingbird. Such a lovely imitator. Wonderful music to the ears.

Great Egret being harassed by a Red-Winged Blackbird...

And getting very annoyed, so he puffs up his feathers and complains with a throaty call! Lovely

On another day, while sitting on a deck eating breakfast, we watched this egret catching fish

It's not only egrets that get harassed by the smaller birds... an Osprey and a Red-Wing

Mallard showing off his pretty colors

Gulls competing and scrabbling for food. If you look carefully, you can see who won this fight.

Killdeer

Great Egret flying over the marsh grasslands

Just a simple pattern of grass. Nature is a wonderful artist. No?

A Snowy Egret standing next to a Little Blue Heron

Catbird - A mockingbird wannabe! ;-)

I was standing by the car one late afternoon, when this Red-Winged Blackbird flew past my head and landed right in front of me. I could not have asked for better light!

Canada Goose

Budding Queen Anne's Lace

House Finch

Mockingbird

Eastern Cottontail scratching and fluffing after a heavy rain

An American Robin

This weekend, I was sitting in a chair next to Mom's bed and looking out the window, I noticed some flowers moving back and forth. I thought it might be birds because I had seen them there before, but I saw nothing, so I went back to my chair, and suddenly this young deer was about a foot from the window. It veered away, racing, and zigzagging across the field, as a hawk kept swooping down on it. I ran for my camera in the other room, but missed the action.

Two very wet Yellow-Shafted Flickers

This picture shows the yellow shafts on one

And finally, what would summer be without a visit to Buttonwood Farm to see the sunflowers? We headed out into the countryside...

Sunflowers glowing through the trees

Sunflower

Flowers for as far as the eye can see.

Sunflowers for Wishes to benefit Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Well, I think I'm all blogged out for awhile. I hope you all are well and happy.

Til we meet again.
All my best to you!
Lin

Winter! Brrr, It's cold.

2010-01-22T18:51:00.019-05:00

Hello everyone,

It's been awhile. It's been a busy time with Christmas, birthdays, hospital and nursing home runs to see Mom, but I try to take my camera along, "just in case." It never fails when I decide to leave it home, something great makes an appearance and I kick myself.

On this day, I was at my sister's house, and as I was getting into the car, I caught a flurry of motion. This Red-Shouldered Hawk swooped down and landed on a wire in front of me. I reached into my car, grabbed my camera off the seat, and quickly took this picture.

On December 23rd, we discovered this injured Tufted Titmouse hopping around in our garage. We tried to capture it, but it unfortunately got outside. We carefully followed it and eventually managed to capture it after about a half hour. We could see that it had an injured wing, so we took it to the Mount Vernon Songbird Sanctuary , where it was cared for and brought back to health. On January 13th, it was returned here, and released again into our backyard garden. It flies fine, but will always have a droopy wing. After its release, I happened to spot the bird in some branches, so quickly shot a few pix through the window. Sorry for the quality of the composite above, but the branches got in the way.

Yes, it's winter here. It's in full swing and I'm sitting here at the computer - never warm enough inside the house either. I think of my brother who has just moved from New Hampshire down to Florida. Smart man. :) This is an ice-covered cliff in a nearby town.

The icicles are so large that they have formed a sort of ice cave.

Another backyard bird - a pretty red cardinal. It's always a challenge for me to get pictures of our garden visitors. You can see how thick the branches are.

A neighborhood farm.

Driving into the farm country near my house is one of my favorite things to do. I love the open land. I have a dream of someday buying an old farm and just letting it go wild. No farmer here, but definitely a land lover.

Crow on the farm

I'm sure I've shown this scene before. I never tire of it. I would love to turn that little shed into a hideaway cottage and just sit down there and relax.

A tumbled-down shed and a Sycamore tree.

Tracks and shadows on the snow

One of the "kids" who was born here last year. All four of them are still around and their Mom is also doing very well. They still take shelter in the holes in the tree outside my window, which is also the place where they were born. So much fun to watch them, but they sure do tend to hog the bird feeders. I don't mind, even though we'll probably go broke feeding them. :)

Tracks and shadows on the snow in my backyard

On a colorless day, on the way to see my mother, this is a view of the Salmon River in East Haddam, Connecticut.

Snow clinging to tree trunks.

A pine cone buried in the snow.

Some birdie footprints

On this morning, we drove to our favorite coffee house. The snow began to fall and the conditions, at times, were white-out. As it happens, this is one of the farms I drive by on the way to Litchfield, when I do my nature walks on the boardwalk.

What looks like fog is actually snow falling.

Ice floes on the Connecticut River in Haddam, on another day, a little brighter and sunnier, but FREEEEZING! The wind blowing off the water was wicked. I quickly got out of the car, shot a few pictures, and ran back inside. 11° F/ -11°C, with winds around 45 mph gusting higher, yielding a wind chill factor that it made it feel like 0°F / -17°C. An Arctic cold front brought winds and frigid temps that just blew right threw me. Within just a minute, I felt my hands going numb. Gimme shelter!

Hey, where are the penguins?

Some icicles on a stack of ice

And on that cold note, it's 6° F/ -14°C this morning as I write this, and it's time for me to make some breakfast. I hope you are all well and enjoying the weekend.

Thank you for all of your visits.

Season's Greetings

2009-12-23T17:42:00.010-05:00

Hello Friends,

I hope you're all enjoying the festivities of the season.

It's the beginning of winter and we've already had a couple of snowfalls. This week a big storm moved up the eastern coast of the U.S., where I live, and really hammered a lot of areas. We were expecting about 20 inches of snow, but where I live only got about 5 or 6 inches. Only an hour's drive made a huge difference, where my family and friends saw between 18-24 inches of snow. Amazing that such a short distance could make such a huge difference.

I haven't been able to get out with my camera in a few weeks, but I hope I can take some time soon.

Our family celebrates Christmas, so I have a few pictures from our Christmas tree. Hope you enjoy a little holiday cheer.

We're going to have a beautiful White and Snowy Christmas shared with our family. However you plan to celebrate the holidays, I wish you a very happy and festive holiday season. Best wishes from our house to yours.

Autumn Reflections

2009-11-14T20:32:00.020-05:00

Hello my blogging friends,

I hope you all are well and enjoying life. Things are fine here and busy as usual. Time flies by and sometimes I wonder just where it all goes.

Another season has passed and now strong November winds are blowing the last of the leaves from the trees. It's difficult to imagine that winter is just around the corner, but the calendar tells me, yes, it is! We had the most wonderful autumn this year. We haven't seen such good leaf color in years.

I have tried to get out to walk with my camera whenever possible. With each walk now, as autumn gives way to winter, I dig out my warmest sweaters, and I close my jacket more tightly against the cold. I'll soon have to give in and begin wearing my heavier winter clothing.

I always find such peace when I'm walking in nature... quietly, with nothing but the sound of the wind, the birds, and the newly fallen leaves crunching under my feet. The smell of the autumn leaves is rich and fills the senses.

The Litchfield Hills never fail to produce the most beautiful autumn foliage

The Sumac was most brilliant this year

For those who have followed this blog, you might remember our Mute Swan couple. The beautiful male passed away during nesting season and for two summers the lady remained alone at the pond. A few weeks ago, a companion finally joined her. They seem to get along quite nicely.

One day when I was out, I came across this white bird. At first I thought it was an egret, but a closer look made me realize it was actually a Little Blue Heron in white phase. Quite a treat to see. I've seen Great Blue Herons in white phase, but never a Little Blue. I love first sightings!

White-Tailed Deer

On the way to one of my favorite trails, I looked up into this field and spotted a lovely couple.

Isn't he handsome? (You can click on these pictures to see them larger.)

Some autumn reflections

This season is filled with beautiful, rich wine reds, orange, and gold. Could there be anything more beautiful than nature's paintings?

This is a Greater Yellowlegs

The winter birds are flocking in and enjoying the berries that autumn provides

Sometimes when walking, the imagination takes over. Can it really be a leopard growling at me?! ;-)

Canada Geese

One flies overhead

A solitary Oak leaf rests in the water

Hudsonian Godwit. Another first sighting for me!

According to Whatbird.com:

"After breeding, the Hudsonian Godwit undertakes a migration from the subarctic to southern South America, in which it apparently makes nonstop flights of several thousand miles.

It is the smallest and least known of the world’s four godwit species.

It once was regarded as one of North America’s rarest birds; though it is now known to be much more numerous, it is still considered highly vulnerable because its population is concentrated at only a few sites.

A group of godwits are collectively known as an "omniscience", "pantheon", and "prayer" of godwits."

Great Blue Heron

American Bittern, listed as "Endangered" in Connecticut. We saw four of them at Hammonasset Beach in Madison, CT. This is an extremely elusive bird. If you are lucky enough to spot one, it usually will duck into the reeds and or fly away, but two of them actually walked toward me. Quite a treat!

I've never seen one fluff its feathers before. The bird will generally stand in the reeds, hold its head up, exposing the vertical stripes on the neck to camouflage with the grasses

A Mallard pair

Yellow Shafted Flicker

Bursting Milkweed Pod

Wildflower gone to seed

Starlings and Cowbirds

Canada Goose

Last week our baby squirrels returned to their birthplace outside my window

So much fun to see them back in the nesting hole, and I was pleased to see that all four of them are still alive and well. No sign of Mom though.

We had a freak early snowfall

And the babies were rushing furiously to bring in some soft leaves as they moved into the hole for shelter this winter

And now we wait for the snow.

Thank you for all of your visits and kind comments. I don't have time to blog the way I used to, but I love reading your comments and hope to get back on the blogging trail again one day.

Until next time. Take care.

A Little Catch-Up Note

2009-09-13T18:28:00.018-04:00

Hello everyone,

It's been awhile since my last post. Life keeps me busy. I hope all of you are fine and that life is treating you well.

Thank you so much for all of your kind comments and good wishes. Not much has changed here.

We try to fit in bits of time to visit local nature areas that are close to our home. An hour or two here and there can yield some wonderful surprises and I can't think of a better way to unwind and relax.

Spring seemed to last for much of the summer months here with a lot of rain and cool temperatures. It seems like we've only had a couple of weeks of warm weather, and already the weather is cooling off and we're seeing the beginning signs of leaves changing colors.

A few pictures to share with you. (You can click on the pictures to see them larger.) Above, I believe is a young Tree Swallow.

A Mockingbird perched in a tree would occasionally call out with the most wonderful series of sounds. I could listen to these birds for hours.

Eastern Cottontail. I saw a lot more of these this year than I normally do.

This is Swamp Rose Mallow. These blossoms can be as large as eight inches across. I'd say this one was around six inches. A beautiful blossom.

One day I looked up toward the sky and I was surrouned by birds in every direction. I couldn't tell what kind of birds they were, but I wondered, with a flock this large, if they were getting ready to migrate.

Canada Goose - never a shortage of them!

Queen Anne's Lace gone by

This is some kind of a wild Sunflower that grows in woodland areas and scrub. Some of the flowers towered over my head at around six to seven feet high

One day I stopped by this pond and saw about 30 Egrets - both Snowy and Great Egrets

Watching them was like watching a ballet. Graceful birds

A flower gone by. Blow on the puff and make a wish.

This was a path I walked one day. I liked the shadows and light

Frittilary Butterfly on a butterfly bush.

Red-Tailed Hawk
This was a special treat. We happened upon her one day as we were driving by. She let us get very close. You can read a little about Veronica here: http://www.indianacountyparks.org/happenings/FOPNewsletters/NewsFOP2009JulyAugustSeptember.pdf

A view down at Silver Sands Beach. A duck in the water swimming down a canal

Seagull with a shell

Grasses

Spider web

Ornamental Crab Apples

Bumble Bee on Goldenrod. The orange spots on the bee are sacs filled with pollen grains.

More wild Sunflowers

And a Snowy Egret taking off. Love the "painted" feet.

Well, that's all for now.
Take care.

'Til next time.

I'm Still Alive & Kicking

2009-06-23T11:16:00.052-04:00

Hello friends, I hope you all are well and enjoying life. I'm sitting here with my cats curled up beside me sleeping peacefully, so I decided to try and put something together to share with you today.

It's been a long time since I posted anything here. I've tried several times, only to abort my attempts in frustration. I guess I just don't have the patience right now for organization.

Since my last post, winter ended, spring came upon us, and wow, where is the year going? It's already summer!!

For those who have asked, I'm doing fine, but my brain is really scattered these days, so I just try to do my own thing and get out with my camera to unwind, whenever it is possible to squeeze in little bits of time.

The Red Fox in this picture was quite a treat to see. (Remember you can click on the pictures to see them larger.)

There were actually several of them, but this one came very close to me. She was so beautiful and it was just a magical moment when she sat right down very calmly just a few feet in front of me. According to reports, there are also six babies there, but I haven't been fortunate enough to see them.

Wild Turkeys are in their beautiful breeding plumage now

Recently, I have seen a couple of these Yellow Crowned Night Herons. This is the first time I've ever seen these birds so far north. When I lived in South Carolina, we used to see them, but I never imagined that they would come up to Connecticut. Quite a nice sighting!

Eastern Cottontail living by the marsh

American Goldfinch

Not the best picture, but one day while out walking, there was a very wild and crazy barking coming from the marsh grasses. Off in the distance, a Coyote seemed upset. I think it was because there was a man walking out in the marsh, and I guess that he probably disturbed him.

Even while the coyote was barking, this Cedar Waxwing was perched in a small tree very close to me.

Snowy Egret. Listed as Threatened. Demand for egret plumes for ladies hats back a century or so ago nearly caused these birds' extinction. This bird certainly demonstrated how beautiful their feathers are.

The warblers and finches are wonderful this time of year. Such colorful little wonders and their songs are beautiful. This is a Yellow Warbler.

American Robins are everywhere now. I don't think I've ever seen so many.

Not much of a picture, but this is a Marsh Wren. When walking through the marshes, these birds have the most interesting calls. They almost always remain invisible, hidden deep in the grasses, so when one lands a little higher on the grass, it's quite a treat to snap even a faraway picture of it.

The other day I was driving down the road and I spotted about 30 or more Canada Geese in a parking lot. Most of them were toddlers and teens. I got out of the car and began to take pictures - I only had my long lens on the camera, and at some point they gathered around me and I couldn't take pictures because they were too close! Soon more geese crossed the road, stopping traffic right in the middle of town, and I suddenly had an entourage following me back to the car. I felt like the Pied Piper!

I was at Hammonasset State Park one day and right beside the road was this Great Egret. He let me get quite close, so I was able to get some pretty good shots of him.

Such a beauty!

Nearby, in a fresh water puddle, a little Killdeer sipped water

Least Terns were fluttering over a pond and diving down quickly with a heavy splash, coming back up with small fish. Fun to watch them. These birds are listed as Threatened here, so it's always a treat to see them.

Red Winged Blackbirds are back in full force, calling out from the grasses. This one perched on a rail for me. Very cooperative of him!!

This time of year is the best for all the little babies! Just love seeing them. This one is a little Canada Gosling.

Ahh, the flowers!!! So nice to see color again! Yay! I just get so color starved in the winter.

Now, this was an extremely happy sighting!! A baby Piping Plover. They are listed as endangered and threatened, depending on where they are. The birds like to nest on beaches and when the nesting areas are located, the state fences around the areas and sometimes completely close the beaches. I got lucky this day because the birds were down by the water.

I kept my distance, using a long lens, and marveled at their camouflage. Sometimes I was looking directly at them, but my eyes just didn't see them.

I looked up at the sky one day and spotted this Blackbird chasing an Osprey. I always find it remarkable how these small birds actually succeed in chasing the big birds away!

The scent of wild roses is lovely now, as well as the Honeysuckle. Walking along a path one day, the sweet mixture of the two fragrances filled the air with a beautiful perfume. Note the raindrops. We're 23 days into the month, and this is the 18th day of grey skies and sporadic rain. Will somebody please send me some sunshine?

Well, I think we know what this critter is. He was standing by the road and when the car stopped, I quickly shot this picture.

One day I was out and spotted a small herd of deer. The rest of the deer moved away from me, but this one decided to turn and walk toward me. We looked at each other for quite some time and finally he got bored with my face and moved on.

This Cattle Egret doesn't belong here!! We used to see them in the ditches down south, but never, ever up here!!

This cute little Killdeer was trying to be invisible by hiding in the grasses. He would duck down and then pop up. Ha ha! I caught him!

Aw, a little baby bunny. They are everywhere now.

On another visit, I spotted the Cattle Egret again, this time with some Glossy Ibises

And then it was time to fly.
Until next time...

Thank you so much for all of your kind notes and comments. They mean a lot to me, even though sometimes I can't find the words to express my appreciation.

Mom is doing fine right now, but has been in and out of the hospital, nursing homes, back home, here, and then back again to all of those places so many times in the past year that, quite honestly, I have lost count.

Otherwise, everything is fine here. We have been pretty much housebound, unless we are doing things for Mom. Haven't made any trips to anywhere interesting, but hope we can take a break sometime in the autumn.

Well, take care and thank you so much for your visits. You all are so kind.

Ice, Snow, & Critters, Oh My!

2009-02-10T10:25:00.033-05:00

Hi everyone,

Can you believe it's February already? Winter began right on schedule and we haven't seen bare ground since the snow began to fall. It's been a very cold winter here, but maybe not as humid because I don't seem to be feeling it as much as I normally do.

We've had some good sized snow storms and a couple of ice storms, as well. With the cold temperatures, the ice stayed on the trees for quite some time, keeping many of the branches at critical breaking stage.

This week, it has warmed some. The icicles are gone and some of the snow has melted.

The groundhog predicted another six weeks of winter. I expect an early spring. I've noticed some of the branches around here are looking a little reddish, and this weekend I spotted a weeping willow tree that was looking very yellow. A sure sign that the trees know that something is up!

Another indicator is the picture above. We have a very fat mama squirrel preparing a nest. This will be the fourth generation since I began observing this family of squirrels. With such an early start, I wouldn't be surprised if we enjoy a second nesting in the autumn.

(You can click on the pictures to see them larger.)

This is one of the babies we watched last autumn. Still that cute little turned up nose! I'm constantly grateful that we saved some of the tree during last year's cutting of the tree. It may look unsightly, but it gives me endless hours of pleasure to watch these cute little critters.

Scratch, scratch

Another squirrel looks at me through the window, while I am watching the Mama work on her nest

A first time visitor to my garden. A Red-Shouldered Hawk. We have seen Red-Tailed Hawks, Merlins, Sharp-Shinned, and Cooper's Hawks, but never a Red-Shouldered in the yard. They really don't belong here at this time of year, but there it was, big as life!

Another even more surprising visitor - HOLY SMOKES! Is that really a Great Blue Heron down in the gorge behind my house? Yes, it really was. Not the best picture in the world, but I'll take it! If you could see the terrain behind my house, you would be amazed that this bird was down there. It was snowing that day, so the picture is a little "murky". The bird slid down a hill, balancing itself with its beautiful large wings, and then waded in the brook, coming close to my house, and eventually, it flew off, with a whoosh of its wings. I don't think there are fish in the brook, but I remember the kids next door catching crawfish there.

We actually had another "first" this week, too. I have waited since 1997 to see a deer in my yard. Finally, yesterday, I saw tracks and scat, so we did have a visitor. Leave it to me to miss the deer, but catch the poop! ;-)

Last weekend, I decided to try and walk on one of my favorite trails. As luck would have it, cross-country skiers had opened a nice path to walk on. The light was beautiful, casting some great shadows on the forest floor.

A little chickadee walked on the snow in front of me

And more chickadees were in the trees alongside the trail

More light and shadows

On a recent drive on a road nearby, I passed by a farm and of course had to stop for my favorite scene. :-)

Digging in the snow. "I know that there are sunflower seeds down there SOMEWHERE!"

Tracks in the snow.

On a drive one day, we passed by some icy cliffs and decided to stop and take some pictures. As luck would have it, there were a couple of ice climbers there. They didn't mind me taking pictures, so I snapped away. You may have to click on the picture to see the man climbing the ice.

The light was a little better in this direction

Ice encrusted branches after an ice storm

Taken with flash, this one shows the ice better

A typical winter scene while on the road - no, I wasn't driving, but you never know with me. I've been known to put the camera on the steering wheel. ;-)

Sunset by the lake near my house

A little friend watching me

Dawn outside my window

Shadows on the snow

And that's about all I have for now. Just a combination of pictures taken over the past month.

To those who have enquired, Mom is doing better. Thank you for asking. Her health has somewhat improved.

I hope all of you are well. I am healthy, but a little burned out, so I'm just doing what needs to be done and taking one day at a time.

Take care and I'll see you when I can.
Big hugs to all of you.

Hello - Catching Up A Little

2009-01-05T08:13:00.016-05:00

Hello My Blogging Buddies,

I hope all of you are well and that you enjoyed the holidays.

This little squirrel is one of the babies we watched in 2008. Yep, they still hang around. :-)

Due to circumstances here, it's been awhile since I was able to post any nature pictures, but life takes some unexpected twists and turns sometimes, and we just have to roll with the punches. I hope 2009 will bring us peace and all good things!

The seasons passed quickly this year and winter is in full swing now. We've had a couple of snow storms. At one point, at least a foot of snow on the ground. All melted now, and replaced with newly fallen white stuff. It was all so beautiful and I had no time to take pictures! Ouch! Oh! And this was despite getting a new camera - which I love - unlike the lemon I bought I couple of years ago.

Mom is holding steady and in a nursing home for now. Still some serious issues, but we never give up on trying to improve the situation. Thank you for all of your visits, your kind notes and positive thoughts. They are appreciated.

In between visits to my mother during the holiday season, we managed to get in a couple of nature-related walks. I have missed my daily walks. I hope with the new year that things will improve enough that I can get back to posting blogs and visiting all of your blogs again. I really miss you all!

During the most recent snowfall, I saw that there were some big flakes coming down. That's the best time to get out and try and find the beautiful snowflake crystals, so I headed out into my backyard garden. This one above is unusual because I usually see them standing on end, but this one was lying flat and the sun was breaking through to shine its light upon it. A little star it its own right.

This is the more common way that I see them. Looking closely, as if my eyes were magnifying glasses, I found this one tucked into the railing on the steps. Remember, if you want, you can click the images to see them larger.

A female cardinal was perched in the bushes.

After walking around the house, we headed off in the car to find a trail to walk. First, we drove down a road where eagles are sometimes spotted. We got lucky when this one flew in, but he was perched far across the river. Getting used to my new camera, and in a location where I was unable to use a tripod, this picture is actually pretty shaky when I try to crop it, so this is the best I could get that day. I want to go back and try this again.

Out in the farm country near my home, this is a scene often repeated in my files. I just like that little shed by the tree. There was about 5 inches of snow on the ground, but it gets lost in the tall grasses of the field.

Next stop was up to Litchfield. This tree branch was hanging down over the icy, snowy river and casting some shadows.

Snow had blown hard against some of the tree trunks, and stayed there like blankets against the bark.

There was evidence of a lot of little feet walking across the snow

A view of the hills not far from where I live

Sunlight and shadows in the forest

I really like studying the shadows and light upon the snow. This scene caught my eye

A frozen landscape always looks so pretty - it's actually feeling the cold that I don't like. Give me back the feeling in my fingers and toes! :-)

In some places, the water is still open, while in others, it's solid enough that people are ice fishing.

Water clinging to branches - slowly frozen

This was a nest for a couple of Canada Geese. In the springtime, the floods came and washed the eggs away. The geese moved on, but nature never wastes anything. Beavers came in, converted the nest to a lodge for themselves, and they are probably tucked snugly in there right now.

Ice formations reflecting on the water

Back home again, a male cardinal visits this time

A couple of sparrows fly under my window

Little feet

Bittersweet encrusted with ice. In the springtime, the robins will come again and enjoy these berries.

And that's about all I have for now. Today, I'm going to get busy and work around the house. I've been ignoring things during the holidays, so I have plenty to do!

Hope you all have a wonderful New Year!! I'll see you whenever I can. xxx

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays

2008-12-23T07:12:00.018-05:00

Dear Friends,

This past year has been a very rocky road and a busy one. Some of you know that my mother has been in and out of the hospital and nursing homes many times this year. She stayed at my house for awhile, too. There hasn't been much time to keep in touch with friends. I apologize to those who have written and I haven't had time to reply the way I used to.

Thank you very much for all of your cards, notes, and gifts. They are a bright spot in my house now. This year we were not able to send cards and gifts, because our time is taken up traveling back and forth several times a week to see my mother in the hospital and nursing home. It's a long drive and time is not my friend these days. So, instead, I share with you a part of my Christmas tree.

I hope all of you are well and that your lives are flourishing.

Love and best wishes for the coming year and may your Christmas be jolly. For those who do not celebrate Christmas, may your holidays be bright and happy.

A Few Pictures 3

2008-11-06T17:41:00.011-05:00

To finish up this series, Parts One and Two are here:

A Few Pictures 1
A Few Pictures 2
You can click on the pictures to see them larger.

When the weather was bad, it was very bad
But, then awhile later, the rain and fog would clear enough, so that we could enjoy the wildlife again
The famous "coveted log" (mentioned in the September series) that the birds enjoy there, was still being used
Thistle
Raindrops clung to leaves
And everything looked saturated
We drove around sightseeing, determined not to let it stop us from enjoying the time away.
As you can see, this is major farming country. Lots of wineries there, too.
Along this drive, we stopped at a wonderful little bistro for lunch. I had some yummy butternut squash soup with homemade bread, which hit the spot on this cold, wet day. (This is NOT the bistro! LOL) ;-)
Notice the blue sky teasing us. It didn't last long.
This barn might be in ruins, but the trip sure wasn't. It felt good to get away.

Thanks for all of your visits and kind comments. Mom had another setback last week, but she is doing fine now. They are talking about possibly releasing her at some point in the near future provided she continues on this course of improvement.

Hope all of you are well and enjoying the week.

Till next time.

A Few Pictures 2

2008-11-06T17:25:00.012-05:00

Continuing, Part One is here:
A Few Pictures 1
You can click the pictures to see them larger

A little out of order, to show some pictures on those rainy days. "Weather for the ducks," they say, but even the "water birds" were hunkered down.

Thousands upon thousands of Canada Geese were there

And continuous drifts of birds flew across the sky

Mallard

A view across the marsh. Even with those heavy clouds, occasionally blue sky peeked through

The hybrid mallard we had seen on an earlier visit was still there

Northern Shoveler

Great Blue Heron

Canada Geese

Whoosh! Right over my head

A gathering place

A little fluff

Nature's artwork

And the sun going down.

Dear Blogger Friends, Thank you for all of your comments and good wishes. Mom has had a few new problems develop this week, so it's been a bit of a strain. I will be back with a few more pictures soon.

A big blogger hug to you all.

Continues here:
A Few Pictures 3

A Few Pictures 1

2008-11-06T16:45:00.014-05:00

Hello my blogger friends. I hope all is well with you. Thank you so much for your visits and comments. They mean a lot to me. In the way of an update, not much has really changed here. Mom is still in the rehabilitation/nursing home. She is doing very well and there has been talk of her being released soon. Time will tell. Recently, we escaped for a few days to our favorite place in upstate New York. The weather was terrible most of the time - rain, rain, and more rain, until the very last day when we were about to leave. We didn't let it hold us back at all though. Dreary skies, rain-soaked landscapes, and on the last morning, fog -My favorite situation for picture taking! Sun burning through fog... nothing like that light! You can click on the pictures to see them larger.

Geese coming in for a landing as the sun is rising.

The light shining through the fog and reflecting on the tree trunks

The fog was on the surface, but above the sky was blue
The fog on the river along the edge of the NWR created a nice effect
It was cold enough that there had been a frost the night before and the sun danced on the grasses and the ice sparkled in the light
The webs looked like diamonds strung on the grasses and laced upon the fences
An early riser - Red-Winged Blackbird sat perched on the grasses soaking up the sun
High above, the birds soared, and the sky was as blue as can be
The moon was still out
And again, lower down in the sky, there were the remaining wisps of fog
We saw millions of migrating waterfowl, mostly ducks and geese
And there was a peacefulness about the marsh, despite the loud and excited voices of the birds.

Continues here: A Few Pictures 2

Autumn in Connecticut

2008-10-12T21:47:00.010-04:00

Hi Everyone,

I hope all of you are well and enjoying life.

Mom has been back in the hospital again and was transferred back into a nursing home/rehab place again tonight. It has meant long hours of driving back and forth, and by the time I get home, I just want to relax and play without having to think!

Yesterday and today, we managed to make some time to get out and take pictures of some of the beautiful scenes that surround us. I had promised to share a little bit of autumn with you, and this is a particularly magnificent autumn here, so I'm happy to share these pictures with you. The leaf colors are now at peak for leaf peeping, so I hope you enjoy these images. I've included a few more than usual, because who knows when I'll be able to post again?! I'm not exactly reliable these days. ;-)

Mr. Sandpiper is on vacation this week and we had planned to go away, but with Mom being hospitalized, we've had to postpone things. We are hoping to get away sometime this coming week, for a couple of days, once my sister returns from her vacation. Timing is everything, isn't it? If we go away, I might have some more pictures to share with you soon, provided that the situation allows me the time to do it.

These pictures are all taken very close to where I live in a variety of locations. As always, you can click the pix to see them larger.

Okay, I guess I'll see you when I see you... it's the best I can do for now. In the meantime, I miss you all.

Montezuma NWR 7

2008-10-05T20:37:00.016-04:00

Continuing on...
Parts 1-6 are here:

Montezuma NWR 1
Montezuma NWR 2
Montezuma NWR 3
Montezuma NWR 4
Montezuma NWR 5
Montezuma NWR 6

(Please click on the pictures to see them larger.)

The Montezuma Wildlife Refuge is a large area, but we often retrace the trails and roads there, because with each "go 'round" there are new things to see. Like us, our friendly Harrier moved from pond to pond, this time flying overhead, and the nearby green heron and kingfisher looked skyward as he swept by.

Many of the flowers were now going to seed. I liked the pattern this one made as it fell away from the plant.

A Belted Kingfisher perched on a nearby limb

Same bird showing off his crest

This American Goldfinch was still hanging on to his brilliant breeding plumage

And once again, the Harrier flew over

The Delicate Queen Anne's Lace was in full bloom

And this turtle rested on a log that was sticking up out of the water

Whooooooooosh! An eagle suddenly flew past! What a surprise!

And, toward the late afternoon, we passed by the butterfly garden again. I love when the long afternoon light that makes things glow

Sunflower

Lots of birds

A Great Blue Heron

More birds

And some narrow-leafed sunflowers.

Hi everyone,

I hope you all are well and happy. Summer certainly has flown by and the leaves are now beginning to turn color here now. It will be awhile before we get to "peak", and I will try to get some pictures to share with you.

Things are going okay here. I'm still taking care of some things - seems one thing after another, but overall, I'm fine. We are trying to hatch a plan that will hopefully soon resolve some issues and will perhaps put me in a state of mind for blogging a little more often. We'll see how it goes!!

Thank you very much for all of your visits and comments. You have no idea how much they make me smile.

Kathryn asked a question if I had visited Buttermilk Falls in Ithaca. No, but we certainly will try to get there now that you have mentioned it. We have been to Letchworth State Park though. (Not on this most recent visit.) It is also known as the "Grand Canyon of the East."
http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkID=12 The place has outstanding views and waterfalls.

We are hoping to get away again soon, if we can. Even little getaways are good for the soul.

Take care and I'll be posting again soon.

Montezuma NWR 6

2008-09-24T22:17:00.018-04:00

Continuing on...
Parts 1-5 are here:
Montezuma NWR 1
Montezuma NWR 2
Montezuma NWR 3
Montezuma NWR 4
Montezuma NWR 5

One only has to look at a map to see why this region is called the Finger Lakes Region. It looks like a giant claw reached down and dug into the soil to create these beautiful lakes.

I could stay at the wildlife refuge the whole time, but how can one visit the Finger Lakes and not go to see at least one of the lakes? So, off we went for a drive toward Lake Cayuga.

This is a major farming area. The farms look quite prosperous - well maintained, good looking crops, and very active

This is also Amish country. It's not unusual to see people with modest clothing, the women wearing little bonnets/prayer caps on their heads, or men driving along the road in a buggy drawn by horses.

This is, of course, also a great recreation area, with the lakes bringing in tourists

We drove along and the lakes seemed to go on forever

While this area's farms, in general, look prosperous, I was drawn to this old barn that had seen better days. I like rustic things like this that hold a lot of history. I can't help but wonder about those people who had the pioneering spirit that carved out their little part of settling this country.

Looking out over a crop, across the lake to another farm in the distance

The blue sky that day reflected on the water

Well, now you know it's farm country, it's Amish country, and it's lake country, but did you know this is also wine country?

This is a winery among many in the region. Wine grapes growing in the foreground

We headed back toward the NWR, passing more signs for the Amish trades

We arrived at one pond, and the below the surface, it was teeming with fish

No surprise that this Green heron was there. Talk about an easy meal.

At one point, he perched on this dead stump. Thanks Mr. Heron.

A Kingfisher flew over

I'm sure he was hoping to dive down into the water to grab some of those fish

And probably would have, if we hadn't been there.

More to come... sorry for the delays. Can't be helped. Thank you for all of your nice comments. Things are still pretty complicated here, but I'm doing okay! I hope you all are well!!

Continues here:
Montezuma NWR 7

Montezuma NWR 5

2008-09-19T03:15:00.018-04:00

Hi everyone, Sorry that the series was interrupted. It took me some time to get back to it because my mother was hospitalized again this week. It's been a long, complicated roller coaster of a week of hospitals, nursing homes, and now she is at my house. She is okay, but "Roller Coasters R Us" lately. LOL Hope all of you are well!

Continuing - If you missed them, you can find here the previous posts: Part1, Part 2, Part, 3, Part 4

Thanks for all of your comments. I'm really glad you enjoyed the close-ups of the Harrier in Part 4. I'm still excited about seeing it so close!! If you didn't get to see it, check out part 4. It's a gorgeous bird and a rare opportunity.

A special note at the bottom of today's post.

The atmostphere was subdued, as the morning sky's soft pastels offered a peacefulness over the marsh

Birds were already at the entry. Canada Geese, a rare sighting in this part of the country of a white-fronted goose, various ducks, seagulls, and little sandpiper-type birds

The light reflected off the water. I kept looking under those trees to see deer, but never did

A duck idly floated by, as the water was still reflecting the soft pinks of the sky

And while the light was coming up, the colors in the sky seemed to hold on for quite awhile

It was pretty out there

I watched this duck splash down

Nearby, a bee buzzed on some Touch-Me-Nots, still wet from the previous night's rain.

I spied a Green Heron struggling with a fish

He seemed to grab hold of it, but would lose it over and over again

He finally got a good grasp of it

And "GULP!" down it went. Amazing how different they look when they stretch their necks

Some geese came in for a landing

A heron waded past

On this day, Mallards and Canada Geese shared the highly coveted log

Teasle

I would like to congratulate Susanne at Sue's Daily Photos for receiving this award. She well deserves it, and I'm honored that she has passed it on to me. If you get some time, please stop by and say hello to her. She has a beautiful blog, and you will get to enjoy some wonderful photography of one of my favorite places in the United States, the beautiful city of Charleston, South Carolina. It's real eye candy to visit there. Enjoy.

Pictures to be continued as life allows it. ;-) Have a great day!!

Thanks, Kylita for the correction on the flower. That's what happens when you post at 3 am. LOL - Thanks everyone for your kind words. I'm doing okay. Hanging in there. :-)

CONTINUES HERE: Montezuma NWR 6

Montezuma NWR 4

2008-09-12T16:03:00.015-04:00

Montezuma NWR 1
Montezuma NWR 2
Montezuma NWR 3

Continuing along, I saw Canada Geese galore. I arrived here just in time to watch a turf war. The one on the left was forced to shove off when the other two hissed and charged at him

Overhead, gazillions of (what I suppose were) starlings, swarmed the sky

The beautiful blue sky that day reflected on the water

And a Caspian Tern flew overhead. Usually not seen in this area except during migration, it was a treat to watch him

A little Pied-Billed Grebe idly floated by

Suddenly, in the distance, we saw that same Northern Harrier we had seen before. We watched it glide over the grasses, and WOW! It decided to come down maybe six feet away from the car!!

I couldn't believe my luck. There it was, right outside my window, resting in the marsh grasses.

Too bad about the grasses, but when it's in the wild, you feel lucky to get pictures like this

I've never seen any pictures this close, unless the birds were in captivity, so I felt really happy about this opportunity and just kept clicking! Doesn't it have a gorgeous face?

Moving on to a different area, more Goldenrod in bloom

We went to an area where the gate is always closed to the public, but we noticed that the gate was open this time. We decided to chance it. If they didn't want us in there, they could kick us out.

We were lucky not to get caught because we got to watch about dozen or so Egrets, a lot of cormorants, and even an eagle.

The next day we went back, and just as we arrived, a park official was kicking some people out.

Continues Here: Montezuma NWR 5

I hope all of those on the Gulf coast of the U.S. are taking care and staying safe.

Montezuma NWR 3

2008-09-11T10:19:00.013-04:00

Parts 1 & 2 are here:

Montezuma NWR 1

Montezuma NWR 2

This Great Blue Heron stood posing for me, all ruffled in the morning light

Alert to any sounds while he stood there fishing

Two beautiful little spotted deer wandered at the edge of the marsh grasses, weaving in and out, making it a challenge to get a picture. I kept snapping and this was the best I could do. I got a lot of butts, pieces, and parts. ;-) If you enlarge it by clicking on the picture, you can see its face.

Meanwhile, the sun was doing cool things in the sky as the mist was burning off

A nearby butterfly kept fluttering making it difficult to get a picture that wasn't blurred

They have a beautiful butterfly garden there, which the migrating birds should love when the flowers go to seed.

A Wood Duck and some Mallards sat quietly

Handsome fella

Canada Goose

A Northern Harrier taking off

Wheeeeeeeee!

Continues here:
Montezuma NWR 4

Montezuma NWR 2

2008-09-10T09:07:00.010-04:00

Part one is here: Montezuma NWR 1

As we drove in, we immediately saw birds near the entrance

I was excited about being there. This place is special because wildlife isn't all that plentiful where I live, and to see so many things in one place, is a treat

In this pond were several kinds of ducks, Canada Geese, a White Fronted Goose (rare!), some walking birds - like yellowlegs, sandpipers, etc. , Gulls, and a Caspian Tern (rare, except during migration.)

We saw a lot of Great Blue Herons. This one posed on an artsy piece of wood

And then took off
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When we first arrived there, we discovered that they had drained one of the ponds and the gate was closed while they were pumping water back into it. I was very disappointed, having driven so far to get to this place. At the time, they couldn't give us specifics as to when it would reopen. We decided to walk this beautiful trail.

Most of the preserve requires that you stay in your vehicle, but there are a few walking trails, so we spent some time doing that, with the hope that the gate would be opened soon.

We watched this heron fly in and land, and then he showed off his feathers

Some ducks floated by

And the heron waded along the edge of the marsh grasses

Then I saw this heron and he posed so beautifully for me

Walking along the trail, there were pretty wildflowers - Black-eyed Susans here

And the sun was now up. The low-lying mist and fog in places gave the sky a beautiful color.

Continues Here: Montezuma NWR 3

Thank you all for stopping by and for your nice notes. I'm hoping to begin visiting blogs again very soon.

Montezuma NWR 1

2008-09-09T16:16:00.020-04:00

Rose Mallow
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Hi everyone! I hope all is well with you. This break is helping me a great deal. Without getting into too much detail, I can only say, know your limits and do what you need to do. I'm not sure I will get back to a daily blog again, but I would like to continue on at an easy pace. Thank you so much for all of your wonderful notes and kind comments. I have read them all and am touched by your kindness.

Last week, we took a small holiday and headed off to the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge in upstate New York. It is in the Finger Lakes Region. We saw a lot of great things. Nowhere close to what we have seen in past visits, but the time of year has a great deal to do with that. The area is a big migratory stop off point for birds and we were a little early for that. Still, we were not disappointed. Hope you enjoy the pictures. I recommend clicking on them to see them larger.

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Purple Loosestrife - a pesky, invasive plant, but there is no denying its beauty
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We saw miles and miles of Goldenrod in bloom, as we traveled along the highways. The NWR is about a six hour drive from where I live. We also saw a lot of the beautiful golden flowers within the refuge. This is typically an autumn flower where I live, so guess what is right around the corner? ;-)

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This Great Blue Heron wasn't in the canals with the rest of its buddies. Preferring to stay in the tall grasses, he posed nicely for me.
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This log in the waterway seemed to be highly coveted by a lot of birds. It was rare that we saw it without birds lined up on it. This time it was Mallards and Wood Ducks.

We saw Canada Geese galore

I think there must have been some funny business going on. Looks like a hybrid Mallard and a female mallard. The hybrid was an extremely handsome fellow, so his Mama and Papa knew what they were doing!
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An early morning view of a marsh area were we walked

What else would you expect to find floating in Duckweed? DUCKS! Of course!

Common Moorhen
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Geese coming in
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Just outside the NWR were many farms. These cows were in nice light, so I took a shot of them. We can pretend they are wild. ;-)
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Loosestrife and Goldenrod

I have a moonroof on my car, so I opened it, sat on the center console, poking my head out of the roof to take pictures of some of the birds in flight. It gave me a great perspective, but I bet it looked mighty funny to passersby to see the crazy lady with her head coming out of the roof.

This was a pretty scene that I liked.

Continues here: Montezuma NWR 2

Boyd Refuge

2008-08-19T08:47:00.010-04:00

Hi everyone. I hope all of you are well and enjoying the summer. I've been relaxing, taking a break, and trying to regroup a little after a pretty good crash and burn. As much as I enjoy blogging, this break is necessary for me, so I've been trying to get out and enjoy the nice weather before it turns cooler.
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I recently took a walk at a place called Boyd Refuge. It's a small place, but a nice walk through the woods near a pond. There are also a couple of butterfly gardens before the woods. These are some pictures that I took there. I don't know the names of all of the flowers, so these won't be captioned. If you click on the pictures, you can see them larger and they look better.
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Thank you so much for all of your nice comments and good wishes. I'm doing okay, but it is taking me some time to unwind and feel normal again.
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I would like to congratulate Laughing Wolf and 2 Sweet'n Saxy on receiving their awards and anyone else who may have received them. You all have wonderful blogs and are so deserving. I really feel blessed that you have chosen to pass them on to me. Thank you from my heart. I'm placing them on my Awards Page with pride.
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I'll be back as soon as I'm feeling my old self again.

A Little Visit

2008-08-10T03:36:00.026-04:00

I recently stopped by some of my favorite walking places. There wasn't much going on there, so I turned around and went home. The clouds were building in the sky, making quite an impression
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A baby bird called out from the depths of the branches.
"Feed me, Feed me"
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The widowed swan still is at the pond. I wish she would find a new companion.
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Cedar Waxwings were flying to and from the tops of the trees. Always in the distance for me
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This Rose of Sharon was at the cemetery across the street from the pond. This is where I saw the turtles laying eggs some time back. I walked over to check on the egg-hatching progress, and saw some recent digging, but was unable to determine if something had been digging in or if turtles might have been digging out.

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Far up in the farmer's field, I saw a lot of turkeys. Many of them were babies. You might see the babies as little dots in the grasses, if you click on the picture to enlarge it. A terrible picture, but a record that they were there.
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At the boardwalk, a storm front was moving in
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Pretty dramatic with the grey taking over the blue, so I zoomed a little
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Hedge Bindweed
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Goldenrod
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Queen Anne's Lace
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The Purple Loosestrife is nearly shoulder high now. I saw a hummingbird moth there, but it moved off too quickly for me to get a picture
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Touch-me-nots are now in full swing
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This much goldenrod in bloom tells me that autumn is not far away. The air has begun to dry out and feels cool and crisp here now
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Joe-Pye-Weed
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Broadleaf Arrowhead
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Bee on Pickerelweed
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A monarch butterfly kept pace with me as I walked, always staying a few feet in front of me.
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Meadowsweet
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Bee on Joe-Pye-Weed
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On the way home, a good sized group of wild Canada Geese crossed the road in front of the car. So, there you have it. A short trip, but at least I was able to get out for a little while.

I hope all of you are well. Things are going fine here, but I've been pretty burned out with a lot of things, so this break is helping me a lot. Thank you so much for all of your notes, comments, emails and good wishes. I'll try to get by and visit some blogs soon, and once I'm a little more rested and organized, I'll get back to a more consistent schedule of blogging, even if it can't be everyday. We'll see how it goes. Have a wonderful day.

Silver Sands Trail 2

2008-08-05T06:40:00.033-04:00

Continuing, Part One was here: Silver Sands Trail 1

As I walked, I watched a plane flying overhead
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I could see the shore and people were out on the beach relaxing, swimming, and playing in the sand. I thought about the people who live in those condos. What views they must have!
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Some of the planes flying overhead were toys
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There were wild turkeys there picking in the grasses
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A loud car went by and scared them off
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Male Red-Winged Blackbird
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And a female RWBB
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.A female Red-Wing Blackbird
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Nesting Osprey - There is a wonderful live cam located on this nest. It looks right into the nest and you can see the two youngsters in there. They're getting quite big now and probably won't be there much longer. http://67.86.143.68:81/view/index.shtml I love this cam!
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A sailboat. You can see the weather is becoming hazy now
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Leaving Silver Sands, just a short distance down the road is an Audubon place. There wasn't much to see there on this day, but this is the path I took
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There were roses along the side of it
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Gorgeous colors
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And Prickly Pear Cactus was growing on the beach. Yes, we do have a native cactus that grows wild here. That surprises a lot of people
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I'm not sure, but I think I read these plants are either threatened or endangered. We used to have them growing in our garden and my in-laws had a lot of them growing along the fence by their pool
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That ended this day at the beach trail. Just a little walk for now.
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Have a great day.

Silver Sands Trail 1

2008-08-05T06:17:00.020-04:00

American Robin

These pictures were taken a few weeks ago when I was at the beach (It was this day: A Little Whimsy)
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Red-Winged Blackbird in flight over the marshes
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Looking down one of the canals.
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Very close to me, a Red-Winged Blackbird was perched on a post
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This was a fantastic sighting for me. The first Black Crowned Night Heron I've ever seen in Connecticut
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A little sparrow in the bushes
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The landscape there is pretty. You can walk through fields, alongside the marshes, and see the salt water views of Long Island Sound beyond, and hear the waves as they come in on the beach
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While not an exciting picture, it's tricky to get a picture of an elusive Marsh Wren. One can always hear them deep and low in the grasses and recognize them by their unique "chittering" sounds, but seeing them is a feat.
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Song Sparrow. These birds will pose and put on quite a performance.
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This is a path I walked, flanked on both sides by colorful flowers. I could see little birds hopping in the grasses, but was unable to see what kind of birds they were
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Many of the flowers were Birdfoot Trefoil
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And they made quite a golden impression
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Mixed with Crown Vetch, it made a great ground cover, which I suppose works very well in helping with erosion
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Black-Eyed Susan
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To be continued

Thanks for all of your comments. I've read them all and enjoyed them. I'm still trying to balance my time here, so taking each day at a time. Blogging will remain off-and-on for awhile. Have a great day everyone.

RI Zoo 7

2008-07-27T18:20:00.021-04:00

Wrapping up the visit to the zoo, (began here: RI Zoo 1) there were two Bald Eagles that had been injured and can no longer fly on a sustained basis, so they can't be released. They were repaired cosmetically and looked beautiful.

There were hordes of people there, but when the keeper walked by with a tray of mice, the eagles immediately recognized him in the crowd and began to make sounds. They watched the man disappear and reappear, and then when the mice were delivered, even though there were several feeding stations, one of them ate and the other one watched and waited until it was finished, before it took over eating what was left of the mouse, rather than eating at the same time, at different feeding stations.

The first picture (above) shows a camouflaged door that was behind me when I was watching the eagles. I thought it was really well done.

Two eagles

Caretaker spotted

The eagle watches him disappear. Mouth slightly open.

Caretaker goes past and out of sight... Hey, what gives? Come back!

That's more like it

Ewwwwww

He looks at me... "THIS IS MINE!"

Standing on a water bowl, the other eagle watched while he ate

Took a drink. Gulp

And that's pretty much it. There were a lot of animals out of sight that day, but even so, it was a pleasant visit. None of the animals seemed stressed, which was nice. I hate to see them pacing.

Have a great day.