Just as I was exiting last time about 45min after sunset, I met a couple staring up at a tree. I was about to show them the pic of a woodpecker that I took in that tree when I entered, but I quickly realized that these two weren't the avg neighborhood strollers, these two took their birding seriously and they were waiting for a barn owl to leave it's nest (inside the trunk of the tree that I check out every time I enter and leave the area). They've known about this nest for a dozen years. I had no idea - and I spend A LOT of time looking at that tree. They also told me about two red shouldered hawks nests. I was gonna try to find one next time.

And there she is... Can't see much, but I'll check her out again on my way back.



Here's a cormorant posing


some goldeneyes


Not a very good Turtle pic, but look at the size of that fish - I didn't see it when I took the shot. That's at least 3 feet long - maybe 4.


A muskrat (pretty sure) - looks like he's gonna make a salad


another turtle


A very cool heron that was so busy fishing, he didn't mind my being there (much)






but eventually I got too close and get the obligatory birdbutt shot - this one is better than most...


Nice little snowy egret


I just talked to an incredibly loud group of teens (I'm just over the levee from the local high school) and just a few yards down the trail I spotted two turtles. This was a big surprise seeing as how loud the teens were, but I looked closer and saw a dozen little heads sticking out of the water. They must have been all over that branch before all of the noise (I'm not familiar with this area so I wouldn't know)


A little silk worm - almost walked right into him...


Tiny lizard...


Getting pretty good at spotting hummingbirds at rest - this is a baby I think - just about 2" tall.


Back to mama hawk - didn't see her in the nest, but found her on a nearby branch having lunch... (best red shouldered hawk pics I've ever taken)








all done - now she wants to leave because I'm too damned close




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/30/2015 01:54PM by hal.

Nicely done!

Love seeing all the greenery. We still have a bit of snow on the ground, and where it's not covered in white stuff, the ground is brown and the trees are leafless.

---

Mr. Lahey: A lot of people, don’t know how to drink. They drink against the grain of the liquor. And when you drink against the grain of the liquor? You lose.

Randy: What the @#$%& are you talking about?

What Rick-o says. Both the pix and the weather... I'm two hours south of him.

Your hawk pictures are stunning.

Yes, great stuff!

---

Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

Excellent work! Of course, it's not really work, is it?

/Mr Lynn

---

"Hillbilly at Harvard"
Honky-tonk Country and Bluegrass
Founded in 1948 by Pappy Ben Minnich
Saturdays 9am - 1pm Eastern
WHRB-FM, Cambridge, MA
Streaming at [www.WHRB.org]
Be there!
The HAH weblog: [hillbillyatharvard.wordpress.com]

Topical weblog: [walkingcreekworld.wordpress.com]

On the river in Saxonville.

Quote
mrlynn
Excellent work! Of course, it's not really work, is it?

/Mr Lynn

exactly right - pictures get in the way of actual work - this is just fun!

Quote
hal
Here's a cormorant posing

The water looks really shallow, so the bird wouldn't need to dive, get its wings all wet, and then have to dry them off.

This is a great collection. I'm haunted by those tiny turtle heads poking above the water. HAUNTED.