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Spring Walk
It’s been a cold, overcast spring. Daffodils and forsythia are finally open, and today the sun came out and warmed us to the heart.
So we went for a walk — and discovered others were enjoying the warmth, too.
We decided to name this guy Thanos, even though we haven’t seen the new Avengers movie yet. He has a sinister look about him, even sluggish and mud-covered.
Under the water near where we stood, another snapper looked more awake, and more malevolent.
He rose to periscope depth to examine us.
We saw more agreeable spring pond-dwellers, too: a kingfisher, a number of box turtles, a deer, a green heron, and a snake. Younger Daughter saw muskrats twice, but her sister and I didn’t get there soon enough to see. We also saw bluets growing, and a goose family.
Oh for more days like this!
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Summer Falls
Wild geranium at the entrance to the trail 
The first of many stairs 
One example of the harmony between human stairs and natural stairs 
There’s always a mixture of darkness and light 
Greenery is everywhere 
There were brook trout in most of the pools, waiting for the next rain to raise the water level and carry them further down the falls 
Sun peeks through 
Peace 
Forget-me-nots along the bank 
A female mallard that plopped in for a rest while we watched 
Turning to look back down the stream This is a 3/4 mile walk along a gorge, but that short span includes something like a 600 foot rise in elevation. We climbed a lot of stairs, then walked down the other side on a more gradual trail. It was an absolutely lovely day.
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Bob-o-link field
This field invited us to stop the car and try to capture the scene. The field was filled with bob-o-links making their strange, R2D2 racket.
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Interior decoration
She was gathering bark for the nest but dropped it to scream. Yes, I felt badly… even though we were actually passing by at a good clip and did not stop to stare or harrass her.
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A walk in the park
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Bright Back Yard
The male goldfinches are glorious when they brighten up after their winter drabness.
I fear my camera was damaged when it tipped over and hit the ground at a polo match over the winter. It doesn’t focus sharply when I try to zoom in on the beautiful spring birds. I’m not sure where to take it for repair.
Here are a few more bright fellows back in time for our chilly spring:
Indigo buntings come through this time of year, but they have never stayed before. Who knows? Maybe this year they will.
The rose-breasted grosbeak is always a favorite. We have three pairs of them battling over the feeder.
Orioles are beautiful, conversational singers. I’ve read that grape jelly in a hummingbird feeder will bring them in. We’re using our feeder for the hummers, as we have three ruby throats — a male and two females — depending on it. But maybe I can find a way to rig up a feeder for orioles, too.
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Tree Swallows
If only I could capture these amazing fliers in action… They are too quick for me, so I settle for shots of them looking pensive.
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Vernal pool vitality
It seems to take no time at all for these frog’s eggs to develop. Here’s a proud and strangely happy looking mother frog.
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Chipmunks
These little guys are so fearful of being seen. If only they could be quieter, they’d have better success. But first it’s the chipping out of vocal warnings from their roosts, and then it’s the frantic scrabble of little claws on bark that gives them away.
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Protective mother
This leucistic redtail has been sitting on her nest for some weeks, and now she appears to be feeding young.
Instead of being nestled down into the nest, we see her sitting more erect, as she is in this picture. Often she’s on the edge of the nest, peering down, probably giving tiny bites to tiny beaks.
It’s interesting to see the fresh greens she has apparently added to the nest. I know Big Red did the same thing in the Cornell hawk nest we observed a few years ago too, though I’m not sure what the purpose is.
It’s been awhile since I’ve seen the male, so I hope he’s all right. At this stage, there’s plenty for both parents to do.
