Ponds & Streams
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Things you see at the Brick Pond
On a walk with my daughters yesterday, we heard a lot of chatter in the treetops, and tiny birds flitted all over the place. But it was difficult to find them quickly enough for a photo. No wonder — considering how well they blend in with the leaves. Can you spot the warbler in this picture?
But they started to get used to our being there, and came a little closer.
Finally, they came in still closer. They were too busy looking for insects to worry about us for long, and soon they surrounded us — a cloud of what we later decided were magnolia warblers, reveling in the warm weather and the swarms of tiny insects around the pond.
An hour zipped by before we even got halfway, but we drank in the late afternoon warmth and color of a beautiful fall day.
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Moose River
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Sapsucker Woods
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Summer Pond
Late June/early July, 2021.
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Watkins Glen
These images are from October 2020.
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Spring Sights: Pond Walk
Wild geranium Though it’s now late August, these pics are from a walk back in May.
Eastern phoebe 
Great blue heron 
Dandelion 
Lupine These days, mature milkweed, asters, sunflowers, and the sound of walnut leaves fluttering to the ground replace these fresh spring colors and sights. It’s nice to review the “baby pictures” of this summer as we transition into fall.
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Fall
I have a number of photos taken over the summer to post. But for now, let’s think about the wonders of autumn.
Leaves covering the earth, even in a grove of evergreens.
I photographed this prospect in spring. It has quite a different character now. This little guy was perched in exactly the same spot as he was in spring, too, but drowsier.
I didn’t expect turtles, but there were some out on our walk the other day.
My daughter commented on the smell of fall. It’s true. Fall has its own odor, and I’m aware of it even though I’m not a good smeller and often don’t notice odors. It triggers a sense of great satisfaction edged with bittersweet.
It’s been some summer for our country, and there’s a weariness and worn-outness that goes along with it. I felt it was being reflected in the sights on our fall walk.
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Mother’s Day
We set out bright and early on Mother’s Day. It was clear and cold, and we had the woods to ourselves.
We weren’t sure what this bird was. It made no sound, was about the size of a female cardinal, and hawked insects. My daughter and I snapped some photos, and when we got home and looked in the bird book we realized it was a great crested flycatcher. This photo is posted not as an example of a good photo, but as an example of how the camera is an aid to figuring out what things are. It’s a damage-free hunting tool.
Black-throated green warblers were singing around the creek. No great pictures, but we enjoyed seeing them all around, feeding along with some yellow-rumped warblers. Here, the camera magnified something too small and high to see clearly, and enabled me to see its markings. Again, an example of a camera as a tool in nature study, even when the result is not a good photograph.
The glen was lovely, though choked with blown down trees.
The trillium is blooming, along with other vegetation.
On the way home, we observed another mother — a leucistic redtail keeping her chicks warm.
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Spring woods
Let’s take a walk. We’ll go through the woods to the pond…
…and enjoy the wild cherry blossoms.
The trail is grassy there, so we have a good view of the water and its life.
Just remember that no matter how many things we see — warblers, geese, blossoms, color, tracks — we’re always being watched as well!
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Greening up
The light in the woods is taking on a greenish tint at last. The trees are beginning to produce leaves, and the mosses are incredibly varied. This rock is just one example, showing a number of different textures.
This tree reminds me of hobbits, thanks to its fuzzy toes.
Chipmunks are always watching. Though they’re not secretive enough to go unnoticed, they do blend in pretty well.
I’ve photographed this boardwalk many times, but it always intrigues me. Yesterday it saved our shoes in the extremely muddy woods.
A little photo-editing was done on this one. Fiddleheads are starting to appear…
My pictures don’t show it, but there were quite a few people taking advantage of the nice day to walk in the woods. This is due to pandemic cabin fever. I wonder if it will last.
The crowded woods didn’t prevent us from visiting some favorite spots, and all in all I’d say it’s a great development that people are enjoying the outdoors. . . ourselves included. Hopefully next time we’ll spot some warblers.
