Friday, March 22, 2019

HUNTLEY MEADOWS, SECOND PART

Hopefully we can go back to the park soon.  There should be more birdlife coming through now.  We always love the path through the wood before we get to the walkway across the marshy area. 
I have seen dozens of photographers on our visits, many with very large zooms, and they stay there for hours.  If you look closely you will see that he has two attached to his tripod.  This is the first time I have seen that set-up.
I would have loved to have seen his photos, and wondered if he had a gallery somewhere.  He was on the phone though and I certainly wasn't going to disturb him.
There were lots of families around. Maybe his was walking elsewhere while he took his photos.  We try not to go on a weekend, but when we do it is nice to see families enjoying themselves. 
I could be mistaken but the water seemed lower than on our last visit.  We wondered if the beavers had been working on this old, multi-branched stump sticking out of the water.  Always looking for signs of beaver we saw none today.  They are more active if you are here early morning or later in the afternoon.  More on them at the end of my post.
I enjoyed seeing all the turtles on the logs.  There were dozens sighted.  I believe these are Painted Turtles.  At times we have seen Snapping Turtles, some very large, but not today.
If you go here you can see more photos and information about Huntley Meadows.
Here are more photos of the birds we saw.  The one below is a female Northern Shoveler, mentioned in my previous post...
and her mate.

We also saw a few American Coots.

Mr. and Mrs. Mallard were swimming in and out of the reeds.  Their heads disappeared often.
Always enjoyable to watch but I eventually left them in peace.
We are almost at the end of the walkway.  The mound in my photo below these illustrations (found on line) is a beaver lodge.  

The one we always see right off the walkway has been here for as long as we have been coming to the park, about 30 years.  It is amazing to me that they built so close to where the pathway is well traveled.

There is another interesting website at this link, an illustration and more information about the beaver.
We watched it get even bigger and at one time this seat was almost covered.  It is one where we sit and look at the wildlife.  There is another pond to the left of this photo, and also a beaver dam.  We have seen the pond rise and fall depending on how busy they have been.  The park people let nature take its course more often than not, but I see the seat has been slowly cleared.  The lodge, however, has basically been left alone.
At this link it will tell you more about the beaver.

Eventually it was time to leave and we made our way back through the wood.  If you look up at that tree trunk there are fresh holes made by woodpeckers, getting ready for nesting I'm assuming.  
Gregg also enjoys taking photos and many of these in my two posts are his, like this interesting dried plant.  
I also saw that these tiny flowers called Spring Beauty were growing everywhere.  Good signs of Spring!
That's it for now until our next visit.  If you want to look at other posts I have done on the park, you can find the link underneath this post.

Have a great day and thanks for taking a look.  I hope you have enjoyed Huntley Meadows, and will get a chance to visit the park yourself one of these days.  If not I am very happy to share it virtually.



39 comments:

  1. Great post. No I have never seen 2 cameras on a tripod, but the size of those lenses you would never be able to hold them steady without a trpod!
    Happy weekend Diane

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    1. Thank you Diane, very true! Hope your weekend is going well :)

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  2. Beautiful spring photos thanks for sharing this lovely excursion!

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  3. A pleasant spot for a ramble through nature.

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    1. Thanks William, definitely a favorite walk of ours :)

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  4. I did enjoy this visit...and I like your signature! LOL

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  5. I really enjoyed walking along this path with you, Denise! What an amazing place to visit and view nature. We would enjoy this park very much. Your photos and your husband's show how lovely it all is. Thank you for sharing such a special place.

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    1. Hi Martha Ellen, that makes me happy and you are very welcome :)

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  6. Spring days are good for a walk in the park.

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  7. this looks like a wonderful park denise, a place i would enjoy walking and enjoying nature.

    i am always amazed a those big camera people with the huge lenses...and the dedication those photographers have. you are right, some stay in the same spot for hours!!

    we have shovelers, coots and mallards here in our lakes, they are fun to watch. you got some beautiful pictures!!!

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    1. Thanks Debbie, I think you would enjoy it very much :) I saw a documentary on how long these National Geographic photographers stay out to get that one great photo. They must have tons of patience.

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  8. I always hate when your posts on Huntley come to an end. Lovely photos, it is like I am walking through myself. I love seeing the Shovelers, ours are gone now. The beaver lodge right up against the bench is amazing!!

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    1. Thanks Ginny, we will be getting back there soon. So happy you enjoy these posts.

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  9. I like all your photographs even if it did make me yearn for great parks and natural waterways. Thanks for sharing, Denise.

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    1. Thank you Valerie :) You are so very welcome, glad you enjoyed.

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    1. Obrigado, um abraço e uma boa primavera para você também :)

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  11. Hello, wonderful post on your walk. I have been to Huntley Meadows once with my bird club years ago. It is a nice place to visit in the spring, beautiful ducks and photos.
    Happy weekend to you!

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    1. Thanks Eileen and how wonderful that you have been here. I'm hoping to get back next week. Hope your weekend was a great one with lots of photos :)

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  12. each and every photos is amazing today. I can't pick a favorite, I love them all. what a wonderful place to visit. and this is a first for me also, seeing double tripods like that...

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  13. Hi Denise,
    Super set of Spring images from your visit to Huntley Meadows, what a wonderful place to visit with all the wildlife.
    Hope sometime you will manage some images of the Beavers, an animal that is being re introduced in the UK.
    Super set of images.
    All the best, John

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    1. Thank you John and how interesting about the beavers in the UK. All the best to you too :)

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  14. You really shared some amazing pictures of your visit. I don't visit parks very often unless I'm going fishing, and there has to be lots of shady places to hide(lol) Ironically, I see turtles when I'm fishing and they're nibbling on my worms(lol) I've never seen cameras like those and they look pretty fascinating. Thanks for sharing such wonderful treasures of nature. Hugs and Happy Sunday! RO

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    1. So glad you enjoyed them RO and you are very welcome :) My Dad loved to go fishing and I would go along many times. As for those cameras, I can't imagine how heavy it must be to carry them around. I noticed the baby stroller and wondered later if he used it to carry his camera equipment.

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  15. Denise, thank you for sharing Huntley Meadows.

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  16. Huntley Meadows looks like the kind of place we’d love! Wonderful scenery, water, wildlife and birds (and great photos of them) and it looks like a flat walk! My kind of nature walk! Hills get harder every year!

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    1. Thanks Sallie, and thank you for all the wonderful walks you share. I need those flat walks too :)))

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  17. Yikes! Must be professional photographer. Would love a peek at the photos. Lol

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    1. Thank you Small Kucing, yes I would have really enjoying looking at them.

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  18. I confess that I've been cooped up inside the house all day. I'm glad to be able to take a virtual walk with you outside in nature. Thank you.

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    1. Always good to get outside isn't it Kay? Thank you and enjoy nature whether it is in your garden or further afield.

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  19. What a pleasant place this is, I enjoyed my walk with you.
    Lovely photographs.

    All the best Jan

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    1. So glad Jan and thank you. All the best to you too :)

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  20. Thanks Linda, and have a great time at Chincoteague. I look forward to seeing your photos :)

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