HUNTLEY MEADOWS ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22ND, 2022

Well, the squirrels sounded like Hannibal crossing the Alps as Gregg put it.  They were very loud.  We have two trees that are overhanging the roof, one in back and one in front where they have a nest.  We have made a call to the same man who cut our other two down.  Not to remove them but a good trim so that they will not touch the house.  Our furry friends will have to take the longer way around, and we won't hear the sound of elephants crossing the alps waking us up in the morning!  And we don't want them chewing through the roof and taking up residence in the attic, bless their furry cotton socks.It was gorgeous on Monday (65 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit).  Blue skies and Huntley Meadows was calling to us.  The rest of the week is going to be rainy.  The photos above and below I took because of the single leaf caught in a tangle of branches.  The splash of red in all that brown got my attention and begged for a photo.  I notice these things.  I would have taken a better photo of that leaf, but someone forgot to put the battery back in the camera after they recharged it last night.  Not pointing any fingers but I saw that person in the mirror this morning, still rolling her eyes!  The battery is now back where it belongs.All my photos were taken with my cell phone, which is my camera of choice these days, unless I want to get closer to the wildlife, and you know what happened there.  These phones are getting better and better for taking photos.  I do need to get a better holder for it, so that I can grab it more securely.  Do any of you have one for your phone that you can recommend?  I have been looking for a while.The first thing we noticed at the park was how high the water level was.  It had extended further towards the wooded path we take to get to the wetland.  Of course, the water birds are loving it.  I cropped the ones of the ducks below from the photo above.

The park's Beaver population has been busy! Below you can see one of their lodges.  I read some are big enough to fit a human inside.  It looks small but a lot of it is built under water, so who knows.  This particular lodge some time ago, almost covered the bench at the start of the walkway, but gradually the park people managed to reduce the lodge back to this size.  Otherwise, I think that lodge would have extended across the walkway, covering the bench completely and blocking the path to the wetlands.

Here's Gregg standing next to the bench where we often sit. You can about make out a couple of smaller tree stumps that have been nibbled to a point.  More clearly if you enlarge.

We arrived at 4.00 p.m., wanting to get photos when the sun was lower in the sky.  The parking lot was packed.  Also, the road leading down to the park was lined with cars parked on the side of the road for about half a mile.  We were lucky as there was one parking space near the entrance. Otherwise, we would have turned around and gone at another time.  It was Presidents Day.  We had forgotten many would not be at work.

Wire fencing was wrapped around several of the trees to protect them, as you can see from the one above.  Many trees in the park had orange marks, identifying those to be cut down. An industrious beaver had had a good nibble.  I don't think it would have been much longer for that tree to topple.  

For safety reasons I'm sure, as it was right next to where people walk every day, it had been cut down.  There were many of them like this.

The following is a photo from one of my old posts. I have seen them here but there were none today, still a little bit too early I think.

I read that Beavers form monogamous pairs and usually live in family groups of up to eight related individuals called colonies. The younger siblings stay with their parents for up to 2 years, helping with infant care, food collection, and dam building.  Talking of which, you can just about see a dam in the lower part of this photo.

Next is the root system of an old tree, the felled trunk out of sight.  It was much bigger at one time but it is slowly disintegrating back into the water.

Gregg is on the right in the next photo, and we are at the point where we decided to turn around and go back on a quieter day.  It sounds silly I know, but I was getting a bit nervous of an adult or child running or bumping into me.  I had already had a couple children doing just that.  The boardwalk isn't wide enough if all of a sudden you come across a group of people who are staring at something that catches their attention.  One person stops and suddenly you have a lot of them looking in the same direction. I didn't want to be knocked over the side!  I can't dodge that fast any more even if I saw anyone coming.  I had visions of swimming with the fishes, and the toads, and the snappers, and everything else in that murky water.  Yes, I'm exaggerating somewhat, but the thought crossed my mind as I heard yet again a parent telling their children to slow down, watch where they were walking/running, as they made their way around me.  Dodgem cars anyone?  Not that I begrudge these children and their parents enjoying this glorious day.  It is a great place for a seed to be sown in a child, to enjoy nature in their early years, better still to learn how to protect it, and maybe watch out for the older ladies who may be in the way.

So, back towards the car we went, having had a thoroughly enjoyable time, and knowing that we would be able to come back at any time the weather was agreeable.  I feel very blessed that this place is only a short car ride away.  We passed this lovely dog, what a beauty!  

The rest of the photos are sights we saw on the way back through the wood.

This is the visitor center on our right as we pass by. We always know we are a short distance away from our car.

A few photos on our way home.  It was a lovely sunset but I had missed the full onset.

That's all for today.  Thanks for visiting and a very happy Wednesday to you all.