SUSPENDED!

My title for this photo is an apt metaphor for life right now.   

"Better to be busy than be busy worrying."
~Angela Lansbury~

Take good care of yourselves, and I am very grateful for all my blogging friends out there.

THINK....

Think of the muscles

A tall tree grows

In its leg, in its foot,

In its wide-spread toes.

Not to tip over

And fall on its nose

When a wild wind hustles

And tussles and blows.

~The Wind by Aileen Fisher~

WHEN ONE TUGS...

“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.”

~John Muir~

GOSIA'S FENCES AROUND THE WORLD

My fence post photos today were taken at Huntley Meadows, other photos of which I have been sharing this week.

This is an overlook to view any wildlife in the area, usually water birds and turtles.  We have seen deer at the water's edge.

This is a bench here and it is one of my favorite spots to sit.  Many families stopped by during the time I was there.

Thank you for hosting Gosia.  

If you would like to see other Fences Around the World, or join in with your own, you will find the link here.

Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by.

LET US TAKE OUR HEARTS FOR A WALK....

ANOTHER HUNTLEY MEADOWS WALK - PART 1

On Sunday, May 4th, 2019, the weather was too good not to go out and enjoy, so we headed to Huntley Meadows.  It was a great choice because not only was everywhere very lush and green, there was also a lot of wildlife.  And just like last time there were lots of people, couples like us and parents with young children.  

We took our usual path through the woods and you couldn't help but notice how beautiful everything looked.  The trees were waking up, along with all the plants and bushes on the ground.  They were full of bright green, newly sprouted leaves.

The wildflowers were lovely also.  A cricket was enjoying this one.  The closest I could come to identifying the flower was the Common Blackberry.  I found a website here.  If you know for sure I would be glad for the help.

There were many more blooming in other areas.

Over the water we noticed dragonflies everywhere.  You can read more information about the Common Whitetail Dragonfly here.

I didn't know if this video was going to turn out, but if you enlarge it you will be able to see a couple of Common Whitetails flying around, and another dragonfly I don't know the name of, just bouncing up and down in one spot.  I'm assuming it was feeding.

My favorite area is when you get down to the marshy area, where water levels can rise and fall depending on weather, and beaver building.   

We stopped to look at this familiar view across the pond, and noticed movement.  There was a Snowy Egret and a Great Blue Heron not too far from each other.

~Snowy Egret~

~Great Blue Heron~

We saw several Canada Geese sitting on nests.

I noticed her bill was open but we were all too far away to be a threat, and surmised this was not an aggressive, protective stance.  I wondered if it was because it was a very hot day, and have read that wild birds will open their bills and pant to help dissipate heat when it is very warm.  As they get hotter their panting may increase in speed, or they may open their bills even further for greater cooling.

We were intrigued by this old tree stump sticking out of the water, and surmised that beavers had caused it. 

We took another photo several weeks ago (below) and as you can see, there is a lot of new growth not only on the stump, but also in the water surrounding it.  The old tree is still growing...

and it is now being slowly surrounded by other water plants.  One of the reasons I enjoy coming in all the four seasons is to see those changes.

In the center of the next photo is a turtle.

~Painted Turtle~

There are always naturally fallen logs lying in the water, and always several turtles sunning themselves.  This scene is repeated all over the park.

And then you get the frogs.  It is fun to try and spot them in the mud.  There were several American Bullfrogs making their appearance.  We also saw large tadpoles but I couldn't get a decent photo of these.  A couple came along and saw our interest, and told us that the tadpoles we were looking at were second year.  They were the biggest I had seen.  They told us that bullfrog tadpoles (I am not sure if this applies to other types) live for two years before turning into a frog.  We met in other areas along our walk, and we enjoyed chatting with them each time.  They always told us interesting things, fellow  nature lovers who were happy to volunteer what they knew.  

Our next stop was at the nesting box where we saw the male Wood Duck on our previous visit.  This time there was a female Hooded Merganser.

I have only seen a male Hooded Merganser in the distance before.  This is the first female I have been able to take photos of...

and I took several.  In her first pose she appeared to be looking for fish?

But she never left her perch and I just kept taking photos, as did others.  She attracted several of us and I heard one person get very excited saying she was about to go into her nest.  By this time I was walking in the other direction, and I was satisfied with our time spent with this pretty bird.

Now would be a good time to finish today's post.  I have many more photos, too many I thought to include here.  I saved them for tomorrow.

Have a good day everyone and thanks for keeping us company on our walk around Huntley Meadows.

A COLLAGE FROM HUNTLEY MEADOWS

"I'm like a tree.  My leaves might change color but my roots are the same."

~Rose Namajunas~

This is a preview of another walk around Huntley Meadows.  We went back on Saturday, May 4th, 2019, and I will be sharing two posts, on the 10th and the 11th.  

Enjoy your day and thank you for stopping by.

ASSOCIATED WITH TREES

"It is difficult to realize how great a part of all that is cheerful and delightful in the recollections of our own life is associated with trees."

 ~Wilson Flagg~



(A small preview of our latest trip to Huntley Meadows.  More photos soon.)

LAST POST FROM HUNTLEY MEADOWS FOR A WHILE.

At least for a little while.

This first photo was taken at the beginning of our walk, where Gregg will take the right-hand path towards the boardwalk over the marsh.  The left-hand path takes us through more woods, but eventually leads down to the marsh again.  We always go to the right as we are eager to see what wildlife there is in our favorite area, and it's just round the corner.  We only have to walk about a quarter of a mile from where we parked our car to get to this point.  

The Beaver's trademark can be seen in this photo.  He fesses up immediately, he cannot tell a lie.  

Another pair of Canada Geese shortly afterwards.  I did not see a nest.  

This pretty goose had a mate nearby but again, there was no nest that I could see.  We kept a close eye on each other.  Not that close as I took these photos with our zoom.  She/he didn't seem threatened by my presence and went on munching. 

I sat on a bench in a shaded area among the trees, while Gregg explored an area that was a bit too muddy for the shoes I was wearing.  I had not intended to get off our usual path and did not put on a sturdier pair of walking shoes.  I was wearing my comfies and they were not waterproof.  (There are benches throughout our walk, and many were being used.  A lot of people out and about, all ages.)  Gregg had taken a path, a little more overgrown, that goes to the water's edge. A minute or so after he left I heard noise, turned around and two geese were focused on eating tasty shoots as they slowly made their way in my direction.  One of them decided to take flight and landed in water nearby.  After we observed each other for another few minutes, she followed her partner and mine returned from his walk, not having seen any more birds except those too far away for photos.

There were lots of buds sprouting on trees. Spring has sprung.

 This is a Snapping Turtle I shared a photo in one of my Huntley Meadow posts.  

By this time we are almost at the end of our walk.  Wanting to see if the Wood Duck was still there, we retraced our steps.  Normally we take a different loop but that Wood Duck was calling to me, like a siren song and when I asked him, Gregg didn't mind going back the way we came.  He was still there but more awake now, more alert.

Two ladies started conversations with me on our walk.  The first saw us taking photos of the Red-winged Blackbird, and asked if I knew anything about them.  I told her what I could but suggested she look on line for more information.  She was very nice, from Pennsylvania and visiting her daughter and family.  We chatted for several minutes before her family appeared.  They were heading home and she would be going back to PA in a couple of days.  

Right after she left another lady taking photos of the Wood Duck began a conversation.  When she spoke I turned around and saw that she had a tripod and a camera attached with a very big lens, which I asked her about.  She was happy to share what she knew about her equipment and I was fascinated.   She was kind enough to offer me a look at the Wood Duck and yep, I would've been able to see that duck's tonsils if he had been facing my way with his beak open!  She told me her lens was 500 mm.  I learned that if you had a fixed lens (as she did) instead of a zoom (as I had), you could get beautifully crisp, clear photos.  I am going to have to save a few pennies for that one.  She also had a 2x teleconverter, which is a magnifying attachment you can attach between your camera and the actual lens.  I could have chatted with her for ages as she was only too happy to talk not only about her camera equipment but also about the wood duck and other birdlife she had seen.  

She told me that the Wood Duck's mate was inside the box sitting on her eggs.  She also had helpful hints, one being that I should try and get the light in the eyes of the duck for a better photo and she again let me look through the lens as the sun came out.  I could see what she was talking about.  I've often thought birds and other animals look better with the sun reflecting on them, and had noticed the spot of light in their eyes.  Gregg had walked on ahead and I didn't want to delay him any further.  It was time for us to go so I thanked this very nice lady and off we went.  By the time I got back home I needed a nap!  

We always enjoy our trips to this park.  We saw not necessarily in order, Wood Ducks, other Ducks we didn't recognize at the time, Painted Turtles, Snapping Turtles, Tadpoles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Coots, Osprey and Canada Geese.  Not bad for one outing.  I'm looking forward to the babies arriving, but I will be staying a safe distance from them and will admire from afar.

As always thank you so much for dropping by, and I hope your day is a great one.