Posted on by Trail Walker

There’s nothing quite like it!

 

Nothing quite like what, you ask? Well, to be honest, you may or may not agree with me, but I maintain that there’s nothing quite like a trail walk in the first real snow of the season. It isn’t even winter yet, just the downhill end of Autumn, but on this December morning we woke up to snow-covered trails, slippery slopes, and frigid fingers. And oh, how glorious to walk down the trail through a pristine white world…such a contrast to our earlier Autumn walks.

I’m reluctant to admit it, but Autumn with its blue skies, crisp air, and vibrant palette has truly come to an end, and we are faced with Winter: the season of boots with cleats to prevent slipping and sliding, gloves that challenge me as I try to press the shutter button, and lenses (the camera and mine) that constantly fog over as I exhale in the frosty air. Winter brings with it a myriad of new challenges for the trail walking photographer, but new joys come with the challenges. Here are just a few that I spotted along the trail this snowy morning:

Whitetailed deer
The does are more curious than fearful.
A female northern cardinal
2018_12_07__Chagrin River Park_0051
White-breasted nuthatch
Another cardinal. The red male cardinals were hiding today!
A stare down with two does!
I’m not sure of the identity of this bird, but it posed perfectly!

That’s it for today, trailwalkers. I hope you liked this preview of sights we’ll see on future  wintry walks. Be sure to wear lots of layers and get some cleats to put on your boots for our next winter walk.

Thanks for trudging down the trail with me!
Sharing the trail makes each walk extra special.
~Trail Walker

18 Replies to “There’s nothing quite like it!”

  1. Hello! This is my first time on your blog. I was “sent” here by Linda (another blogger/trail walker/squirrel feeder!) Your nature pictures are incredible! I am trying to improve my photographic skills, but I can’t imagine ever being able to take pictures like yours. By the way, I believe the bird in your last picture is a white-throated sparrow.

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    1. Thank you, Laurie. As a photographer, I am still a learner who has taken a few classes, done a lot of online tutorials and practiced a lot. I am fortunate to have some good walking trails close to home. I’m glad you followed Linda’s suggestion to join my trail walk.

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  3. I don’t know Carolyn, but you make my least-favorite season look beautiful and fun! If Mabel was not attached to Bob by the leash, she would almost blend into the snowy background. You are so fortunate to see these deer and I love their wide-eyed looks and how they stare you down. Obviously you are a friendly face to them as they don’t bolt. The birds are so beautiful as well – most photographers feature the male cardinal in their posts, but the female cardinal is just is beautiful with that beautiful crest and mask. Winter is here and I wish we were at the tail end of it, not the beginning. They have revised our original forecast for an El Nino Winter. Yesterday, the meteorologist who predicted the mild Winter has changed his forecast … we are fairly mild through mid-January, then the cold and snow arrive in earnest – ugh! I imagine it will be the same for you since you are not that far from here.

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    1. Hi Linda. I tried to reply to you the other evening, but I couldn’t get the comment function to work on either my phone or Ipad. So frustrating sometimes! I hadn’t heard about a change to the El Nino forecast, but it’s true that our weather is often like yours. I guess we will find out as time goes by. I would be happy to see snow, but less pleased by slippery trails and icy roads. Glad that you agree with me about the beauty of the female cardinals. I also love to see them. Merry Christmas to you!

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      1. Hi Carolyn – I hate when technical problems happen and you can’t comment … I don’t have an Ipad or smartphone, but it sometimes happens to me on the computer. I just went and got the meteorologist’s updated forecast. He is very interested in climatology and attends a lot of conferences around the world. This was his updated long-range forecast as to the El Nino prediction that he posted on the first day of Winter.

        https://www.clickondetroit.com/weather-center/michigan-weather/heres-an-updated-weather-outlook-on-winter-in-michigan-this-season

        Those female cardinals are gorgeous … I was lucky enough to get some shots of a beautiful male cardinal at the Park. I offered some peanuts and threw them down on the trail, yet it never moved. Rather unusual, but so nice to have a cardinal posing instead of that one or two seconds that you get to take a photo when they swoop down. Thanks again and Merry Christmas to you too.

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  4. Winter has been in Maine since mid-November, and I know just how you feel about the first snow. Always exhilarating, and I’m not sure exactly why. Wonderful picture of that beautiful white dog in the snow. And, oh, those black eyes and nose.

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    1. Hi Laurie. Mabel thanks you for your comment on her picture. She is such a sweetheart, and we love having her around, as you probably noticed in my two recent blogs about our “foster dog” experience.

      Your new book, Library Lost, arrived today, and I am looking forward to reading it. Thank you for sending it off so quickly and with the personal signature. I appreciate it. After I read it, I am going to share it with my neighbor who is also a library lover.

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