Tag: chipmunk

Twice surprised!

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In the afternoon, the sky cleared a little, and I took advantage of the break in the clouds to do a little birding before sunset. I knew there would probably be a variety of birds along the trail near the fence post, so that’s where I headed.

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To my surprise, a bluejay joined the others in their game of “grab and go.” It was fun to get his picture because the jays usually keep their distance. Instead of joining the other birds in the fun, they linger in the branches of nearby trees, occasionally squawking and swooping from branch to branch; however, one of them was curious tonight, and I was able to get several good shots of him in action:

Love the hair style!

A song sparrow also joined in the fun.
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Then, as I was squinting through the lens, waiting to see who would appear next, I got a surprise. Instead of a bird, here is what I saw on the top of the post:
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Dusk was falling, and it was a few seconds before I realized the  chipmunk had scurried up the fence post to get his share of the peanuts, but when I did, I got a good chuckle at how quick and clever he was. Light was fading by that time, so I decided it was time to head for home. And that was the end of this trail walk, but it was fun while it lasted!

Thanks for joining me on the trail.
See you soon. ~Trail Walker
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A Fabulous Friday Face and more fall photos

Gail Broughton-November 5, 2015
Gail Broughton-Friday, November 5, 2015

Let’s start with the Fabulous Friday Face. I was snapping photos in the Rhododendron Garden when Gail came down the trail. “She would be a great Friday Face,” I thought to myself, and I was right. We were both enjoying a walk in the Arboretum on one of those rare November days that you wish would last all winter, when I stopped Gail and asked her to pose for a photo opp. I explained about my Friday Faces project, and we chatted about the fantastic weather and the joy of trail walking in the Arboretum. Gail told me she was once an inveterate backpacker, but gave it up a few years ago. She confided, “When I turned 76.” Everyone should look so great and be so active when they are approaching octogenarian status. Backpacking is obviously a very healthy habit. Thanks, Gail, for taking the time to pose for my camera. You can read more about my Fabulous Friday Faces project HERE in my SmugMug gallery. Click on the gallery below to enjoy a few of the sights we saw in the Arboretum on this wonderful very-unlike-November-day.

Entering the rhododendron garden
Sherwin Pond
Entrance to the Canopy Walk
Along the trail to the Tower
Another view of the trail
Can you find the chipmunk?

That’s it for tonight’s post, friends. I’ve run out of time and energy. Tomorrow I will post the third part of this series of Fall Trail Walks. I hope to see you then.

Trail Walker
6

Spring has gone missing!

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I wonder where it went and when it will return? Last week we were basking in sunshine and wonderfully warm days. Trees and flowers burst into blossoms. I saw an oriole, a rose-breasted grosbeak, and a few ducklings on the bog. And I concluded that the long (very long) and slow (very slow) winter were finally drawing to a close. And then something strange happened. In the words of the cashier at Lowe’s Hardware Store where I purchased some birdseed and new feeders today, “We went backwards!” Back to winter…or so it seems. Rain, sleet, even a few snowflakes, and temperatures nearing the freezing mark…what a wakeup call! “Dont become complacent!” it seems to say. “Be thankful for the sights and sounds of spring; for the warm breezes, colorful flowers, and the sweet scent of blossoming fruit trees; but don’t take them for granted! Remember to “Take time to smell the roses.” Make the most of every moment. Sunshine and blue skies are not a guarantee. They are a gift!

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This has been a public service announcement by Carolyn aka Skip

2

Bluebird and more!

On my walk in the park today, I netted two spring birds and a chipmunk that I couldn’t resist snapping multiple times. I am aware that chipmunks can be pests, and they certainly can do a lot of damage, if given half a chance. A few years ago, one little chippy took out the air conditioning unit at our daughter’s house. Not just a little window AC unit, mind you, but the whole house unit. It was done for, and so was the chippy! Consequently my son-in-law is not one bit fond of chipmunks, but then he isn’t a photographer, and I am, so I like chippies because they are such photogenic little critters. Take a look!

A thunderstorm put an end to my walk today, but not before I had captured a bluebird. It’s not the greatest picture because he flew away before I could creep any closer, but bluebirds are beautiful, and I don’t get too many opportunities to photograph them, so here he is in all his glory:

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Finally, here is one of our summer residents, an American goldfinch:
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That’s it for today! Hope you enjoy them.
Skip aka Carolyn

3

Is it spring yet?

That’s the question everyone is asking these days. Even today, although it seemed a little milder and I didn’t wear my winter jacket for our trip to the Cleveland Aquarium, the temperature barely inched above 40 degrees. In the afternoon I took a photowalk in the park. For that I wore my winter jacket and hat, and I wasn’t any too warm. Here are my favorite photos from the walk. I hope you like them.

Carolyn aka Skip

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3

Like a lamb!

So much of my photography during the winter months focuses on two things: birds, if I am walking in my local park, and landscapes, if I am walking anywhere else. This morning’s photo walk took me to the local park, and I captured a different critter, one that has been in hibernation for the winter and only recently poked his nose out of the burrow. I managed several photos of him (or her, as the case may be):

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As promised a week or so ago, here is a portrait (actually two poses) of the “drink your tea” bird, the Eastern towhee, so identified because of one of his distinctive calls, easily recognized, even by amateur bird watchers like me.

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I captured all of these pictures in the area of our park I call “the bog”, the habitat of an interesting variety of critters, winged and otherwise. 

That’s the word for today from the south shore of Lake Erie where the current temperature is a sunny 71 degrees, and March is going out “like a lamb”. 

~Carolyn aka Skip

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