Today's visit to the Murch Canopy Walk and Kalberer Emergent Tower marks my fifth time to experience these special features at the Arboretum. Links to those earlier visits can be seen here and here. One of my favorite sights in the rhododendron garden is the gazebo pictured above. Sometimes, when I want to just enjoy the peace …
Announcement: the wrens have returned!
House wrens were showing up all over the place this morning...at least all along the trail I was walking. I'm really not sure how many different wrens I saw, but I'm sure there was more than one. Wrens apparently are cavity nesters, and for several years I have watched them go in and out …
Back Yard Birding and more
I know some people take their feeders down when spring arrives, but we still like to keep some food and water available for these little creatures. So the other day I parked myself on a back yard bench to decide how to rearrange the feeders, and here are a few of the visitors that stopped …
Mother Goose and her family
It's not easy to raise your family if you are Mother Goose. You may start with 10 or 12 little ones, but life in the bog can be very dangerous for a flock of little goslings. Yesterday when I saw Mother Goose swimming in the bog with her babies and another adult goose (presumably Daddy Goose), …
Turkey on the trail
It's not "Turkey Day" here in Ohio. That comes around in November when we celebrate Thanksgiving with feasts that usually include roast turkey; however, I was having a not-so-great photo day in the park...until this turkey crossed the trail. He was almost close enough to step on my toes, so I figured he had to …
Just because it’s May!
...and just because today is cloudy, windy, and only 49 degrees in northeastern Ohio, I decided to post a gallery of 10 cheerful orange and yellow birds that I recently photographed on a (much warmer) trail walk in Chagrin River Park. Maybe they will help me remember that it is still spring. That's it for today's trail …
They’re back!
I glanced out the kitchen window this morning and was delighted to see the first hummingbird of the season at the feeder. Our weather is still cloudy and cool, and it doesn't feel like May, or at least not like I think May should feel, but the hummers are back, and that makes all the …
Free entertainment
The gulls were providing free entertainment today. This one looks bored... but this one must be angry or upset. He's squawking about something. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the really frightening gull encounter I saw this morning...frightening for the gulls, not for me. A small hawk of some kind zipped across the path …
Wonderful wings
Have you ever thought about how wonderful wings would be? With wings, you would be instantly transformed into a beautiful, graceful airborne creature. With wings, you could fly off to places earthbound creatures like squirrels could only dream of. With wings, you could magically escape dangerous situations; lions, and tigers, and bears would cease to be a threat. And …
Blackbird Ballet
This morning in Chagrin River Park I made a surprising discovery: Blackbirds do ballet! I was privileged to capture on camera a private dance recital performed by one artistically-gifted redwing blackbird. Take a look: Who would have guessed? Certainly not I! After Mr. RWB was finished with his technically superior performance, he settled down for …
SEEN ALONG THE TRAIL 