Since the beginning of the year, our weather has been unsettled, or maybe I should say unsettling. We've had snow, extreme cold, and now rain. Glancing out the kitchen window this morning, I noticed an empty hopper feeder. Slipping on my jacket and boots, I sloshed out and refilled the feeder. A short while later, …
A good day on the trails
It was definitely a good day on the trail in Chagrin River Park, but a very tedious weekend at the computer cleaning up my 18 years of photo files. I won't bore you with the details, except to say that I am making progress. Unfortunately, there is still more work to be done, and I …
Before the warm up
I won't say this has been a mild winter, but I'm not going to complain about the harsh, frigid weather we've experienced this year. Have we have some really cold days? Oh yes, we have! And even more overcast, just-plain-dismal-days! However, we are way down in total inches of snow this winter, and there have …
Bright spots on a wintry day
Overnight the temperature dropped to single digits and several inches of snow fell. The Backyard Buffet looks much more appealing when the ground is covered with a blanket of white, and because that same blanket had covered over much of their natural food, the birds were looking for food at ALL the feeders. That includes …
If you can’t beat them…
I've been trying, with a remarkable lack of success, to discourage the starlings from taking over the Back Yard Buffet. So now I'm beginning to think about changing my attitude toward these pesky colorful birds. Until someone can come up with a good idea for encouraging these invaders to change their behavior and move on …
Winter walks in Holden Arboretum
My project for this week is assembling a portfolio of my winter trail walks . Although I take regular walks in Chagrin River Park which is only five minutes from my home, another of my favorite places to walk is Holden Arboretum. If you follow my blog regularly, you have seen many pictures from my …
A little fast action
Mr. Red-bellied Woodpecker discovered a cache of bark butter bits in the old tree stump and wasted no time flying in to get his share before they were all gone. I was standing nearby, hopefully out of sight, because I have been trying to learn the best settings on my camera to get action shots …
Trumpeter swan: a first for me
The trumpeter swan, the largest waterfowl species native to North America, was at one time considered an endangered species. They had been hunted to near extinction for their feathers, skin, meat, and eggs, and by 1900 the species had greatly declined in numbers, until, by 1970 fewer than 70 were known to exist in the wild. …
I’m ready for spring, but…
When we woke up this morning, there were several inches of fresh snow on the ground. I know it won't last, and I'm glad that it won't, but this was just a little reminder that winter won't let go yet. At least fresh snow is pretty, and this was the kind of snow that was …
Solitude
I enjoyed a solitary walk in a snow-covered Holden Arboretum recently. For 90 minutes I wandered the trails without meeting another person. Ninety minutes of snow-covered solitude is a very peaceful experience. Although the walking wasn't always easy, the landscape was beautiful. It's truly surprising how different the Arboretum looks when the ground, trees, and water are covered …
SEEN ALONG THE TRAIL 