Hawk Watch

Seldom do I have a close up view of a Hawk perched up high as he seeks his next meal. As I proceeded to park next to the marshes that are situated along Walter Davis Boulevard in west Nashville this past weekend, there he was. He had flown from a light pole farther away to within 100 yards of my car as he landed on a post. My guess is he was ready for his close up and so I obliged. I have a difficult time identifying Hawks so I'll leave it to you to decide. Hope your week is going well. ENJOY!

Green Frog, Murfree Spring Wetlands

At Murfree Spring Wetlands I happened upon large and small birds, mammals, amphibians and a plethora of marshes, swamps and more pond weeds than I had ever seen in my lifetime. While reading up on Green Frogs, I discovered that pond weeds are also referred to as duck weeds.

Mid way into my first walk, half way back into the wetland, this Green Frog stuck his head up out of the water in a less saturated pond weed area. This little guy is in the perfect habitat what with all of the insects one can find hanging out in the wetland. I discovered upon reading about Green Frogs that this is gal, a female Green Frog. Females have a similar size tympanum, external hearing structure, just behind the eye. The tympanum actually transmits sounds to the inner ear. Males have a much larger tympanum which is the perfect distinguishing characteristic.

At the end of my wetland walk, I lingered to look over the boardwalk into the swamp and up popped another female Green Frog. This gal was almost totally camouflaged by heavy pond weeds. She sat on top of the water while I captured a few images of her.

I plan to venture back to Murfree Spring Wetland often in the near future in hopes of seeing the Beavers and River Otters that reside there. I encountered considerable evidence of the Beavers all along the first half of the boardwalk. Near the back of the wetland sat a very large Beaver lodge out in the swamp. Everyone have a fantastic weekend. Stay dry as there is quite a bit of rain forecast for the midwest, south and eastern United States. ENJOY!

Linking to Saturday Critters

Eastern Phoebe

At Murfree Spring Wetlands I attempted to capture photos of the woodland birds flitting about on the dead branches spread throughout the swamps and marshes. This little bird is an Eastern Phoebe. One of the most familiar of the eastern flycatchers. Phoebes are quite hardy and have a stocky physique and are generally brown and white. If only he would have had a fly or gnat in his beak that would have made for a better image, but I will take what I can get.

Eastern Phoebes generally perch on low hanging branches or low in trees. They form mud-and-grass nests attached to bridges, barns and houses. I can honestly say I have never seen an Eastern Phoebe nest. Eastern Phoebes migrate north and are one of the first birds to migrate back to the south each year. This is a Life List Bird for me. ENJOY!

A SPECIAL NOTE TO MY FAITHFUL FOLLOWERS
Since moving here to Tennessee I have encountered quite a few birds to add to my Life List.

The list is posted on this blog in the right column mid way down if you would like to see just what species of birds
I have encountered throughout my journeys. Thank you for stopping by my blog
and thank you for all of your wonderful comments. I read every single one and cherish all of them.

Since mid December I have at least 25 new followers to my blog from all over the globe. 
I want to thank each and every one of you for following my posts and if you haven't left me
a note or a comment, I hope you will soon. I love to hear your thoughts on my outings to capture
images of our beautiful planet. I translate any comments that aren't in English. 
So never fear, I'm reading your comments no matter the language. Thank you for following!

Yellow Crowned Night Heron

As I was about to end my walk around Murfree Spring Wetlands Sunday, I turned the corner toward the entrance and saw this beautiful creature standing in the middle of the large swamp. This is a Yellow Crowned Night Heron and a Life List bird for me. Isn't he gorgeous. I had never laid eyes on one before. Quite honestly, I didn't even know there was such a thing. The only thing I knew for certain was this was not a Black Crowned Night Heron.

It didn't take long for me to identify this bird as I knew it was some sort of crowned Heron. Yellow Crowned Night Herons are nocturnal birds that reside mainly in southern swamps and along southern coastlines. The yellow crown is their distinctive feature which is what they are named for although they do have yellow legs as well. These Herons are stockier than the Great Blue Heron, the Little Blue Heron or the Tri-Colored Heron.

A juvenile Yellow Crowned Night Heron has a longer neck and sports a grayer toned body. Actually, the juvenile doesn't really resemble the adult all that much when I looked them up online. I thought perhaps I would see a Black Crowned Night Heron at the wetlands as I had seen photos online that mentioned sightings, but no dice.

The entire time I photographed this Heron he was very intent stalking about in search of a snack. Finally, a lady with two young boys approached and off he flew. I knew he wouldn't stay long with young children chatting away. It has rained off and on since yesterday, but hopefully we won't have the drenching rain that Texas and Oklahoma are getting. Such tragedy in Texas from the floodwaters and on Memorial Day no less. My heart goes out to everyone there. Back soon with more images from my walk on the wild side. ENJOY!

Wood Ducks, Murfree Spring Wetlands

Murfree Spring Wetlands is a remarkable place to visit and to think that it is right in the middle of a large town is even more remarkable. I decided to visit here as it called for a shorter drive than the refuge I had planned on visiting.

The iridescent green and purple of the male Wood Duck are gorgeous, not to mention its red eyes, beautiful flare down its neck and multi colored bill. Both the male and the female share crested heads. This species is akin to the Asian Mandarin Duck.

The Wood Duck or Carolina Duck is a perching Duck known throughout North America. These Ducks prefer wooded habitats such as wooded swamps which is exactly what Murfree Spring Wetlands is known for. You can find the Wood Duck female's nest in wood boxes and tree cavities.

I tried to see if I could locate where this pair of Wood Ducks may have nested, but the swamp and its marshes were so dense it was difficult.

Another remarkable thing about these Ducks is that in the eastern and western United States 75% of Wood Ducks are permanent residents. Generally, the eastern Wood Ducks use the Atlantic Flyway while the western use the Pacific if they are not permanent, but are migratory.

I wanted to mark this Memorial Day by mentioning that I think often about those who gave their lives for our country,

as my Father did having suffered from PTSD, which ended his life at the young age of 52.

My heart goes out to those of you who are and those of you who have served for our country, 

living or dead, so America can be free. As I often see and hear 'Freedom is not Free'. God Bless America!

Linking to Saturday Critters

Muskrats, Murfree Spring Wetlands

Today was the perfect day for an outing. The temperature was in the mid eighties with an abundance of sunshine peeking through the clouds and at times a nice breeze would blow through to cool things off. I decided to visit Murfree Spring Wetlands in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, southeast of Nashville. The wetland is situated next to the Discovery Center which is a children's venue accompanied by a museum. The wetlands is about 25 acres and is home to mammals, amphibians, birds, waterfowl and obviously thousands of insects. The definition of a wetland follows . . .

Wetlands are land areas that are saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, 

such that it takes on the characteristics of a distinct ecosystem. Wetlands include swamps, marshes

and bogs. Wetlands vary widely because of  differences in soils, topography, climate, hydrology,

water chemistry, vegetation, and other factors. Wetlands are economic drivers because of 

their key role in fishing, hunting, agriculture and recreation. 

This being my first visit I was surprised to find a large Muskrat sitting on top of marsh weeds and grasses munching on pond weeds. Pond weeds are the tiny green weeds you see in the water all around the Muskrat. This Muskrat looked to be an adult and wasn't the least bit concerned at my presence nearby on the boardwalk. So I gingerly snapped a few images of him having a midday snack. After a few minutes and having gotten his fill, he disappeared into the water never to be seen again.

After my initial walk around the parameter of the wetland, I headed back to my car for a quick drink of water. The sun was coming down pretty good at times making for a warm walk. Back to the boardwalk for a second lap around, I just happened upon several smaller Muskrat feeding on pond weeds right inside the wetland entrance. Muskrats in residential environments can be a nuisance, but these little guys were in the perfect environment in the swamps and, needless to say, there was plenty of food to be had.

My visit was packed full of sightings of all types of species from mammals to waterfowl. Along the boardwalk I happened upon large Turtles basking in the sun covered in pond weeds, Eastern Pondhawk Dragonflies, Green Frogs and, of course, the Muskrats. The birds I encountered were the Yellow Crowned Night Heron, a pair of mated Wood Ducks, a Grackle, several Eastern Kingbirds, countless Robins, and the Red Winged Blackbird which are plentiful around swamps and marshes. There was a virtual plethora of wildlife to be seen and enjoyed. I hope your Memorial Day holiday has been enjoyable and I promise I will be back in a day or two with more images from my visit. We have rain on the horizon for tomorrow. Apparently that front that has caused major flooding and storms in Texas and Oklahoma is headed my way. Although I don't think we are supposed to get quite as much rain as the Midwest has gotten. ENJOY!

Snowfall, Mustatatuck National Wildlife Refuge

It was a cold wintry day in southern Indiana as I took the driving route around the marshes and lakes at Mustatatuck National Wildlife Refuge last Winter. Visiting a wildlife refuge in all four seasons is great, but especially when it has a few inches of snow on the ground in Winter, it really is a treat.

So if you live near a park, a forest, a wildlife refuge, a nature preserve, or for that matter, a seashore, pay a visit on those cold, wintry blustery days.

And perhaps you will capture scenes like these of the beautiful woods with the tree trunks covered in a blanket of snow or the Tupelo Trees in the marshes sitting in a bed of snow topped ice. It's like someone took a salt shaker and gave it a good long sprinkle. It really does make for a fun day. Although I do remember I had to be a little bit careful where I drove so as not to get my car stuck somewhere and have to hail a ranger for assistance. I understand from some of my friends in New England and parts farther north there is a significant snowfall on the ground right now. It's enough to make me wish it would snow. ENJOY!

Green Heron, Mustatatuck NWR

In all of the years I have been visiting Mustatatuck, I had never laid eyes on a Green Heron. Never. I'm sure there were Green Herons present there, but I never saw one. I'd seen many a Great Blue Heron and Great White Egrets, but no Green Heron. I read on one of the birding websites that someone spotted one yesterday so I was looking for him when I drove the auto tour route. And sure enough, there he was in the main marsh along the auto tour standing knee deep in the green swamp water. It was as though he were waiting for me to come along so I could photograph him.

He was a busy guy too. He crept up on quite a few frogs and downed each one quickly only to move on to the next. I was a far distance from him on the road so not all of my images were sharp. These were some of the best ones.

I was amazed at how easy this Green Heron captured each frog time and time again in the short time I sat and watched him from my car. Much more frequently than a Great Blue Heron catches his prey. I suppose being small has its advantages.

There were several Plovers hanging out in the adjacent swamp that I captured some images of which I'll save for another post. It was cooler today and while heavy rain drenched parts of Louisville including around my house, I managed to miss it. As I drove home from southern Indiana today, it was obvious Fall isn't too far around the bend. I got the sense from scanning the landscape from the tiniest hint in the change of colors. Hope your weekend was great. ENJOY!

Boardwalk on Chincoteague

The marshes in and around Chincoteague Island and also on the refuge were absolutely beautiful. When I originally planned my trip, I hadn't really taken the marshes into consideration as something I would fall in love with. But the tall reeds and the day's light casting shadows on the waters around the island was irresistible.

As I drove around the parameter of the island, I discovered a band of Chincoteague Ponies on the northwest side of the island. They were the only Ponies I saw that weren't in the refuge. I also discovered this gorgeous marsh near the Ponies that at certain times of day, especially near the evening light, was gorgeous. This particular marsh kept drawing me back to this area as much as the Ponies. On one of the drives I noticed this boardwalk extending across the marsh. I took a day to think about how best to photograph it. I decided that I wanted the viewer to feel themselves walking across this old boardwalk as though they were right there with me. So I walked out a short distance on the boardwalk and then snapped away. The feeling was magical with the marsh and the tall reeds on either side of me. I love this perspective. Every time I see this image I feel as though I'm right there walking across that boardwalk.

I have taken trips before with high hopes and at times been somewhat disappointed, but on this trip I wasn't quite sure what to expect and was totally amazed at the grandeur of nature all around me. The one feeling that keeps resonating with me throughout this whole trip and even after every time I open my software and make my way through each day's images is just how wild this place is. Here the birds, the ponies, the water, the marshes, the island, the beaches, the shore. It's all totally wild and each day it is left to its own devices. Should you ever find yourself on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, I would advise a stop on beautiful Chincoteague Island. Hopefully, if I travel to the Eastern Shore again, it won't be 105 degree heat index and me constantly wanting to 'get back in the car' into the comforts of my air conditioning. I would have loved to spend more time out in the 'wilds' of Chincoteague. Hope you have a fantastic weekend. ENJOY!

American Bittern or Green Heron

Every now and then a new bird species sneaks up on me. I admit I don't know birds and I am not embarrassed by that fact. One has to learn before they can be an 'expert'. As I become educated on the many species of wading birds, I find myself totally amazed at not just the subtle, but also the more obvious differences in the Heron species. I study birds by photographing them in their habitat in varying seasons and later reading about their variations of size and color and behavior. The Heron species vary widely in shape and color, but they also vary in how they use their surrounding habitat. I discovered this new species of Heron, new to me, the American Bittern, as he was wading among the tall, dense reeds along the marshes that parallel the motor route in Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.



This particular species of Heron is smaller and stockier. Unlike the Great Blue Heron who is often seen standing in open water, the American Bittern prefers to stay hidden among the reeds in freshwater marshes. They are found mainly inland, but can also be found along the coast, as coastal marshes tend not to freeze during the colder winter months. I intently watched and photographed this Bittern for a while observing him wading in the mud on the parameter of the marsh. At times he would stretch his neck, standing straight up, and peer over the marsh reeds.



At other times, he seemed to crouch while cautiously wading out into the water, but mainly he stuck to his characteristic hidden stance near the reeds, out of sight to most.



My first thought when viewing these images initially was this was a Green Heron. But not being totally satisfied I investigated other heron species and discovered this was the American Bittern. I love learning bird behavior by watching them, and on this day, I discovered while the larger Herons typically stand still surveying the waters around them, oftentimes long necks extended, the smaller Bittern tends to move about more even though he's within close proximity to the marsh reeds. The larger Herons have a bird's eye view as they are so tall. But hey, when you're a smaller species, I guess you have to compensate. Have you seen the American Bittern in your travels? I never had. I personally think he's fascinating and hope to have another opportunity one day to photograph the Bittern again. Hope your weekend is a great one. ENJOY!

POSTSCRIPT: Do you think this is a Green Heron or an American Bittern? I have a reader who feels that my first thought of a Green Heron was accurate and I don't necessarily disagree with his thought. Why? Because that's what blogging is all about . . . learning. And in this case I'm middle of the road as to what species I photographed. But I love the fact that someone had a different opinion, because that means I've got folks thinking. And again that's what blogging is all about . . . learning, thinking. How wonderful is that!

Saltwater Marshes, Chincoteague Island, Virginia

In an effort to not bore you to death with my wading bird images, I decided something a little different might be in order. I mentioned in a previous post that I had fallen in love with the beautiful saltwater marshes of the Eastern Shore and especially enjoyed photographing them around Chincoteague Island. So I wanted to share a few more images of the marshes with you.

I eyed this weather worn driftwood laying randomly in the marsh early one afternoon, and after passing it several times, I decided to stop and take a photograph later in the day when the light was better.

I also noticed these dock poles randomly sticking up out of the marshes. Perhaps the dock they were attached to was blown away by a storm. Nonetheless, I couldn't help but snap a few images.

The Wild Ponies were everywhere I turned on Chincoteague Island and off in the distance on the wildlife refuge. However, I enjoyed photographing them most in the marshes with the beautiful green grasses swaying back and forth in the wind. The week is wrapping up too quickly. I had hoped to make plans to get out of town for a night this weekend, but rain seems to be moving in. Perhaps. ENJOY!

Wild Ponies, Chincoteague Island, VA

Spending the week on Chincoteague Island along the Eastern Shore of Virginia has been a real treat. On the eastern side of the island, sits Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge which I have discovered, undoubtedly, is one of the most important refuges for birds along the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Virginia. The wildlife refuge is actually on Assateague National Seashore which begins in Maryland and runs south down into Virginia. Yesterday while getting a lay of the land, I discovered a small band of Wild Ponies on the northwest side of the island that were far easier to reach via car. They are also much closer in proximity which I loved.

Blue Winged Teal Duck

Admittedly, I've been absent all week from my blog. Sorry guys, deadlines, out of town meetings and conference calls, well what can I say.

Recently, I made a quick trek to Mustatatuck National Wildlife Refuge to check on the status of the 'flyables'. Yep, this is a Blue Winged Teal Duck. Yep, I'd never laid eyes on one before, that I could recall, so I add a new bird to my Life List. Yippee! I wished I could have gotten a better image, but the pair of Blue Winged Teals I discovered in the marshes along the Auto Tour, floated rapidly away from the parameter of the marsh as I got closer. At first I didn't see them because they were swimming in the midst of a pretty large flock of American Coots. But then I realized there were a few ducks who stood out from the stark black feathers, as is customary of Coots. It's going to be beautiful today, but rainy tomorrow so I don't know how much I'll get outdoors to partake in photographing Spring. I am, however, keeping a close eye on the Japanese Magnolias and Crab Apple trees at Bernheim anxiously awaiting full blooms so I can get a few pics. Any time spent outdoors this week was spent planting flowers or painting lawn furniture. UGH. Have a great weekend. ENJOY!

Tundra Swans, Mustatatuck

Yesterday I drove to Mustatatuck in hopes of catching a glimpse of the Tundra Swans that had returned to the refuge earlier in the week. Apparently, they overwintered there last year.

No sight of the Swans on my initial visit, I left and ran some errands. I returned late in the afternoon hoping to catch a glimpse of the Swans before going home. On my "one more time around the marshes and then I'm heading home" I discovered the Swans had flown back in to the marsh. Off in the distance they were floating side by side.

Unfortunately, no amount of prompting my 200 mm lens was going to give me a decent image. I had read Tundra Swans aren't particularly skittish, so I figured the images I had gotten would be it for the day. Then suddenly up the Swans lifted, out of the water flying away from me. Then they turned and flew right in front of me and then turned again and flew back in front of me before flying off to a restricted marsh area in the northern section of Mustatatuck. But fly right in front of me they did. Sorry the light and the photos are not better. Regardless, they are beautiful creatures. ENJOY!

Beautiful Mustatatuck NWR

November. And while parts of America feel the effects of winter's first blanket of snow on the landscape, Mustatatuck is ablaze in Autumn's finale of vivid color. Be it from Lake Reichart where a family of Canadian Geese enjoy the calm blue waters of the day . . .

. . . to deep within the woods as a hiker makes her way along Wood Duck Trail with each step cracking and popping beneath her step as Autumn's leaves leads the way along the forest floor . . .

. . . to the vivid yellows of sun drenched elm leaves hanging on to Autumn's last brilliant lifeforce along the refuge road . . .

. . . to the deepest browns of the marshland grasses layering the landscape for as far as one's eye can see.

Wherever the journey takes you, be it the heavily clad snow capped mountains or winter's fierce waves along the ocean's shore or even the deepest of woods covered in a blanket of Autumn's final splendor, enjoy America and Happy Veteran's Day to all of our Honored Veterans. ENJOY!