Nature & Wildlife Thread

[JBtheExplorer]

Had a fantastic hike yesterday. Hiked the same place as my September 25th post, but this trail is on the opposite side of the river from where I was last time. Obviously, now there are plenty of autumn colors, too. Fall colors are early this year. At least 2 to 3 weeks early. Definitely seems to be a good year for colors, though. Recent years haven't been as colorful.

 

[GBBUDD]

I went to do some leaf peeping in beautiful Stowe Vermont yesterday. This area has everything going for it. Drove through Smugglers Notch. Had a great lunch outside at a Mexican Restaurant. First time dining out since Covid19. Drove up the Mt.Mansfield, which is the tallest mountain in Vermont. I felt like I was on top of the world. The lower areas are pretty much solid sugar maples, with a few Yellow Birch and Beech mixed in. The mountain tops are evergreen (Balsam Fir). I thought I would share a few pics. View attachment 134227View attachment 134228View attachment 134229View attachment 134230View attachment 134231View attachment 134232

Making me home sick

 

[GBBUDD]

Had a fantastic hike yesterday

Surprised you don't have a black lab jb. or some other type of water dog

 

[corgi]

Those Root river salmon remind me of a spot the other side of the pond in our PM river (Pere Marquette) . I will sometimes fish for them in
mid to late Sept when their eggs have loosened up to singles, and using flies we catch and release them. If a nice
female is caught with single eggs dripping out, we will milk a few into a ziplock bag before releasing her. We save the eggs
for tying up spawn bags when fishing for steelhead. (rainbows). The eggs and a small mini marshmellow tied up in some netting
is great bait for trout.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Surprised you don't have a black lab jb. or some other type of water dog

I used to have a black lab.
I'd actually really like to get a Husky now, but I don't have a back door with direct yard access, so I'd have to take it out on a leash every time it'd have to go out. That's what I had to do with my lab all the time and it really sucked, especially in winter.

 

[GBBUDD]

They are work , and once you commit thats it 15 years of love and hate I have a golden now and a cocker spaniel to keep the golden company when i am not there

 

[Burd]

Wow nice pix and birdwhisperer? How'd you do that?



We live in a rural area in the upper part of Michigan's lower peninsula.
We have birds constantly crashing into the windows. When the bird is
unresponsive or disoriented to the point of not being able to stand,
we will pick the bird up and try to get it to grip one of our fingers.

One can feel the strength coming back into their grip as they come around.
We will try to talk softly to it from behind , slightly from one side and
then the other, paying close attention to the movement of the head. What we
are looking for is movement in both directions from the bird to let us know
the neck is not broke.

All the while, softly stroking the bird with a finger along the grain of the
feather. Head to tail. It sometimes just takes a few minutes, but we have
had them for over a half hour before they finally flew off. It's a great
feeling to see them leave. My wife has done this much more than I but it's
wonderful to see them fly off. I call her the bird whisperer.

More pics of these successful releases after hitting a window.

Hairy Woodpecker

Blue Jay

Junco

Mourning Dove

Golden Crowned Kinglet

Chic-a-dee

Downy Woodpecker

Wow, that’s a lot of birds crashing into your windows. I have a few windows they seldom hit, I bought like 5 packs of the ultraviolet leaves clings, aNd now I hardy get any.

 

[addy1]

I bought like 5 packs of the ultraviolet leaves clings, aNd now I hardy get any.

I used the anti bird strike clings, but most of the windows I can't reach. I wish there was something you could put on the inside of the window that they could see.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

I took my annual autumn camping trip recently. It was pretty cold this year. I didn't do as much hiking as I normally do, nor as much photography, but I had a good time. I did do an 8 mile hike on the beach one day, as well as a short hike on the Ice Age Trail a day earlier.

It's pretty interesting to see how Molash Creek has changed over the last couple of years. You can use the pines as a point of reference.

Here it is in 2018. It was flowing parallel with the beach for a short stretch before flowing into Lake Michigan

and 2019. High lake water levels changes the creek, and it turned much quicker toward the lake.

and this year. The creek doesn't even reach the lake. It stops at the beach.

 

[TheFishGuy]

I took my annual autumn camping trip recently. It was pretty cold this year. I didn't do as much hiking as I normally do, nor as much photography, but I had a good time. I did do an 8 mile hike on the beach one day, as well as a short hike on the Ice Age Trail a day earlier.

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It's pretty interesting to see how Molash Creek has changed over the last couple of years. You can use the pines as a point of reference.

Here it is in 2018. It was flowing parallel with the beach for a short stretch before flowing into Lake Michigan
View attachment 134835

and 2019. High lake water levels changes the creek, and it turned much quicker toward the lake.
View attachment 134834

and this year. The creek doesn't even reach the lake. It stops at the beach.
View attachment 134833

Is that all duck weed on the creek? Cause that would sure be a lot!

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Is that all duck weed on the creek? Cause that would sure be a lot!

Yes! Duckweed grows really well in the creek. Usually you wouldn't see it at this part of the creek because there would be a steady flow right out into the lake, but with it backed up, it's all stuck in there.

 

[corgi]

"Yes! Duckweed grows really well in the creek. Usually you wouldn't see it at this part of the creek because there would be a steady flow right out into the lake, but with it backed up, it's all stuck in there. "

It reminds me of a small creek we have on our side of the pond. Stoney creek. It too has altered it's path to
Lake Michigan, and occasionally gets blocked off from a big blow. Very similar.
Stoney creek is about a half hour north of Muskegon.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

"Yes! Duckweed grows really well in the creek. Usually you wouldn't see it at this part of the creek because there would be a steady flow right out into the lake, but with it backed up, it's all stuck in there. "

It reminds me of a small creek we have on our side of the pond. Stoney creek. It too has altered it's path to
Lake Michigan, and occasionally gets blocked off from a big blow. Very similar.
Stoney creek is about a half hour north of Muskegon.

I did a search on google maps. Looks like a neat little creek!

 

[j.w]

I look out my front window at my pond each morning when I get up and found this guy lurking around. Photo was taken out my window so not too great. He/she was sticking it's head through the gaps but could not reach the water. Finally got frustrated and think it saw me move in the window and it flew off. Ha ha!

 

[JBtheExplorer]

A nice hike at Hawthorn Hollow yesterday. Enjoying this nice weather before it's gone.