Changing Of The Guard

Tuesday, I returned to Great Meadows to see what has been happening. Scanning across the impoundments from the tower, much appeared to be the same since my last visit. A harrier was cruising the cat tails looking for prey.






Much of the impoundments are still frozen, to a depth sufficient to support Canada Geese and Mute Swans. But there were spots of open water. The swans were slowly opening channels to swim and feed in.








Elsewhere in the refuge the balance between winter and spring is starting to subtly change. There were more birds active than my last visit. Several muskrats could be seen active among the reeds and on the ice. Elsewhere, along the pools and streams, you can see signs of the ice melting. In the woods there are patches of green that we then frozen by the most recent storm.




I wonder who put the big gash in his tail. No wonder he ran as I approached.






The pattern of lichens growing on this tree made me think of a passage from Thoreau's journal.

Feb 5, 1853
A thick fog. The trees and woods look well through it. You are inclined to walk in the woods for objects. They are draped with mist, and you hear the sound of it dripping from them. It is a lichen day. Not a bit of rotten wood lies on the dead leaves, but it is covered with fresh, green cup lichens, etc., etc. All the world seems a great lichen and to grow like one to-day,—a sudden humid growth.

The weather was gray and cloudy. The photographic opportunities are somewhat sparse compared to the bounteous days of May. This patch of woods near the Southwest entrance has always appealed to me. Today, decided with the current conditions it was a good candidate for black & white.

Seems Like A Long Time

During my project I averaged one visit very 3 days. Now when I've been away for only a week and a half, it feels like an eternity. I visited the refuge this morning to see what was going on. I ran into Will and Kathy joining them in the weekly census. I probably did more birding than photography. I certainly was traveling light leaving the big lens at home.

Here are a few photos from our walk around the impoundments.


Winter has taken its toll on the wasp's nest


Canada geese took off from the ice right at us


This Marsh Wren wintered over. Not too long before they will be singing on the tops of the cat tails.


The seed pods of the Evening Primrose look like little flowers in the sunshine



Where ever we went there was ice. With the mild winter we don't have the mammoth sheets of ice. But the running and splashing water generates some interesting patterns.








Down near the southwest entrance to the refuge, there are signs of recent beaver activity. While beavers can cause flooding, this winter the beaver along the river has been working on opening up a small vista of the river.




While we were looking up, there were a couple of fly-bys that we caught.


A pair of mute swans


The belted kingfisher flying up the river


Will spotted this sharp shinned hawk in the trees of the holt.


If you are interested in why it's so long between visits, you can check out my other photographic wanderings at blog.lightchronicle.com

I apologize for the ugly watermarks. I didn't have must time, so went with the default, instead of manually adding my own copyright. When I catch my breath, I will try to remember to fix these.

A Quiet Visit

I wasn't planning on stopping by Great Meadows today. In fact, I drove into Mt Auburn Cemetery with one of my friends to see if we could photograph the Great Horned Owl. Unfortunately, the owl was not very cooperative in its choice of location, so it was a short day. Frustrated that I was wasting such a sunny day, I stopped by the refuge.

Great Meadows was exceedingly quiet. The impoundments were frozen over except for the flowing water near the bridge. I was amazed that I couldn't see any coots, either at the impoundments or in the river. However, just as I was leaving, I saw one on the backside of the reeds near the bridge.

Looking out over the lower impoundment, I noticed the tops of the trees were much redder from last year's new growth and the early signs of budding.



One animal you are almost always guaranteed to see is the Downy Woodpecker. Today was no different. I decided to include one photo with its nictating membrane (third eyelid) which descends whenever it is pecking wood.







Down by the river I spied an Eastern Screech Owl sunning itself. Unfortunately there were too many branches between the path and the tree to capture a good photograph...but the discovery made the walk worthwhile.

Most of the geese and ducks have relocated down to the river. Even there ice is starting to encroach on their territory.






A pair of black ducks


To amuse myself and to ensure I came back with a couple photographs, I did snap off a couple shots of mushrooms growing on trees.







All in all, it wasn't a spectacular day for photography, but it was a pleasant walk and a positive move towards keeping my New Year's resolution of getting more exercise. Hopefully, this will help tide you over until your next visit.