A Sunday Morning Stroll in a Wildlife/Wetlands Preserve

[ET Awful]

It was a lovely (though hot and humid) morning for a stroll. Heck, even the geese I ran into thought so:



This little guy didn't want to turn around and look at me, but he was cute as hell :)



This one was just a tad skittish, but that branch had his attention focused (his focus on the branch was better than my focus with the camera)



This little dude was just walking up the trail towards me and begging to be photographed




This was an odd turtle. He was actually fairly quick moving, when he goes all the way in the water, that little ugly head of his sticks up and looks like nothing more than a tree stump. He has great natural camoflauge :)




These red-winged blackbirds really have the run of the place, they're everywhere in the preserve.




This flower was just there and caught my eye on the way back to the car so I snapped it :).



I have a couple more bird shots I need to sort through, but all in all it was a very pleasant mornings walk :)

[gollygee]

1. Your photos are beautiful!

We have a wildlife/wetlands preserve very close, and now you've got me aching to visit it!

[ET Awful]

3. Thanks :)

It's a very cool place when there are no planes overhead (it's not too far from an airforce base, fortunately not a very busy one).

Early in the morning, all you can hear is bird song and all kinds of other wildlife playing around :).

[Redneck Socialist]

2. Great pics

thanks for posting them. Alas I have to work today, so my outdoor adventures will have to wait for tomorrow. :-( But then three days off! :bounce:

[ET Awful]

4. Thanks :)

Fortunately the place is only about 20 minutes from my apartment (and even closer to work) :). I can go any evening after work or any morning I feel like dragging my lazy butt out of bed :)

[stellanoir]

5. great shots

Glad you managed to get out there this morning.

The shot of the goose parade is my fave.

The Native American name for the area I where I live is "haunt of the wild goose." All winter long 100's of them gather in the surrounding fields squawking as if they are having an absolute blast.

Goose parties make me very happy.

[ET Awful]

9. The geese were very fun to watch

Every once in a while one of the young ones would wander off the side of the path to look at something that caught his eye. If he didn't get right back on the trail, one of the older ones would walk back and herd him back in line :).

When I first came up on them, the babies were just waking up and stretching their necks for the morning. I was too far away to get any good photos at that point.

Then while I was standing and watching from a distance the biggest one gave a loud honk and woke them all up and started the morning march :)

[babylonsister]

6. I feel like I was there with you-thanks! Very nice! nt

[ET Awful]

11. Thanks, glad you liked 'em :) n/t

[Jara sang]

7. First turtle is a Painted Turtle

Second one is a Snapping Turtle, the pointy head is the give away for that one. I'm about ready to go on my own nature hike in Senandoah National Park. :hi:

[ET Awful]

10. Thanks :) The first one behaved like you'd expect a proper turtle to

behave. Just kind of slow moving and if you got too close he hid his head.

The snapping turtle belied the stereotype of slow turtles and was actually pretty darn quick :) I had to jog to get up to him and take pictures before he vanished into the water.

[sundog]

8. nice

:applause:

[ET Awful]

12. Thanks!

:woohoo:

[Kathy in Cambridge]

13. Great pics-did you take them near the Concord River?

[ET Awful]

14. Yup, over at Great Meadows Preserve

off of Rte. 62 just north of Concord.

Glad you like 'em :)

[nuxvomica]

15. Great pictures!

I especially like the geese. :-)

[ET Awful]

16. Thanks! :) n/t

[Theres-a]

17. Great photos! Thanks.

Please post the rest when they're ready.These are wonderful.

[ET Awful]

18. Glad you liked them :)

I'm hoping to get a more powerfull zoom next week and get pics of some of the birds I couldn't see this time :).