Musings

Our cottage sun-up is delayed by the woods. This was at 7:12am, and filtered through an apple tree.

Midday, I was out assessing the rhubarb crop, and found this grey treefrog hanging in the shade.

When I returned later to do the picking, it had relocated. I picked eight stalks, and took the resulting rhubarb sauce to a potluck next door, along with some boughten (as my child-self would have called it) ice cream. Success!

Returning from socializing at 10pm, I had to photograph the moonrise. Note a few pixels of reflection off the lake through the trees.

Posted at 10:24 PM | No Comments »

We ventured down the Marshland Drive at the Refuge late this morning. First sighting: a pair of loons, feeding.

A flotilla of Canada geese, plus swans outside the frame at quite a distance. Over our visit, BTW, we saw zero mallards—unusual.

Turtle. There were two, but one dove in as I positioned myself to take this shot. We saw many logs with resting turtles.

Single swan close to the road, profile pose.

Far against the trees, in or next to shadow, are two white/white-ish things at the waterline. The one on the right is a tree remnant, given the form. We discussed the one on the left for quite a while as we motored on, and as the angles changed and it sometimes looked the same, sometimes different. We finally ended up agreeing on swan, although we kept driving and looking. Soon, we stopped at the convenient Loon Overlook, and used the heavy-duty monocular bolted to the deck, and, pfft: swan confirmation. Yay!

Posted at 10:09 PM | No Comments »

I did a vegetation check this morning. I found two hogweeds I missed in the corner of the field, not a big deal. I also checked on the unfurling ferns. Unfurling.

I went deeper into the woods, turned away from the lake, and picked my way carefully through the greenery, trying not to step on any flowers or unflowering plants. Then, I heard a din/racket/cacophony ahead of me, and stopped to spot the culprit. I think it was the male sandhill wooing the lady sandhill, just him, and she was quiet, walking away from him, this way and that, at a stately, deliberate pace. Meanwhile, the male walked after her, following, and finally doing wing flaps, as if she has to notice him and respond to That. And then quiet, and I couldn’t see them any more. Did they fly off? Dunno. Can you spot the pair along the treeline? Facing left?

Posted at 9:55 PM | No Comments »

Apian proof. [See yesterday.]

Posted at 8:53 PM | Comments Off on Bumbler

Just to the right of center, that lumpy shape: a backyard bunbun. I tried to con it into munching down on the remnants of PI, but: no evidence it took my suggestion. Yet….

Posted at 7:44 PM | Comments Off on Hopper

My ID app indicates this is a gall wasp egg structure (Callirhytis species). Surprised me, athough I didn’t think it was part of the oak I found it on.

Posted at 8:42 PM | Comments Off on Nachur mystery

For no particular reason, I thought about seeing blue-footed boobies and other lovely critters when we were visiting the Galápagos islands in summer 2022, aeons ago.

Posted at 11:52 PM | Comments Off on True blue

One great blue heron, two mallards (left).

Two turtles, two fish.

Two-part building.

Old Fourth Ward Park includes a flood-water pond that retains water year-round, presently green with algae. These days, tall buildings mostly surround it.

Posted at 7:29 PM | Comments Off on Pairs, mostly

Today, I found an anole indoors. Does this happen every autumn? Something like that. I gently captured it and released it outdoors. Good outcome. [I am mystified as to how they get inside.]

Last week, on our way up to Lake Superior, we were slow-motoring on a sand road through the visual mosaic of leaf color and sun-n-shade when what should appear on the hood just past the wipers but a mouse. It must have come from an open area at the base of the wipers. Up on the hood, it had little traction, and I hit the brakes hard and zip, it flew off the hood forwards, and I saw it run into the ditch to the left. Another good outcome.

Posted at 7:16 PM | Comments Off on Two critter stories

Here’s Sheepie. He smells change a’comin’.

Goat Guy came with a modest (yet sufficient) ration of treats, although the troops gathered just hearing his truck arrive. [The treats are in the white bag.]

Goat Guy said the first one to take is the most troublesome. This may be applicable in myriad other circumstances. The brown bill on the left was the first; multi was number two. Brown billy butted all the others as they arrived and generally caused mayhem (supporting Goat Guy’s assessment that he was the most troublesome)…

…until Sheepie arrived (last). Now, the fence and the water bucket…et cetera…are all transported to their next appointment, off Memorial Drive, we heard.

Posted at 7:19 PM | Comments Off on Exodus