September snuck up on me
Can you believe that fall is upon us? If I think about it, all the signs were there; the browning grass, the dying flowers, the shorter days, the crickets singing, the geese flying overhead—there is no surprise. I knew what was happening. However, I do like fall. So I’m not going to be sad about it.
Saturday we took a walk a Pheasant Branch Conservancy in Middleton. There are a lot of nice hiking trails and we saw some of our first migratory birds. Black and White Warblers, Nashville Warbler and one we were unable to identify. It’s hard to get pictures of some of them because they are small, quick and like to hide among the branches. So, here is a picture of an Eastern Wood Peewee. They like to sit on dead branches out in the open waiting for a bug to fly by so much more cooperative when it comes to photos.
Eastern Wood Peewee at Pheasant Branch Conservancy, Middleton
Yesterday we decided to have a little morning walk at a Fish Camp, a county park on Lake Kegonsa. Because of the exploding carp population in southern lakes, from 1932-1969, crews of men caught and sold millions of pounds of carp and non-sport fish to be used for food for mink and fox or for fertilizer. Thus the name “Fish Camp.” We had a nice walk there and saw quite a few Northern Water Thrushes. They are pretty cute little birds. We also saw these cows. I thought I wanted to pet the hairy one but as I got closer I saw he was very dirty and covered with flies. Plus, he didn’t want anything to do with me and ran when I got near the fence. All for the best.
He looks friendly, don’t you think?
Joining the herd.
Northern Water Thrush on its way south.