Again I am trying something new. I am helping out a relative by taking some product photography shots. These are some of the ones I took.
I have two favourite shots: the rose soap and the oatmeal lavender on wood. Do any of these catch your eye? I would like to know. It may help me improve.
I had Monday off for a new bank holiday. What do I do on a holiday? If I have time I hike and see if I can spot owls or their owlets.
Luckily I found two of the three owlets on lower branches. They planted themselves on this tree for a few hours. I got a lot of nice pictures out of it. One seems to stay well hidden now. I look at him as the designated driver. Instead of not drinking to stay safe and keeping everyone else safe he stays well hidden to stay safe. Or am I wrong about this and the third one is more shy?
Bucks are rare to come across on a hike in New York. It is rare to even see them when driving. You normally will see does and fawns. I am excited I got the chance two times to see this guy from a distance on hikes before sunset.
It appears he has an outer velvety coating on his antlers. They almost look glued on or fake. I wonder if this is a teenager or full grown adult. Anyone have any idea? I have seen it with one other deer, a female both times. If you are in the U. S. enjoy your bank holiday tomorrow (Juneteenth) if you have off.
This week I got to see the babies a few times. They are like little children on sugar when they are awake. They fly from branch to branch following each other. It looks like they are chasing each other in a game of tag. They don’t linger on trees too long before they take flight again while they are awake.
Click on the audio file below to hear the noise barred owlets make.
Do owlets have ADHD? With all the flying they do while they are awake I wonder how many rodents their parents need to catch for them a day.
What lake in the Adirondacks has the same name as an Mohawk Indian Chief who supported the British in the War for Independence? It is Brant Lake in Warren County. It is another lake worth visiting in the area north of Lake George in the Adirondack Mountains of N.Y.
I cannot say the lake is named after the Indian chief, but so far I have not found information online saying where the name came from. I even emailed a nearby historical group with no response. Joseph Brant was a Mohawk Chief who sided with the British during the Revolutionary War. According to the National Park Service during the French and Indian War “In 1755, at age 13 he accompanied Sir William Johnson to the Battle of Lake George.” Lake George is south of Brant Lake and a short drive by car. Mohawks today have tribal land on both sides of the border with Canada north of the Adirondack Mountains.
Brant Lake is north of Lake George. If coming from the south you take the Adirondack Northway route 87 north of Albany. Get off at exit 25- the exit for NY 8 north. Go approximately 2.6 miles to the boat launch. The address is 6799 NY 8 , Brant Lake, NY.
This boat ramp had multiple people working it on a weekend, and it is no wonder. I likened this to the Grand Central Station of boat ramps in the Adirondack Mountains. There were boats constantly coming in and going of the the lake here. I had to wait to launch and wait to get out. I was able to park without waiting. If I remember correctly, they had port a potty toilets or privy here.
This lake is big enough that I was able to avoid motor boats by sticking to paddling along the shore. It is about 5 miles in length.It was a little windy, and I was worried about the possibility of a storm, but things ended up fine.
Regardless of the motorboat traffic it was still a nice ride. There is not a lot of development along the lake. There are a few houses spread out and camps. There is a lot of wide open spaces with nice views in the Adirondack Mountains. Get out and enjoy it.
I placed another tick in a box last night. I was beginning to think I would never see an owl feed their babies. They seemed to shy away from doing that within eyesight of me. Then, last night I saw and heard them in all one areas again.
The one parent flew to the same tree as the children. I could not tell if it had someone, but someone I was with said they saw it was holding a chipmunk. If you look carefully under the branch you see dangling legs.
The parent flew to another tree and the owlets followed.
The parent then proceeded to tear out pieces of the chipmunk and feed them to the owlets.
They don’t always do this within view. Sometimes it is high up in the tree tops with leaves blocking the view. I was so happy to see this tonight. Owls are predators. It is what they do to survive.
What kind of wildlife can you see on Loon Lake in the Adirondack Mountains? Currently one thing you can see is an active eagle’s nest. This is Loon Lake near Lake George. There is another Loon Lake father north in the ADK.
A summer resident of the lake community who was also kayaking was nice enough to lead me to the nest. Not sure if she wanted me to identify her, but thank you if she ever sees this. The nest is high in a tree on private property next to the lake.
I saw both parents in the same area and one eaglet. The eaglet appears to be about the size of the parents. This one would have been born this year. This was taken from a kayak while there was motorboat traffic. It is not as clear as I would have liked.
Here’s hoping they leave the resident loons alone and do not consider them as a meal option.
Want a great place to paddle your canoe of kayak for the day in the Adirondack Mountains? Looking for a place to get on the water in the Lake George- Schroon Lake area? Then head to Paradox Lake.
Paradox Lake is on Route 74 in Paradox, NY. To get there take the Northway or Route 87 to Exit 28. Take 74 east about 4 miles to the campground. There is a small entrance fee for day use if you are going to kayak or canoe.
Click on this link to see a map of the lake: https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/fish_marine_pdf/pdoxlkmap.pdf
The boat launch is a short drive from the entrance booth. It has ample parking. I saw more kayaks going in and out then motor boats. Bathrooms are up the road in the campground from the boat launch in the beach area where they rent kayaks and canoes.
The part of the lake the launch is on is much smaller than the other part of the lake. I decided to go through the narrow canal like connection to the larger part of the lake. I heard from fishermen on the way that eagles liked to hang out in the tall pine trees at the end of where this meets the larger part of the lake, but I had no luck that day. I was also told by others that eagles were known to be at this lake. This lake seems to be known for trout and they are trying to introduce inland salmon I read on one of the sites.
This is the larger part of the lake. It was windy at times, so I only explored a section of it.
This is the entrance back into the passageway heading towards the smaller section of the lake. I did not see too many boats out on the lake. Sometimes when there is a large state campgrounds on a lake there is a lot of traffic and little wildlife to be seen. Because this lake is pretty big- at least 4 miles in length, there are not as many people as one would think. There are also a few homes along the lake.
Overall I highly recommend this lake. The boat launch, parking situation, and the chance to see wildlife are all benefits in my book.
Surprise! There are three owlets. After only hearing them for about a week, but not seeing them, I found them today. They were all together on the same branch with good views from a couple of different places nearby.
A parent was in a neighbouring tree. They were probably begging for food. I was hoping to see a parent feed them and I knew at least one of them was hunting nearby. But once again a thunderstorm was approaching .
I am happy I at least got to see the three of them together and I hope I am lucky enough in the future to see a parent feed them. Enjoy your week!
What do owls like to feed their babies? Multiple times I have seen them bring in a chipmunk.
Chipmunks give away the owls when they are in their vicinity by a noise they make. A good thing for the other creatures in the forest, but a bad thing for the chipmunk. He tells the owl exactly where he is.
This owl seemed to be happy to fly to more open trees around me and show me her catch. Her babies were nearby, but hiding behind leaves. I wanted to stay and see if she would feed them in front of me, something I have not had a good view of yet. However, a thunderstorm was approaching. I hope to witness breakfast of dinner in the future. Have a great weekend!
