Category: travel

Fairy Houses at Locust Grove Estate

What outdoor activity would appeal to kids and garden enthusiasts alike? The Fairy House Hunt at Locust Grove Estate would appeal to both groups.

Fairy Houses at Locust Grove Estate

Location

The location of this estate is Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, New York. You can access it by its own turn off via a traffic light on Route 9. The gift shop charges a fee to enter. They provide you with a map to locate the fairy houses.

Fairy Houses at Locust Grove Estate

Estate History

The last residents of Locust Grove, the Young family created a foundation to ensure this site would be open to the public after they lived in it for many years. A famous resident prior to the Young family was Samuel Morse, a painter and inventor of the telegraph and the Morse Code. The museum on site has reproductions of his telegraphs and paintings. Locust Grove was Samuel Morse’s summer home.

Fairy Houses at Locust Grove Estate

The walk

The walk to view the Fairy houses is not too long and it is fairly flat. Other hiking trails on the property are longer and can be steep. The fairy houses are not located on the longer steep trails, but near the garden areas on the property.

Fairy Houses at Locust Grove Estate
Fairy Houses at Locust Grove Estate – Harney and Sons Tea, a locally made favourite

The Gift Shop

Fairy Houses at Locust Grove Estate – One of the Fairies in the gift shop

The gift shop at Locust Grove sells miniature fairy dolls of various ethnicities/ cultures besides other items.

When

This event appears to run through the end of June. You can see this on weekends up to June 30th between the hours of 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, according to their website. For more information click on the link below.

https://www.lgny.org/june

Access their Facebook page through this link:

https://www.facebook.com/LocustGroveEstate

Live your life in your own fairy tale. Visit Locust Grove for the Fairy House Hunt.

Downy Woodpecker Family

I see and hear various woodpeckers in my area. There is only one kind I have been able to catch the babies peaking out of the tree hole of the nesting tree. It is the Downy woodpecker.

Downy Woodpecker Family – Baby

I usually can at least find the tree the babies are in because I heard them making sounds begging for food. It does not always mean you will be able to catch sight of the hole. Sometimes by the time you hear the babies start making the sounds, the hole may be well camouflaged by leaves.

Downy Woodpecker Family – Dad

The parents are usually fairly close by pecking at trees for bugs. Sometimes they even look for food on the nest tree.

Downy Woodpecker Family – mom

I have no idea what kind of food they caught in either of these pictures. Our woods is full of bugs due to all the rain we have experienced the past year, so they won’t go hungry.

Downy Woodpecker Family – Mom feeding baby

I believe the babies have fledged from this particular tree, but I know of at least three other trees in the same woods where the Downy babies were still in the hole. This pictures were before sunset, taken from a distance, and heavily cropped.

If you go to All About Birds the babies sound kind of like this in the woods when they are in the tree, but soon to fledge. I usually start hearing them right before they fledge.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Downy_Woodpecker/sounds

Walk slow and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. What woodpeckers do you see along your journeys?

Watch the Eyes! – Osprey

Watch the Eyes! The Osprey seems to be thinking as its mate is flying in. These landings look risky to me.

Watch the Eyes! – Osprey

This nest either has little babies or eggs that have not hatched yet. In the time I was there the mate only flew out to chase perceived threats. No fish were brought in.

Watch the Eyes! – Osprey

I wonder if an osprey ever injuries its mate when flying back into the nest.

Watch the Eyes! – Osprey. The couple is keeping a watchful eye around it.
Watch the Eyes! – Osprey. Most likely flying to chase off a possible threat.

Although they seem to have babies later than owls and eagles, it is still that time of year for new life. Pause to reflect on those who gave the ultimate sacrifice that we may be free.

Barred Owl 2020

I took this photo in 2020. Instead of hiking around Manhattan, I was hiking in the woods north of the city. I think I can say many altered their lives in significant ways after March of 2020, although for some it may have been temporary.

Barred Owl 2020

Have you made changes that you stuck to? For me it was probably taking more animal pictures. What about you?

Half Moon Farm Van

Going off the beaten path and travelling on a country road I had not travelled on before, I had to stop and take this picture.

Half Moon Farm Van

It is another example of using an vintage vehicle to advertise. This one advertises a farm. Go off the beaten path once in a while, there are interesting things to see.

Barred Owl Open and Shut

The barred owl has a facial disk. The disk is composed of feathers that grow around the owl’s head. These feathers help make the bared owl a skilled hunter. These feathers they say help direct sound to the bird’s ears. They say it is the same effect as cupping your hands behind your ears. The disk feathers allow them to hear the movement of a mouse in the grass, the flapping of feathers in the night, or the slithering of a snake in a tree or on the ground.

Barred Owl Open and Shut- In a brief window of light from the setting sun
Barred Owl Open and Shut- Cloudy

The hunter becomes the hunted in the Pacific Northwest. The government wants to cull barred owls. The barred owl is being blamed for the decrease in population of the spotted owl. The barred is more indigenous to the east coast, but has been moving over the the Pacific Northwest. Therefore, the US Fish and Wildlife wants people to kill 500,000 of them. It is very controversial as it will eliminate a species in one area to save another. What do you think?

Raccoon in a Tree

I take pictures of tree holes. I know that may be odd. I am hoping to find an owl or another animal dwelling in the hole. This photo was taken from quite a distance with a zoom lens and is heavily cropped. It was before sunset.

Raccoon in a Tree

I did not see the raccoon when I aimed for the tree hole. Maybe it was there and the image was too small to see it, or maybe it just entered the frame just as I clicked. After I zoomed in and looked at my camera I said Holy Cow! Then I went for a closer look at the tree. I did not see the raccoon again. Hopefully it was his home and not another animal’s home he was looking to raid eggs from. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Short-Eared Owl on the Ground

The short-eared owl was in a new spot tonight. I am convinced it is the same owl every time one lands on posts etc. This time it landed on the ground next to the parking lot. The wind had picked up and it settled there for a long time looking to be in a not so happy mood. They do not seem to like winds above 10 miles an hour.

Short Eared Owl on the Ground

Yes, I felt the earthquake today. I was on the third floor of my workplace. The building shook for about 20 seconds or so, the floor seemed to shake, and there was a rumbling noise. I was surprised it was only a 4.8, but there appears only be some minor damage in places such as cracks on walls and water in basements. I did not feel any of the aftershocks. The were less intense. The one most likely to be felt I think occurred around 6 p.m., but I was watching this owl by then and was further away. Have a great weekend.

Short-Eared Owl in Flight 2

When the owls come out in better light it gives me a chance to up the shutter speed to 1/2000 of a second. This enables me to stop the action better and get less blur and more details in the image.

Many times they are coming out at sunset or after sunset. To try to reduce noise in the photos I had lower shutter speeds in early photos. Many of those photos have blur in the wings and do not have sharp details. I have a lot of shots the last two or three days I went where they came out prior to sunset. This photo was still lightened. Hopefully your week is not as soggy as mine so far.

Short-Eared Owl Above the Grass

Some people only go in search of wildlife on sunny days with blue skies. Some people only look for things in early morning or golden hour light. Sometimes cloudy days or photos a few hours before sunset can work.

Short-Eared Owl Above the Grass

I take photos whenever I can get them. Animals do not go by our schedule. I have a lot of short eared owl photos. I was happy anytime I saw them, but hoped for good lighting conditions.

It sounds like we will have rainy and possibly snowy weather this week. Whatever the weather, have a nice week.