Cats take pride in being a predator. They are known to sneak a mouse or two inside as a trophy to impress the human caretaker of their house. Do owls try to impress humans with their hunting prowess?
It sure felt that this owl was trying to impress me when I was watching. The owl kept circling overhead holding onto its prey. I even think he was trying to insure I got a good shot of his kill.
The weather has been mostly cloudy and dark. We had 50-60 mile an hour winds last night. Hard to get good shots when you need to have your ISO up to very high numbers. Wishing for some sunny days in the week ahead. Merry Christmas everyone or Happy New Year! Stay safe!
Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go. Author Unknown
The pictures below were all taken recently in the Hudson Valley of New York. Some animals stay here the entire year. Others come from regions further north to winter here. Hopefully, I will catch some of these winter visitors soon.
Found this guy on top of a power pole alongside a rural road.Squirrel stuffing himself silly on a branch in the woods.
Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge
The next photos are from a short trip I took a wildlife refuge. I hope to return there this weekend weather permitting.
Two bluebirds in the field. They followed me around on my walk.Possibly their nest was in the the hole of this tree.This hawk flies fairly low over the field then dives to get its prey.Hawk flying with the Gunks in the background
Fall unofficially ended today with a major snowstorm. We could get over a foot by the time it passes through. Did the animals know a storm would be arriving soon? Do animals sense these things? Can they forecast weather?
Hay Bale Cow at McEnroe’s Organic Farm and Market in Millerton. NY.
I found another hay bale art piece. This one was also in New York. Some farmers wrap the hay bale in what looks like plastic. This farmer painted the covers for the hay bales. They made a cow. I guess this way the animals can still eat the hay because there is no paint on the bales. We have had a lot of dreary weather. Quite typical for November and December. Stay safe!
Do you want an option to paddle multiple bodies of water without getting out of your kayak or canoe? Do you want a place to camp while paddling? Jones Pond and Osgood Pond in the Adirondack Mountains of NY are accessible to each other via the Jones Pond Outlet. Both have free campsites on or near the ponds.
I started at Jones Pond on this September Day. There are campsites along Jones Pond next to the road and off the road accessible by car. Jones Pond also has a boat launch that makes it easy to get in a kayak via water. Jones Pond is also accessible to Rainbow Lake via a carry path.
Kayak launch on Jones Pond. You can access this via a dirt road off of Jones Pond Road. It was not ell marked when I was there. Usually there is a sign at the road. The sign was at that time was easy to miss. You can get to Jones Pond Road via 86 near Paul Smiths or from 60 on the other end of the road. The road to the boat launch is closer to the 60 end of the road.In Jones Pond going towards Osgood Pond.Entering Jones Pond Outlet, a waterway/ stream between the ponds.A beaver dam that I had to clear a couple of sticks from to go across. The Jones Pond Outlet is quite accessible via Kayak. I think canoeists may have slightly more difficulty navigating the beaver dams.A hawk I saw along the way.Where the Jones Pond Passage meets Osgood Pond.This couple was part of a small group of canoes. They started at Osgood Pond and tried to head to Jones Pond. They decided to turn around at the beaver dam. There is a beach area to the right of the entrance to the lake. I have seen different groups taking lunch breaks on that small beach.
Other bodies of water are accessible via Osgood Pond. I will not put photos of Osgood here as I have a post from another trip detailing Osgood and the passage to another Pond.
On my return and eagle was circling over my head at Jones Pond. That pesky beaver had a lodge in the grass area near where the pond meets the outlet. The weather was nice, but windy so I got my exercise for the day.
I highly recommend this trip especially if you want to camp along or near one of these bodies of water. Bring a lunch and plenty to drink. It involves a couple hours each way, but it is worth the ride.
Do you want a great spot to paddle in the Catskills? Fancy a nice spot to see wildlife along the way? One such place is Franklinton Vlaie. It is part of a wildlife management area south of Middleburgh, NY.
Vlaie or Vly is the Dutch term for swamp. This pond has marshy areas, woodlands, and farmland around it. It is viewable from State Route 145. This is a few miles south of Middleburgh. The pond appears on maps to be over a mile long in length. The pond covers 85 acres while the Franklinton Vlaie Wildlife Management Area that it is in covers 195 acres.
Access
There is a small parking area off of 145 on Gates Hill Road near the boat launch. Kayaks and canoes are allowed. Motorboats are not. They have a dock to launch a canoe from and an area closer to the road near it to launch a kayak from in shallow water. There is no camping on this pond.
One happy rescue puppy living a great dog’s life. I understand this dog has gone camping in the Adirondacks with its owners and hiked one of the high peaks with them.
Animals
I went because I heard an eagle can be sighted there. I did not see one, however it is documented on their site that there is a nest. I looked for a nest, but did not see one. Perhaps I will get the chance to return in late fall or early spring when the leaves are down to see if I can spot the nest. However, I did see my first kingfisher. I followed it as it flew from tree to tree along the water.
When I was there I saw a few other kayakers and canoers. People were fishing. Motorboats are not allowed, so it is a nice place to paddle. If you like a fairly traffic free place to paddle, this should be on your list.
What is a nice body of water to kayak or canoe one and see loons? I have been to Fish Creek Pond a few times in the Adirondack Mountains of NY. Each time I have seen mother and her baby. I have never seen the father.
This is an August photo.
The first time I spotted these two in August the mother was still bringing a lot of fish to the baby although the baby was trying to go under water in pursuit of fish itself. This baby appeared to be older and larger than the other loon babies I saw on other lakes and ponds.
In September, the mother was not bringing much fish to the baby. I only witnessed one. It was leaving the baby mostly to its own devices. The baby was fishing a lot.
Flying Practice
Then, I heard the mother call from the other side of the pond, and the baby stopped fishing and swam further down the pond, turned and faced the wind and tried to fly. (I was thinking the mother said the wind is good, stop and practice flying. ) The baby went back down the pond and tried again and again. It was flapping its wings attempting to walk on the water at the same time. It came close to going totally airborne.
After going further down the pond it raised itself up and started flapping its wings attempting to fly.You can see here it is running on top of the water while flapping its wings.I wasn’t totally pleased with these actions shots, but with the wind and water movement sitting in a kayak I am just happy to have observed and captured this.Almost up!I have a growing audience. I guess I will try again. Wish me luck!
Then it went back to fishing. It complained weakly. Not sure if the baby was discouraged by its flying attempts. The mother came by and brought the baby a fish. Either it was a reward for the flying attempts, encouragement, or the baby still needed a little help getting food.
Pretty soon the adult loons fly off and leave the babies behind. It’s important they fish for themselves. They will practice many times swimming to the far end of a pond, facing the wind, and attempting to fly. Eventually they do. Because they are such big birds they need a lot of space for their take off. They will join other loons further south after they figure it all out.
Fish Creek Ponds is in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State. It is near Upper Saranac Lake. These photos were taken from a kayak during a trip in August.
I saw the loons in the morning and afternoon of the same day on the same section of the pond. I only saw one parent and one child. The baby was always swimming close to the mother in August.Looks both ways for boaters before crossing the pond.
Loon Fishing Technique
Dive under the water, pursue and catch a small fish.Shake the small fish around in the water to attract a bigger fish……and voila! You get a bigger fish.This mother was still feeding the baby in August. The baby was attempting to find fish on its own as well.The hand off.The other babies I saw in July and August were smaller and had brownish colored feathers.
The baby loon was always close to the mother in August. I did not see a second parent around. I may post pictures from September another time. Loons are interesting birds to watch. Just remember keep a distance.
If you want to hit more than one lake in the Adirondacks while canoeing or kayaking, where could you go? Upper St. Regis Lake may be an answer as it connects to Spitfire Lake and from Spitfire Lake you can get to Lower St. Regis Lake.
Access
Upper St. Regis Lake has a boat launch off St. Regis Carry (Road) which is off of State Route 30. You can park along the side of the road leading to the boat launch. The boat launch is for power boaters as well, so it is a nice gradual ease into the lake. This location also has a free do it yourself boat wash. This is important to make sure you do not transport invasive species between lakes. You can launch and park for free.
Bird I saw on a rock not long into my early morning paddle. Sandpiper perhaps?
I got there early in the morning and only stayed for about 2 hours. I hope to go again. I was trying to squeeze in another nearby lake before a predicted storm.
Loons
I came across the first loon when paddling between two islands. I believe it was the father loon. As I started moving away I heard a loon calling from the other side of the lake. I went in that direction and found a mother loon and her baby. They stayed in an area that was between an island and a marshy area. The mother called again and the father came by.
Baby loon waiting patiently for parents to surface with a fish.
The difference between these loon parents and the ones I saw at Upper Saran Lake was this pair tried to feed the baby by putting the fish in the water near it. The ones in Saranac Lake handed off the fish above water.
Mom approaches with fish.
Mom brings fish underwater to baby. Baby either has to grab the fish from mom under the water or has to grab fish from the water.
What was humorous to me was the father would come up out of the water making a loud complaining like noise when he did not surface with a fish. He did not do that when he did have a fish. These parents seemed less successful catching fish than the ones at Upper Saranac, who were constantly coming up with them.
Sticking close to mom.
The light was not optimal. It was early morning on a cloudy day. However, once again I was happy to watch this family from a distance.
The babies from different local parks and wildlife areas are starting to hunt. I try to catch local youngsters at least a few times a week. The parents are less visible now. They are leaving them more and more on their own. Soon they may be off to find their own territory.
The owl babies are looking more and more like adults. I saw one hunting, while the others were on nearby trees.Communicating with its siblings nearby. The only sound I have heard them make is a screech like sound.I think they are so cute. As long as you are quiet and respect them from a distance they will tolerate you being around.It moved around from downed tree to tree searching for wildlife along the stream.Pausing to look at me. This one was on this downed tree scanning the stream bed for dinner in the deep, dark woods. It caught a few things, but I could not get a good look. The stream bed is a foot or more below the ground level with plants obscuring its view and the owlet went right down to that level. What did it catch? I could not tell, but it was eating something more than once. A frog perhaps? A chipmunk looking for a drink?
I will enjoy these youngsters while I can. Who knows, maybe in other nearby parks in the coming years these owlets with raise their own families. One can only hope.
Do you need a vacation location this summer? Are you planning on trips closer to home? If you live in the Northeast one option is a visit to the Thousand Islands area of New York. One beautiful town right on the St. Lawrence River is Clayton, NY.
Besides a really nice walkway along the river in town, this town has some interesting murals to view. Below are the ones I found.
A modern ship mural by Kelly Curry.Back in the day the railroads brought many tourists up to Clayton. This was a long mural close to another building so I had to take photos in sections. Mural by Kelly Curry.Picture two- Kelly Curry MuralPicture 3 Kelly Curry MuralThe back of the same building.Another modern ship by Kelly Curry
By the end of June, Clayton was in phase four ahead of areas in New York City, the Hudson Valley , and Long Island in opening up. Museums were about to open in the area in June. Most places are open for business including boat tours.
If you visit the Thousand Islands or plan to take a tour or fishing boat out of Clayton, wander around the town. They have wonderful shops, nice restaurants, a walkway on the river, and beautiful murals depicted the area.
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