No Apologies

I'll make no apologies for these distant photos. It's never a good idea to get too close to a Bald Eagle's nest.

This one is about 5 miles south of the house. I pass it twice a day and have seen an eagle at the nest every day this week. I pulled off to the side of the road to take these pictures, parked along a stretch of road littered with "No Parking" signs. As I left the site, a second eagle, presumably the other mate, was winging his/her way to the nest. I hope they have a successful nesting season.

Yesterday, I saw other big birds in the sky. I didn't have my camera with me at the time so this will have to do.
A large flock of Turkey Vultures was circling over the river on February 1st. Typically, they don't come back from the southern U. S. or southern South America until early- to mid-March. It's been a strange season, indeed.

Snow. Melt.

Saturday dawned with a beautiful coating of snow on every limb and twig.
(The three trees in the middle of the river are usually on dry ground.)

Red Squirrels couldn't hide their comings and goings.

The snow melted throughout the day.

Flooded field across the road

The river is up.
But that's not really news, anymore.

An Odd Freeze

In nearly 30 years, the river's never done this before.

It typically freezes slowly, smoothly, ice skate-ably.

But this morning was different.

I wondered if it had frozen as the wind howled, whipping it into chunks as it froze. I don't have any other theories. Do you?

Walking on Water

Lows were in the teens this week and the pond froze enough to support White-tailed Deer.

Ice is forming upstream, but next week will be warmer and it might be a while before anyone walks on the river.

Frozen, Unfrozen

Bald Cypress knees at the Pond

The Pond, nearly frozen

January harvest

The homemade greenhouse is working. Several nights were in the teens but turnips and turnip greens came through just fine. They easily pulled from soft dirt while uncovered carrots were frozen solidly into the ground.

First Snow

Two Jays

A very brief journey

We'd been making plans for weeks to escape civilization for the holidaze: packing lists, shopping, food prep, vacation requests, dog boarding, reservations, maps... you know the routine.

Our destination: southeastern Ohio's beautiful Hocking Hills. It's only a 2-hour drive but it feels like a world away.

It was nice to be out of the flatlands and into the hills. Hemlocks and cedars provided some welcome green.

Our secluded cabin was lovely, with a hot tub, wood burning fireplace, and not-one-but-TWO bathrooms.

The ravines and sandstone outcroppings behind the cabin were gorgeous.

Trees growing right out of rock always amaze me

as do mini-landscapes of lush moss and fern growing on boulders.

And now should follow a breathtaking series of photos of nearby Old Man's Cave, Cedar Falls, Conkles Hollow, Cantwell Cliffs... but after a day and a half, we missed the dogs awfully and decided to come home early. It was a good decision.

Closed

The river rose this week and our road was closed for a couple of days.

The house is a mile up the road. I was able to detour out of the valley to get home.

Black Walnuts were stored high and dry by the squirrels. There in the bottom right you can see some other action.

Beavers are back! Quite a few little elms have been chewed. I've been out at dawn and dusk but haven't seen them yet.

The river receded on Friday and the sun shone Saturday morning. I went for a walk and heard the crackling of ice as the water fell.

Rain is falling again and will continue through Monday night. I'm getting used to it.

Tree, high water

Reflection of the tree across the road on a flooded field

Late November

My zoom capability and patience are equally poor so I don't post many bird pictures, though there are certainly plenty of birds around.

I keep trying, though.

Blue Jay in Witch-hazel tree

Someone carelessly dropped peanuts on the dock while feeding the squirrels. This Jay carried them away, three at a time: one down the hatch, one in his mouth, and a third in his beak. It was fun to watch.


A Dark-eyed Junco spent a bit of time surveying the situation before figuring out there was no way he could get a nut in that tiny beak.

After seeing Wheel Bugs the first time a couple of years ago, I look for them, and look forward to seeing them.

They have a bad rep, since their bite can be painful, but as with most creatures, if you don't bother them, they'd just as soon ignore you.

It's crazy to see snakes this late in November but it's been warm and this one was still quite lively.

With the leaves off the trees and a clear view to the west, sunsets are catching my eye these days.