14 July 2024 A Quiet Visit to Orchard Hills

This evening was a solitary visit to Orchard Hills. I was hoping to spot a great blue heron on the edge of a small pond The pond was quiet and birdless.

The pond is small but is host to a number of bass.

A swallowtail in the field

A spicebush swallowtail stopped long enough for an image by the monarda in the field.

6 July 2024 A Park Journey With Phineas

The day was perfect for enjoying a park walk with wildflowers.

A yellow swallowtail stopped by wildflowers.

Phineas has cancer and is dying. He has good and bad days. Today, he was having a good day. I was thrilled for being able to give him a park trip.

The bees were staying busy gathering pollen.

5 July 2024 Moving Around

It was a day to move around and carry the camera. It started off with a visit to Lake Metroparks' Beatty Landing.

Blue Fronted Dancer

It was a good day for spotting blue flying creatures.

An attractive goldfinch

Summer flowers at Orchard Hill

An unknown moth

Two rainbows in one evening!

3 July 2024 Bunny, Birds, and Blossoms

31 May 2024 Heron Rookery

Troy Wetlands in Geauga Parks is a special place to visit in the spring. The wetlands area annually hosts multiple heron nests in a sizable rookery. Each spring nine to twelve heron nests will provide a homes for nesting birds. The wetlands provide fertile fishing grounds for the parents to feed the hatchlings.

28 April 2024 Killdeer

Killdeer have their own style of personality. They will squak and fuss if you are too near, Other times they will walk in front of you. This evening was the walking-in-front, quiet killdeer.

21 April 2024 Spring at Walter C Best Wildlife Preserve

The Best Sand Preserve is part of an older sand quarry. When Walter Best passed the family donated about 100 acres to Geauga Parks to create a wildlife preserve. It was a quiet place this evening, but I was able to spot a very nice goldfinch.

As I ended my walk and was leaving, there was a beautiful full moon rising.

17 March 2024 Walking the Rookery

One can't always choose the weather. Today was a cold, wet day to visit Geauga Park's Rookery. The visit started off well with a spotting of a chipping sparrow.

Skunk cabbage was up as an early spring flower.

The blossom of the skunk cabbage was visible from with the zoom.

The day never got very bright with the sun mostly hidden behind cloud cover.

An elusive kingfisher stayed well outside my camera's range for a long zoom.

15 March 2024 Walking at West Woods

12 March 2024 Visiting Orchard Hills After Work

As spring approaches the days are noticeably longer. I was able to finish work in time for an early evening visit to Orchard Hills.

The last of the sun was grand over a marshy area of the park.

8 January 2024 Female Cardinal

Soemtimes one beautiful bird can brighten a day.

7 January 2024 Blue January

Sometimes a quiet walk keeps the world in perspective

21 December 2023 A Stroll at Sunnybrook on the Shortest Day

We decided to visit Sunnybrook for a snowy walk on the shortest day of the year. The stream was open water, but the vernal pool had a thickening layer of ice. It was a peaceful walk on the day that signaled daytime would be getting longer soon.