Mushrooms on Monday

There hasn't been a post for my fungus fancying friends lately, so I thought it was about time to address the situation. 

Of course, I have absolutely none of my reference books, so I haven't looked any of them up, although I did think the ones above looked like inverted hooped skirts. Perhaps mushrooms a la Marilyn Monroe's billowing dress. :)

These impressive specimens had forced their way through the leaves and pine needles, looking like freshly made canopies to shelter wee folk. I'm pretty sure Piper and I disturbed the end of the night's dancing and reveling. 

 They definitely looked enchanted. And enchanting. 

This brilliant scarlet beauty fairly glowed against the backdrop of browns and greens. It was the only one of its kind, which seemed fitting for one so striking. 

Sail Away

I thought this was pretty cool. It sailed by as I was returning from my morning walk with Piper and it's not something a person sees very often.

I believe it's one of the Maritime Academy's training ships. So, the crew is learning the ropes (literally) of sailing a tall ship. Just an interesting Saturday morning sight. 

Trail Cam Thursday

I posted a bunch of trail camera captures of whitetail deer families earlier. So, I thought it might be fun to show who else has been caught roaming around in the woods. 

We have some bears. Above is a fairly large boar and I'd rather not meet him while out walking Piper! They usually only wander by the cameras at night, so we get pictures of glowing eyes and silhouettes, but sometimes they're ambling back home in the early morning sun. 

This younger, adolescent age black bear passed the same tree its larger relation walked by in the earlier picture. It's a popular critter crossing (which is why we put the camera there). A small pond sits just beyond the bear and it drains into a little creek that runs through a culvert under the two track trail, so lots of beasties come by for a drink, or use the road to keep their feet dry. 
  

There are also some beautiful bobcats roaming about the woods as well. We sometimes get an early morning picture, but this is the more typical capture. 

This is my personal favorite of this batch, though. This sandhill crane walked past this same camera in the same direction almost every single day to have his portrait taken. We started laughing every time he showed up in the camera roll. :)
 

Can You See It?

It's not really a mystery post, but it's a little hard to spot. If he hadn't moved, I probably would have missed seeing him altogether. He took a step and gave away his location. 

Who is he?  He's an American Woodcock, also known in my area as a timberdoodle. 

Everybody piled into the jeep (old 1966 vintage model with the windshield down and no doors) and took a ride on the family property for my brother's birthday and got lucky enough to see another woodcock. I was able to get better pictures of this one. 

Having green grass as a backdrop, instead of more dry leaves really helps with the contrast and visibility. 

Watching these guys bob along as they walk is such a treat (that's how I know he is a male). Also, if you ever have the chance to go out on a spring night and watch their spiral mating flights, it's an experience not to be missed! You can sneak up closer and closer when they're high in the sky and then watch them do their courtship dance in the dusk after they land. As I said, if you have the chance, do it! :)

Magnificent Milkweed

I was out helping my brother with some chores on the family property when I noticed this milkweed plant in full flower. 

Honeybees were humming around it, collecting pollen and I was trying to get some decent pictures, since it was such a lovely little vignette. 

I managed to capture a few good shots of the flowers with the bees actually in focus. 

I particularly liked the photo I took of this bee from the side as it gathered goodies for the hive, while still showcasing the beautiful, waxy flowers. 

A little while later, I was sitting on the tailgate of the truck, resting for a minute when that very same milkweed flower attracted this handsome fellow. I was delighted both to see him and to manage a picture - also in focus, for a change on those fast-moving subjects! 

I hope you're as delighted as I was.  

Good Morning, Baltimore!

 Orioles, that is...

The baby Baltimore orioles were so cute, waiting for a delivery of grape jelly. They hadn't learned how to fend for themselves and were quite insistent on the goods coming to them. 

They were pretty close to full size, though they had just started molting and putting on the full glory of their orange feathers. Happily, their feeding requirements did allow for some fun observation time, though Mister Baltimore O. was pretty harassed. 

He was very good about taking care of the raucous youngsters, in spite of being a bit frazzled. :)
 

Morning Marvels

Piper and I took a pre-dawn walk at a nearby nature preserve and were very well rewarded for our efforts. 

We chose a trail and had nearly completed the circuit when we spotted this handsome fellow standing in the staghorn sumac as the sun was cresting the treetops. He didn't seem overly concerned about us, but moved along. 

A little farther down the trail, a larger buck with a beautiful set of antlers in the velvet came into view. The first one we saw had joined him and there was a third with a smaller rack as well. 

I realized the reason they weren't terribly concerned about Piper or me had a lot to do with another handsome creature that came trotting from the concealment of the sumac and tall grasses. The deer kept a close eye on it. The coyote stood and contemplated its options for a few moments, decided it didn't like the look of the canine with the human companion and went trotting back the way it had come. 

The sunrise was also pretty spectacular.  Getting up early has its rewards! (Of course, so does sleeping in, but Piper doesn't allow that very often!) :)

It's a Trail Cam Tuesday!

As promised, here are more trail camera fawn photos from the family property. 

This one looked like all the aunties had gathered around to admire the little one, petting and cooing over it. 

Here, the little one looks just a bit mischievous, staying out of mother's reach. Either that, or it broke cover to see where mom had gone and knows it's in trouble for disobedience. 

Boundless energy, right? It looks like mom is being indulgent while her youngster works off a serious case of the zoomies! 

Wait up! Wait for me! I noticed something fascinating by the side of the trail and fell behind. 

And that's the end. :)

More Marvelous Moms (and Babies)

Here are a few more trail camera captures.  

The fawn in the foreground is having a breakfast break with its mom. 

Chomp, the doe that looks like she's had a big bite taken out of her left ear had a sweet fawn this year and the trail cam caught her youngling nursing, too. 

The long-legged fawn trot trying to catch up is way too cute. It's so classic! 
 

Finally, here's another portrait of doe and fawn walking along the trail together.

I'm a sucker for the candid wildlife photos.  :)

Smile! You're On...

The trail cameras out on the family property have captured some delightful pictures of does with their little ones. 

I always love seeing these candid moments where we get a glimpse of what the critters do when we're not watching. 

Although, sometimes it seems like they go out of their way to pose for the camera. Doesn't that look like a perfect family photo? 

The youngsters dash along behind their moms learning to navigate the deer world while being altogether too cute. 

I have some more of these to post and will try to get them up in a day or two. After the last sort of depressing fire update post, I thought something cheerful was in order! :)
 

Yes, I've Been Quiet...

In case you've been wondering why I've been missing in action lately, I confess that I haven't had the heart for much in the way of creative posting. 

Over seven months after the fire, my house looks like this. There's not a scrap of drywall or insulation, they still haven't gotten all the old plumbing removed (much less new installed), same with electrical, fire remediation is still going on in the basement, which has been scrubbed, sandblasted, disinfected and is now being deodorized. Ductwork, furnace, water heater, are all gone - the basement is a huge empty space. I could go on, but I won't bore you all with further details. 

The latest completion estimate is December 31, 2026. I'm hoping for a Christmas present of getting my house back, but I have days... 

 My family has been great, my dog is confused but coping and I have so much to be grateful for.  

I'll try to get myself rolling with the blog again. I have some pictures to download from the camera and prep for viewing. I also have some fun trail camera pictures. :) 

I Missed One!

I was tidying up the folder where I prepare pictures for the blog and discovered that when I posted the other bald eagle pictures, I missed one of my favorites.  

This shot was (obviously) taken just as the leaves were starting to sprout in earnest. It's the last clear picture I got of the pair before the foliage totally obscured my view. They were perched in a tree right behind and looking over my sister's house. People would stop their cars out front to try and photograph them. 

I don't know if this is the pair that had the nest disaster or not, but one of the eagle nests out on the peninsula crashed out of its tree in a wind storm and landed on a baby, breaking its wings. It's at a really good rehab center, but the prognosis for returning it to the wild is pretty iffy at this point.  Those huge nests can weigh hundreds of pounds. Let's keep our fingers crossed for that (not so) little eaglet. 

 

Flowers and Foolishness

 Piper has great patience with me when I stop and photograph things in which she has no interest. 

Things like sweet starflowers  showing bright green and white against the brown of last autumn's leaf duff interest her not at all, but I love their cheerful blossom faces with the long, bright yellow eyelashes. 

She also doesn't have any use for the pink lady slipper orchids which are a rare and special treat for me. 

Piper also didn't particularly care about this unusual specimen, which took me forever to look up and identify. Of course, I don't have any of my books at present, so I had to rely on online resources and these don't seem to be pretty enough to rank on the who's who of wildflowers lists. In case you, too, are unfamiliar with this strange and almost otherworldly plant, may I introduce you to Conopholis Americana, otherwise known as Bear Corn. If you look closely, those little spiny bits are actually tiny flowers. It's a parasitic, non-photosynthesizing plant that depends entirely on oak roots for its existence, though happily, it doesn't seem to harm the oak at all. I found it fascinating, but Piper remained unmoved. 

She does like to see what I'm doing, though, and frequently photobombs my pictures. That small black bear behind the trillium is Miss Piper coming in to check on my progress. :)

 

Duck and Run

Piper and I have been getting up before dawn most mornings to try and get our walk in before it gets too loud and boisterous out along the bay. Boats, jet skis, cars and bicycles all get on her little sound-sensitive nerves and she wants to go back sooner than I do, so we try to work around the problem. 

As a result, we've gotten to see some fun duck antics along our way. This merganser couple was sailing along in tandem. I have yet to see any babies, but the parents are almost always out foraging in the early morning light. 

They also get a little territorial from time to time and the boys get into spats. One minute they'll be happily diving as a group and the next there's a dispute needing to be resolved. 

Sometimes it just gets too intense and a get-away is in order. After all, it's a pretty big bay and there are plenty of places to forage. :)

Just a Little Gem

Piper and I were walking at a nearby historical site and spotted a few of these little gems hidden among the new grass and dry leaves. 

Even thought this picture was taken a couple weeks ago, I figured I needed to post it so BetsyLee could get her mushroom fix. :)

I made a nice pan of crispy fried morels to enjoy with my sister for an appetizer before dinner. Only fresh morels are good for that particular purpose. When we have an abundance, we dry and freeze them for other culinary adventures, but I look forward to a pan or two of crispy ones when we're fortunate enough to find some. 

Looney Tunes

While the days are starting to get warm, nights are still fairly chilly, so I keep the window open to cool things off. There's something so nice about the fresh air wafting through the room when I'm sleeping (except, of course, when the skunks walk by with their distinctive perfume). 

As a bonus to the (usually) fresh air, Piper and I have been awakened by the pre-dawn call of loons from across the bay. It's a perfect prelude to an early morning walk. 

We typically don't see them, since they're way on the other side of the water, but we occasionally get a glimpse when we're walking along one of the other nearby lakes, which is where these pictures were taken. 

Bald is Beautiful

These pictures were taken a couple weeks ago, when the trees were just beginning to put on their summertime finery. 

On the hillside behind my sister's house is a favorite perch for the eagles to survey their territory. 

When Piper and I take our early morning walks, we frequently see them gliding overhead, looking for hapless fish, squirrels or rabbits as they hunt for something to feed their youngsters. 

This handsome pair must have a nest nearby, since they are in the neighborhood almost every day. 

Now that the leaves are on the trees, it's impossible to get a good picture, since they're hidden by the foliage, but they can still see all the hunting possibilities. They do have the eagle eyes, after all!