A Rare Sight

I found these golden brown hay bails in a field alongside M43 in Van Buren County.  While round bales are a common sight, usually they are green, not this toasted white bread shade. Round bales always make me think they are just about to roll off, like a dignified herd of mammoths moving to better grazing.

False Alarm

I visit the marshy area of Maple Lake in Paw Paw these days almost on a daily basis.  I don't stay long, but there is almost always something of interest to see.  This is a favorite loafing spot for the goose and swan families as they wait for their primaries to grow in so they can get back on the wing. Today, I caught these photos of the Mute Swan family responding to a possible emergency.

The mute swan family rests quietly.

All the killdeer flush calling loudly. The swans slick their feathers down in alarm.

They prepare to hustle into the water to make their getaway.

Back at rest again - it was only a Great Blue Heron flying slowly overhead!

I love this place!  Also, this duck caught my eye.  I think it was a young wood duck as it was kind of in the same vicinity as a female wood duck.  It is fun to see all the plumage changes they go through.

 That is the latest report from Maple Lake in Paw Paw. Thanks for reading!

If only I could bottle this

We have a few cats.  People tend to bring their unwanted mothers and kittens and dump them in our yard. By the time we have nursed them through whatever health issues they bring with them, they are inextricably integrated into our pride.  Each cat has a unique perspective and relationship with the human members of the pride.  Some don't care if they are ever touched by human hands.  At the other end of the spectrum is the character below - Frodo, yes Baggins, who came to us with his brother, Harry Potter, when they were 8 weeks old, from a extremely bad situation. They are now eight years old, and, unlike most cats, Frodo definitely has practical uses. He sometimes acts as a fashion accessory, draped over my shoulder. He acts as a head rest on the back of my recliner if I happen to be in it.  Should he feel I am in need of a nap, he bonelessly slithers slowly off the back of the chair, over my shoulder, down my chest, and into some version of this position.  Bob swears that I am usually asleep within about 30 seconds of him assuming this position.  I vehemently deny it! After all, I did manage to get this pic...........  zzzzzzzzzzz.

Frodo works his magic

Putting things in perspective

One of the things that was hardest for me to get used to when I moved here from California was how lush and green everything was in the summer time. At home in California the main challenge when gardening was to ensure that the garden received sufficient water, along with combating the red clay soil.  Weeds were easily dealt with.  In Michigan it is a constant battle to keep the weed trees from taking over my garden space.  I have planted in the ground with plastic or paper mulch, in bags of garden soil on top of black mulch fabric, in raised beds with black mulch fabric underneath -  I think the weeds have power tools.  My gardening now is pretty much limited to container gardening.  If the weeds get out of hand I can rip them out of the pot, soil and all and easily start over.  This year, though, I am experiencing deja vu - the life sucking heat,  the crisp brown lawns and stunted growth definitely remind me of California. I keep watching for the fire spotter plane to circle overhead.  This was a regular feature of summer life in the California foothills where we lived before we came here. I dragged out this winter picture from a couple of years ago to remind myself that in four or five months cold weather will be back and we will once again be able to lose the remote to the air conditioner!

Drive-by Purple Martins

The Purple Martin colony at Three Mile Lake

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Kingfisher Moment

I am not much of a photographer but even a stopped clock is right twice a day.  In other words, if you spend enough time with your camera in your hand and clicking the shutter, once in a while you will get a a photo that makes you sit up and say, "I took that?!"  Such was the case this am when I stopped to check out the mudflats at Maple Lake in Paw Paw.  I have been keeping an eye on this spot for some time now - it is interesting in so many ways.

I expect a better than usual shorebird viewing season here, since because of the drought, the numerous scattered mudflats and small ponds in Van Buren County have mostly dried up.  I stop by most days to see if there are any NK's here. (Not Killdeer.)  Today there were the usual many noisy Killdeer, but also some fairly young Mallard babies resting with their Mom.

Out on the end of this same log, was a gorgeous Belted Kingfisher. A couple of peeps are visible over his head.

Once I got the scope out, I was able to see 4 or 5 Least Sandpipers and a Spotted Sandpiper that were blending in with the grass.  I tried to get a photo and this happened!  Couldn't have done it on purpose in a million years!

Until next time, take care, all, and I hope to see you back soon to share more adventures in this amazing place, Van Buren County. 

A Hint of Things to Come

The wind that strips the trees of the last of their colorful leaves is frankly chilly, bringing with it dark clouds. The kiss of the cold on my cheek reminds me of things I haven't thought about for month after naive month - snow, ice, wind, sliding on the roads, sliding on my driveway. The farmers have taken advantage of the ten day stretch of Indian summer to harvest much of the corn and soybean crop and now the fields are prepared for winter with their array of stubble. The puppy shivers, does her business quickly then runs to the door. I don't know how to prepare her for the concept that this is nothing - she was born in warmer climes and has not experienced a true winter yet. Molly, our elderly Golden, on the other hand, stands in the driveway with her nose into the wind and a smile on her face. She has to be coaxed to come inside. I have a moment of de ja vu, remembering another elderly Golden, this one deaf and blind, who stood in the same place years ago, nostrils working, with the same smile on her sweet gray face. What stories does the wind carry to those with the senses to read it?