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Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Nature Notes: End of October and November Begins

I've been watching out for the bittersweet berries to start a bursting and have been rewarded. They cover my deck wall and I enjoy them this time of year.
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The weather has started getting much cooler and we had our first frost at the end of October, but I didn't get out early enough to photograph it.
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The oak trees in my front yard are finally starting to have some red mixing in with the green (shot above).
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I'm not sure what kind of tree the one above is in my neighbor's yard, but it's another with a mix of fall leaves and green ones that haven't changed.
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When I first glanced out my living room window I thought the male cardinal was a red leaf until I zoomed in. He blended well with the dogwood leaves from a distance. That dogwood is a volunteer which is starting to get established. I have mature dogwoods too but it's fun to watch volunteers trying to find their way.
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I am finally starting to get some shots of birds in flight with my new camera. I'm not sure what kind of bird the one in the next shot is.
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It has taken me a while to get the hang of photographing birds in flight because the zoom is so much more powerful on my new camera . I zoom in too much and lose the bird before I snap the picture.
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I didn't get a very clear shot of the great blue heron above but I'll keep practicing. The next shot is the same bird but it had landed and was waiting for a fish.
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It had rained the day before I took the next shot and the creek that feeds into the lake was gurgling and making a pleasant sound which reminded me to look over and photograph it.
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I love the way fall leaves look as streams of color reflected in the lake.
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I enjoy the subtle mix of colors and am surprised, each time I go on a walk, by the changes occurring daily.
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It's interesting to me how the cormorants appear at the lake in the fall and then seem to disappear in the spring. The only place I ever see them is on the pilings.
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The cormorant below held that posture for a long time. Seemed odd the way it was poised with its wings partly open.
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The goldenrod flowers below have gone to seed.
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I keep waiting for the sandbars (seen in shot below) to be filled with the gulls who usually appear shortly before winter. I always wonder why the sandbars are so popular with the gulls in the winter even when the lake freezes but the geese and ducks move to the banks on the other side when it gets cold. I don't see anything like as many geese in the winter but that's the only time I see gulls at the lake.
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I guess I'll end with one last shot for this week's nature notes. All of these were taken over the past 6 days but aren't in any particular order.
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12 comments:

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

bittersweet berries: these look so pretty, I have not seen them before.

Gattina said...

I don't like fall at all, but I love your pictures ! they are beautiful !

Leora said...

Your top shot is very decorative and fun. The bottom one, with the bridge over the water, is beautiful.

My daughter and I saw a red cardinal on Monday - I got so excited to show her.

Judy said...

I have not seen bittersweet berries before. Our cardinals haven't shown up at the feeders yet, they must still be getting food elsewhere.

EG CameraGirl said...

It does take a while to get used to a new camera but I think you are doing very well with it. I very much like the photo of the bittersweet. I have seen our cardinals in the yard but not yet at the feeders.

Michelle said...

Carver...my neighbor and her son leave the leaves no matter what and then in the spring some get blown into the pond or into our yard after they have been spayed with pesticides..we have to rake to protect the pond health and my health...it isn't like what you do at all...sorry about the confusion...

eileeninmd said...

Great post, Carver! You have some beautiful fall photos and the berries are pretty. Your unknown bird in flight is a Turkey Vulture. Great captures of all the birds, I like seeing the Cormorants posing. Have a wonderul day.

Crafty Green Poet said...

lovely photos, the bitterweet berries are amazing and the cardinal is very handsome...

Kim, USA said...

Love your shots. What kind of berries are those?

Pretty Life Online said...

Up above the world, great post for skywatch.... Happy TGIF! Hoping you can visit my skywatch post.

SandyCarlson said...

These are amazing. Your shot of the cormorant just makes my day.

Rambling Woods said...

I see that someone said turkey vulture..if you look and see a large bird with wings that look like they are fanned out and it is circling it is frequently a vulture as they love to kite the updrafts and drift as they look or look to small carrion.. Lovely series and those berries..beautiful...Michelle