Lake Pictures
Mar. 2nd, 2024 10:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmith posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
common_natureToday we went out to the lake. The first few pictures are from my yard, though.
This is a wide view of the rain garden. There are now at least two shades of lavender, white, and purple-and-white-striped crocuses blooming.
Crocuses are blooming in the rain garden, with a closeup of the striped one.
More flowers are blooming in the goddess garden.
This is one of the butterfly gardens at the lake. Ideally, it's a good idea to cut the dead stems in late winter so the sunlight can reach the ground better, but I don't think anyone bothers to do that here.
Not much is growing yet. These might be asters sprouting.
This is the spillway at the lake. The water level should be a lot higher, but at least it's running.
I spotted a pair of owls guarding this little building. I thought they were the usual foam kind.
Nope. These are ROBOT OWLS! This owl is now looking sideways.
The owl is looking over its own back. Aside from the fact that these have ears and are brown rather than gold, I think they look a lot like Bubo.
There are two Canada geese on the islet. Out in the water, the little pale dot with the dark head is probably a mallard (which are common here) but might be a common merganser (which are also in range).
This path crosses over the lake.
The large white dot appears to be a pelican. I don't know what the tiny white ones are. They flew in sparkling flocks over the lake several times, but never got close enough to see clearly.
This pair of Canada geese was close enough for a decent picture. Look close and you can see that that black dot on the left is a red-winged blackbird. There were a bunch of them calling back and forth with their sweet summer voices. It's very early to see them here.
This is the east side of the lake. The water was very blue today. Often it's more brown or gray.
This stumpery sticks up out of the water. I love the twisted shapes of driftwood.
Coming back from the path, this is the little building that the mechanical owls are guarding.
Walking back to the car, I saw a butterfly garden backlit by the sun, glittering and magical, like a fairy garden.
This is a wide view of the rain garden. There are now at least two shades of lavender, white, and purple-and-white-striped crocuses blooming.
Crocuses are blooming in the rain garden, with a closeup of the striped one.
More flowers are blooming in the goddess garden.
This is one of the butterfly gardens at the lake. Ideally, it's a good idea to cut the dead stems in late winter so the sunlight can reach the ground better, but I don't think anyone bothers to do that here.
Not much is growing yet. These might be asters sprouting.
This is the spillway at the lake. The water level should be a lot higher, but at least it's running.
I spotted a pair of owls guarding this little building. I thought they were the usual foam kind.
Nope. These are ROBOT OWLS! This owl is now looking sideways.
The owl is looking over its own back. Aside from the fact that these have ears and are brown rather than gold, I think they look a lot like Bubo.
There are two Canada geese on the islet. Out in the water, the little pale dot with the dark head is probably a mallard (which are common here) but might be a common merganser (which are also in range).
This path crosses over the lake.
The large white dot appears to be a pelican. I don't know what the tiny white ones are. They flew in sparkling flocks over the lake several times, but never got close enough to see clearly.
This pair of Canada geese was close enough for a decent picture. Look close and you can see that that black dot on the left is a red-winged blackbird. There were a bunch of them calling back and forth with their sweet summer voices. It's very early to see them here.
This is the east side of the lake. The water was very blue today. Often it's more brown or gray.
This stumpery sticks up out of the water. I love the twisted shapes of driftwood.
Coming back from the path, this is the little building that the mechanical owls are guarding.
Walking back to the car, I saw a butterfly garden backlit by the sun, glittering and magical, like a fairy garden.
Tags:
Yes ...
Date: 2024-03-04 08:17 pm (UTC)Re: Yes ...
Date: 2024-03-05 04:41 pm (UTC)Re: Yes ...
Date: 2024-03-06 01:10 am (UTC)Re: Yes ...
Date: 2024-03-07 01:35 am (UTC)Re: Yes ...
Date: 2024-03-07 01:45 am (UTC)Each time I'd go outside, they would kick up a ruckus and I'd see the crows chasing the owl around the edge of the yard. :/
Re: Yes ...
Date: 2024-03-07 02:42 am (UTC)Re: Yes ...
Date: 2024-03-07 03:44 am (UTC)I felt so sorry for the owl. But I guess they all considered my yard good enough to fight over for months on end. I have ~2 acres of laissez-faire permaculture amidst monocrop corn or bean fields, and big birds like to perch in the big old trees. Occasionally I see a redtail hawk. Last spring, a pair of bald eagles found it a romantic carpet for their courtship dance, that was exciting. :D
Re: Yes ...
Date: 2024-03-07 06:27 pm (UTC)But a few hours south of here, I think near Hagerman, there is a certain tree that Bald Eagles congregate to. I have seen photos of like 20 Bald Eagles in the tree during a certain time of the year. I have yet to see it in person. :)
Re: Yes ...
Date: 2024-03-08 08:34 am (UTC)I've visited Idaho in the past. I've never seen cedar waxwings but the pictures are beautiful. I have fox squirrels here.
>> But a few hours south of here, I think near Hagerman, there is a certain tree that Bald Eagles congregate to. I have seen photos of like 20 Bald Eagles in the tree during a certain time of the year. I have yet to see it in person. :)
I've never seen more than a few at once, and that was along the Mississippi. But over the last several years, I've seen more bald eagles close to home. I think they're moving back into this area, likely because we've built up a large wildlife reserve near the local lake.
Re: Yes ...
Date: 2024-03-08 09:04 pm (UTC)