Sunday, October 18, 2009

Pickerington Ponds Metro Park

Last night was the first frost of the season. We seem to be seeing the effects of it in a big way today. We made it to the Pickerington Ponds, but saw scant wildlife compared to the summertime. There were just a few ducks and a pair of cardinals. As we drove from one pond to another, a great blue heron jumped into the air from a stream, but it was behind us before we saw it.

The tree top nests of the heron seemed to be quite empty. A strange duck type bird did fly near us as it was squawking up a ruckus but it landed in the long grass before we could identify it. Lynne spotted a (spotted?) hawk as it flitted above a pheasant in some short grass. Evidently the pheasant was the wrong size for the next meal, and was allowed to fly away to some taller grass as the hawk left to seek some more fitting prey. Also spotted pairs of ducks and deer, which were captured on silicon.



We made a return trip to the Slate Run Farm to see how the autumn chores were progressing. The turkeys were quite a bit more vocal than last week, undoubtedly they are getting more anxious with each passing week. We got some good pictures of the meat in the smokehouse, and the preserves in the cellar.

On the way to dinner, the sun was blasting through some red and yellow leaves that provide some seasonal picture opportunities.

No comments: