Monthly Archives: April 2022

migration, spring, Troy's Blog, wildlife

Spring Duck Migration is Underway

It was one of the few nice days so far this spring. There was a lot to do at home but my camera kept whispering my name. Ignoring it at first, I continued on with my list of things to do but as the day continued, the call became louder and louder. Admitting I had not really used the camera much in awhile, I finally decided to accept the continual suggestions and head out to an area park. Knowing it would probably be busy as many people wanted to get out and enjoy the beautiful day, I thought through where I would go. After much thinking, I decided on a park a little further away hoping the ice would now be off some of the smaller ponds and wildlife would be starting to make their way north.

Beautiful Drake Woodduck

Pulling into the county park I had chosen, the parking lot was surprisingly open. There were several vehicles there but people were returning from their hikes and leaving. This should turn out to be a quieter adventure than I was expecting which would be nice. Now parked I switched my shoes to warmer boots since I was expecting to sit in one location for some time and the ground was still cold. Grabbing my backpack holding the camera gear and some warmer clothing should it be needed along with some food, I began my hike to the pond. Along the way I decided to travel through a small forest in search of mushrooms. They weren’t showing a week ago and today was no different. One more stop to the prairie  along the way to check for Pasque Flowers. They were beginning to grow now and would be in full bloom soon. Now on to the edge of the pond which I could see the ice was gone and ducks littered the surface.

Bufflehead swimming in the golden glow of a setting sun

Meandering through trees at the edge of the pond I found a nice spot to perch in between two larger trees. The camera was set upon my tripod and I was ready. With all of this activity the ducks had moved to the farther end of the  pond but I knew they would be back in time. Trying to remain mostly still I just sat and observed these waterfowl for awhile. Eventually they began to venture back to where I was sitting gathering food for their journey to their northern nesting grounds. Ring-necked ducks were the first to work their way closer and I expected to see these here as I’ve seen them a number of times in years past. Mixed in with them were a few Buffleheads which I wasn’t really expecting but happy to see. A couple of Pied-billed Grebes swam back and forth. While trying to capture a few images of them, a Ring-neck pheasant took off from right in front of me. I had no idea he was even there. How could I have missed it? What was even more surprising was it stayed that close to me for nearly an hour before scrambling to the air. That’s not typical for a pheasant. Of course there were the expected Wood ducks and even a few coots. As the sunlight was began to fade, a Sandhill Crane decided to land at the edge of this pond, probably for the night.

Sandhill Crane with a pair of coots swimming by

I had enjoyed this afternoon out photographing wildlife but the sun was now at the horizon and with it, my light for shooting wildlife. Packing up I was hoping to witness a colorful sunset. I climbed to the top of a nearby hill and watched as the sun continued to dip under the horizon. There wasn’t much of a show except for one small area in the landscape and I wasn’t in a good place to photograph it. Beginning my hike back to the car, the clouds on the opposite horizon began to produce a soft, pink glow. A beautiful way to mark the end of this wildlife adventure.

While walking I began to wonder if the owl I had photographed in this area a few times last year was back. There was no sign if it on this trip. I returned to the car now anticipating the warmth of the engine. Cold had started to return to the air with a stronger breeze pushing it through my clothes. With a slight shiver I began drive home with a smile having enjoyed an increasingly rare afternoon in a park.

A nice soft pink glo from the setting sun

Photos, Seasons, spring, Troy's Blog

The First Flowers of Spring

The calendar says it spring but there have not been that many spring like days so far this year. An occasional warm and sunny day but those have been followed by many cold and windy days bringing freezing temperatures and coatings of snow making it feel like spring has not begun. One early sign is pussywillows beginning to bud out. While out looking for sings of life to show spring was indeed on the way, the only thing I came across was a few bushes of willow beginning to show swelling buds. I’ve tried to photograph these before without much success but that doesn’t stop me from trying. This day was no different with dark, overcast skies keeping birds roosted and other plants still dormant. The only real spring opportunity seemed to be this pussywillow.

Pussywillow shrub beginning to bloom

I do enjoy seeing these and often remind me of Spring Break trips with the family as they would often begin blooming just as we were preparing for a vacation together and would be well along in the blooming process once we returned. One of subjects I’ve wanted to photograph during those years was the actual flowers of these willow shrubs but really didn’t have an opportunity to do so. This seemed like a good time to attempt such pictures. Cutting a branch from one of these bushes, I took it home and set it up in a vase. Within a day they were beginning to open further and show all of their tiny flowers. Having this branch out of the wind made it possible to really get close up and see more of the details of these blooms.

Closeup of a pussywillow bud

We’re so use to these being just little balls of white fuzz but there’s a lot more going on as they continue to develop and you can examine them closer. Their little yellow anthers begin to emerge and are quite interesting. There’s not a lot of time as they continue to develop quickly and in a short time begin to release all of their pollen, drying up just a short time later. With fresh blooms you can have a chance to see this process but it will all be over in a short time so don’t forget to keep an eye on them. They are beautiful with more than just fuzzy little white balls. It was nice to finally have a chance to photograph these early spring flowers and capture more of their beauty.

Anthers of a pussywillow

Orchids, Rocky Moutain National Park, Troy's Blog

Monopoly Traveler Reflections–Wild Orchids

During our few days exploring Rocky Mountain National Park, one of the ranger led programs that looked interesting was a hike around Lily Lake looking at the wildflowers. As a horticulturalist I’m always interested in seeing plants in their native environment. We had hiked mostly around the lake looking at the different plants growing there. Many of these I was familiar with and was enjoying seeing them here up in the mountains. As the program was nearing the end the ranger pointed over to an area and mentioned wild orchids were blooming there if we wanted to go in search of those once we made it back to the parking lot.

Hummingbird flitting around

Wild orchids? I didn’t realize there were orchids growing in the mountains. Or in most places including were I lived. I was vaguely familiar with Native Lady Slippers but didn’t really know much about them. Intrigued I convinced the family we should go back and see what these orchids looked like. We searched and searched but weren’t exactly sure what we were looking for. Scouring the landscape in the place the ranger had pointed to I saw a number of different plants but knew they weren’t orchids. Continuing to look I became distracted by a couple of hummingbirds floating here and there stopping for nectar occasionally. While watching them glide back and forth I spotted something unusual. Focusing closer on it I realized that must be the orchids we were told about. They had an unusual flower that must be from the orchid family. It turned out these were Coralroot Orchids which are shown in the top photo. Taking a few photos and now satisfied in a successful hunt, we retreated back to our car and discussed where we should eat for lunch.

Native Orchid in the Rocky Mountains

During our time in this incredible park, we were driving along looking for wildlife and happened to spot what looked like a moose in the woods. Getting out at the next parking area we went in search of this large animal. A few steps into the surrounding forest I spotted it and took a few pictures as it was moving on. Not wanting to disturb the moose further we turned around heading for our car when I looked down and realized I was in a bed of what must be different wild orchids. Again it was the flower that gave it away. I didn’t really know for sure it was an orchid but had a hunch. Upon returning home I looked into these potential orchids and confirmed they were indeed native wild orchids. That was it, I was hooked! Ever since I’ve been searching for and growing native orchids finding more fascinating and unusual types within a short distance of where I live. What a great hobby to go out in search of orchids that can survive in cold climates.

Possibly a Platanthera?