Wildlife Walk, Radnor Lake State Park

Come hike with me as I walk the lake trail at Radnor Lake State Park today. Did I mention we will get to visit with some of the local wildlife as we take a walk on this bright sunny day with temps hovering in the high 60's. Radnor Lake is in the middle of metropolitan Nashville surrounded by large neighborhoods, so it gets a lot of visitors.

After about a mile into the lake trail, I turned toward the aviary trail and hiked another quarter mile into the woods. To my surprise as I neared a clearing in the woods, a huge bird flew up from the clearing and perched in a nearby tree. I have never seen an Owl in the wild, until today! A gorgeous Barred Owl sat perched in a tree perfectly positioned for picture taking. Every now and then he would turn his head all the way around and stare down at me. I was about 200 yards away on the path. You suppose he knew he was the star of my show! Did I mention this is a Life List Bird!

The trail to the opposite side of the lake cuts through the lake and a swamp. As I walked I peered into the water and saw something swimming parallel with the trail. A Muskrat swam past me and disappeared into the deep water carrying a large stash of vegetation. Lunch!

As I peered into the depths of the swamp, a huge Turtle swam by. He didn't seem to mind the company at all.

The Turtles were out in force sunning themselves on downed branches in the lake close to the shoreline.

There were various species of Turtles sunning themselves. I hope they put on sunscreen.

As I turned to make my way to the aviary, I snapped this image looking back at Radnor Lake. It's a beautiful lake and quite large. The perimeter lake trail, if you choose to hike it all the way around, is three miles. I did the entire hike on my first trip here to Radnor Lake in 2016.

I wished I could contain my excitement at seeing my first Owl in the wild. Needless to say, when I checked out my images in Lightroom, I had some fantastic photos of the Barred Owl. He had a sleepy look on his face as he sat motionless lazily sunning himself. His perch was the perfect spot for me to capture quite a few pics of him. I doubt he knew he was the star of my show!

Hopefully, you've enjoyed this hike around Radnor Lake. It's a beautiful park and very flat surfaces to walk on with half of the lake trail paved. I want to go back soon to see if I can capture the Barred Owlettes. Word is they fledged, but perhaps they will come back to the nest. The nest was on the opposite side of the lake from where I hiked, so I didn't make it there on this visit. Have a wonderful weekend all. ENJOY!

Cheekwood Bloom Fest 2019 ... Lavender and Purple Hues

What a headline! Just hang on because we're talking purple and lavender hues. A feast for your eyes!

This is a double flowering Tulip called Tulip Blue Wow. Where it got this name, I haven't a clue. But the Wow part of the name definitely says it all for me.

Say 'hello' to a gorgeous deep Burgundy Lace Tulip. I don't know which I love more, the deep burgundy hue or the lace tips that look slightly cut into the flower.

Purple Hyacinths and yellow Tulips, what more can one ask for. A stunning garden display that sits behind the Botanical Hall in the Robert Ellis Color Garden.

Capturing the full sun lit lavender Tulips was a challenge. So I bent down and snap a few pics of the Tulips with the sun shining in front and my pics snapped from behind. This is the result. You be the judge.

The Purple Hyacinth and orange Violets were a big hit on my Facebook page. You just never know what will inspire people. Matters not, because all I want is to inspire whether it's a purple Hyacinth or a waterfall. Inspiration is all I'm looking for.

Searching far and wide, I never found the name of this Tulip and failed to check the garden marker. Many of the flower petals stood wide open offering up a bird's eye view of the inside and the stamen. So gorgeous.

Cheekwood Botanical Gardens is situated just south of Nashville proper and today is the last day of Cheekwood's Bloom Fest featuring many, many, many species of Tulips, as well as Hyacinths, Jonquils, Violets and more.

I had hoped to find some cloud cover when I arrived yesterday based on the meterologist's forecast, but instead found full sun. It can be quite difficult to capture the best images in full light when shooting flower photography. Don't let that stop you. Inspiration lies in every single petal you capture.

 I hoped you enjoyed this journey through the purple and lavender hues of Bloom Fest this year. I'll come back soon with gorgeous red and yellow Tulips. You won't want to miss that. ENJOY!

A Weathered Barn Story

A while back I got to thinking about a silent movement taking place in America. In order to confirm my suspicion, I took a short drive to the outskirts of the tiny town of Portland, in north central Tennessee, about thirty miles north of Hendersonville. I turned my car down a narrow country road where fields of vegetables and hay are harvested every year. Below is the barn I was in search of taken back in 2016. It was still in its original condition, minus a plank here or there, sitting in the middle of a farm field bringing charm and beauty to the landscape around it.

Below is the same barn two years later as I photographed it a few weeks ago. Notice the distinct difference in the appearance of that beautiful, old weathered structure?

A barn wood trend has taken over the remodeling industry and especially in middle Tennessee. Barn wood doors, barn wood tables and more are all the rage. I thought perhaps a storm had come through partially destroying it. However, there's another barn right across the street from this one with whole sections missing. The barn wood trend has reached out and stripped these two old structures of their original form. I pray this trend doesn't take out all of our vintage barns dotting the landscape. They bring such charm to our surroundings. I love to drive down an old country road and look over to see an old weathered barn sitting in the middle of a field. Who doesn't love that. I wanted to share this story as I knew before I took that drive to capture new images of that old barn that I might find it in a different condition. Time changes everything, but only if we let it. ENJOY!

Drive the Refuge

Come along as I drive the Duck River Unit of the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge, a birder's paradise. Here's a collection of images as I made my way into and out of the refuge.

The refuge is home to birds in all shapes and sizes and colors and in all the varying habitats within the refuge. A twist in the road and you scare up a large wading bird who takes flight from the intrusion. You don't mean to intrude, but with the grasses along the road obscuring what lay on the other side, and the swamps adjacent to the road much lower, it is inevitable. A few of the birds I encountered:

Great Blue Heron, Great White Egret, Mallard Ducks,
Eastern Kingbird, Indigo Bunting, Dickcissel, Bobolink, Yellow Headed Blackbird

I hope you enjoyed the drive and would love to know if you have a favorite photo.

If you are in the Eastern United States, we're in the throws of a full blown heat wave, so be careful out of doors. Have an enjoyable weekend all. ENJOY!

Great Blue Heron, Old Hickory Lake

I captured this image last year on a beautiful, sunny day on the small peninsula where the Heron Rookery sits along Old Hickory Lake. I haven't visited the Rookery this year as the land it was setting on was sold and an absolutely humongous house is being built on the property. I had permission from the old owners to frequent the Rookery, but I will need to gain permission from the new owners. Perhaps in the Summer or Fall I'll be able to do that. Right now the house is under construction. I loved this image as it was the perfect profile shot of the Heron. I hope your weekend is going well. Weekends seem to fly by these days. Very hot day and storms tonight here. Perhaps tomorrow it will be a tad cooler. ENJOY!

Boblink, Life Bird #2, Duck River Unit

The Duck River Unit of the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge is a huge haven for birds who love grasslands, reeds and endless fields of wildflowers. Yesterday, I captured this beauty along the side of the road where the grasses were a tad taller. As I neared him, he would fly off obviously. He was accompanied by four or five other Bobolinks. This is a second life bird in one day for me!

Sorry for the very cropped image and horrific background, but I had to share as this Bobolink's markings are so unique. A yellow backed head and white wings. I read Bobolinks breed in the north central and north east areas of the United States. They migrate to the Southern states. The Duck River Unit would be a perfect habitat for them to breed. No doubt why they chose to stop over here. When I can't identify a bird in the field, I snap images and crop tightly in my software to identify them. This was the only descent image worth posting and I only post it as it's a life bird. I couldn't help myself. My bird life list is growing. It's a scorcher today if you are in the Midwest and especially the South in the States, so hydrate. ENJOY!

Dickcissel, Duck River, TN National Wildlife Refuge

Say hello to the Dickcissel. He is a life bird for me. I hadn't anticipated finding a new species today on my visit to the wildlife refuge. I visited the Duck River Unit of the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge today. This little bird kept flying from stalk to stalk. When he got close enough, I stopped to snap these images. All the while I sat and snapped away he sang to me a beautiful song.

Dickcissels migrate from the Deep South north and and generally breed in the Midwest. With the many grasslands in the Duck River Unit, I venture to guess this little fella could make this his home. Many of the roads were closed for the season, in late 2016 when I last visited here, but they were open today, so I was able to drive deep into the refuge.

I encountered many species of birds today including Great Blue Herons, Great White Egrets and Cormorants. I'm fairly certain I even caught a glimpse of a Yellow Headed Blackbird before he flew away.

We are in the throws of a heat wave here in Tennessee and the South. The next three days will be sweltering and will no doubt reach the 90's. I had planned to travel to Gibbs Gardens this weekend in northern Georgia. I opted out of that trip as the heat wave isn't conducive for walking two or three hours in the hot sun taking in the gardens. Perhaps it will cool off in a few weeks and I can get there. Stay cool out there. ENJOY!

Horsing Around

Get outdoors! It has finally warmed up and the clouds have parted. There's rain scheduled this week, but in between the clouds. Thank goodness, we are seeing sun more than rain, finally. ENJOY!

The Beauty of the Southern Magnolia

There is only one Magnolia tree I consider more beautiful than the Japanese Magnolias, like the ones I photograph at Bernheim Arboretum in Kentucky. That Magnolia is the Southern Magnolia tree. It's huge Magnolia blooms are unmatched. The farther south you travel, the more Southern Magnolias you encounter, which is why I am finding them in abundance here in Tennessee, and in and around Nashville.

As I traveled around the city and the outskirts last year, I kept an eye out for beautiful Magnolia blooms, but never really found any until I happened out my back door. One afternoon while taking a brief walk, I discovered Southern Magnolias all along the back of the building next to the sidewalk. I went inside and grabbed my camera and snapped photo after photo. The blooms were perfect and gorgeous. I noticed the trees were growing in other pathways around the complex.

Southern Magnolias are found all throughout the southeast United States and even more so the farther south you travel. And while the grounds under the trees are a mess with their fallen leaves and blooms, I have to say the Southern Magnolia is my favorite bloom. I captured these images last year out back, but only shared one of the photos. Today seemed like the perfect day to post these gorgeous blooms.

Soon Dogwoods will be in full bloom and shortly after the Southern Magnolias will bloom. It's odd Southern Magnolias bloom in the Summer. And sad too as once the temperatures hit a sweltering high, the blooms immediately wilt. Sad, but there you have it.

Did I mention it's snowing outside today. No accumulation is expected. Just some snow flurries passing through on their way East. With the temperatures in the mid thirties, Cheekwood in Bloom festivities were cancelled and admission is being offered at half price today. Baby, it's cold outside. Oh, Spring! Where art though? ENJOY!

LINKING TO The Scoop at Stonegable

Pansy Perfection and Turn Off the Spigot Please

Pansies are the quintessential Spring bloom. These beautiful, bright and colorful flowers are seen everywhere right now. This beauty is called an Icicle Pansy. Seriously, I have not a clue where it got it's name. I have never planted Pansies before in my planters. Every year I consider it and every year I end up choosing Geraniums instead. I love red Geraniums. They attract Hummingbirds which is a plus. I used to plant Petunias every year, but as our Summer months grew hotter, and eventually morphed into sweltering, I found Geraniums withstood the hotter months of Summer better than Petunias. Although I haven't met a Petunia I didn't love.

This variation of Pansy is called Blue Frost. Again, not a clue where it got its name. I love the bold explosion of color in the center, but I like Icicle Pansies more. I think the yellow is more appealing with the blue. I captured these colorful blooms at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in Nashville several Springs back when I visited during their Cheekwood in Bloom festival.

Can I change the subject now? Oh, my God. Could someone turn off the spigot. It has rained and rained and rained and rained here in Tennessee. I kid you not. It has been raining since the middle of February and we're going into the first of April. There are so few sunny days, there's no way to plan a trip to Cheekwood to see their beautiful Tulip display this Spring. I want to get over there and take in all the Tulips, but it's a scheduling dilemma when every day its raining and on the weekends too. I love that Spring is here and there's an explosion of blooms. Tulips, Daffodils, Pansies, Jonquils. You name it, it's blooming. Not to mention the trees in bloom. But could we get some sun please. ENJOY!