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!

Happy New Year!

The American White Pelicans are such gorgeous, graceful looking birds. They are spending the Winter months on Old Hickory Lake again this year.

I thought I would begin the New Year with some images of these beautiful birds. There are about 100 or more Pelicans living right off one of the rookeries that sits in the middle of the lake. At any time of the day you will find groups of Pelicans swimming and feeding around the tiny inlets and coves that make up Old Hickory Lake.

It's interesting to watch them as they feed because they synchronize their diving maneuvers. And as one goes down for a catch, the others follow suit.

This particular image is my favorite shot. I would have loved it if the water wasn't rippled, but it's a huge lake right off the Cumberland River and the chances of that ever happening are slim to none.

I have been battling bronchitis for nearly a week, but am starting to get well. I sleep at odd hours as the coughing keeps me up most of the night. I trust everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year's Eve. I watched the ball drop in New York's Times Square from my living room and then watched the Music Note in Nashville drop from my bedroom. I wish all of you the best wishes for the upcoming year and hope this one proves to be your best. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Winter on Radnor Lake

Ring Necked Ducks migrating south make a stop at Radnor Lake to hang out for a few days. Radnor sees a plethora of migrating birds throughout the seasons. This is a beautiful lake situated just south of downtown Nashville with a gorgeous state park surrounding it.

The trail around the lake is approximately three miles in circumference. I walked the entire path on an uncharacteristically balmy winter's day. I discovered Ring Necked Ducks on both the south and north side of Radnor.

I wonder where these Ducks will be off to next on their journey south.

Not much sun on this winter's day, but a treat to see these Ring Necked Ducks. Have a wonderful week all. ENJOY!

Elk Watch

At the Elk and Bison Prairie at Land Between the Lakes, if you plan a trip very early in the morning or late in the day, you can view the Elk as they munch on grasses in the meadow. They stay hidden in the tree line in Summer during the hotter climes of the day, so plan accordingly if you want to see them.

The Elk and Bison Prairie is almost dead center in Land Between the Lakes in Golden Pond, in the very remote southwest corner of Kentucky. It's a pleasant drive from Nashville on a major highway. The countryside you see in Kentucky along the drive is really beautiful with lots of gorgeous farmland. On this visit, I waited patiently for the Elk, and finally was rewarded as this guy ventured out of the woods. He was munching on the grass and eventually tugging at the leaves of a low hanging branch. Then he noticed his gal was missing and slowly made his way across the meadow in hot pursuit.

This gal surely is the apple of his eye. She came out of the woods and began to graze, slowly making her way across the meadow, and finally disappearing into a thicket. The bull wasn't far behind following her in hot pursuit.

Such beautiful, amazing creatures. The huge rack on the bull, covered with its new layer of velvet, was gorgeous. It's extremely hot here in Tennessee. We're in the Dog Days of Summer, although it feels as if we have been there all Summer. There's high heat and humidity daily with afternoon thunderstorms. I am waiting for Fall to bring cooler temps. ENJOY!

Linking to The Scoop 339

Happy Independence Day!

Everyone have a wonderful 4th of July! Triple digit heat indices across America this holiday weekday. Pop up thunderstorms are a daily occurrence here and bring added fireworks. Here is an image from the fireworks display as they light up across Old Hickory Lake from Drakes Creek Park here in Hendersonville. Stay hydrated all and be safe on this Independence Day! ENJOY!

Sailing on the Lake

This beautiful sailboat was plying the waters on Percy Priest a while back. I had to snap a few images as I am an avid sailboat lover. I've only ever been on a sailboat twice in my life. Once in the Atlantic Ocean and once in the Gulf of Mexico. The Atlantic was on a sunset cruise out of Key West many years ago. The second was the Gulf of Mexico while visiting relatives. A strong storm came up between us and the dock. Thirty foot swells overtook us. I headed for the galley to minimize the rocking of the boat up top. Both experiences were ones I'll never forget. Not many sailboats sail on Old Hickory Lake. However, Percy Priest has a marina called Hamilton Marina which has a separate area for nothing but sailboats. So you can find the sailboats out on the water at Percy Priest often. I wouldn't trade Old Hickory Lake for anything. Living on the lake makes life so much more enjoyable. Perhaps it's the different scenes you take in as day turns into night. There's never a dull moment on the lake. And you never know what will fly in and stay awhile. Have a wonderful night. A holiday weekend is approaching. I love three day weekends. Gives you time to slow down a tad more than on a typical weekend. Back soon. 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!

Yawn, Great Blue Heron

The fisherman stands sentry on an old worn tree stump near the shoreline patiently fishing for his next meal. Many a Great Blue Heron fish Old Hickory Lake up and down both sides of the peninsula every day here in Hendersonville. Today, I headed out briefly and happened upon this Heron perched on this old stump at the park. There wasn't much sun this afternoon, but I managed to catch a few images of him in what little bit of sunshine there was, before heavy cloud cover began to move in.

We have had every Winter accessory it could bring us here in Tennessee this year. Snow, ice, sleet, rain, rain and still more rain. Darn if the groundhog didn't see his shadow and announced six more weeks of Winter. UGH! As I snapped photos of the Heron, he looked my way and yawned. It was as if he echoed my thoughts on Winter. Speaking of, there is a front coming through in the early evening as I write this post. Thankfully, it's been too warm for the precipitation to stick, but still there it is. Spring has been on my mind a lot lately. I hope wherever you are, you have had a wonderful weekend. ENJOY!

Fishing, American White Pelican

The late afternoon sun spotlighted this beautiful American White Pelican as he was fishing on Old Hickory Lake Sunday. He intently eyed the water under him and then his bill and head would disappear as he dove in to grab a fish. It's amazing how graceful these large birds are even when they are fishing. Back soon. ENJOY!

The Pelican Brief

I know what you're thinking. I used a play on words. Well, you would be right. You see I spent a brief time today photographing the beautiful American White Pelicans that finally made their way back to Old Hickory Lake along the peninsula where I live. There are two peninsulas in Hendersonville where the lake runs up both sides of those peninsulas for several miles.

In this first image, the late day sun was shining right on the Pelicans as they floated along the lake. This is one of the best images I have ever gotten of the American White Pelicans. I wished there had been a little more light but I like the way the sun is shining on the birds.

It's not easy photographing these birds on Old Hickory Lake as most of the background is going to be the back yards and docks from the houses directly across the lake. This image seemed somewhat noise free for the most part. Basically, there were Pelicans up and down the entire lake along this peninsula everywhere. I suppose you could say they have made themselves at home here on the lake.

Leaving the Pelicans, I ran errands, and afterwards before going home, I stopped for a few more minutes to snap photos of the birds. The sun was shining a tad more too. The wind had picked up making the water choppy, but I captured a couple more photos in spite of it.

We started out in Tennessee this week with sub zero temperatures. It was minus 1 degree last Sunday night. Monday brought an ice storm and later in the day snow. We averaged around 2-3 inches total with about an eighth of an inch of ice under it. It made for hazardous driving and tons of school closings. Fast forward one week to today. It is 65 degrees and balmy. The flu is ravaging every state across the U.S. and Canada too. This H1N2 strain is the worst one and apparently that's what most people are getting. I hope wherever you are you are warm and healthy and the sun is shining brightly. I'll be back with a few Duck images in a few days. Have a great week. ENJOY!

Today's Catch!

In my wildest dreams, I never thought I would get close enough to get a decent image of an American White Pelican. They tend to be very, very shy. For several days now, however, these beautiful birds have been roosting on an old dead tree on Old Hickory Lake. There are about eight or ten of them hanging out right across from my place this week and I am loving every minute of it.

These large aquatic soaring birds breed in interior North American and overwinter in Central and South American. They eat fish, carp, chubs, catfish, yellow perch and jack fish. Now if I can just get a nice shot of them flying across the lake, my desire to photograph the American White Pelican would be satiated. Have a great weekend all. ENJOY!

Out of the Nest

The Black Crowned Night Heron juveniles were out of the nest when I visited the Heron Rookery on Old Hickory Lake today. This little guy was hanging out at the nearby boat dock with three other juveniles.

Sorry this image is so busy, but I just had to show you the other three juveniles hanging out on the boat dock. I wonder exactly when they begin to turn colors as adults. I'll have to look that up. Thankfully, I didn't have to get close to get this image as I had my long lens on my camera.

Later on one of the juveniles flew up into a nearby tree. The afternoon sun was getting low in the sky making for a really nice warm shot. I wished I could have been there when these little guys fledged the nest. All four of the juveniles looked to be a few months old at best. The parents were in the large Heron Rookery sitting on branches not far away and really didn't seem to care what the kiddos were up to. These last two weekends in Tennessee have been fantastic with temperatures in the mid eighties and lots of sunshine and blue skies. Oh, how I wished it would last. Hope you are having a great weekend. ENJOY!

Ready for My Close Up Mr. DeMille

On the off chance I might see an odd bird of sorts, I stopped off this week at a tiny peninsula that juts out into Old Hickory Lake and is actually in Old Hickory. Old Hickory is on the opposite or south side of Old Hickory Lake just south of Hendersonville. Not a thing was stirring except for one lone Great Blue Heron who seemed content, visitors or not, to stand in the water right next to the edge of the parking lot and intently look out across the lake. I assumed he was ready for his closeup.

The Heron stood in the lake's shallow waters where the grasses were growing intently looking out at the lake. Fishing, no doubt. It was a cool 97 degrees today. I believe it was the hottest day of the year so far. UGH! Wouldn't it be great if it snowed one day during a heat wave. Sorry. I was out in the heat today working and I think it affected my brain. Stay cool all. ENJOY!

Oh Baby! Oh Baby!

The story at the Heron Rookery on Old Hickory Lake, just a short distance from where I live, goes something like this. First comes the nest building. Then there's the tending to the nest. The flying in and out bringing twigs and building up the nest. The flying in and out to drop an occasional bite to eat. Or just the occasional flying in and out for no reason.

After much ado about the making or tidying up of the nest, then comes the waiting game. Sitting on the nest. Standing by the nest. Waiting patiently for something to happen at the nest.

And finally, after many many weeks, the eggs hatch, the parents fly in and out and in and out feeding and tending to the little ones. To our amazement they grow like weeds and before too long, they are almost ready to fledge. Oh, and did I mention it's getting just a tad crowded in the nest too.

At long last, Dad is patiently waiting on the lawn for the fledging. This is the life. It's not just the life for Great Blue Herons either. It's the life for Black Crowned Night Herons, black Cormorants and Great White Egrets. All roosting together as a colony in one huge tree right on the waters edge. Yes, the rookery was a busy spot a few weeks ago when I visited. I didn't see any fledgings on the lawn, but perhaps there have been some since. Perhaps I will pay a visit soon. The weekend is coming and bringing much rain with it. Wherever you are, I wish for you bright sunshine, blue skies and fluffy white clouds. ENJOY!

A Day at the Heron Rookery

It was a beautiful day with bright sunshine, blue skies and fluffly white clouds. There was, however, a crisp wind cutting through you as you stood outdoors. Nevertheless, it was a perfect day for viewing the Great Blue Herons perched on their nests at the Heron Rookery on Old Hickory Lake. I ate lunch in the car and finally got out to snap a few images of the Herons flying around the Rookery. Then it was back to work.

There must have been twenty Great Blue Herons hanging out in their roosts while others flew in and out. One can only get so close and then you must stop so as not to disturb them.

I stood away from the Rookery capturing images as the birds flew in and out of their nests. There was no evidence really of nest building. I suppose it's still a tad early for that. I'm almost certain there are a lot more nests than what I recall seeing at this time last year.

Several Great Blue Herons flew down the lake and back as I captured images.

I recall capturing images of some of the first hatchlings out of the nest in late Spring last year. I wonder if some of the Herons I saw today were those same birds as young adults. Surely.

More visits are planned in the weeks ahead as Spring approaches. In all honesty, Tennessee hasn't had Winter here at all this year. I can only assume Winter is still to come. We always get a snowfall or two and perhaps even an ice storm. I hope you enjoyed my visit to the Rookery today. ENJOY!

Swans in Winter Light

On a mild Winter's Day, mated Swans glide effortlessly on the pond on a late Winter's afternoon at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville. Points of light reflect on the water. Waves gently ripple atop the water as the Swans move about. The golden light casts its shadows across the lawn. What a serene Winter scene. ENJOY!

Happy Thanksgiving America

Fall is quickly giving way to the cold temperatures and snowy days of Winter. Before Fall is a distant memory, I want to share an image I captured at Radnor Lake about a month ago when Fall's color was in full swing. It was a beautiful day with bright blue skies and warm temperatures. As I walked along the trail that hugged the lake shore, I stopped to snap this image of a beautiful yellow Maple tree in the bright sunshine.

And here again is another image I captured at Radnor Lake on a very, very warm day back in mid January of this year. On this outing, I walked the entire three miles around the lake. On the north side of the lake, a gaggle of Wild Turkeys meandered across the trail in front of me. They were not the least bit shy about the visitors on the trail. It was a treat to photograph them up close. They didn't linger long and all the while pecked at the forest floor. I figured it couldn't be a more appropriate time to share this pic than on Thanksgiving Eve. Before I leave you, I want to wish each and every one of you a Happy Thanksgiving and hope that you share a joyous day with family and friends. Happy Thanksgiving! ENJOY!

Sailboats on Old Hickory Lake

One of my favorite things to photograph are sailboats. I have long had a passion for these free spirited, take me where the wind blows, boats. This is the yacht club on the south side of Old Hickory Lake. Many a sailboat calls it home.

It was late in the day as I made the drive around Old Hickory Lake north to my home in Hendersonville. I decided to make the ten minute drive back to the yacht club before leaving the south side of the lake. The sun was at a fairly decent descent so the light wasn't too awfully harsh. There was a subtle hint of Fall color on the trees in the distance.

Fall in middle Tennessee was subdued due in part to lack of rain. Drought is slowly creeping from southern Tennessee to middle and northern parts of the state. It is more severe in northern Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. This time last year it was a monsoon from a hurricane that came up from the Gulf in October and the remnants of the storm brought rain across the northern most part of the South. ENJOY!

Reflections at Radnor Lake

The leaves crunch under foot as I walk the trail.

Squirrels and Chipmunks frantically scurry up tree trunks.

Birds chirp and sing as they fly from branch to branch and tree to tree.

Warm breezes wisp past me as though in a hurry.

Visitors walk and chat among themselves.

In the heart of the city, I find solitude at lakeside.

Hope you are having a fabulous week. ENJOY!