Auburn - Fleming Trail

Note - family at the end of trail

This sunny afternoon I decided to refer once again to Rich & Sue Freeman's Take a Hike! Family Walks in New York's Finger Lakes Region Guide Book (Footprint Press) and revisit the Auburn-Fleming Trail.

Previous walks (October & November 2008-January 2010).

The trail was being used by several walkers - a family of five and their two dogs; two men accompanied by a woman; a guy with his Pug; and three boys searching for frogs.

Fauna & Flora in evidence today.

Mayapple

Mayapple

Wild Strawberry

White TrilliumTrillium grandiflorum

White TrilliumTrillium grandiflorum

Crabapple

???

Bashful Mourning Dove

Horses at trail's end

A most pleasant jaunt before cocktail hour.

Cayuga Community College Trail

On this clear but chilly afternoon I decided to walk the Cayuga Community College Trail. This is one of my favorite quick nature walks. Have completed this walk several times (Original Walk-January 2010-March 2010).

The ponds were quiet. But the trail was busy. A gloat of dog walkers - a guy with his malamute, Shamu; two women with their Scottish terrier, Spenser; and a woman with her golden Labrador, Lady.

The trail was casting some vivid shadows today.



Took advantage of the lighting to take some photos of the Wolf Tree.









An American Robin posed for me just as I was returning to the trailhead.



A most pleasant jaunt before cocktail hour.

Teaser Tuesday (April 27)

Teaser Tuesday is a meme hosted by Should Be Reading .


page 47 - There are no straight lines in the life or labors of the private detective.

In gumshoe fiction, the PI gets on the case at about page six and follows it through without a pause or distraction from his, or her, personal life.

Week Seventeen - 35 to Go

Joe Pickett, like the lone black wolf that tracks him throughout this novel, never allows the circumstances to get between him and his mission. As an aside - Can you say the title without thinking of Martha and the Vandella?

Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks in 2010

Onondaga Lake Park - West Shore Trail

After completing an errand for Bradley decided to visit Onondaga Lake Park to try out the new camera, Olympus SP-800UZ.

14MP Digital Camera with 30x Wide Angle
Dual Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0 inch LCD

Pulled into the parking lot just west of the "one lane bridge" across from Longbranch Park. Strolled down the West Shore Trail.

Came to a bench facing south onto the the lake. City of Syracuse is in the background.



Using the bench back as a tripod took some photos. Even on this hazy day you can see what this camera is capable of doing.

Normal shot


Zoom Shot


Super zoom shot - shaky due to no tripod


A passerby said that there was a snake further up the path sunning itself. This is where the zoom makes you brave. Indy eat your heart out.



Before returning to the car stopped under the New York State Thruway bridge to shot some more photos.

Looking back toward the City of Syracuse.


Fisherman in the Onondaga Lake outlet. Three photos - each one zooming in more






Kids on the pier.


Fisherman and two friends under the one-lane bridge.


Continuing on home stopped to visit with Michael at his work. While showing Ron the new camera, he pointed out a couple of the camera features.

All in all a successful road trip.

Teaser Tuesday (April 20)

Teaser Tuesday is a meme hosted by Should Be Reading .






page 69 - And he recalled the day before, when he’d first encountered the brothers. When he’d inadvertently set this ghost train in motion...

Week Sixteen - 36 to Go

2009 marks the fiftieth anniversary of The Twilight Zone, arguably one of the most popular television shows ever. Drawing on photographs and personal remembrances, Rod Serling's widow, Carol, gives commentary on some of the series' most memorable episodes. Veteran film historian Douglas Brode gives in-depth descriptions of these episodes and why they were so resonant with viewers.

Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks in 2010

Wednesday Causal Photographers

Observation Deck Trail

Today the Montezuma Audubon Center (MAC) scheduled this get-together for photographers. Advertised as a program intended to a help document the plants, animals and habitats around the MAC. Photographic-naturalist Dave Spier is the leader for the event.

This was the second meeting for this series.

Entering the MAC driveway passed two DEC workers mowing the grass.

At 9AM met Dave inside the MAC center. Evidently we were to be a corporal's guard for the day. After waiting several minutes for any others to join us Dave and I walked from the parking lot west on the lane and into the walnut grove.

Once in the wood Dave suggested shooting the trees which were backlit by the early morning sun.

Walnut Grove

Passing by the observation deck we took the Warbler Trail. There Dave noted a branch with new growth that might make for an interesting photo using depth of field.



Further down the trail we came upon a cluster of mayapple.

mayapple

Podophyllum peltatum

Note double umbrella leaves

mayapple leaf

Further up the trail we spotted some Red trillium.

Dave demonstrated a technique that he referred to as gardening - removing several dead leaves and light-colored sticks and stones from around the flowers. This Dave pointed out would remove bright areas that might detract from the photo.

Red trillium

Trillium erectum

Dave stated that the common red trillium can give off an unpleasant odor and is sometimes called “Stinking Benjamin”.

Just beyond the wolf tree there on the left of the trail was a sea of Eastern Skunk Cabbage. Last month these plants were just emerging but now they had leafed out.

Eastern Skunk Cabbage

Symplocarpus foetidus

Dave suggested shooting the Skunk Cabbage from an angle that would show its spiral growth pattern.

Eastern Skunk Cabbage

spiral

Attempt to capture leaf pattern

Attempt to capture reflection

Returning to MAC center we stopped at the observation platform to watch a fisherman and his dog on the west rim of the Merganser Marsh.

Fisherman & his dog

After washing my hands to ward off any poison ivy that I may have encountered and thanking Dave for his instruction made my way to Knox-Marsellus Marsh before heading home. Here I was entertained by several Tree Swallows.

Tree Swallow

Pair of Tree Swallows

Tree Swallows on a Wire

Continuing homeward bound paused to view the Osprey on Rt. 89 near the Eire Canal lock.

Osprey - nest building

Two Osprey - across the Eire Canal in scrub trees

"Spring, nature wakes up
Flowers and trees are blooming
Animals are coming out!" ~ Jibin