It’s the first Monday of a new month and November’s featured calendar page is Tuscany, Italy. The photo looks a bit nondescript in my opinion and I’ll freely admit that a long-distance hike for me is six, maybe seven miles, only on my weekend wanderings – more miles in a single outing risks shin splints.
The site for this morning meander was Lake Erie Metropark at those marshes and woodsy areas where I’ve logged countless hours and miles already.
Well I was torn while preparing this post.
I could have tied John Burroughs’ quote to an equally colorful Autumn visit I made at Fair Lane Estate. After all, John Burroughs, an American naturalist and nature essayist, was a very good friend of auto magnate Henry Ford. They were both “birders” before the term became commonplace. Their shared love of nature caused Henry Ford to create a shrine to his friend called “”Burroughs’ Grotto” where a stone with Burroughs’s signature, a statue of his likeness and a heated birdbath is located near the banks of the Rouge River at the Estate.
But here’s why I chose this walk instead.
While I promised in my recent “Walktober” post not to inundate you with colorful leaves shots every week, embedded in this post will be a nod to Veterans Day, November 11th – you will see a jeep flying military flags driving through this 1,607-acre park. The first time they zoomed past me, but on their return trip, I got a few shots.
The Fall foliage was at peak when I took this walk on October 22nd, but leaves weren’t solely on my mind on this jaunt; this Twitter post earlier in the week intrigued me.
Yes, I know Turkey Vultures are not cute, nor do they give you warm and fuzzy feelings like my peanut pals, but imagine how impressive it would be to see and photograph a “kettle” (the collective word for a group of Turkey Vultures, or other birds flying overhead of this magnitude). You may recall I’ve written about the raptor migration at Lake Erie Metropark which takes place from mid-September until the end of the year. Thousands of raptors wing their way to warmer climes – remember this seasons totals stat posted at the Marshland Museum a few years back?
I will have a post next month about a visit I made to the boat launch area to watch that migration. While the visit WAS supposed to be to watch the raptors and I did position myself at the boat launch area alongside a few birders with binoculars, photographers with long lenses and an “official counter” I did not have the good fortune to see any raptors. Perhaps I should have looked for Monarch butterflies instead as they similarly migrate through there and are counted as well.
Leaves – lovely, yet fleeting beauty.
I took a long look around. It was difficult to choose what trees were the most vibrant, so here are a few I really liked as I meandered along.
The backdrop of the marsh was a mishmash of color. I sure wish the powers that be would remove that dead tree which continually mars the view, but that said, the starkness of the dead wood against the colorful background looked interesting.
I was the only person on the overlook that crosses the marsh. Surprisingly, no one was fishing from the overlook, so I enjoyed the solitude … just me and a few fine-feathered friends that were already out and about like these Mallards which formed a near-perfect queue … I asked the first duck to paddle ahead so I had a ready-made Wordless Wednesday post entitled “I had my ducks in a row” but it wasn’t meant to be.
The Mallard males, having finished their molting and “eclipse phase” are once again resplendent in their coloring.
A Great Blue Heron and a Great Egret were wading in the marsh, both intent on scoping out breakfast and paid no attention to me.
The Barn Swallows that congregate, chatter and endlessly swoop near this overlook are long gone to South and Central America. I have some fun up-close photos to share on a future post where they were posing, er … perching on a dead tree branch, with a few giving me “the look” for hovering nearby and interrupting their morning get-together.
I crossed the overlook in three long strides – on the horizon was a freighter.
I next headed to the other side of the park, hoping for a little more action there, just as a skein of Canada Geese flew overhead.
Although the picnic tables remained, they were empty, a stark reminder of colder, cocooning days ahead.
Wish I could swap the proximity of the critter(s) in these three photos.
I eventually navigated toward a cement path, which I was happy to find since the grass was still damp with dew. A random Goldenrod plant along that path had me stopping to get up close to this fuzzy, winged creature …
… then a few geese were lazing near me with colorful leaves in the background…
… while yonder, (you will have to squint to see them), were these five deer.
“Hey, wait up!” I called out as I hustled over to get better shots, muttering that the deer should have been where the geese were.
Along the way I saw the turtle crossing sign – at least a turtle was a critter I would not have to race to keep up with. Grrr!
Out of breath, I finally caught up with those deer, then they rudely disappeared into the brush. Well thanks a lot. I still got one shot and a workout in the process. 🙂
I went to visit Luc, the park’s resident Bald Eagle. He gave me a chirp “hello” then promptly turned his back on me. I never look down to the tree stump where his breakfast of a white rat or rabbit is usually served, so I don’t know if I interrupted his mealtime.
I began the long trek back to Cove Point where I’d left my car about two hours before. Enroute, this Jeep passed me flying these flags proudly. Although it was not near the Veterans Day holiday, I decided these photos were keepers to use in conjunction with this holiday to honor our servicemen and servicewomen.
This week I am joining Terri Webster Schrandt’s Sunday Stills #Leaves of Autumn or Spring Photography Challenge.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
Luc needs diversity…….throw a Kit Kat in the cage!
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Yes – good idea Wayne! Then I would get two chirps, an “Atta Girl” and a photo op for sure! Luc would get cavities – oh wait, no teeth. 🙂
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I learned a new word: “kettle.” Interesting collective names for animals! I’ve never heard of John Burroughs, but I think I’ll like his writings if he’s an American naturalist and nature essayist. Thanks, Linda!!
Great pictures and I’m glad you didn’t look down at Luc’s meal. It could’ve been fresh and that would be traumatizing to see. Food chain is so brutal.
Have a great start to a new week!
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Glad to give you a new word Esther and really – what does a “kettle” have to do with birds riding thermal winds to migrate? And the word “skein” … I think of a ball of wool, not a flock of geese. Go figure. I looked down once by accident when I was near Luc’s enclosure and was sorry I did. Now I never look down. Luc is not fed every day as he is not active enough – that is what I was told. Every other day or maybe three times a week. That surprised me. Yes, I don’t like seeing predators and prey in action. I turned away from the lion chasing/grabbing/devouring the gazelle on the National Geographic Shows years ago. Hope your week will be a quiet, stay-at-home week for you. You have a break in a few weeks for Thanksgiving.
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I’m in awe that someone claims they knew there were 29k turkey vultures in the kettle! That’s amazing. You captured such lovely examples of the glorious fall colors. And got some exercise chasing the deer. They’re in the mating season here and are running everywhere! I love your composition of the photo of the Great Blue Heron. Thanks for sharing this lovely post about autumn in MI!
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Agree with Shelley; typical of me I got stuck on “how do they know there were that many turkey vultures?” Wouldn’t be surprised to hear “there’s an app for that…” – ha. The lead quote is wonderful. Obviously a nod to conformity, and the liberating feeling of stepping outside of our respective comfort zones.
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Well I have to wonder too Dave, just like you and Shelley do. But they have a counter and helpers and an official website (Detroit River Hawk Count) to keep tallies of all birds migrating through. In 2022, they had 145,577 total Turkey Vultures and raptors of 15 species pass through. Plus, I just learned recently about counting the Monarch butterflies – how do they do that? They come through in flocks, not just one Monarch at a time. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have an app of some sort to I.D. on the spot. Turkey Vultures are wobbly when they fly which you can’t tell in this photo, but it identifies them at a glance from hawks. I often see them flying overhead while driving in more rural areas.
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I should have used the line “in awe of 29k Turkey Vultures” too Shelley. I wish I had thought of that. I was amazed about that total too and wondered how precise it could be. I know they have a official counter (actually an official counter plus I believe I’ve read they have helpers to count if the counter steps away). The Detroit River has an actual website where they post the totals officially. I did a post more recently than 2018 (the image of the season raptor totals) and I think I posted that website, Detroit River Hawk Watch. I was bummed the five deer moved on and almost didn’t include that photo in the post as they were so far away. I don’t usually go to Lake Erie Metropark in mating season as this park is out in the sticks and I worry about deer/vehicle crashes. We have a ton of them in Michigan in November (also firearms deer hunting starting November 15th).
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I remain amazed that there’s one counter with back up. Perhaps that’d be something AI could do better than us? I think I remember those posts too.
Deer are so finicky at this time of year. You’re wise to avoid them when they’re on the run.
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I looked to see if the website is still active and it is, so I will put it into my post from when I visited this Fall. They give a description of each raptor and some random shots of them by contributors.
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Thank you, that’ll be interesting!
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The sugar maple in our yard is just a little bit past its prime, leaf-wise. The fall shots you got in the park are spectacular! The dead tree that mars your view of the foliage looks like a good woodpecker tree. Maybe you can scope out some woodpeckers there if you can get close enough. Happy Autumn (I know you like this season)!
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Thank you Laurie – it was a beautiful day to walk and take photos of these colorful trees too. I will have to see if that dead tree is reachable on foot, or if that marsh or another marsh is in the way. Those woodpeckers really decimate trees. I saw Rex, the Red-bellied Woodpecker at Council Point Park, last week. I put down some peanuts, he checked them out from the tree, then flew down to get one. I got a couple of photos of him. It wasn’t “his tree” which is dead and you can see the huge holes he has pecked in it.
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You certainly captures the best of fall color!
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Thanks Kate – it was a beautiful day for a walk with the peak leaf colors.
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Is that legal to drive a vehicle with all those flags obstructing the view of anyone who follows you? Not that your photos are great, but I’m not sure I’d feel safe sharing the road with them.
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Gee, I never thought about that Ally. This was inside the park and the speed limit is 15 mph and traffic goes one way throughout the park. You raise a valid point though. I would assume they removed the flags before going on the highway as they were huge flags.
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I rather like turkey vultures, although I have not seen them in such abundance. They would coast on the air drafts at the lake much like eagles and, from a distance, they were hard to tell apart. Occasionally, a bunch of them would stop and rest in our trees. You could definitely tell the difference then.
Lovely leaf photos. It has been another year of not very pretty autumn trees here.
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Nancy, I have to say that in all my walks at Lake Erie Metropark, I only saw one eagle there, besides Luc, but there are always Turkey Vultures flying overhead. I’ve learned you can tell the difference at a glance as Turkey Vultures are more wobbly in flight, than hawks or eagles. I rarely see them in groups, as they are usually flying solo. One alighted on a dead tree near the Creek at Council Point Park and I was kicking myself as I didn’t have the camera. I usually tuck it into my pocket or fanny pack, but it was Summer and looked like it would pour, so I left it at home. Glad you liked the leaf photos – I’ll have more over the course of the Winter, but with many individual leaves, not just trees.
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Pingback: Sunday Stills: #Leaves of Autumn or Spring – Second Wind Leisure Perspectives
So much to love in this post, Linda! The autumn show was worth every step you took. Lovely colors and it looked like a decently warm day! Chasing/stalking birds and deer is always fun, LOL! Unbelievable kettle of turkey vultures! They may not be cute but they are quite majestic in flight. We see a lot of them here, too. In fact, I don’t know of any place I haven’t seen them. except probably Hawaii 😉 Thanks for sharing for the Sunday Stills challenge!
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Thank you Terri – I’m glad you liked the post, Some walks are like that – filled with lots of birds and if I”m lucky, a critter or two – the same for you and those are the best. No moose yet for me though! I guess I should have known by the time I reached where the deer were, they would be long gone. We have a ton of turkey vultures here and I’ve only seen one that was perching. It was on a tree at Council Point Park one Summer and I didn’t have my camera as it looked like rain and I generally have it in my pocket or on my fanny pack. Thanks for posting my link and asking me to join you at the Sunday Stills challenge.
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Wow your trees still have nice bright coloured leaves on them! We have already had snow here. blah…………I like turkey vultures but I’m with you, who counts them? lol
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We did have a beautiful “peak weekend” Susan – the leaves are mostly all down now. We had a little snow on Halloween night (2/10s of an inch) and just on grassy surfaces which melted (I don’t know how as it was bitter cold for a couple of days), but too early for the white stuff. They have an official website for Detroit River Hawk Watch and they have counters and those counters have helpers in case they have to step away. All these Turkey Vultures and I got there, but saw none on my own just a couple of days later. No strong winds that day I guess. But still – 29k seems impossible to count. Plus they count the Monarchs too as they pass thru!
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I would love to see all the Monarchs flying past! I think that would be quite something to see.
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Me too Susan. I would also like to see when they cluster in groups hanging down on a tree in Mexico and then all decide to leave at once (in stages) – from what I hear that is a beautiful sight.
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I think this might be one of my favorite walks this year, Linda. Lots of critters, color, peace and wonderful weather! I especially love the two photos of the heron and egret with the reflection. Exquisite!
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Thank you TD! I will have several more Fall foliage walks to scatter like leaves throughout the Winter – otherwise the posts will all look alike. I am glad you liked this walk – everything came together here and I was lucky to get the heron and egret and their reflection on the marsh as well. The leaves were beautiful in most spots I went, but one place Sterling State Park, most of the Poplars had dropped their leaves and were not vibrant at all. That will be next week’s topic as I’ll focus more on the park and its waterfowl.
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Your leaves were glorious.
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Thank you Anne – I am sorry to say most of the leaves are on the ground now.
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Love the John Burroughs’ quote! 29,000 turkey vultures migrating in a huge “kettle” — that must be a sight to see! I’ve never seen more than one or two at a time. You captured some very spectacular colors on those trees, Linda. The contrast of the dead tree and fall colors is striking and don’t forget, dead trees are good habitat for lots of birds and mammals. Could you hear the Canada geese honking as they flew over? I do miss hearing that sound… I smiled thinking of you trying to get all those creatures to cooperate with you. 🙂
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I like that quote too Barbara – I’ve never thought to search for any quotes by him in the past – now I will. I can’t imagine seeing that many birds in the sky at once and turkey vultures are big. I was fascinated last year to see the starling mumuration. I did hear them honking Barbara and as old as I am, I always look up to the sky when they pass over me!
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Absolutely beautiful colors taken on your walk at Lake Erie Metropark. Our leaves have been rather dull this year, with most of the color being in the smaller trees and vines. Nice sighting of the five deer and all the birds. How neat it would be to see so many turkey vultures! I’m looking forward to seeing your post on the raptor migration.
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Thanks Rebecca. Our weather folks thought our leaves were dull, but these trees seem to prove them wrong and I got some close-ups of the colors on another outing where the leaves look like they are on fire – oranges and reds. I wish those deer would have stayed put. I was hoping I’d see a group of turkey vultures, but it was not my day. I think I will do the migration pics for the first Monday in December – I am behind in churning out my walking posts.
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A nice post Linda with more great photos. I’m wonder who counted all those turkey buzzards. 29,000? Really? I can’t say that I identify with the quote this month but then again, I’m not a long-distance hiker.
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Thank you Ruth – it was a beautiful day when I took these photos, the kind of day we will look back on when Winter feels like it will never end … even in this predicted El Niño Winter. They have an official counter plus helpers in case he/she needs to step away … I can’t see that they count that many birds accurately either – it would be impossible. My hiking and walking are not the kind like people who travel days on end with one destination, like those that walk the Appalachian Trail.
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That is crazy how many turkey vultures there were! The colors seem exceptionally beautiful this year with so many reds up your way. Shame on those deer for not waiting for you!
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I sure don’t know how they count them Diane … I “get” there is an official counter and helpers in case he/she has to leave the area, but how can they tell, plus I just learned they count Monarchs passing thru as well. I was there several times during September/October and checked out that raptor migration counting area and saw no raptors (no butterflies either). I won’t go any more this year as this Metropark is out in the sticks and it’s deer mating season. I just heard how many deer crashes we had in Michigan last week. I’ve seen a few deer on the road outside the park, so best to stay away for a while. The landscape is at the “blah” stage now with the leaves down anyway.
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I am in the last half of the third volume of an ambitious biography of Theodore Roosevelt. He was, it turns out, quite an authority on American birds and an avid bird watcher. I found a short film on the Library of Congress website about a 1915 bird watching expedition he took to a sanctuary island off the coast of the southeastern US, and I love the scenes of him lying on the beach just watching. https://www.loc.gov/item/mp76000356/
As always, your photos are a delight.
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I am glad you liked the photos JP – Fall in the Midwest is pretty awesome to catch the colorful trees. Thank you for sending me the link to this film – it was very interesting. How awful seeing the poacher opportunists take advantage of the beautiful Snowy Egret feeding her young to kill it, then watching how they strip the plumes on all those Egrets – that’s horrible. I similarly liked seeing Theodore Roosevelt laying on the beach just watching the birds enjoy their freedom. I was at Sterling State Park in Monroe in October. They have a lot of Egrets and Heron there. I will be doing a post over the Winter about the Egrets I saw that day and I took a photo of an info station they had on Egrets which I’ll use in the post. It tells about the Migratory Bird Act of 1918 and how popular feathered hats for wealthy women caused hundreds of thousands of birds to be killed for a handful of decorative feathers and around 1900 the plumes, ounce for ounce, were worth more than gold.
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