I’ve blazed many new trails, (for me anyway), since I began my walking regimen in 2011. I started out slowly on Labor Day weekend 2011, walking one block in the ‘hood, then adding an extra block daily as time went on. Soon I was hooked on walking and bought a pedometer, some cushioned socks and a backup pair of walking shoes. But the following month, the later sunrise meant I had to curtail my steps to return home timely for work. Lucky for me the Winter of 2011 – 2012 was mild, (similar to our 2023 – 2024 Winter), so I was able to walk most of that season and early Spring.
After discovering Council Point Park in 2013, any neighborhood jaunts were solely to get to and from my favorite local nature nook and in 2017 when I began venturing to larger parks, my blog posts started groaning with nature photos.
Walking the walk, then talking about it ….
Through the years many fellow bloggers have remarked how lucky I am to have so many nearby parks.
Michigan’s moniker is “The Mitten State” for its unique mitten shape, but our “Pure Michigan” campaign boasts that we are known as “The Great Lakes State” because “you are never more than six miles away from water in Michigan, 85 miles away from a Great Lake and we have 20% of the world’s fresh water.”
So there are plenty of shoreline parks to go for a stroll.
Many are free like lovely Elizabeth Park, a county park where you can feel the breeze in your hair as you stroll the Boardwalk along the Detroit River, or the Humbug Marsh Unit of the Detroit International Wildlife Refuge where you can wander along a rustic trail in the 300-year-old Old Growth Forest and catch a glimpse of the last undeveloped mile of the Detroit River on the U.S. side.
For our state parks, we do pay a daily fee or buy a pass to enter, but you will get your money’s worth since we have 103 of them. I’ve only blogged about Sterling State Park in Monroe. Monroe also has one of our state’s six National Parks, the River Raisin National Battlefield Park. After I retired I told myself I would visit five new venues a year and this one was on my agenda. Time is zipping by and it is already July and I’ve visited only one new venue in 2024, in large part due to crummy weather and an overabundance of ticks and, that one new venue visited is where I brought home the hitchhiker (tick). Grrr!
Although there are 13 Metroparks with 400 miles of trails, since I bought my first yearly pass in 2018, I have only been to four Metroparks to date. By far, my favorite one is Lake Erie Metropark and that will be the topic of today’s post.
Our weather has been “no walk in the park” of late.
Having been sprung from the daily grind of working, I was excited how I would while away the hours walking and taking photos on beautiful Pure Michigan days.
Unfortunately, the weather has not been much to my liking, but then the 2024 weather everywhere has been nothing special has it? I don’t remember any time when we had as many windy days … oh sure, we had those March winds in that ditty we recited when we were kids. Only these gusty winds have been present all Spring and lingered into Summer as well. Strong winds and shoreline strolls are not a good combo. And the very heavy rain was not just the dregs of Beryl either. We have had days where it was torrential rain a good part of the day and it seems to me that every day rain or a storm have been in the forecast. Hit and miss rain isn’t great when you’re on a trail miles away from the car.
Seize the day!
So, on the rare days when the moon and stars align and you seemingly have a picture-perfect day you get out and make the most of it, right?
I have been to Lake Erie Metropark seven times so far this year. I know the Cherry Island Trail is a sure bet if we’ve not had rain for three or four days, but recent rain means I’m on the other side walking the Cove Point shoreline to the marina, which is where I was on May 7, 2024.
I stepped out of the car and realized the gentle breeze at my house was not what I was feeling here – it was windy here and oh look, the sun faded behind the clouds. Sigh.
It would be a day defined by wind and birds.
I craned my neck for my Sandhill Crane buddies, but they must have slept in. Maybe later I’d catch up with them – nope, they remained at large that trip.
The gray morning and gusty breezes were a pain and I soon realized in my zeal to get here for a long morning meander, I may have misjudged the impact of the last rainfall on the Cove Point walking path.
As you can see, ahead of me was a Canada Goose ankle deep in a puddle and not wearing galoshes.
Thankfully my walking soles have heavy soles, so I picked my way along the pathway, traversing a puddle here and there and finally decided if I was going to have wet shoes, I might as well just walk along the shoreline.
The water was choppy …
… and waves were crashing onto the rocks.
In my May 15th post, I showed some of the Tree Swallows that had overtaken Bluebird nesting boxes. These are a few more photos of them. Happily, a hesitant sun finally decided to brighten up my walk, but it was intermittent at best.
It amused me that these fairly small Tree Swallows were diligently parked on the rooftop of the boxes, but because the wind was clipping along, occasionally those Swallows would be swaying from side to side. This Swallow in particular seemed to say “look at me – I’m an airplane!” Or maybe it was airing out its armpits?
The wind didn’t agree with the Starling either as it ruffled its feathers, both literally and figuratively. It was wearing an angry, if not comical, look. A little feather gel was in order.
I was getting to the end of the walkable shoreline portion and saw dry asphalt ahead – yay, so I headed that way.
Intermittently, the sun would peek out of the clouds on this long asphalt path that would take me down to the marina, then along a marsh …
… all the way to where this park had built a platform for a pair of Ospreys to nest.
With any luck, they might be around.
To my left, the marina was a bit boring and blah – no one on their boats and only a handful of boats in their slips.
To my right, I scanned the marsh for goslings, but there were none. An Egret stood silently in the still-dry reeds.
In the marsh, the trill of Red-winged Blackbirds filled the air. This is one of them.
I kept walking as I knew sooner or later I would reach the crossroads where the nest was located. Before the pandemic, I took several Sea Grant boat excursions on Lake Erie and the sightseeing boat, the E/V Clinton, was docked here at the marina. I remembered driving up that very long gravel road from West Jefferson.
Well there it was … the big nest, but it was empty. I stepped out into the road on either side of this huge nest and looked up, pointing at the nest with my camera – clearly the sun was not in my favor.
A bit disappointed after my long walk, I planned to wait for them. I figured the occupants were likely out scouting for twigs as it was nesting season. But I was wrong because suddenly a head popped out of the nest …
… and after a few chirps, the Osprey hopped out, perched on the pole and pondered life for a minute or so. Note the ruffled feathers, also needing a dab of feather gel.
Patiently I waited, looking around seeking some shade for picture-taking and myself as it was getting hot, when suddenly the Osprey lifted off – yikes, I missed its takeoff as suddenly it was airborne, gliding over me.
Osprey are nicknamed “Fish Hawks” for their aerial angling prowess as you see below.
It circled around, dipped into a wooded area and returned with a twig in its talons, same which went into nest.
This scenario happened several times, always with nesting materials, never a fish and I only saw one Osprey the entire half hour or so I was there. This is my final photo taken; again, no matter how I positioned myself, the background was pale. A big twig, a short hop onto the pole, then into the nest.
This outing, as mentioned above, was on May 7th. I’ve been on baby watch ever since. I have taken more/better photos of the pair, but no chicks. My last visit to see the nest was June 27th and they were still loading up on twigs.
I am joining Terri Webster Schrandt’s June 14th Sunday Stills Photo Challenge: Local and State Parks.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
Is like to read a recipe for feather gel. That really caught my fancy.
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Anne, I could also use some myself for “bed head”!
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Super shots of the osprey, Linda! We have a lot of them too, here. Fun to see your swallows with their wings extended as if they could swoop away.
There is nothing like walking a trail in an urban park or any other and watching the wildlife and birds do their things! How nice Michigan has so many state parks and trails. Looks like fun to visit and walk … but oh well, the weather! Sadly I know so little about Michigan and Wisconsin, but you bring Michigan to life for me 🙂
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Thanks Terri. I was very excited to find that Osprey nest. I follow a local photographer on FB and he goes all over taking photos of Bald Eagles and Osprey – his favorite birds. He mentioned this nest last year but the chicks had already fledged, so I didn’t go there. Last year I was “stalking” the Osprey family that nests at the fire station. I have gone there several times this year, but they’ve been out of the nest. I see them as I’m going into the park but you can’t pull over. I’m hoping to get chick photos eventually.
Those swallows did crack me up – it was so windy they could not keep their balance … the wind picked up so quickly.
Michigan is filled with parks and recreation spots. When it is cooler, I’ll be gathering some Fall foliage pics to do a post on the local portion of the Iron Belle trail which connects the Upper and Lower Peninsula, some by bike trails, also by hiking trails. It goes all the way to Detroit and passes through several Detroit River shoreline parks I frequent. Glad to share some of our state’s sights … they have a campaign for “Pure Michigan” narrated by Tim Allen, who lived in Michigan as a teen and young adult.
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the Osprey are like long distance runners……..they can glide along the surf checking for fish for a long time. Whereas a eagle is too heavy to do that and so they are more a hit and run artist.
Great shots of the Osprey Linda!
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Thanks Wayne! They really are quick … one minute they’re in the nest and the next minute, I’ve missed them taking off and they’re overhead. This time, it was only one Osprey – the other one was either looking for fish or twigs and MIA. I’m hoping to see some of their offspring, but as high and “twiggy” as that nest is, until they are fairly big I will only see the tops of their heads. 🙂
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Wow! Those Osprey pics are fantastic! You certainly did get lucky there. You were at the right place at the right time.
Weather here has been hazy hot and humid. No wind, little rain, just HOT!
Bill and I leave for a cross country trip on Saturday. We will be venturing up to Canada (your homeland) to visit Banff National Park. Weather is predicted to be pleasant, at least for the first week. Hope to see lots of birds and other critters!
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Thank you Laurie! I was lucky, right beneath the nest. I have visited several more times and gotten the two of them together at the nest (briefly) and the last time, on June 27th, one was doing some serious twig gathering. I hope before this hot, hot, hot Summer ends, I get to see some offspring.
Our weather has not been fun for walking, picture taking and I am warier than ever as to ticks. Today they called for multiple bouts of severe storms … so I have been sorting photos yesterday and today … as of now, we have not had any rain, so I hope the next storm later on fizzles out, but we now have severe weather over the next two days.
Well, I am envious of your upcoming trip to my homeland. I have never visited any provinces except Ontario and I’ve heard Alberta is beautiful. Well you’re beating the snow by a few months, so that’s a good thing. I used to follow a blogger from Alberta and she and her husband were snowbirds in Arizona to miss the snow … they were not happy during the pandemic when they couldn’t cross over to the U.S. and had to brave the Winter cold and snow.
I am sure you will come home with lots of critter shots in this beautiful area and you the birder will be IDing them left and right.
Safe travels to you and Bill if we don’t connect again.
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Great shots of the osprey and their nest! I think it’s about time to go back and see if they have had any hatchlings… don’t you? 🙂 I hope your weather settles down a bit to give you good walking conditions.
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Thank you Janis! I have been back several times and surely they have their twiggy home in order and ready to receive hatchlings! I am going to plan a trip there this week hopefully – we have stormy weather the next two days. I hope I can see them over all those twigs. The weather has been frightful. As of 10:25 we have not had a drop of rain, nor any storm even though all the weather stations predicted several volatile thunderstorms today. I wasn’t going to take any chances going out, but it was very hot and humid as well. I’m just as glad we had no storms, but worrying about them is almost as bad.
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Great shots of the osprey and their nest!
Beautiful you sharing your Happy trails since 2011 to 2024 to walk most of that season and early Spring.
Wonderful photography ,Linda!
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Thank you Raj, I’m glad you liked the photos!
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Most welcome, Linda! Have good day! ☺️
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Thank you Raj – same to you!
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Oh Linda, this is such a wonderful story telling of your parks, area, and what you see! I just loved reading it!!
Your explanation of “airing out its armpits?“ is exactly how I feel most days through our humidity and heat this summer.
Everything in your post is lovely, but you got me with my relating to the armpits!
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Hi TD, I am glad you liked this post about how lucky I am to have so many local parks near me … not just parks, but shoreline parks, which makes it even more special.
This Swallow on the box teetering from side to side did make me wonder if it was pretending it was an airplane, or simply airing out its armpits. 🙂 We have heat too, right now at 8:20 p.m. it is 83 with a real feel of 87, but I know it is much hotter where you live. I am no fan of heat and humidity either!
I’m glad you identified with this clever little Swallow.
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A long walk with lots of interesting stuff. The Osprey photos are great
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Yes, it was quite a long walk Brian, but worth it to locate the Osprey nest. Glad you liked the photos – they are awesome to see and they move like the wind.
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The beautiful swallow pictures are priceless! I wonder if it was just enjoying the feel of the wind beneath its wings? How exciting to see the osprey!!! Your pictures are dazzling. I hope you get to see some babies soon as your nest monitoring continues. (I’m envious because I’ve never gotten that close to an osprey nest!)
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I’m glad you liked that cute swallow Barbara. It made me smile as I saw it flipping its wings. I think it was an adult, not a juvenile trying out its wings for its first flight and I like your comment that it was just enjoying the feel of the wind beneath its wings. I could have used that line and those three photos for a Wordless Wednesday. Thank you, the osprey nest was quite a find! I was excited to find it. Last year’s nest at the fire station was nice, but the angle for viewing wasn’t as good. I’ll go back there again to see if the offspring have arrived. Last time I was there one of them was carried a huge stick through the air, then just as it approached the nest, it dropped from its talons. That stick got stuck in a fence and I got a photo to show how huge it was.
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Sounds like the home builder is slow and meticulous in it’s skills.
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Yes very Kate! The last time I visited the nest one of the ospreys brought back a huge twig, more like a branch, in its talons. It was nearing the nest and it dropped it and it got stuck on a nearby fence. I took a photo of it as I couldn’t believe that it was carrying something that large.
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863 miles of equestrian trails makes me wonder how the number compares with other states. I also wonder what defines an equestrian trail besides the fact horses are allowed on it. Anyway, it’s an impressive number, but pales in comparison to “20% of the world’s fresh water”. WOW!
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Dave, I knew we had a wide variety of trails in this state as I follow the Michigan DNR on Twitter/X and they are always showing stats, but I saved this informative post they had for National Trails Week last year as I was impressed and I knew I would use it sometime . I don’t know about the equestrian trails. They don’t have them at all the Metroparks, I do know that. The water stat is impressive as well. One day I’m going to write about the Iron Belle hiking/biking trail. It is 2,000 miles from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to Detroit.
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Holy cow, the Iron Belle is almost as long as the Appalachian! I’ll look forward to that post, Linda.
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Yes it is Dave and I wonder if it is as rustic in some places, like the Upper Peninsula, as the Appalachian Trail? I remember watching the movie, then reading the book “A Walk in the Woods” and I know I could never hike/walk that rigorous of a trip. I’ll include a link about the Iron Belle Trail when I do the post as well.
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Great shots of the Osprey Linda.
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Thank you Andy, I am glad you liked them. A very lucky find for me.
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Nice osprey shots, they are such cool birds !
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Thank you Susan – it was a treat to find this nest! Yes, they are cool birds. I am looking forward to returning to check on the offpring for more photos!
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Miss Linda………………………………….those were awesome close up pictures of the osprey………………………wow……………………I’d never be able to get to see those huge predators in action like you did!
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I’m glad you liked the osprey photos Ann Marie! I was lucky enough to get right beneath the nest to look at the osprey. I have been back there several times so will have more posts to share later.
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Fantastic osprey shots, Linda! I hope the remainder of your year brings you more favorable weather for your gadding about.
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Thank you Eilene – I was lucky to discover this nest! I’ve visited the nest several times and now hope to photograph the chicks, whenever they come along. I hope the weather improves too. Right now it is 83 at 9:15 with a real feel of 87 and we are expecting severe weather overnight … more torrential rainfall which messes up walking on many of the trails.
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You are such an inspiration to us all and I really enjoy that you take us with you with your beautiful pictures Linda!
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Thank you Diane! I am glad that you feel like you are walking alongside me.
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The osprey are fascinating, your photos are great. I know that our temperatures haven’t been amenable to wanting to go outside, let alone walk when out there. What a summer, eh?
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Thank you Ally. I will have more of the osprey in future posts as I keep going back to Lake Erie Metropark looking for osprey offspring and/or fawns (no success there either). The weather is not pleasant at all. I’d like to just jump ahead to Fall, both your and my favorite season!
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Nice shots of the osprey, Linda, and the other birds as well. The grumpy starling has a definite charm. You are very fortunate to live in a state with so many walking trails. Our weather this summer has been extremely hot and humid. If I walk outside with my camera, it instantly fogs up, so haven’t been taking many pictures. I’m really looking forward to autumn.
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Thank you Rebecca – this was a fun walk. At least this osprey nest is in a place where I don’t have to worry about soggy ground or ticks. I can stand far enough away to the side of the road. Our weather has been hot, humid and stormy, but we are in for a few cool days thankfully. I can’t imagine how uncomfortable it is for you day after day. I am ready for Autumn too. I don’t take my camera out in high humidity either … all Summer I never would leave home without the small camera in my pocket or fanny pack, but this ever-present morning high humidity has me leaving it home as well.
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I find I use my cell phone camera more and more.
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That is why they are eventually going to phase out digital compact cameras – most people use their cell phone cameras now.
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