This post is #3 in a series about a walk in Dearborn taken September 10th. The January 25th post about the Rouge Gateway Trail, Fair Lane Estate and Jergen’s Meadow is here and my February 1st post about Ford Field Park’s duck pond is here.
I made the most of this delightful weather day. After all, who wouldn’t want to be out and about on such a sunny, pleasantly warm afternoon? I had really missed my long nature outings.
After seeing the toad at Jergen’s Meadow, I continued on to Ford Lake – perhaps there were more photo ops there? The two times I walked this trail in the Spring, it was all about the wildflowers, goslings and a cranky Heron who shunned me like I was a paparazza and evaded me repeatedly.
This walk was all about the birds.
There are 120 acres of natural spaces and multiple trails in this area, but I like Lakeside Trail best as it gets closer to the water. I admit I had some trepidation about going on this trail, which is rather rustic and narrow in spots. I had avoided many of my favorite woodsy venues, not only because of Summer’s oppressive heat, but due to the abundance of ticks. After the Winter of 2024-2025, many experts weighed in on how the ticks should have died during the bitter cold temperatures, but they were all wrong. Surely they will die off in this current Winter!
I walked in the middle of the trail and was diligent about frequently checking for ticks. Lakeside Trail is wider in places, as much as eight or nine feet, but narrows down to about three feet in other places. As you know I’ve been even more wary of ticks ever since discovering the tick on my ear in 2024. Luckily it didn’t attach and I plucked it off my ear but kept it in an empty bottle in case I developed any issues.
I arrived at Ford Lake, but there was nothing remarkable to see except some early shades of Fall as seen in these reflections.
As I neared the beginning of the trail …
… I saw something new. I follow the Environmental Interpretive Center on social media, so I knew what this wooden post was about. It is used to position yourself in the exact same location to take a photograph on each visit and it would be handy if you are aiming to capture one shot of each of the four seasons.
If you look closely, you’ll see a dark speck near the knothole. It was a Daddy Long Legs sunning itself. As a person who suffers from arachnophobia, I’ll admit this long-legged arachnid is the ONLY spider I’d willingly approach.
Would there be other critters on the trail today?
Just as I set out, the sun abruptly disappeared behind a cloud, so I wondered if that would put a kibosh on any reflection pictures, that is IF the water would even be clear for reflections. The week before at Council Point Park , a bright-green sheen had stretched across the Ecorse Creek.
I saw this Great Blue Heron, also pictured up top. Quickly I hid behind a tree to watch it – whew, it didn’t see me, as it would have spooked and taken off. I watched the heron as it studied the water, scoping out any movement signaling a fish or frog that might be a potential lunch. In my haste to evade the heron, there was a branch in my view, but even moving slightly would spook my feathered friend, so I stayed put. The heron never caught a fish.
I moseyed along the trail and saw another Great Blue Heron – my lucky day!
I mused that I must have taken 500+ photos already and there would be many more when just moments later I saw a Green Heron alight on a log in Ford Lake. I was in a great place to photograph it, but could it not have smoothed those feathers sticking out of its otherwise perfect plumage? 😊
It stared ahead, those intense neon-green eyes glowing, not looking for a meal, but its brain, perhaps possessing a sixth sense (yes, herons, like humans, possess five senses, some more specialized than others), made it suddenly turn around and it glared at me then flew away.
But all was not lost for this hapless photographer, as I got a couple more shots with a nice reflection of it, fittingly in the green water.
The Green Heron sighting made my day and I’d have been content if I saw no more critters, although a deer or turkey passing by would have made me smile too.
There was a lone Canada Goose and I almost hesitated taking its picture after my windfall of heron pics, then I chastised myself for thinking that way.
This male Mallard in the muck and mire and surrounded by feathers was tired. Like so many other ducks, it was molting and, it decided since it was moored on a fallen log in this marshy area, nowhere near me, that it was safe, so it alternately snoozed …
… and then opened its sleepy eyes to see if I was still there.
The water had a green sheen, yes, but it was Duckweed, more than algae.
There were a ton of turtles sunning on various fallen logs, most of them on the opposite shoreline. But these Painted Turtles were close to me, so I was able to get not only photos of them, but their near-perfect reflections as well.
The last time I was here there were lots of wildflowers, but this time, I only saw some Yellow Ironweed, a/k/a Wingstem.
I have been visiting this venue for about three years now and I’ve never seen so many different birds on one outing, so it was indeed my lucky day.
Once I left the trail that runs parallel to Ford Lake, I walked through a woodsy area before reaching the Environmental Interpretive Center (“EIC”). There had been no further critter encounters and the birdfeeders were empty, so no woodpeckers or jays were hanging around.
I stopped to admire these Sawtooth Sunflowers in front of the EIC, which turns 25 years old in 2026.
I paused at the bee hotel and found no bees here, so I guess they were off seeking pollen.
I had one more stop to make, based on this post …
… and I was eager to see these sculptures and get some close-ups of them.
I was happy to meet the acquaintance of this metal turkey since the Wild Turkey family members were MIA today.
I was still feeling good about the dragonfly photos I’d captured just the day before at Lake Erie Metropark, but I was curious about a metal version of a dragonfly.
Did you have a favorite as to Laura’s two sculptures? I preferred the Wild Turkey.
Having checked out the sculptures I was ready to walk down Fair Lane Drive and head back to the car. Across the street at University of Michigan-Dearborn campus, students were bustling about, in the newly minted school year.
I stopped to photograph this Hedge Apple, a product of an Osage Orange bush. It was in the middle of the sidewalk and as big as my hand.
It was a full day and I came home a bit weary as it was 77F (25C) by the time I got back to the car, hungry and tired … but a good tired.
Terri’s Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge is Amethyst. I will touch on that subject briefly next Saturday, February 14th when I post a tribute to my late mother on what would have been her 100th birthday. I will also have a flower post for this week’s Wordless Wednesday to add to Terri’s Flower Hour.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
The both Heron photos are so good Linda. I like the two Painted Turtles looking at each other. The poor Daddy Long Legs with a couple missing.
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Thank you Brian! I felt lucky that afternoon, especially the Green Heron as I rarely see them. Even the Great Blue Herons. I never noticed how many legs the Daddy Long Legs was missing until I had the photo up on the screen, even though I got up close to it, the one spider I can approach. 🙂
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Very impressed with your shots on this post Linda.
Looks like something took 2 legs from that Daddy Long Legs.
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Thank you Wayne! This was quite the day and a long walk, enough for three separate posts, but it was a lucky day for me, especially seeing the Green Heron up close. I’m glad you liked the shots. I never noticed the Daddy Long Legs was missing a couple of legs ’til I had the image up on the screen, as it was low down.
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keep up the great work!
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Well I thought of you today as I was down at the River … I thought there would be more ice, but no ice floes and most of it close to the shoreline had melted. But I saw two Juvenile Baldies out on the ice. They were close enough I could see they were not totally brown. I couldn’t see what they were doing/eating though. Saw some Redhead ducks – a first for me.
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I love the shot of the two turtles staring into the sky opposite each other! I like winter more than most, but now that it’s getting decently into February, I’m ready to move on to spring. Your warm weather photos remind me why.
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Thank you JP – I’m always happy when I can get some shots of turtles sunbathing as they look so peaceful. I am ready to move into Spring too – these past two Winters have just strayed too far from an ordinary Winter for me. I just watched the weather forecast and my favorite meteorologist says the Arctic air is now behind us and we can look ahead to seasonable Winter temps – well yay for that, even if he says it comes with snow!
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I love the first shot and the turtles! All of the pictures are great but those are my favorites.
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Thank you Kate! I always like the turtles as they just look so peaceful sunning on a log. I was happy to be so close up to the herons. It was such a good walk for me – the entire walk in all those places that day. I am looking forward to Spring and getting back to long walks again.
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What an amazing trail! I loved your blue heron…but the GREEN HERON! They are so skittish, it’s hard to get a good shot and your shots are amazing! I know the feeling of being so happy to get one good shot that if you don’t see anything else you’re still feeling good about the hike. It happens all the time. And then you usually do find something else! I hope this winter kills the ticks too!!!
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Thank you Dawn! It was one of the best nature walks I’ve taken and it started hours before on the Rouge Gateway Trail (and at that time I didn’t even know about the snake). I’ve never seen a Green Heron up that close so that was really a treat for me. Even the Blue Herons didn’t bolt and screech on me either. It was one of those days I went floating home from all my good luck. Surely we have been twice as cold this Winter and those ticks are gone in the Spring!
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Love this informative post! Wishing I could have been right there learning from you. 😊
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Thank you Pepper! It was a really good day for me, not only all the Herons, but the reflections on the lake from all of those creatures I saw there and the other stops along the way earlier in the day as well. Seeing the sculptures was fun as I’d read about them beforehand, so I knew to look for them. I had no idea that was a ran garden until I read the blurb on Facebook.
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What fun! 😉
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So much more that filled your fabulous day, Linda! Love the herons’ photos, what luck bestowed on you with those. I do get excited for Green Herons especially!
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It was such a fabulous nature walk Donna! And this leg of my long walk, was after the other creatures I’d seen in the earlier part of my walk and that was great as well. You’re right – the herons, especially the Green Heron, was the icing on the cake. I’d only seen them from afar before. I can hardly wait until Spring!
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I liked the sculptures, but I looked closer at the real wildlife. All excellent photos!!
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Thank you Anne! The entire walk that day was wonderful. It was as if every turn I made, I saw something else to be in awe about and photograph. I came home with loads of photos. The sculptures were very interesting. I could not tell what they were made of and I Googled around, hoping I could find out to include it in the post. I am ready for Spring and exploring again!
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Some great Heron pictures Linda.
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Thank you Andy! I usually don’t get any type of Heron that close up as they bolt and screech all the way to the other side of the pond/marsh/lake, but I really felt lucky to see the Green Heron. It was a good day out with the camera for sure!
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Thanks for the tour! 😀 Your photos are always excellent and I especially enjoyed the reflection shots. Cool idea about the seasons marker. Are you taking a photo for each one? Interesting sculptures as well, and I also like the turkey better.
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Thank you Debbie! This ranks right up there as one of my most-favorite walks, especially as it encompassed enough wildlife to make three posts. I can home loaded with shots. It was a great day for reflections as the water was so still, something I’d not seen a lot of in 2025 as we always seemed to have persistent high winds. I thought it was a good idea using the marker too. I have never been here in the Winter, nor the Estate either. This has not been a good Winter for getting out for photos – I have not taken any photos since some colorful tree shots in November. Right now at the EIC they are tapping sugar maple trees. I wouldn’t mind seeing that. Maybe next Winter Mother Nature will give us a normal Winter?! The turkey was very cool as was the log.
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Great pics, Linda! I especially like the Herons!
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Thank you Tom! It was a great nature walk – I was gone for hours and every stop I made along the way yielded birds or other creatures. It was great seeing the Herons so close up, especially the Green Heron!
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Great photos, Linda! I especially like the green heron and turtles. We usually find that ticks are bad during the spring but if we have a hot dry summer, they are not so bad. The are susceptible to desiccation.
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Thanks Ruth! I was really excited to find that Green Heron and so close up as well. The turtles are always so peaceful looking, sunning on a log and the water was so still, their reflections were almost mirror images. I both look forward to, as well as dread, Spring as to ticks. I don’t understand why we had the influx of ticks we had last year, especially since they never died off from that cold Winter of 2024-2025. Surely, all the ticks were zapped in these Arctic-like temps. Well, that would be okay with me as to the ticks … maybe not so great for us humans, especially those like you and your husband who will worry about your crops. Thank goodness for your pond to provide water for them. Hopefully, soon the ice melts and you can see how much the water level rose from the snow. I think you got more snow than I did.
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We should be seeing a melting soon and while it’s going to be a muddy mess, I will take that over the cold. I’m not sure how much snow we got. It seems like it just kept coming in small amounts and has built up. I think the pond will be full or overflowing once it all melts.
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I heard today that the rest of February will be normal, maybe even milder than normal … then we are practically home free Ruth! I can’t imagine how it looks in the UP when that snow all begins to melt. Hopefully, the overflowing pond won’t create any flooding issues to your garlic crop or your prayer garden.
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Wow, a lot of great photos!
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Thank you Monica! It was a great walk that day … I was happy seeing the Green Heron especially as I rarely see them.
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What a great day that was Linda! I hope the ticks are non existent this year for you. Those pictures are so good but you know the turtles are my favorite. I grew up being told that the Osage oranges are what you throw in crawlspaces to keep the spiders away. No idea if it works, I have always had a full sized basement. Now I have spring fever.
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Diane, it was one of the best walks I’ve ever taken, from start to finish. I felt like that week of walks (the week of September 8th) was the best of the Summer. I took a lot of photos that week and have been going through the photos since January. But this trail by Ford Lake was lucky for me. I have been this way before and saw ducks mostly or geese, not to disparage them, but the green heron was exciting. That’s too bad you have to put Osage Orange into a crawlspace to repel spiders When I got the all-house insulation installed in 2017 they filled in the crawlspace with foam … it was supposed to make the kitchen, right here where I sit, the warmest spot in the house. It is NOT. They put a skinny guy up in the crawlspace and the installers were horsing around and the foam expanded so quickly he almost suffocated – they dragged him up the basement stairs and outside … SMH. You gave me hope there for a minute as I have a full basement too and spiders!
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You did get some great bird finds (and other critters) for the day. I love the first heron image at the top, especially. And the green heron — not a common sight at all. Wonderful! I like the turtles with their reflections, and both sculptures. I think it took some extra creativity to make that dragonfly.
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Thank you Eilene – it was a great day for nature photos! I was pleased getting so close up to the Great Blue Heron as well as that Green Heron. I’ve only seen one Green Heron before at a distance. I always enjoy seeing the turtles as they are so peaceful looking. I hope they divulge more info about both sculptures as I’d like to know what they’re made of. They were both large. I get a newsletter from the EIC, so if they give info, I’ll revisit the sculptures then and then write about it. It was interesting that the turkey seemed to be made of newer metal, whereas the dragonfly was made of rusted metal.
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Herons are great to photograph, great shots Linda. I like the little green herons, we don’t see them as often as the Blue herons. I prefer the wild turkey sculpture too, she did a great job on him/her. Maybe there won’t be as many ticks this year? They can live in the cold which is unfortunate as now we have them pretty well all year round. We live in a bird migratory area so we have tons of them. When we were kids, we didn’t have all these horrible things, Giant Hogweed, Ticks and whatever else. I don’t remember them anyways.
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Thank you Susan – I was excited getting those Green Heron pics especially as I don’t see them around my area – only once before at a distance. I think the turkey sculpture was more detailed. I get an e-mail newsletter from the EIC so I hope they divulge what materials the sculptures were made of. I couldn’t tell. We never had that Giant Hogweed either that I can recall. We’d have been told to stay away from it so we would remember. I’ve seen photos of it here and how do you even get rid of it at the rate it grows anyway and it’s toxic to touch it! I saw a video newscast today about ticks saying that ticks are hardier than you think and, if you got a lot of snow, it helps like a blanket to protect them all Winter. Say it isn’t so!
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☹️We are, or try to be, always careful of those stupid ticks. We love to be outside and it’s sad that we have to be careful wherever we go. I have had two on me and Clint has had none.
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Clint has been lucky. I was so mad when I saw that video how ticks are hardier now. It goes with everything else in nature that has strayed from the norm.
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Miss Linda………………………………I enjoyed your Fall Blog this afternoon………………….What an imagination that Laura Steiner has…………………………she is a true artist like you are with your creative narratives no matter where you are visiting………………………It was delightful!
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Thank you Ann Marie! That was pretty incredible to see Laura Steiner’s creative sculptures made from scrap material. I couldn’t tell exactly what the materials were, but they were quite large sculptures. This was one of my favorite walks I’ve taken … that week in September gave me lots to see and write about and I will have a few more walks from that week coming up.
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Laura’s dragonfly is whimsical but I’ll side with you and choose the turkey sculpture. How you “sculpt” a turkey is way beyond my creative abilities. Maybe I’ve never seen photos of painted turtles before because those shells are something – like well-polished silver! Finally, I got a laugh out of your use of “paparazza”, but it’s entirely fitting when there’s only one of you. I’m sure the animals you came across were grateful it wasn’t the plural version of the word.
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Dave, you are the only who noticed “paparazza” and you’re right – the plural would have sent all those creatures disappearing … the turtles sliding off the log and for sure those herons bolting and screeching. I did a good job keeping out of sight. 🙂 Once JP quipped that turtle shells always look like they have been “Turtle Waxed”. I hope the EIC divulges the materials used in the sculptures. Since I’d seen the info about the sculptures beforehand, I tried to identify what materials were used but could not. The turkey was easily identifiable, so that’s what I liked. They were big sculptures, so I’ll bet they are heavy as well.
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Can’t help myself when it comes to words. The unique ones always stand out 🙂
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I know they do Dave and I almost did use that word to be honest as I thought people would think I made a typo. 🙂
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Linda, enjoyed what you put together for this post and loved the birds, it was your lucky day! But what really had me pausing and going back again was the daddy long-legs spider – I have never seen that particular kind – with such thin long legs stretched out leg that and that little body. Maybe I have seen that kind, but it sure looked striking on that wood, near the knot. And I just came from your mellow yellow wordless wednesday post and so maybe I have been primed from that – and so coming here – I found it just so nice to ponder that interesting spider and your crisp and clear photo.
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Thank you again Yvette! It sure was my lucky day, from start to finish. I was lucky on that trail, as I’ve been there before and only saw the turtles sunbathing, so I was in the right place at the right time. Unfortunately, that Daddy Long Legs Spider was missing a couple of legs – usually they have eight. They are the only type of spider I can get close as I’m so afraid of spiders. I was lucky even for that spider that it was on that wooden pole next to the knot hole.
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ahhh – that was likely what had me looking and looking – it was a bit on the thin side (missing legs)
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Yes, those legs are so delicate and thin, that it is no wonder it is missing a few legs being out in the wild. It’s like seeing butterflies at the end of the Summer and some of them are so tattered you wonder how they can still fly, by the time they flit over rosebushes or other thorny flowers, etc.
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An interesting day Linda and some great shots! I didn’t know there was such a thing as a Green Heron – it doesn’t have long legs like the others? The turtles are always nice.
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Thank you Joni! The whole day was interesting enough for three posts, so that was nice, but this was the best part of that hours-long walk. The turtles always look so peaceful sunning on the logs. Green Herons are kind of compact, unlike the Great Blue Herons. They have no neck and short legs. The Black-crowned Night Herons are like that too and even smaller. I’ve seen a couple of them, but only once before for a Green Heron, so I was excited to see it. Today I saw a Redhead Duck, a first for me. I was down at the Detroit River thinking there was more ice than there actually was. I came home with a lot of photos yesterday and today – first time out with camera since November.
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Your photos are always fabulous! I have never seen a Green Heron before. While I love dragonflies, I prefer the turkey sculpture. I share your aversion to ticks and spiders.
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Thank you Linda – this was a wonderful walk, with enough photos for three posts, with this portion as the best part. I’ve only seen a Green Heron once before and across a pond so this was an exciting find. The turkey sculpture seemed more identifiable to me. I hope she creates more sculptures for the area behind the Center. I was not happy to read that despite our brutally cold Winter we’ve endured, that some ticks are now tolerant of the cold weather and large amounts of snow serves to blanket and protect them, rather than killing them off. I cannot deal with any type of spider except this kind … it looks “safe” with those spindly legs.
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I love the picture of the great blue heron that follows the one of the daddy long-legs. What a lovely portrait! It looks like a Monet painting. The green heron is also beautiful, and I wouldn’t have noticed those feathers if you hadn’t mentioned them. Lucky you, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a green heron before. The turtle reflections are dazzling!
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Thank you Barbara! I went back and looked and yes, that heron looked so pensive as it stood there. I was lucky that, unlike most times, I could watch it undetected – that was great for taking photos. The reflections on the greenish water that day were amazing. Seeing the green heron was a real treat as the only time I saw one before, it was across a pond or marsh and too far away for a good shot. In fact it was at a small marina and the picture wasn’t clear enough for Google to ID it, so I contacted Michigan’s DNR to ask for their help so I could put it in a blog post. I guess I saw those feathers out of order as it kept it from being a near-perfect shot and was it molting? I love seeing those turtles sunning on a log – I wonder how long before they are out enjoying the rays of the sun?
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