Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge

Posted on October 17, 2015October 17, 2015 by Dusty Roads

Good morning everyone. I’ve been up since 6 am in hopes of spotting some of those deer I’ve been hearing about down at Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge located in Middletown , RI.

The first time I tried I overslept so missed the dawn, the best time for those shy little critters. Today I was up but it took me longer to get out of the house than I expected so I saw the sun pop over the horizon as I left Fall River. Darn!

Well I figured I might as well check out the trails. On my last visit I didn’t stay long, just made sure I could find it.

I was surprised to see quite a lot of cars in the parking lot considering it was only about 30 minutes past sunrise, still pretty early. As I pulled out the camera I saw a bird watcher with his big spotting scope but most of the rest were fishermen. I didn’t spot any other photographers so I guess I really did miss my chance. I decided to check out one of the trails anyway.

The Flint Point trail is a 1.4 mile loop with a couple of observation platforms. Everybody seemed to be going that way so I did too. I didn’t intend to walk the whole trail since this was one of my first jaunts since my back started improving but it was a beautiful morning so as long as it wasn’t hurting I just kept going.

There are a couple of benches along the way so it was a cool but pleasant trek. I didn’t expect to see any deer. That window of opportunity had closed, or so I thought but as I approached a corner I heard something larger than a bird off to my left in the brush.

I didn’t see what it was but it made me slow down my pace and I turned the corner cautiously. And there in the path to my right was the tail end of a deer.

Turns out it was a doe and a a smaller deer. No spots so I don’t think it can still be called a fawn but clearly smaller than the adult. The little one watched me all the time while Mama only paid attention when I moved.

Thanks to the sun’s angle and the brush playing havoc with the auto focus, the pictures aren’t going to make it into my portfolio but at least I was rewarded for my trip.

I don’t know how long those deer and I would have stood eyeballing each other if a jogger hadn’t rounded the bend at that point. The deer just drifted quietly into the bushes.

I figured I was about half way around the loop so I finished the walk. No other deer but that was two more than I expected to see. I guess I’ll have to try again only leaving at 5:30 am next time!

The Wild Life

Posted on October 10, 2015October 10, 2015 by Dusty Roads

I was thinking about wildlife. Now if I were still in my 20’s and 30’s it would be reasonable for you to think I was talking about WILD LIFE! You know, crazy, partying and carrying on. But as I left those wild days behind long ago I was actually thinking about animals in the wild.

Of all the things I’ve tried photographing, pets, people, landscape, travel, flowers, and anything else I run across, wild life, animals in the wild are may favorites. Its also probably the most frustrating and truth be told, the style in which I have the most failures.

My best work seems to be birds. Why? Because there are always birds of some kind around. I can stake out a bird feeder and have all the “models” I could ever wish for.

But wildlife doesn’t always cooperate. First you have to find them. Then you have to wait for them to do something. A perfect example is the great blue heron that summers at the Herring Run. I have spent hours with this bird and over the past 5 years I’ve seen him catch 1 fish. Normally he stands as still as a statue for hours. I finally got this picture this year. But he’ll be back next year and I’ll be waiting.

It occurred to me that I haven’t been out to photograph any deer in the last couple of years. I take that back, I photographed deer

and elk

on my vacation in Tennessee but not around here since I got my first camera. According to a photographer friend of mine, now is the perfect time to try to get more deer shots for my portfolio.

The weather is changing there’s crispness to the air and the bucks are looking for love. He got some really fun shots in RI this week but you have to get there early.

Now I’m not an early riser. Must be a throwback to all that “Wild Life” when I was young so even though I had the best of intentions this morning I missed sunrise. Yup, overslept.

I took a run down to the Wildlife Sanctuary anyway so I can be sure to find it in the pre-dawn light. I’m going to try again tomorrow.

Since there wasn’t any action going on there I headed to my old faithful sanctuary in Marshfield, MA, Daniel Webster. I’ve never been there without seeing deer but this afternoon I came up empty. The reason is that it was crowded with families walking the trails. Kids were whooping and yelling. I stayed until after 5 pm and I could still hear them. My previous schedule allowed me to explore mid week so it was always quiet. Often my car was the only one in the parking lot. So note to self, try after work mid-week.

So cross your fingers. I’m heading back out to the RI sanctuary in the morning and this time I have set the alarm.

Latest Snowfall Predictions

Posted on January 21, 2014January 21, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Mother Nature’s at it Again

Posted on January 21, 2014January 21, 2014 by Dusty Roads

So much for “clear skies”. The Northeast just went under a blizzard warning for tonight and tomorrow until 1pm. Up to 12 inches of snow and bitter cold is predicted. My co-workers who are flying JetBlue out of Logan (Boston) are scrambling. Flights are already being grounded. Even so some airlines are charging extra to re-book .

Work emails are flying telling us what the company will pay for and what to do if we have to arrive a day early.

I spent 45 minutes on hold for Southwest Airlines. According to their web site my plane tomorrow is on- time and scheduled. Once I got through to a real live person I was assured that I would be notified of any change but as of this minute the flight was scheduled to take off on time.

I just hope I’ll be able to get to the airport to be on it.

When is a Bridge more than a Bridge?

Posted on January 10, 2014January 10, 2014 by Dusty Roads

When is a Bridge more than a bridge? When it’s covered , of course.

Pennsylvania is supposed to have the most covered bridges. It is also supposed to have had the most covered bridges of any state throughout history. Estimates say there was at least 1500 during the height of bridge building. But don’t forget Vermont.

Vermont has the most covered bridges per square mile or at least it did have before the bad weather in recent years started taking them out and turning them into matchsticks. I’m not sure where the count stands now.

New Hampshire has bunch and I got to see some of them on my vacation to Waterville Valley.

The one I want to talk about here is the one in Rhode Island. Up until I started researching this bridge I thought it was the only one in Rhode Island. Most articles say Rhode Island has just the one but there’s a rumor that there’s a newer bridge in Lincoln Woods State Park. I may have to check that out.

But back to the bridge of the day, little Swamp Meadow Covered Bridge in Foster , RI. This little bridge was a real labor of love. A replica of an early 19th-century structure, it was built by volunteers back in 1994. The timber was logged from nearby forests and the 40-foot-long bridge straddles Hemlock Brook, north of the small town of Foster, just off Route 94. It uses the lattice-truss method of construction and was rebuilt in 1994.

It’s officially listed as part of the “leaf-peeper trail. A true treasure to see.

I saw a documentary on covered bridges on PBS and that show mentioned that the Swamp Meadow bridge had burned down. It was determined it was arson and the cuplrits, 3 village youths, eventually were identified and apprehended. But that wasn’t the end of the story. The community banded together to rebuild the bridge. The bridge burned on September 11, 1993 and was rededicated in November 1994 and stands to this day.