Turkeys!

Posted on April 22, 2011April 22, 2011 by Dusty Roads

Ah the wildlife you can see on Massachusetts highways! I had left Patriot’s Place fully intending to head right home. No more stops and between the fresh air, the walk and the early morning wake-up call, I needed a nap. But nature had another surprise for me.

It’s almost as if Mother Nature said “Ok you missed the geese, see what you can do with this!”

I was almost at the turn off for RT 140 when right there on the side of the road was a Tom Turkey and a pair of hens. Now I’ve seen plenty of wild turkeys. We have our own flock at work. They come visit every spring and fall but I still get a thrill seeing any animal in the wild.

I pulled into a little strip mall and grabbed the camera. There was a sidewalk so I just casually started walking along the sidewalk. One of the hens took off and actually flew across the road. I knew turkeys could fly but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one do it. They are so clumsy. The other hen went the other way into the brush. The Tom didn’t know which way to go so he fluffed up his feathers and displayed for me then he walked into the road! It looked like a suicide mission for sure!

My heart was in my throat. I didn’t even think to take any pictures while he made his dangerous trek. I just watched and prayed he’s get across. He was lucky. Everyone stopped for him and he made it safely to the other side. He never hurried.

I was about to turn around and go back to the car when Mr. Tom decided to come back across to my side. I was sure he was going to be road-kill because a big delivery truck was barreling down the road right at him. That silly turkey, instead of hurrying, stopped right in the middle of that lane and fluffed out his feathers again in display for the truck! He just stood there staring down that vehicle! That’s one Macho turkey. 🙂 Thankfully the driver was able to stop and Mr. Turkey continued to strut his stuff back to my side of the road.

Back where he started he looked around, then headed off after the hen that had slipped away into the brush. They are really ugly-looking birds except for their feathers. His head gleamed a bright blue, his body feathers were shades of green, brown and blue in the spring sunlight. I never noticed that coloring on the wild turkeys we see where I work. I watched him for a little while and then headed home. This time for sure:)

Patriot’s Place on Patriot’s Day

Posted on April 21, 2011April 21, 2011 by Dusty Roads

I’ve been meaning to check out a nature trail I heard about but just haven’t had the time. It’s at Patriot’s Place in Foxboro, home of Gillette Stadium and the New England Patriot’s Football team. The complex houses a shopping mall and conference centers as well. This is where the AAA marketplace was held last month. Bottom line, it’s hard to believe there’s a nature trail amid the asphalt.

As I left Lexington I noticed my gas gauge was getting kind of low. I expected I would need to get gas after making that trip to Lexington. I stopped at a service center with a McDonald’s for a breakfast sandwich. While there I checked their gas prices…$3.95 + / gal for regular. I shouldn’t have been surprised. The egg McMuffin and orange juice w/ a small water came to $7.99! Friendly’s has a whole breakfast for $2.99. I thought McDonald’s was supposed to be cheap!

Anyway, I decided to try to get to a gas station I know on RT 1. It usually has less expensive gas and I could go home by way of RT 1 instead of RT 128. In fact when I got there the gas was $3.73/ gal. Big difference!

So with a bit more gas in my tank I headed off down RT 1. On the way I drove by Patriot’s Place and for the first time saw a sign for the Nature Trail and Cranberry Bog. It was still so early I decided to take the time to check it out. It’s located behind Bass Pro Shop and be warned, the dirt road to the dirt parking area has pot holes big enough to swallow your car.

For the most part the parking lot was empty. There were some construction vehicles and a port-o-potty on the far end of the lot. I didn’t take all the camera stuff, just my monopod that doubles as a walking stick, the new super telly and my 55-200. I left the backpack and the kit lens in the car locked in the trunk.

The path is well-marked. The upper portion is brick-paved and there is a little sitting area and a man-made water feature (waterfall). It’s a pretty little spot. The trail itself is dirt but well maintained. Much better than the access road! It’s a short loop, only about 1/2 mile. To the left is a gentle downslope to a bridge/boardwalk over the marsh to the bog. To the right the trail is more steep. Going right would be the easy way so of course I went left first!

I loved the boardwalk over the pond. It even has a little bench where you can sit and watch the birds. There were the Canadian Geese , of course, a pair of swans, quite a few red-winged blackbirds and a variety of finch/sparrow type birds. I didn’t see any ducks this trip but I am sure there must be some around.

I followed the path through the Cranberry bog. There are two statues of Elk set on the shore and another bridge that crosses the irrigation canal on one side and the pond on the other.

At that point you enter the woods and the terrain changes again. It’s still an easy walk but now you climb a couple of hills.

There’s another little bridge over a brook that feeds the pond. In here I spotted squirrels playing hide and seek but that was about all.

Back at the start I took advantage of the seating area to set up my new lens. I need to get used to using such a heavy lens and the monopod. I found the swans on the pond and was amazed at how big they came out with the super telly. The only thing is it’s a bit cumbersome. I think it will be great if I’m looking to shoot from a blind or someplace where I will be sitting or standing for a bit, in other words, where I can set up housekeeping. 🙂 It’s not a lens to just snap on the camera and go hiking. I’ll stick to my 55-200 for that. It will definitely travel with me when we go to Alaska.

The day seemed to be warming up a bit but that wind was still cold so I wrapped up my morning and it’s only 9 am!

Just as I took the lens off and packed up the geese started honking like crazy and the whole gaggle took off in formation! A very impressive sight and me with no camera ready! Why is it that this always seems to happen to me! Oh well, another picture that got away 🙂

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The Saga of the Herring Run Continues

Posted on April 11, 2011April 11, 2011 by Dusty Roads

A couple of posts ago I reported that the herring run seemed to have ended…no fish no gulls…but as with most things in life it is not safe to assume anything.

When I went to work Saturday I noticed a small flock of gulls gathered at the Herring Run off route 44 in Middleboro and I wondered about it but didn’t have time to stop and investigate. There were a lot of cars in the parking lots and people were wandering over the bridges and looking in the water.

On Sunday I have to go into work in the wee hours of the morning. The sun was just peeking over the horizon and the mist was rolling off the water and the gulls were back in force! There was an even bigger gathering than the first time I wrote about it. I’m not sure if we’re getting a second run or if the first one really didn’t end but the gulls know something.

I had the place to myself except for the “early birds” so I wandered over the bridges and along the ladder looking for fish. Usually when the run is in full swing you can see tons of fish jockeying for position to get upstream. Today I saw a few which is a few more than the other day but I’m not sure how many would be needed to call it a “run”.

Judging from the way the gulls were gathering I am guessing that a lot more fish must be on their way. I want to know how do these birds know?

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Is It Finally Spring?

Posted on April 7, 2011April 7, 2011 by Dusty Roads

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

It was a beautiful day. I wore a pull over “hoodie” but tossed my winter coat in the car just in case. I didn’t need it.

It looks like the Herring Run for 2011 has come to an end, as fast as it started, it seems to be over. I drove over to the Middleboro Herring Run today and there was not a fish in sight. The gulls were also absent. After all the activity of the last few days it was almost spooky!

I went on to Plymouth to see if I could find the fish ladder there. I was told there was one just a few hundred yards from Plymouth Rock. What I found was a hidden gem in plain sight!

Everybody knows about Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower II and even Plimouth Plantation but nobody ever mentioned the Town Brook and the little park called Brewster Gardens to me.

I parked at a meter on the waterfront not far from Plymouth Rock and started looking for a brook or stream connected to the harbor that fish might use to migrate to their spawning pond. I admired the little decorative benches along the way. I took some pictures of the shadows they cast on the sidewalk. I liked the patterns they made.

Crossing the road there was a park and that is where I found the brook. There were lots of people out and about. They were walking their dogs or feeding the ducks..in spite of a sign saying not to. This, it turns out, is Brewster Gardens.

I checked out some of the statues then crossed the little bridge to a path that followed the brook. As I wandered along I took pictures of the area. It was so lovely and the sky was so blue.

It didn’t seem like a very long walk before I came to the Jenny Grist Mill. This presented a lot of photo ops. The lady in the ice cream and souvenir shop told me to continue on to the top of the hill where I would see a pond. She said there were tons of photo ops there too. She was right.

I walked around the pond getting pictures of ducks and a swan. The swan was on shore and seemed to be doing some form of Swan Tai-chi or yoga. It was quite comical to watch. Once the swan wandered off, I headed back to the car. I wasn’t sure how long I had been but I had only put enough money in for an 1 1/2 hours.

Back at the waterfront I saw a couple more ducks and stopped to get their picture before I returned to the car. That’s when I saw a terrific scene. A flock of ducks was coming into the harbor but they weren’t flying…they were swimming. They looked like a tiny armada. It was the cutest thing. Definitely worth watching.

Once they got a little closer I got a better picture. I believe they are Merganser ducks.

As what almost always happens after I stumble onto something, I will do a little research on the park and it’s statues and the Grist Mill and fill you in on my findings.

The 2nd Roger Williams Park

Posted on April 1, 2011April 1, 2011 by Dusty Roads

It doesn’t take all that long to see The Roger Williams National Memorial so since I was in Providence anyway I decided to take a ride over to the Roger Williams Park and Zoo.

This was just a little side trip and I didn’t plan to go into the Zoo. I just wanted to drive around the park and see if the Carousel was open.

It was such a beautiful day. The park was lovely even if nothing was blooming yet. Squirrels were busy running around looking for forgotten nuts, swans and geese and ducks were swimming in the river. Everything was very clean except the waterline.

That was the one jarring note, the trash that was floating up against the river bank. Soft drink cups, papers, plastic straws, bottles, cans, the list goes on. I hope this is just because the staff hasn’t had time to clean this up and not neglect. It’s such a pretty park and I am concerned for the birds that make the river their home.

I spotted some Pussy Willows and 2 pairs of Mallard Ducks, their bright green heads shining in the sun.

Continuing around the park I came to Carousel Village. I really didn’t expect it to be open but it was. It might have been a private birthday party but no one challenged me when I came in and stood taking pictures of the brightly lit carousel.