Return to Presque Isle

Last week, my husband was on vacation and we took the opportunity to go to Presque Isle. I had been there for a birding festival last May and loved it. At the beginning of the peninsula, I photographed a blue heron posing on a log. That was the only bird I photographed that day. Bird-wise, it was a quiet day. I wanted to show hubby the bald eagle nest I had seen in May (minus the absent eagles). Even though I had marked the location of the nest on my map, I could not find it anymore. The Long Pond Trail was a nice trail anyway. While I was shooting some landscapes, a canoe came around the corner and I fired away until it was out of sight. Much of photography is being at the right place at the right time. We drove around the tip of the peninsula and returned to walk the Graveyard Pond Trail. It was a disappointment. I had hoped to get views of the ponds, but the dense vegetation only allowed a tiny view in two places. That's where I photographed painted turtles sunning themselves on a log. When we finally reached an open area near the end of the trail, there was nothing to see. By then, I was getting sore arms from carrying around my tripod and camera. It was time to call it a day. I concluded that birding is much more exciting in the spring when there weren't just tons of warblers, but also robins, red-winged blackbirds, cedar waxwings and others. Weatherwise, we couldn't have picked a more perfect day. A blue sky and warm temperatures lured out many people to run, bike, or walk in thpark.
In our backyard, things are pretty quiet too. The hummingbirds are probably gone because we haven't seen one since Wednesday. The trees are beginning to change and drop their leaves and the wildflowers are going to seed. Fall is here!