Waterfowl and a Broad-Winged Hawk

While traveling through back-country roads this morning, I noticed a family of swans--the cygnets now juveniles--swimming in the lake we were passing by.  I couldn't resist taking a few shots.

Walking back to my car, I saw this Broad-Winged Hawk land on a branch of a tree.

                                                          Another lake....  more waterfowl.....

                                           And more birds up in the sky.....  and coming in for a landing.

Structurally Speaking...

                              These structures caught my eye during my travels in the past few days.



A Frosty Morning in the Swamp

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A coating of frost crystalized everything in the swamp.

Bird Watching

Falling . . . falling . . . falling . . .

What better way to while away a crisp November morning than to sit quietly on a small dock of a big lake watching the leaves on the trees along the shoreline--blowing from slight winds, coming loose, gently fluttering downward till they reach the water.  Falling...  falling...  falling...  down...  around...  twisting, turning, upside down, carried on a breeze...

And we can't forget about these 'whirligigs' which we used to call 'poliwags', or, simply, 'helicopters' when we were growing up.  Once these maple tree seeds landed, we'd pick them up and toss them in the air as high as we could so we could watch them twirl back down again.  We even used to open them at the seed and stick them onto our noses just for fun!  Ahhh, memories...  on this crisp November morning...  just watchin' the leaves fall...

Coyote in the Field

A coyote ran across the road yesterday; it seemed to have a purpose.  I followed it into the field where it stopped and began the process of  "mousing".  Somewhere under the snow, a rodent skittered about--and the coyote knew it.  I enjoyed having the chance to observe the coyote for quite some time.  The following still images are a few of many that show what unfolded before me: