Rocky River Reservation

My mama joined us today for an early morning hike. I’ve been seeing a lot of gnawed trees near the trail by the Rocky River Nature Center. Arriving at dawn, we hoped to spot a beaver at work. We scanned the water’s edge in the gray morning light, but saw no movement. Our fingers were growing numb, so we finally had to move on.

Just as we headed down the path, a ripple on the water caught my eye. It was off on the other side of the pond, but it was definitely a beaver! It swam through the water and then emerged to chew loudly on a large tree before slipping back into the water.

At one point, we stopped to watch a red-bellied woodpecker. It clung to the side of a tree, tilting its head to listen for grubs or insects under the bark. When it finally found a tasty morsel, it flew down to a nook in a nearby tree and stashed it there. Then, it flew off to look for more food.

As soon as it left, other birds fluttered down to the “pantry”. They looked around furtively, then descended into the hole and flew away with the stored goods. It was hilarious to watch, but I felt bad for the unwitting woodpecker!

There is something magical about hiking through the woods on a crisp morning.  A breeze moves through and a flurry of leaves comes twirling down, dancing through beams of sunlight.

Shy deer peek out from their hiding place in the woods.  A little red squirrel wrestles a huge mushroom cap up his tree.  A downy woodpecker comes down from the treetops to scour the dry reeds and grasses for a nibble. Flocks of tiny sparrows swoop in and out of the fields with a swoosh of wings and warbles.

Soon, we will get a storm that will strip off the last of the leaves and the woods will be stark and bare. But for now, there is still a lot of motion and subtle color. The path is blanketed in leaves and our footfalls are quiet rustles. Chuck enjoys chasing the leaves. She dances around and looks up at me with an excited gleam in her eye as if she’s asking, “Isn’t this amazing?!”

Today was our first real hike since returning from the road trip (I will post details of the trip once I get through all the photos!). It was hard to leave the clear mountain air and the incredible vistas of the Tetons, but we were happy to be back in familiar territory. The morning was crisp, almost cold. Our breath created faint clouds with every exhale and my hands were numb until we started moving. A lot of foliage has started dying back and the trees are tinted with gorgeous golds and reds.

The thinner undergrowth means clearer views of the ponds and marshes. I was searching the water’s edge for the muskrats, which I haven’t seen for a long time now. Suddenly, my gaze landed on a curious yellow eye looking up at me. A tiny green heron was perched on a log peering out from the shadows. It let me take its picture and watch it for awhile before deciding that maybe it was a good idea to put some distance between itself and Chuck.

We moved on, watching the huge flocks of geese that have gathered. They beat their wings and honked loudly. I could see a few kingfishers, but they were far away and skittish. We went to look for the raccoon, but it didn’t make an appearance. Suddenly, I heard large wings beating and saw a big bird land in a tree. It was followed by another, which landed nearby. I couldn’t get a clear look at either of them but my impression was that they were much larger than the hawks I sometimes see here. We moved around the pond and I kept searching for a better look. Raptors like to perch on the bare trees and dead wood that sticks up out of the marsh. It gives them a good vantage point to look for prey. Sure enough, I spotted the outline of one of the birds high up and far away. I looked at it through the view finder, but even with the zoom, I couldn’t be sure what it was.

We continued our loop around the pond and stopped at a wooded spot that obscures us but gives me a clear view of the water. I scanned the area and noted the geese and some ducks. I turned to move on and spotted it! A massive bird perched on the top of a dead stick protruding from the water. It looked like an extension of the wood, but the huge yellow claws gave it away; it was a juvenile bald eagle! I was so excited to see it there. I’m quite sure there are two sticking together. I will try to find them again next time we visit the pond. What a great welcome home!

As Chuck and I were driving through the valley to our hiking spot, I noticed a group of deer grazing in a large field.  On second glance, I saw that they were all males with antlers.  I quickly parked and grabbed my camera.  There were five big bucks.  I crept closer and closer until I could see the faint fuzz on their antlers.  Finally, one looked right at me  as if posing for the photo.

Once we hit the trail, we hiked past ponds and marshy areas peering through the trees and bushes to look for critters.  A great blue heron stood serenely on a log while wood ducks puttered around near the shore.  Belted kingfishers flew over the marsh chattering loudly and swooping down to pull fish from the water.  

There is a snag of dead tree limbs at the edge of the marsh we stopped near it and squatted amongst the pines.  I watched the limbs, hoping a kingfisher might land there.  Chuck stuck her head in a big hole, sniffing and circling, but staying quiet.  All of a sudden, a green heron came into focus.  It was a small one, perched right near us!  I managed a decent shot before it flew off to a higher perch on a tree in the middle of the water.

We continued our explore and found a raccoon playing in the creek.  It was skittish, but I managed to keep Chuck quiet so we could watch it wash its little hands and scramble up and down a fallen log. High in the trees, we heard a hawk screaming. Over and over, its cry pierced the sky. I finally saw it perched on a bare treetop. Down below, I found another green heron. It cocked its head and looked skyward, listening to the hawk’s screams.

As we circled back for the return stretch, we approached a bend in the road.  A doe stepped out of the woods and stood, stock still, in the middle of the street!  I could hear the whir of car tires approaching from the other side of the bend. My heart skipped a beat, but the mama moved out of the way of the oncoming jeep just in time.  A few moments later, two fawns stepped out of the woods and cautiously crossed the street to join her.

As we watched the trio, another doe and her fawn emerged from the woods. They approached slowly and then began to “dance” in a circle clearly greeting and playing with one another. Once the dance broke up, the original doe and her fawns began walking directly towards us. Chuck sat next to me, quivering, but not moving or making a sound. I watched through the view finder as the deer drew closer and closer until they filled the entire frame! I couldn’t believe they weren’t put off by Chuck. Finally, they noticed her. they turned abruptly and disappeared into the woods.

Today was the last day of summer vacation before my daughter, Grace, goes back to school. We decided to have a little adventure together to kick off the day. the sun was newly risen and the air was still cool and damp with overnight dew when we headed onto the trails near the Rocky River Nature Center. Most of the trails were in shadow. The birds were just waking up.

At the base of a steep hill is a boardwalk trail that winds through a little marsh. In one section, jewelweed and milkweed bloom profusely on both sides of the platform. I often seen goldfinch there and have spotted the occasional hummingbird. this morning, the entire patch was buzzing with ruby throated hummingbirds! The emerald green feathers on their backs blended perfectly with the green foliage of the jewelweed and their quick movements made them hard to see.

We took quietly and waited. After awhile, the birds seemed to grow more comfortable with us. Every so often, one would land on a twig for a second or two or hang in the hair, beak buried in a flower. It was so thrilling to have these “tiny dancers”, as Grace called them, flitting all around us.

I was excited to be able to freeze them in photographs so I can really look at them. As tiny as they are, there is so much variation in their feathers. Their backs are iridescent and they shimmer in the light while their chins and chests are downy and white with incredible details at the throat. What special little creatures!

Chuck and I were on the trail early this morning. We headed to the network of trails around the Rocky River Nature Center. In the heat of summer, the woods grow quiet. It’s as if the birds and critters grow heavy and tired in the humidity. For the first time in a long time, this morning was very cool and the bushes and trees were alive with birdsong!

Woodpeckers of all varieties tapped out good morning. Goldfinches feasted on milkweed and posed prettily on the heavy pink blossoms. A dry tree near the trail was festooned with catbirds. A kingfisher chattered far off over the marsh and tiny hummingbirds flitted here and there like fairies among the flowers.

One song cut through the rest. It was loud and clear. I followed the sound expecting to see a bird much larger than the tiny wren that was belting his tune. The house wren is small and brown. There are delicate details on his back, but were it not for his exuberant song, I never would have noticed him at all!

As we neared the end of our hike and headed across the boardwalk toward the nature center, we were approached by a woman and her German Shepard. I turned back so we could move off the narrow walk to give them room to pass. The woman looked and me and then at Chuck and asked, “Are you “walkingwithchuck?” She had seen my photos on Facebook! We had a lovely chat and I was so excited to learn that she hikes many of the same trails and loves to see the photos of the things Chuck and I find. Thank you, Linda, for following along and for introducing yourself today! What a treat!

In the spring, Chuck and I watched muskrats busy building their nests. We knew exactly where quite a few nests were; we watched the parents swimming to and fro, bringing big bunches of leaves to their dens. Since then, I’ve been looking for the babies, but I had not been able to spot any until today!

We were walking along the marsh near Big Met Golf Course. All the wood ducks were posing for me today. I was happy to see the young ones looking so grown up and healthy. I was watching one of the ducks preen his feathers, when I saw a ripple in the water. I looked closer and saw that it was a muskrat. I sat down at the edge of the water to try to get a clear shot. Then, I noticed that there were other smaller ripples all around the muskrat. Babies! Chuck sat so still with me for ages while I watched them. One little one seemed to tire of swimming easily and it would crawl out onto a branch where I could see it clearly. Oh, the fuzzy little face with quivering whiskers!

I was so focused on the muskrats, I didn’t realize how long I had been asking Chuck to sit still. Finally, she couldn’t take it any more and plunged into the dark oozy mud at the edge of the marsh. I pulled her out right away, but her legs were coated in stinky mud that clung like tar to her fur. She did not appreciate the cleanup required when we got home!

Chuck and I were back in the Rocky River Reservation today. It’s very familiar territory for us. We started from the parking lot at the marina just at the base of the hill when you head down into the valley from Lakewood. We followed the paved path that winds along the parkway. If you stay on the paved path, it stays near the road. Every now and then it approaches the river or turns away to skirt an open field with baseball diamonds and soccer fields. It’s a bit busy with runners and bikers and dog walkers.

So, as we walk, I look for little dirt paths the lead away into the woods. We found one today that took us to the left of the paved walkway down towards the river and then through woods thick enough to feel remote even though we were just off the beaten path.

The river is low now and there were long stretches where we walked along the stony basin. This brought us close to the stately herons and flocks of ducks navigating the current. Eventually, we climbed back up the bank and found ourselves swallowed up by the green canopy and heavy undergrowth. We must have been the first on the trail because we kept walking into spiderwebs strung across the path. I noticed so many of them today, little silvery bullseyes scattered through the forest.

Eventually, we had to head back up to the road. I didn’t expect to see much before we got back to the car, but a little movement in a tree near the trail caught my eye. I quickly turned, focused and snapped a picture of the bird on the trunk. When I looked again to see what it had been, it was already gone. I figured it was a woodpecker, but only when I got home did I realize, I’d snagged a young red-bellied woodpecker. His little head and gray and fuzzy instead of vibrant red and it has the slightly disoriented look of a young critter starting to find its way on its own.

Yesterday was a slow day. It was overcast and cooler than it has been. I was happy to have my mom join us on the trail! We walked and chatted and looked for critters. She loves the woods and the birds and animals as much as I do and it’s a joy to share any experience with her!

It was after 10am by the time we got down into the valley. The early morning bird activity had slowed and the park was busy with little kids’ camps, people walking their dogs and folks getting a workout on the steps near the Rocky River Nature Center. We parked just east of the center parking lot and stopped to checkout a marshy area I know. I was hoping to spot a beaver, but the only inhabitant was a great blue heron. I see these guys everywhere, but I never tire of them. I love the way they stand so still and so regally in the water and strike so quickly to snap up fish.

We left the marsh and hiked over to the nature center area. Milkweed and other flowers were blooming along the trail and we saw quite a few eastern tiger swallowtails. Their yellow wings are spectacular! Like all butterflies, they are important pollinators. In fact, there are some plants, like flame azaleas, that are designed in such a way that small pollinators (i.e. bees) are not able to effectively pollinate them. Only large butterflies with their broad wings can settle on these flowers and transfer pollen from the anther to style. I love to learn about the various things we find in the woods. Everything always has a place and a purpose.