We found an amazing little spot that looked like no one had been through in ages. The trail was barely noticeable. It was great.
Here is a white-throated sparrow on the branch:
There were rocks placed strategically (intentionally, I suspect) so we could cross this stream:
Evidence of beavers hard at work was seen everywhere:
They even gnaw the branches off of the trunk!
The beavers had felled this tree, so we climbed in it to watch the wildlife. I'd guess 95% of what we saw were red-winged blackbirds, though there were a few unidentified birds that flew by (no binoculars!)
On the way back, Brian found a wild strawberry. We left it for the animals after each taking a tiny bite:
We came across this abandoned farm house, and did a bit of exploring, even though the house did not look stable at all.
There was a nest full of swallows in the upstairs.
We got back on the trail, when we were utterly surprised by the appearance of a spruce grouse and her young. You know how they always say that wild animals are more afraid of you than you are of them? I'm not sure if that was the case here, as we both screamed in fright!We were quietly walking down the trail, when all of a sudden, 6 baby spruce grouses (grice?) shot out of the woods, across the trail, as though they'd been shot out of a cannon. Then, their mother ran across the trail, in full display. She was making the most awful sounds, pretending to be injured as a ploy to protect her chicks.
This was the only picture I could get of her, and I didn't get any of the chicks. We wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, to lessen the stress on her, and so she could collect her babies. I wish I had a video of the entire incident, as it seem so surreal now!
After a pretty short hike, we went to a brew pub for a late lunch. Yes, there is a brew pub in the little town near our cabin. And they brewed pretty good beer, too! 
I had a wheat and Brian had an IPA. We both ate a cheesy appetizer:
Later, we went out to another area for a bit of hiking. We saw cedar waxwings again:
And mystery waterfowl:
Back at home, we went for a walk along the lake. We found this creepy spider among the rocks:
And another mystery waterfowl:
Brian had to figure out how to get across this little stream without getting his shoes wet:
Success!
We went back to the cabin for what would be our last night in Michigan.
No comments:
Post a Comment