I heard a mob of crows carrying on in the woods. So I grabbed my camera and entered the path near where the crows were gathering. As suspected, there was this beautiful owl perched in the tree. 

I heard crows calling and went outside with my camera hoping there was a good reason for their commotion. As hoped, there was a great horned owl just off the path in the woods. 

The SLU Birders club went out on the Sandbanks trail for a relaxing fall birding walk. We didn't see much, but the fall colors were spectacular! The contrast of the evergreen trees with the deciduous understory is beautiful. We did see this cute Downy Woodpecker and I was able to snap a few photos. 

Driving home and saw seven of these little guys playing in the road.  

Driving home and seven raccoons were playing in the road so I stopped and watched them for a while. I rolled my window down and it sounded like they were scolding me for interrupting their playtime!   Then they scurried up the nearest tree.

For World Migratory Bird Day this October (and also the eBird Big Day), SLU Birders took a trip to Indian Creek Nature Center. We had a great time! There was a huge amount of Rusty and Red-winged Blackbirds, and lots of waterfowl. The weather was beautiful and it was the perfect day for birding. 

Ran in front of my car but I was going slow enough and saw her in advance.  

She just stood and watched me slowly get closer and closer to her.

A quick walk from the parking lot to the lean-to,  the ponds were extremely low level.

In fact the rabbit was standing where it's normally water at first pond.



We saw quite a few Northern Harrier, a few thousand red-winged blackbirds, the frogs were still out as were turtles, a muskrat was collecting lily pads for it's den and various fly catchers were around.  



It was another terrific visit.



 

A snapping turtle nest opened up next to the Wachtmeister Field Station last week. If you came to any of our suimmer campfires we probaby took a moment to share this nest with you. Last summer, there were a few nests that were dug up or hatched by the end of the year. This time around the nest lasted until mid-September, and a dozen or more babies made it out.

SLU Birders is a new club on campus that I co-founded with a friend this year, aimed at connecting students to the world of birds and avian conservation. Our first meeting was a walk down the Saddlemire Trail to look for birds. We ended up at the horse barn in search of Barn Swallows. We were unsuccessful in this search, but only because we noticed something across the street at the composting grounds-- a Bald Eagle!

Each morning there is a new web from this marbled orbweaver on our porch, today I noticed a bee that had become trapped.



I wanted to get a picture of the spider, and when I came back the spider had begun to pull the bee towards it and proceeded to eat it.



I'm not sure if this was the stage when it's injecting the digestive enzymes, or if that was done earlier and it's now "drinking" the liquified meat. 

But in either case, it was amazing to be able to see it so clearly.

While driving in on the road, the owl flew across and set on branch right by the road. Stayed long enough (about 2 min) to slowly exit from my car and get my camera from the hatchback for some nice shots from behind the car on the road.

My latest trail discovery is the Stone Valley Trail! These pictures are from my second hike there. I came across a painted turtle perched on a steep part of the side of the trail. I'm not sure where its destination was, but it wasn't on the trail anymore when I walked past on my way out.

I also spent some time sitting on a log watching the waterfall and "the tubs." According to a trail sign, the tubs are potholes that have formed as a result of a swirling current with pebbles and sand mixed in that abrade the rock. 

While walking along the Saddlemire Trail, I spotted a strange shape rustling in the bushes near the end of the path. As I neared, I noticed that it was covered in quills. I had never seen a porcupine in the wild before, so it was a very surprising sight. I observed from a distance, not wanting to spook the animal. The porcupine did not move, caught up in its own little world. Eventually, I needed to continue on the trail, so I cautiously walked forward. Only then did the porcupine finally notice me, shuffling back into the brush it had come from.

This deer had turned the Permaculture Garden at St. Lawrence University into her home for weeks by the time this picture was taken. She had become a nuisance - ravaging crop left unprotected. On this particular day, she was munching on some apple tree leaves. About a week later, I spotted her hiding in the tall grass in the garden with new twin fawns.

These are a couple of photos from our event with the St. Lawrence Land Trust earlier this month. We collected water samples from Hart's Falls and were looking for different fish species. We ended up catching quite a few shiners by trawling the shoreline, but no big fish. We also managed to catch plenty of frogs and macroinvertebrates from the shallows above the falls.

A common ribbon snake caught a grey frog, and the frog was fighting for its life. However, it did not escape. 

Our first kayak trip on the Grasse River.



The water level is low and with a barely moving flow, it was very relaxing paddle.



We barely saw any wildlife for the first 20 minutes or so, but it picked up nicely after that.



We were able to see a Cuckoo, muskrat, quite a few Ceder Waxwing were picking bugs out of the air, a small area patrolled by Killdeer, and hundreds of frogs among other things, some that would watch us as we watch them.

While on a water sampling event with HEOP students, we encountered a dog-day cicada (according to iNaturalist) on a tree next to the river. It was still waking up and sitting on the shell of its cocoon. Next to it was another cocoon of the same species, but the other insect must have flown off by the time we got there. 

I heard a rustling in the fruit trees and looked over to find a pair of young racoons eating apples. They ate apples until they fell asleep in each others arms. 

A baby great horned owl was moved from the grates in front of Newell Field House and into a nearby tree. This bird has just fledged from the nest, as it's too big to stay there, and can now start learning to fly. The owl's parents leave it hidden during the day and then return at night to feed the owl! 

I spotted a Japanese Beetle out in the yard on a plant, at first it concerned me a little as I know they have no natural predators to keep them in check in the USA.

They eat leaves, leaving behind only the veins as adults, and consume roots as grubs.

Left unchecked they can wreak havoc.



But the introduced Winsome Fly will lay eggs on the beetle body, which when they hatch will enter the beetle and start consuming it, starting with the parts which give the beetle the ability to fly.

I was in my garden when a chipmunk ran over my feet! It was being chased by this stoat. I followed the chase along the garden fence and captured this still of a stoat in flight! 

I spotted this beautiful tree swallow stretching his wings while guarding the nest box in our vegetable garden. 

We were sitting on a dock feeding fish and I saw the young deer at the far bank.

Believing it was trying to get a drink, I was concerned about it falling in.

Instead it gracefully entered, swam silently and calmly across and exited.



As graceful in the water as among the leaves.

I went for a walk on the Saddlemire Trail with my binoculars with the intention of looking for birds. I did find many birds (including American Redstarts, an Eastern Meadowlark, Yellow Warblers, and more) but I also saw a porcupine and a painted turtle! The porcupine was taking a nap up in a tree, and was still there when I passed by again on my way back. The painted turtle was on the side of the trail poking its head out of its shell near a patch of wild strawberries. These encounters were very special!

I was on my morning walk when I happened upon this encounter between a doe and a pair of redwinged blackbirds. 

This doe was walking through the field with her fawn when she stumbled on a red winged blackbird nest. 

I was hiding out in the spruce row watching our for our nesting kestrel pair when I heard a commotion from the field behind me. It was red winged black birds. I thought perhaps they were upset with me for potentially being too near their nest. Instead, it seemed this new Momma deer was standing in the tall grass nursing her new fawn. She was too near the nest. The pair of red winged blackbirds were relentless but she stood still only occasionally moving her head while they loudly called and pecked at her.

I was watching for a nesting kestrel pair when I heard a commotion. It seems this doe got too near a red winged blackbirds nest. The birds were relentless but she was too busy nursing her fawn to be phased. Fawn is hidden by tall grass. 

I found this cool mushroom growing off the side of a dead log. Not sure what species it is but I think its either Bleeding Fairy Helmet or Rosy Bonet Mushroom. 

Jen notice something in the reeds looking a little different while on a paddle near the outlet of Lower Lake.



It was this long dead frog.  I wondered why nothing had come by to eat this when it was "less dead".  



But as we will never know, we are just left with a bunch of questions.



One of the more interesting things we have found though.

We have consistent night time bats that fly over the front and back yards around dusk and beyond.



But this was the first time in the 2 years we have lived here that I saw one flying a loop in the front yard, then I watched it land on a tree.



I got my wife and I got my camera, and we were fortunate enough for it to stick around so we could see it fairly closely.

As it was about 15-20 feet up the tree, it didn't seem to care we were nearby, so I got a few photos.

I went for a birding walk on the Remington Recreational Trail today in order to study for my ornithology final (where we'll be identifying birds along the trail). We saw and heard 30 species total, and I was able to get pictures of a few, including this Yellow-rumped Warbler. It was only when I looked back at the photos and zoomed in that I saw the bug in their beak! 

The administrative office of the North Country Library System is on the Black River, and is set on a large plot of land that includes a grove of old, mixed trees as well as an open field and a small wooded clearing. I go out during my lunch most days, and see all sorts of wildlife. This was an incredibly lucky moment: I heard something hit my window, and I ran to the back door to make sure there wasn’t an injured bird on the ground. While I was looking, this woodpecker flew across the property and landed on the tree closest to the door.

On my morning walk I heard the sounds of a familiar bird in the fruit trees. I often hear these cute birds, but rarely do they pause for a photo. It was my lucky day! This little Ruby Crowned Kinglet was happy to pose 

A photo shared with me by a student on campus of some rabbit kits in their den. Facilities later came by and filled the hole, presumably after relocating the family.

We came across this Northern Flicker in the enchanted forest of SLU's campus during my ornithology class lab! Northern Flickers are my current favorite bird, and they are a species I wasn't aware of before taking ornithology. I took this photo through my binoculars, so I'm hoping I come across another sometime soon when I have my camera with me to get a better picture. 

A pied billed grebe was closer than most of the other birds on this morning, so it became my main photo subject.



Lower lake from the berm ( near the metal observation tower ).

I woke up early and heard the loons calling from Lower Lake at Upper and Lower Lake WMA.



I decided to head over to watch the sun come up, most of the birds ( and muskrat ) were off in the distance, but it was still well worth the visit to see the colors change before the Sun actually made it's appearance. 

While at the Earth Day 7k this year I took advantage of the bird feeder at the Wachtmeister Field Station to snap some photos of visitors to the feeder! This included a number of Purple Finches, a Hairy Woodpecker, and a curious chipmunk. Bird feeders can be a great way to know what species are in the area, learn more about their behavior, and hone your identification skills. 

Wilson's snipe was out by mud where the river had receded recently.



I've seen them up here before, but it's the first time one stayed around long enough for me get a good picture of it.

I woke up to see mist rising from the Oswegatchie, so I went out to sit on a milkcrate for an hour or so and see what came by to visit.



Among the ones that came by were Mallards, Wood Ducks, Common and Hooded Merganser and a Pied Billed Grebe.



They are usually all very skittish and leave anytime we exit the house or are within around 100 yards from them, so I got a slightly better chance to get phots by being there first and waiting for them to arrive.  

 

I saw this American Crow while on a walk on the Saddlemire Trail today. It was perched on this dead tree watching over the area. I had my binoculars with me, so I lined up my phone camera with the binocular lens to get this picture. Did you know that crows can remember faces? They're pretty cool birds!

On a walk in the yard between the river and wetlands, this Bullfrog was sitting motionless.



The first frog we have seen in 2025,  we later heard some spring peepers as well.

 

The crocuses are blooming!

I was visiting the dike area at Upper Lower Lake WMA and very little was to be seen, but with the binoculars I could see some movement at the far side of the frozen lake.  

I took a photo, but even with a 600mm lens, it was barely a speck in the picture.

It took me about 30 minutes to get from the dike to the marsh overlook viewing platform, which was near the location of the coyote, but as I figured it was no longer around.

We had a gorgeous 6" of wet snow last night and the groomed nordic trails on the SLU golf course look beautiful. What a great snowy winter we're having!

While driving around looking for birds with a friend, we got lucky and spotted this Barred Owl perched on some wires over a field! The owl seemed to be hunting - they were turning their head in all directions as if scanning for sounds. When we drove back a bit later the owl was still in the same area, just perched on a tree instead. 

These are photos shared with me by a community member, Blair Madore, who was snowshoeing the Kip Trail from the Pike Road trail entrance. This porcupine, tracks, and bite marks can be found about a mile down the trail at the first bridge you hit if you enter from Pike Road, or 1.5 miles down the trail at the second bridge if you start from the Wachtmeister Field Station. 

With the Upper and Lower Lakes frozen over, the section of Oswegatchie bordering it has become a hunting ground for this Eagle.



It has shown up just about every day for the past week or so, and is sitting in a tree overlooking the river.



I walked out on the porch to attempt to get a photo, but it immediately knew I was there and we looked at each other.

It decided to move on to a different spot, but as I've seen it in that same tree and on the same branch 4 days over the past week, I know it will be back.

A group of common merganser have made this section of the Oswegatchie their temporary home for the past few weeks.



This section of river has had consistently open water this winter, so it's made for a terrific feeding area for these birds.



They don't like when I go out there, and they will swim downstream immediately, but I decided to stay wait them out, and despite it being around 20 degrees it was worth it.  As they did make their way back and as I laid in the snow, they swam, dove, ate and chased each other for the next hour.

I took this picture while cross-country skiing at Higley Flow for the first time. I enjoyed skiing under the canopy of these really tall pine trees!

These photos are from Nature Up North's first hike event of 2025, a snowshoe to Rainbow Falls. This trailhead starts on the Tooley Pond Rd, which is plowed but can be victim to variable road conditions. The trail is .3 miles to the falls and is largely flat, but features a wooden bridge at the falls built by the DEC, with a short jump up directly after. If you snowshoe to the falls, be aware of where there is real ground beneath your feet, and not drifts on top of treetops next to the gorge. Always stay within the treeline. 

With the fresh overnight snow, I saw a lot of bird activity on the front porch. 

It has a view of the Oswegatchie River and few bird feeders we put out in the yard. 

I'd seen birds out on our chairs before, they walk along the slats as they check out there area, but this time it just appeared as though the bird had day down, leaving a butt print while it relaxed and watched the other birds. 

A lovely day of skiing at higley.

The Barred Owl was hunting on the side of the road. We had passed by in a car and slowed on the other side to grab some photos!

A beautiful sunset on mountain view lake.

Indiana Jones just loves the first real snow he can make snow Angels in!!  

Along Lowland Trail at Indian Creek Nature Center.

While walking along one of the smaller ponds at the Indian Creek Nature Preserve, I encountered this snake sunning itself in the grass. To avoid me, it went out onto the ice but never ventured far out, and turned to face me before disappearing into the brush on the bank. I am not completely sure what species it is, although I suspect it is an especially orange Northern Watersnake. 

A wilderness hike bake to the seldom-visited West Branch of the Oswegatchie River, at the Aldrich Pond Wild Forest.

My annual kayak trip between Lows Lower and Upper Dams.

While out looking for amphibians I flipped over a log next to the trail. To my surprise this blue-spotted salamander and green frog were right next to each other under the log! This was the first blue-spotted salamander that I've found, and was very exciting. 

My annual paddle from the Inlet to High Rock. Very low water conditions, and temps in the 30s.

We stopped off at Lower Lake, which was drained this year by the DEC to do some work.

While there were commonly seen birds like ring billed gulls, trumpeter swans, ducks, geese, blackbirds and kingfisher.

It was a nice surprise to see some Semipalmated Pipers and a Lesser Yellowlegs on their way from Northern Canada down to the Gulf, or farther. 

 

While certainly not located within the North Country, the relatively dark skies in the area certainly allow us better opportunity to see things in the night sky.

The photo doesn't do it justice of course, but I'm still thrilled to get it.

First snow of the season!

Took a drive and the rain started to look thick, turning into slush and then big, fat fluffy snow flakes!! 

My first attempt at photographing the Northern Lights.



They weren't nearly as vibrant to the eye, but over a 30 second exposure, they do show up fairly well.



I definitely look forward to future opportunities to view and shoot them.



 

A nice bike & hike to Lows overlook during the peak of the foliage change.

Every year the SLU Outing Club does Peak Weekend. This year I joined a group to hike up St Regis Mountain and had a blast! The weather was perfect and the trees changing color made it magical. 

Stopped near Donnelly's Icecream at Glenview to see the sunset. Great view of the ADK high peaks, and great color in the leaves. They were starting to hit peak this weekend (last weekend in Sept.)

The field in the foreground is a piece of land owned by the ADK Land Trust called Glenview. They're working on an accessible trail system on the property, set to finish sometime in the next year.

While hiking the trail to Huckleberry Lake I came across a wetland area with a ton of frogs! This frog was sitting on a rock looking out over the pond, and let me get very close to take this picture. 

I spend a lot of time paddling on Dexter Marsh and taking photos. I was on my way back to the launch to head home, and a motor boat came up behind me. I moved off to the side to get out of their way, and thankfully spotted this bird (I think a green heron, but I'm new to birding so I'm not completely sure). Not only was he unbothered by the motor, he didn't mind me at all! I sat about 10 feet from him in my canoe while he ran back and forth and hunted fish and frogs. It was a lovely experience to be able to observe him without feeling like he was afraid of me.

We did some searching for crayfish in Eel Weir state park over the weekend. Water was low and we found many dried up shells along the shoreline. We also caught 10 or so in the water. They all appeared to be Northern Clearwater or Allegheny crayfish. We didn’t find any invasive rusty crayfish.

Walking early morning and the fog was lifting as the sun came up.

Rabbit Island Paddle on Spitfire Lake. A plaque on Rabbit Island commemorates the tuberculosis experiments Dr. Trudeau performed here in the summer of 1886. The plaque reads: "On this island in 1886 Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau conducted his historic experiment to determine the effect of environment on the incidence and progress of tuberculosis in a colony of rabbits. This plaque was placed by Trudeau Institute, Inc. in commemoration of this pioneering study in experimental epidemiology, October 7, 1972.".

As I was walking on the Saddlemire trail I noticed this green frog hanging out in the grass in the middle of the trail. It wasn't at all startled by my close up photo!

Hiking Chimney Bluffs State Park along the shores of Lake Ontario. 

It was a cooler, windy evening in August when we decided to walk around Sugar Island. While not terribly buggy, you did have to keep moving else they may swarm. The view from the dock was beautiful though and well worth a few mosquito bites. 

We stopped by Hart's Falls to see how different it might be after the recent high waters due to Hurricane Debby.

The River itself was already a foot lower than it was at the high the prior day, so I wish I'd had thought of this earlier.

But quite a bit more of the rocks on the upstream side were submerged than we had ever seen on prior visits.



For perspective, both of us are in the picture on the rock.



 

Walking and saw this!

Butterflies 

The heavy rains left over from hurricane Debbie had not raised the level of the Oswegatchie yet, but it did create multiple frog puddles over the lawns of neighborhood yards. 

While out looking for the frogs, Jen saw a turtle break the surface, so as it didn't seem to care we where there, she got closer to view it. 

Just after this photo, it walked over to her, and bumped her get a few times while leaving against her fur a few minutes before we all departed ways. 

Walking in to work and spotted this little guy crawling across the sidewalk around 8am. Came back with an oven mitt to move him and found him climbing the tree. Came back around noon and found him still between the first branches sleeping. My buddy guess is Large Brown Bat. No obvious signs of white nose syndrome.

Paddling Kusaqua & Rainbow Lakes from the Buck Pond campground. 

While walking the Massawepie Mire railbed, I was thrilled to spot two Spruce Grouse fledglings in the boreal habitat west of the crossing of the South Branch Grasse River. The DEC and regional ecologists have been working to establish a breeding population of this endangered species, with their efforts including the release of males and females. It was therefore wonderful to see successful breeding. I was fortunate enough to have one of the fledglings fly into the boughs of a conifer to pose for photos.

The Photography Club at the Nicandri Nature Center meets monthly, and when we were walking a part of the trail quite close to the Center in mid-July, we came upon this scene. The frog was still alive, and the snake was busily digesting as much as possible so it could slither off to enjoy the rest of its meal. In the meantime, we were able to get some pretty good shots. Although this is nature, it was still difficult to watch.

As we walked the footbridge over to Falls Island, we noticed a deer at the waters edge eating berries.



We watched it for a while and took a quick walk over to see the falls and on the way back the deer was on the trail, still eating, as we stopped for a moment to look at it, while it looked back and realized we were not scary.



As we started to approach the deer started to follow,  probably 20 feet behind us.  It made it about 1/3 of the way across the bridge before turning back.

Water levels were high, very buggy! But perfect for mushrooms!

We decided to take our boat out on the St. Lawrence River for an evening cruise and ended up floating beneath the Ogdensburg Prescott International Bridge. Our puppy, Cooper, was really enjoying the cool air. I snapped this shot near Chimney Island.

While at the CCE bioblitz we found some pretty burdock.

Had a great time at the Cornell Cooperative extension bioblitz and saw some gorgeus plants.

Nature Up North's float on the Oswegatchie.



Among the many creatures we observed were Great Blue Heron, Robin, Turkey Vultures, Barn Swallow, Kingbird, Painted turtles, Red-Tailed Hawk, Eastern Phoebe, Kingfisher, Cedar Waxwing and a Solitary Sandpiper.



A terrific few hours out on the river for an easy 5 mile paddle.

Twice the frog attempted to swallow the crawfish  by the head, and had to retreat.

After a 15 minute standoff, the frog took a position between the crawfish and the water it was trying to get to.

I'll never know who won, because this started a standoff between myself and my wife and the insects that were attacking us.

We lost as these two waited each other out.

A nice morning spent paddling Little Clear Pond.

Freshly fledged American Kestrel nestlings awaiting a delivery from mom in the morning sun. 

Beautiful sunset litup the trees at the feild station at the book exchange camp fire! Lovely night!

After finishing a paddle on the Oswegatchie, I spotted these small Crayfish over the shore by the boat launch. 

While on my morning walk to check our various bird boxes, I heard a commotion in the veggie garden. The tree swallows were swirling and calling. I spotted a recent fledge from our kestrel box sitting on the fence. He was kind enough to pose a while. I got a few nice shots before he heard Mom calling and joined her in a nearby tree. 

A nice morning paddle from Eel Bay at the Minna Anthony Common Nature Center, through the Narrows, and into South Bay.

Had to stop quick and take a picture of this snake on Judson Street Road.

These recently fledged barn swallows were getting flying and hunting lessons from Mom in my veggie garden in the early morning. Helping me with pest control! So sweet. 

This was a fantastic spot to view the building of the next, the babies and all of the hunting and caretaking.

It was located about 15 feet from the shore, so it was protected to an extent, and the placid water is a haven for damsel and dragon flies. The adult birds were almost always within sight as they hunted and returned.

At times, one would sit at the edge of the nest and spread it's wings to help shelter the young from the direct sun.

 

Tailed Frog at Stone Valley

Tree Swallow nestlings getting fed just before fledging. This is one of ten boxes occupied by these beautiful insect eating birds! (PS- why no tree swallow tag available???) 

A butterfly with a broken wing at the first campfire of the season!

This photo was taken by Rensselaer Falls resident Troy Parla in Heritage Park, Canton.

A gloomy spring day hiking the trail from Wanakena to the Inlet.

For our last ecology lab of the semester, my class went to Higley Flow State Park to look for salamanders! This is one of 60 Red Backed Salamanders that we found by looking under logs and bark. 

Here's another photo of a Red-Backed Salamander that I found during my ecology class lab! These salamanders are very small, but are so abundant that their biomass outweighs the biomass of many other species in the area, including deer! We found 60 Red-Backed Salamanders during our lab. 

A local repair shop was testing out their restored 1950’s/60’s German car/boat combo in the little river. Photos were taken from the SLU boat house on the little river.

I watched this wood duck pair circling overhead. They finally landed and in perfect sunshine. I have been seeing them in this tree over the last couple of weeks and we have three duck boxes that are occupied. This pair appears to be nesting in a natural cavity in the tree. A great argument to leave standing dead and dying trees as they provide habitat and nesting opportunities for our native bird species. 

I have been seeing gray foxes from time to time, but always in poor lighting situations and never near enough to capture a photo to verify my sighting. This changed last Saturday. From my kitchen window I spotted this gray fox and her mate crossing our property. I was able to capture a few photos through the glass. This is the best one. She almost looks angelic. 

Warm spring weather made for comfortable testing in waders under the SUNY Canton bridge. 

An unusually warm spring gave me an opportunity to kayak when I would normally be snowshoeing.

My regular morning routine involves walking our property with my camera. We live on the north end of Black Lake. While I was walking towards the lake, I spotted a coyote crossing the clearing. I typically see at least two at a time and figured I must have missed the first. I continued towards the lake and sat for a while watching bald eagles in the distance. Then I spotted something walking towards me on the ice. I pointed my camera towards the edge of the tree line and was happy to capture this shot and many more. Coyote on ice. 

Each morning I walk down to the lake's edge with my camera, hoping to catch a glimpse and even better a photo of some of our abundant local wildlife. This female coyote was curious about my camera's clicking and posed for quite a while as she walked by following her mate. 

I see about one bald eagle a day here on our property on Black Lake. The other day I was thrilled to see not just one or two, but FIVE sub adult bald eagles ranging in age from 1 to about 4 years old. I shot this photo and several others from my kitchen window. 

Pointe Au Roche State Park is always a nice winter destination. This year we didn't need snowshoes.

The wind was blowing and the snow was falling but it did not deter this dark eyed junco. 

It was a snowy Sunday but the Juncos did not mind. This one posed for me. 

I have been watching for foxes and hoping to have them return to our property after not seeing any for about a year. I was so happy to see this vixen, part of a pair that were exploring the gardens around our pool looking for voles and chipmunks. 

I have been seeing fox tracks around the property when there has been snow and hopping to catch a glimpse since I had not seen one in a while and the last one I saw was suffering from mange. I was so happy when I looked out the window to catch not only one, but two foxes out in the garden around our pool. This photo is what I believe to be the male. Taken from my kitchen window. 

I have been watching for foxes since seeing their tracks in the snow on my morning walks. I was so happy to see this pair in our garden from the kitchen window. 

Took a walk at Indian Creek Nature Center out to the lean-to there that is dedicated to John Green. John was a professor in the Biology Department and also one of the folks who first established Indian Creek Nature Center for the public. He was also a good friend. 

Took a walk in the woods as the sun was beginning to set on the shortest day of the year.

A blustery day on a short walk at Fort de La Présentation.  

Out past the lighthouse, I found beautiful ice formations on the rocks, concrete and driftwood.



With the wind and being around 18 degrees, it was good that it was a short walk, but well worth the exposed hands to work the camera.



A beautiful day to be out actually.

Skiing Whitaface with the peak in the clouds. As you ski down the cloud cover ended just above Little Whiteface giving way to some great views into the valley.

Though it is warming up into the 40's today, it was fun to see these tracks in the snow. I like the reminder that these critters are out and about even in the cold weather.

An easy rail-trail hike that always has Gray Jays looking for a snack.

On my morning walk I encountered this very busy male pileated woodpecker. I heard him working before I spotted him. 

This was our last view of the mountains when hiking up Whiteface

The squirrels love to use this feeder and often visit it as an alternative to the bird feeders in the yard.

The first of many chilly and snowy mornings in the North Country has me looking forward to all the winter months have to offer. 

Foxy and Snowball, the goats at the SLU Sustainability Farm are enjoying their new pasture! These two are very sweet goats; they love to explore and interact with human visitors. 

I was kayaking on Black Lake on an unusually warm October afternoon when I heard the call of the belted kingfisher. I allowed the wind to blow me closer where I was able to take a few photos and I didn't drop my camera in the water! :) 

While out on my regular morning walk, I heard Canada geese approaching. As I looked up I realized they were about to fly in front of the still glowing harvest moon. I am happy I had my camera with me. 

While I was on my morning walk here on Black Lake, I noticed a group of flickers seeming to check out the various boxes around our property. I was happy that I had my camera handy when these two males were competing over the tasty snacks in this old tree stump. The approaching flicker is showing off his yellow under feathers that give them their name "Yellow Shafted Northern Flicker"

Ruby throated hummingbirds dueling over garden territory. 

I am pretty sure this chipmunk lives in the Canoe House, everyday it scurries around with some food in their cheeks. 

Beautiful view on a fall day 

Each morning I take a walk to greet the new day. I love seeing what birds are enjoying the flowers and trees around our home. On this September morning, this little lady was kind enough to pose for me on a dew covered sunflower branch. 

While working in the garden there is always a flury of hummingbird activity this time of year. They battle for control of the best feeders and flowers. I captured this photo after this hummingbird successfully chased off the competition and went on with enjoying the flowers. 

Hummingbirds are fighting over the flowers in the gardens. This little one found a perfect spot to sip a zinnia blossom with flowering dill in the background. 

I noticed a bird flying around our property and the hayfield next door, it flew like a bat in circles. There were lots of insects on this hot and humid September day. I realized it was a nighthawk. A rare sighting during daylight hours. Please allow me to add proper tag. Nighthawks are on decline, and it would be great if people could properly tag their sightings. 

I think this was a spiny oak-slug moth caterpillar. It was really beautiful, I can't recall ever seeing another caterpillar that looked like this before.

This little cutie was perched on the Blau Hilde bean vines in my veggie garden. He seemed to be staring right into my lens. He reminds me of a young teenager just getting his facial hair with his ruby feathers just starting to come in. I love that his little beak is covered in pollen. I had more hummingbirds around than ever this season. They were so much fun to watch and photograph. 

This little beauty showed up while I was sipping coffee on our porch. I have an abundance of hummingbirds this season, much to my delight. I think they enjoy the multitude of native and annual flowers I have planted for them. The hyacinth bean vine was a new addition to my annuals this summer. Hummingbird approved! 

We took family on the St. Lawrence River and saw this large ship. It was amazing!

I always have one of my cameras handy while I am in the garden. I plant flowers not only for myself to enjoy, but for the birds. This American Goldfinch was kind enough to pose on my sunflowers. 

I always have my camera with me while I am out in the garden. This little goldfinch posed for several photos, it was difficult to choose my favorite. 

This photo depicts an Asian lady beetle, a species similar in looks to a ladybug but very invasive in the North Country. It can be hard to tell the difference between the two but the main giveaway that I look for to distinguish them is the black "M-shaped" marking located behind the Asian lady beetle's head. Despite the invasive nature of this species, they are still stunning and photograph beautifully.

We had so much fun learning about fungi!

Enjoyed a nice morning walk on the SLU XC trails, but am surprised to see some leaves already turning red. Keep hearing that everything is “two weeks early,” plus these trees are on the edge of a soccer field right next to the road, so maybe not the healthiest habitat, contributing to some external stressors…

I was heading out to the garden when I heard the birds sounding the alert. I looked around and sure enough this little one was running along the stone row. I waited on the other side for him to peek out. He seemed to be interested in the clicking of my camera and struck a cute pose. I am pretty sure this stoat is one of the young ones I saw Momma carrying earlier in the season. 

Seek identified this as a “Hermit Flower Beetle” he was the size of a half dollar, maybe a bit bigger, and I love that you can see the lamellate antennae, which is very characteristic of scarab beetles. This fella is similar to the beetles we know as june bugs, but not the same. Apparently they can emit a noxious odor when frightened! 

A rainy walk to Lampson Falls to build fairy houses, collecting material along the way, led to the discovery of lots of different fungi, all probably much happier than the humans at the damp conditions. despite the rain it was a joyful afternoon!

I just love the way the sun shines through this leaf and you can see all of its intricate veins, and the rest of the tree stands a little out of focus in the background. Nature is so awesome!

This little yellow warbler was hunting insects in our veggie garden. 

I work as a Watercraft Inspection Steward to manage invasive species and, when the boat traffic is slow, I try to see what the feathered fellas are up to! There are many places for them to hang out at the boat launch: grasses and reeds, trees, even industrial structures! They are good company for a long day outside and I never get tired of listening to their conversations.

Beautiful little buck stopped in my yard to eat. 

Visited by a bumblebee robber fly at the canton farmers market! These flies are cleverly disguised as bees with their yellow and black coloration and fuzzy bodies - but a closer look and a few clues will give away their status as flies (members of the Diptera order). First - this guy only has one pair of wings. Bees have two pairs! He’s got short antennae, and his eyes are more round whereas bees generally have oval shaped eyes. Finally the giveaway that this isn’t just any fly, but a robber fly - the mustache (technical name: mystax, a collection of stuff bristles on the face).

This freshly fledged northern flicker visited me while I was working in our garden. He was calling for his parents and they were returning the call from afar. Our home on Black Lake is like a small bird sanctuary with so many birds nesting in our trees and bird boxes. 

Kayaking down the Grasse River at dusk. 

I walk my dog every morning at 4:30am and this is my view along the way. 

This dragon fly landed on my son and just happened to have caught a spider to have for a snack. 

So exciting to see the new, bright green leaves on these sugar and Norway maples on SLU campus. Not just here but all over campus and beyond the beautiful greenery is just so lush and fresh - it really feels like a breath of fresh air and new beginnings. 

This little bee kept coming back and landing on my book and my sweater while I was outside. I was wearing a yellow sweater with flowers so he may have liked that. When the little friend was on my book he was rubbing his antennae and legs - and you can see how full the tibia on its hind legs are with pollen! So cool!