― John Donne
Pope Farm Conservancy
Shifting my attention away from Pheasant Branch, I thought I'd conduct some crisp fall photography at Pope Farm Conservancy this morning. The temperature was 23 degrees at sunrise, pressing me to go with the winter coat, hat, and gloves for a chilly hike. There's much about Pope Farm that reminds me of the way Pheasant Branch used to be before it was transformed into a dog park―the birds seem less skittish and the scenery isn't as trampled; almost no litter, and no dog shit on the trails. Sometimes I feel that place (Pheasant Branch) is being loved to death. Comparatively speaking, Pope Farm is pristine and silent.
Finally, some spectacular fall colors ...
Addendum: A few folks asked how/why the sky is so blue in the above two photographs. There are two reasons: first, I use a polarizing filter, and secondly I like having my Nikon 1 V1 set to PICTURE CONTROL = VIVID. Using the two together really "pops" the sky. Yeah, it may be a bit much sometimes, but I've gotten used to the effect and prefer it to standard color settings. I often wear polarized sunglasses in the field and they also make landscape features pop-out. Interestingly, it doesn't look as saturated on my iPad or Apple Thunderbolt monitor, but on my Samsung the color effect is much more pronounced.
Hermit Thrush
There was a respectable assortment of fall sparrows, which included White-throated, White-crowned, Song, Lincoln's, Savannah, American Tree (FOF), lots of juncos, and several Field Sparrows. Perhaps it was from a sense of elation that the sun would soon be warming them, but I was a little surprised to find some of the birds singing their spring songs.
Field Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
After my hike at Pope Farm Conservancy, I headed over to Deer Creek to see what else I might find. It's a short distance from my apartment, so it was on the way home. Last night's chilly temperatures caused trees to shed their leaves, creating a layer of green on the water and carpet on the trails. Bird-wise, there were Black-capped Chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches, Blue Jays, Northern Cardinals, Dark-eyed Juncos. It's a smaller parcel of habitat, but I've found some gems here in the past.
Not far away I could hear the high-pitched calls of Cedar Waxwings. I found them nicely perched in a crabapple tree, so I spent some time observing and photographing the sleek songbirds. Most of them were busy preening their feathers instead of eating.
Cedar Waxwing
What could be the final insect of the year was also my first ...
Woollybear caterpillar Pyrrharctia isabella
October sparrow chasing is nearly over for another year...we'll see what next weekend brings!
All images © 2018 Mike McDowell