TnNature Photography

Could it possibly be we’ve entered into Spring already in West Tn.? No it’s too good to be true. The temps this past week have been in the 60’s every day and even low 70’s but his week we’re supposed to be back to normal with highs in the 40’s and even some severe weather possibly Thursday. It’s just not February if we haven’t had the tornado sirens going off.

I haven’t blogged in a few weeks but there’s nothing terribly new to report. Right now we’re just counting down the days till Spring Break (14 working days). I have a honey-do list a mile long but since honey won’t get a Spring Break, I’ll be the one doing them myself. lol Maybe I can work a little photogging in there and actually go somewhere and shoot some wildlife too.

This big guy was sitting on a church lawn in Union City. By looking at the scattered feathers all over the ground, I’m guessing he’d just finished lunch.

One of my favorite spots to catch Bald Eagles did not disappoint last weekend. Sometimes we see a pair, sometimes just one. He was holding his own against the strong winds.

And last week we had a visitor to the backyard…looks like another opossum has been munching on the cats food. Last Summer we had a whole family of coons visit for a few weeks then a nasty looking opossum showed up for leftovers. This big guy didn’t look as rough as he did. The cats walked right by him while he ate and he didn’t seem to care that we were even there.

there a hawk…

Juvenile Cooper’s Hawk (I think)

everywhere a hawk.. hawk lol

Whoa wait those aren’t hawks…anyone else noticing the crazy starlings and blackbirds lately? Seems like we’re in for some bad weather the way they’ve been congregating together in the fields.

I’ve been quiet for a few weeks and left blogspot behind to focus on things here at home but I’ve come to the conclusion that the only way up from real life issues is to well..deal with the and move on.

Most of you know the situation with hubby and his plant closing down last July. We’ve cut back on things here and there, anticipating how things would change over the next year but you come to take some things for granted in life..like insurance and well paying jobs that are harder to come by. But we’ve crawled out of holes before and so we shall again. At least we both have jobs now and a roof over our heads right? Now on to more inspiring things…

Snow is said to be headed our way again Tuesday in the form of a BIG snowstorm. By big here, I mean 10 inches. I can’t recall when West Tn had 10 inches of snow last so if this storm stacks up to what they say it will, the whole city will shut down. As much as I long for the big flakes to fall every Christmas, I have to say I’m sick of the snow now. We haven’t had a lot at one time but we’ve had more than usual this yr. I can’t even imagine living in places like Chicago or New York where it’s been storm after storm after storm already. If you’re like me, you long for Springtime temps and the idea of little buds appearing on the blooming trees. Some people say February is the depressed month.. the month where more people find themselves feeling the doldrums of Winter weather. I concur. Let’s get some happy colorful shots in now.

Hubby & I took a drive to Davy Crockett Lake last wknd while the weather was unusually warm. (in the low 60’s!) These days you take advantage of it when you can because it can change at the drop of a hat. lol

I couldn’t resist this old car on the way to the lake.

The Canada Geese were out and about and honking their heads off. Maybe they knew the good weather wouldn’t last for long.

The lake was calm and the skies were cloudy. Only 2 boats on the water this day. There’s not a lot of things to do at this lake unless you fish but it makes for a beautiful backdrop for picnics.

This Summer we’ll go back and maybe throw a pole in and see what bites.

This wknds blog will be a blast from the past (mainly because it’s too cold to get out with the camera). I’m trying to think *warm* here so my mind wanders back to a Summer a few years back when we took our niece on her first camping trip. Our daughter went away to church camp for the wknd so we went away too..to the Buffalo River in Arkansas.

It was the Summer the southern states saw such a horrible drought. We went, hoping to see a specific waterfall close to the campground but found it almost completely dry. A disappointment yes, but the hiking was great and so was the river. AND we saw our first *Batcave*.

We chose Lost Valley Campground as our destination. The campground wasn’t crowded at all and the sites were spaced well apart. We had to cross a dry creek bed to get to our campsite and goofy me wore leather sandals. I quickly stubbed my toes in the rocks and still have trouble with that toe to this day. grr

Campsite behind the dry creek bed

My niece Shea, son Kris and I posing on the trail to Eden Falls.(dry)

Jamie & Kris at the entrance to the BatCave. We found out about the cave thanks to a local at the swimming hole. The cave has been used for everything from a saltpeter mine during the civil war to a hideout for bandits in the 1920’s. When bats are present, the cave is closed. Luckily the bats had left for the season and we were able to get in.

We just *thought* the cave was empty! We found 1 bat still perched alone the ceiling of the cave. Once the kids noticed him, they took off for the cave opening. lol

The gate surrounding the cave’s entrance.

The Buffalo River..just a breathtaking piece of God’s handiwork, laid back in the hills of Arkansas.

The bluffs that make the Buffalo famous. Notice how low this area looks. I can imagine how beautiful it must be when the water level is just right.

A deer running under the bluffs @ the Steel Creek Access Point

The view looking OUT of Cob Cave, along the Eden Falls Trail

And the view looking IN Cob Cave..I think I recognize those rednecks.

The *swimming hole* at the Ponca Access Point of the Buffalo River

All in all, our niece enjoyed her first camping trip despite the dry falls but there was one thing that she reminds us of to this day. NEVER leave the camp food out even if you feel like you’ll be back by dusk. Our batcave adventure kept us longer than expected and we came back after dark to find raccoons enjoying what was left of the makings for our smores!  They even returned during the night for seconds and tried biting through the cooler.

As you can guess by my lack of blogging this week, Christmas Break is over and we’re back at school/work. But before life got back to being busy busy, hubby & I took a day for ourselves, visiting relatives and ending our day at Reelfoot Lake to catch a good catfish dinner at Boyette’s and a nice sunset. Of course there was plenty of wildlife around, although most of it was too far away for even my super-zoom.

The lake was cold but beautiful.

Ring-Billed Gull in Flight

Hundreds of Ring-Billed Gulls migrate to the lake every Winter

…along with hundreds of Canada Geese

Seeing this Barred Owl was a treat! He was lucky he didn’t get hit because he was sitting right beside the road until we drove by and turned around, then he perched along the railroad tracks, looking for a late afternoon meal.

Pretty nice end to a gorgeous day!

Sunday, hubby & I went back to the Hop-In Refuge, hoping this time we’d see the Sandhill Cranes. (if you remember, our trip the weekend before , we came up dry). Luck was on our side and skies were busy with cranes flying around but we couldn’t see any landing in the nearby cornfields they usually roost in. We followed a flock a few miles down the road to field not in the refuge and it paid off. We also saw our first owl in the wild..not one but two!  Tuesday, my fellow photographer buddy, Susan, and I went back to the Hop-In Refuge to see the cranes again. The weather was mild and we hoped the warmth hadn’t driven the cranes into colder temperatures. We didn’t see a thing in the sky and the fields around the refuge were bare as well so we went back towards the location we’d seen them in earlier in the week and luck was on side again. We didn’t see any owls in this outing but we did see a ton of hawks. We had bird fever!

Sunday the skies were dotted with Sandhill Cranes

And the fields weren’t too shabby either.

We saw our first Short-Eared Owl.

And our first Barred Owl

Tuesday they had moved into various other cornfields….always just out of the reach of the zoom. lol

We found a few *couples* here and there..I guess they wanted to be alone.

(Red Shouldered Hawk) The fields were full of hawks this day too. Must have been lunchtime.

Listen closely to that familiar sound…I love it.

This morning I awoke to the sounds of BlueJays in the trees so I thought I’d put out some catfood and see if I could draw them back to the deck. I didn’t have to wait long. They love catfood! So far I haven’t seen a bird who doesn’t though. Hope you enjoy the video. (ignore the last 30 seconds)

Blue Jays & Sparrows

Then came the Cardinals

And more Sparrows

And then more Blue Jays

Seems like the birds are beginning to return to the feeders more this wknd. Maybe they knew the coldfront was coming through and wanted to stock up? I’ve been seeing a lot more hawks around lately too.

Kasey & I took a trip to the Hop-In Wildlife Refuge this wknd hoping to see the Sandhill Cranes that migrate there every Winter. Not a crane was to be found though. I guess I was rushing the season a little. I normally don’t see them till Dec. but with the nice cold air and sun shining this wknd., I couldn’t stay in the house. (those who know me, know I love to go Go GO!)

Even though our crane hunt was a bust, we saw plenty of hawks.

A few birds of another feather that we didn’t have to leave the house to see.

The bluebirds are still around on warm days…

Mr Mocker eyeing his sunflower seeds

The sparrows had rather have the cats food than seeds

Here’s a few shots from previous excursions to the refuge to see the Sandhills.

		Sandhill Cranes VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL