Today is the last day of school and only half a day at that. So it was a good day to take off and we headed to some new water.
This lake is very shallow and there are lots of weeds, but also lots of waterfowl. Here some geese are taking to the skies. There must have been three or four pair of great blue heron's on the lake. 
There were some huge tadpoles (compare this guy to the blade of my paddle). The smaller ones were darting around, the larger fellows were sluggish as they made the transition to the frog world.
Not only was the lake pretty (even though in another month, the lily pads will be thick enough to walk across the water), the drive was also nice
Driving home, I spotted two young sandhill cranes being attacked by a redwing blackbird! They must have been too close to the redwing's nest. I wish I had my 300mm lens with me!I've got to work a lot this weekend, but on Tuesday I'll be heading south for a week at the beach, the first of my summer trips.
Beautiful. *This* is why I'm looking forward to moving to the midwest (despite the swarms of mosquitoes).
ReplyDeleteLove the top photo! What beach are you going to?
ReplyDeleteWow. Very nice. Reminds me of Michigan. But I'm still glad to be in CA. :)
ReplyDeleteLooks gorgeous. I totally want to go canoeing.
ReplyDeleteThat tadpole is huge! Wow!
Where are you headed on your beach trip?!?! I'm jealous no matter where it is :) (I love the beach.)
Wonderful photo essay!
ReplyDeleteAnd you have a great beach holiday..:D
Great pics!
ReplyDeleteThe second one almost looks like the wetland which borders our property. Only ours is shaped more like the Au Sable River up north but with lots more lily pads.
Maybe the tadpole is a freak of nature? Jabba the Hutt's son? Ew!
ReplyDeleteOh, stick your toes in the sand for me! :)
Love that last photo of the cranes. Lucky you heading south for the beach. It's not Miami Beach, is it? :)
ReplyDeleteDawn, the mosquitoes have been bad YET this year!
ReplyDeleteKenju, Wrightsville
Diesel, it should look a little like Michigan :)
TC, I'm heading to NC, we won't be staying on the beach this year, but my parents live close by
Gautami, thanks
Karen, I'm planning on a two day paddle on the Au Sable the first week in August (after which I head to Canada for some real serious canoeing)
Magie, there were thousands of tadpoles of that size
Scarlet, not Miami--a little further north, actually a lot further north
thanks for sharing! love the pics and looks like fun...enjoy the south!
ReplyDeleteThat was one big nasty tadpole! Great photos- as always. Enjoy your trip to the beach.
ReplyDeletelast day of school already?? wow. i'm very jealous... although i guess that means you'll start back earlier too.
ReplyDeletelooks like a gorgeous afternoon. but i've never seen tadpoles so huge! amazing.
enjoy the beach.
I keep forgetting how different the North woods are. These photos are making my "inner paddler" anxious.
ReplyDeleteCheers.
It sounds like a wonderful afternoon, and the pictures look great too. This past weekend, my family and I were as far away from fresh water lakes and woods as one can get - we went to the arid, dusty desert and had a great time.
ReplyDeleteThat frog to be must be ginormous!
ReplyDeleteLife is an adventure. Thanks for sharing the wonderful little things which are always hidden from many people. It takes a pair of good observing eyes and an elite taste to sense the hidden camaraderie amidst nature. Great work. Keep it up buddy.
ReplyDelete"Welcome to the Frog World". That sounds like such a great name for a post.
ReplyDeleteThe other day I stood in my cousins back yard looking at his two conoes and said, "We're not living". Last year with the drought the river was too low.
All of the fowl makes it even better. It's getting green up there!