Rainy days can be rewarding!!!!!

A late start on Friday, Oct. 19, 2012, with no idea of where I was going.  The sky was cloudy and rain was in the forecast....but I had to venture out....Picked up my Sister and off we headed...We were going in the direction of Canal Rd.  It is still dry on the end off 104...

 This was the pond...hope we get enough rain this winter (not snow...) to fill it back up.

The trees were full of birds.  They were flying and singing.  We saw about 50 Morning Doves!  They were in the Canal Bed and fly up when we got to close.
This is taken at Canal Rd. Park.

 The Scioto River looked beautiful.

 We walked around for a little bit. The colors were so pretty.

Found this little guy hopping around.  I thought all frogs were tucked away for a long winter sleep...but this one isn't.

 Next stop was Deer Creek.  Even in the very cloudy day, the fall colors still shine.

 We saw Great Blue Herons, over 30 of them!
There were Cormorants, 2 Belted Kingfishers, sea gulls, Mallard ducks.  It was an amazing sight in a small area.









Beltled Kingfisher

 There are twelve Herons in this picture....

 This lonely guy is a Greater Yellow-legs....

I had not seen so many birds in this area before.  This is around where the Osprey nest is.
This field of Crows...must have been 50 to 100 of them...Seemed like all the birds were gathering for a party or something!

 Also one of my favorite and curious things....the Osage Orange, or Hedge Apple are in abundance at Deer Creek.

I guess the squirrels love them..the seeds inside are the treat.  I just put a couple in the basement for cricket control...Don't know how well it works but can't hurt...one article said that the best way to use them on bugs was to pick it up and smash the bug with the Hedge Apple....LOL...

 Then we thought we had found Big Foot hiding behind this tree........












But it was only a fungi....named.....Dryad's Saddle, also called Pheasant's-back Polypore, Polyporus squamosus.

We got hungry and just made the cutoff for lunch at the Deer Creek Lodge...This is a view from the dining room window...I had a wonderful chicken salad with cranberries...It is a wonderful drive and eat at the lodge makes a great day outing...I love it.

The Black-faced Vultures seemed to be enjoying the Lodge also!

After lunch we continued out drive around the lake.

 The fields of dried wildflowers were so pretty...

Even the dried Golden Rod

was beautiful.........
Then we pulled into this little area off Miller Road and there were lots of Robins, Chickadees, Titmouse, Nuthatch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, 4 Norther Flickers,  Rusty Blackbird and a few we couldn't identify...We were in birding heaven....
A couple of the many Robins we saw..

Northern Flickers...so pretty

The rain had started by now and it didn't seem to bother the birds...Well I shut off the car because we were going to stay a while here....a couple of cars came driving in and out and that would disturb the birds but after a few minuets  they would be back.  Then suddenly they all flew away...We knew something had scared them......

Hundred of crows (we think) flew in and filled the trees and would then fly around and land again in the trees...was scary and thrilling at the same time....

It began to rain harder and they finally flew away...the other birds didn't return...

So we decided it was time to leave.....click, click, click....the car battery was dead!  I had left my lights on when I turn the car off....Oh My....luckily we had cell service!  I called my husband and on his way he flew to rescue us....30 minutes later my sister said try it again....Ok....the car started!!!! and here came Cecil....He followed us back to town and we were all home safe and sound before dark!!!

Too windy to walk in the rain.....

 Cool grouping of trees....

Able to check-out woodpecker holes...

So I recommend taking a nice drive not only on a beautiful sunny day BUT on a cloudy, rainy day...One never knows what you will see.....and always be sure to turn off your lights!!!!!