Wednesday, July 25, 2012



The approach to our cabin begins when you turn off a 
gravel road and travel along a gravel lane running through
a field farmed by my brother in law, the field is ringed 
with poplar and the lane has a line of waist high weeds in 
the ditches on either side. Vesper Sparrows run in front of
the vehicle luring you from the locations of their nests and
Goldfinches sway from the top of the thistles. You pass a 
small slough on the right ringed with brush and at the edge
of the field you enter a stand of poplar and begin to climb 
up a steep slope to the ridge where the cabin sits. It is in 
these poplars where we stationed the trail camera that supplied
the pictures of moose, deer and coyotes I posted earlier. The 
poplars also house large numbers of birds including Waxwings,
Red Eyed Vireos, Purple Finches and the Yellow Bellied Sapsucker 
whose young we could hear even over the engine noise for the first
week we were there. You then come to the top of the ridge
where the cabin sits on the edge of the meadow where it
overlooks the slough. It is all these niches with their varied
 plants and animals that I am really looking forward to exploring
when I can spend more time at the cabin. I would really like to
document the distribution of sparrows which is one of the reasons 
I purchased my larger camera lens. While I did not get shots of the 
Vesper Sparrows a stated goal, I did get some shots of the
Sapsucker. 



"I walk, all day, across the heaven-verging field."

                                                 from Upstream 
                                                    Mary Oliver





"And to tell the truth I don't want to let go of the wrists
of idleness, I don't want to sell my life for money,

I don't even want to come in out of the rain."

from Black Oaks
Mary Oliver



8 comments:

Lynn said...

This is so good I felt that first pothole as we left the paved road.

Julie G. said...

It sounds as if your cabin is situated in a most beautiful place. I truly enjoyed reading your lovely narrative and viewing the outstanding sapsucker images!

Guy said...

Hi Lynn

I am glad you enjoyed the trip to the cabin. It is good to get off the paved roads now and then and see things unfold at a slower pace.

Regards
Guy

Guy said...

Hi Julie

I am glad you like the Sapsucker, the cabin is in a beautiful spot and we know we are exceedingly lucky to share it with so many lovely plants and animals. They will be a real joy for us in the future.

Guy

Anonymous said...

Wow, what nice photos! I can just imagine what all you are going to see and shoot up there!

Guy said...

Hi Sandy

Yes we are really looking forward to seeing all the birds and animals, I can hardly wait to spend more time there.

Guy

Kathie Brown said...

Very nice shots of the sapsucker!

Guy said...

Thanks Kathie

She was quite the good model as she had nested right next to the lane.

Guy