I Wonder

What is this all about? Surely we don't have a bird with a nut collection. Do we have a lazy squirrel who's tired of burying acorns? Who knows. It could just be that the nest was under an acorn tree--but the nest was so into the bush below the tree that it's hard to believe it had that many random visitors. This nest used to belong to the catbird, long since moved away.

Twilight

The Red-wings still bed down off of Alice's deck, and you still hear the call of the geese in the distance. Now there is a snap in the air--and the fall color triumphs over the muted tones of dusk.

Autumn on the Shore

Wondrous!

More Autumn on the Island

Why does anybody go to New England or Brown County?

Autumn Comes to Treasure Island

We're promised Indian Summer in a few days--but right now we're running fifteen degrees below normal. Hard on people but good for fall color.

Mute Swans

The top picture is from my tiny camera, pointed toward the Elks Club from the island. Mike Kenny, the Rochester Sentinel's intrepid photographer was able to get a lot closer--so I included his photo as well. Mike is one of the community's great resources. Constantly on the prowl with his camera, he has bagged a beautiful assortment of nature photographs over the years. Take a look at http://www.rochsent.com/.

The brown swans are the young ones. They will be snow white next season. The swans are frequent visitors to Lake Manitou. I've had them pass overhead within twenty feet of my kayak. Quite a sight--and sound, as they kind of wheeze as they flap their wings.

Fishermen Rule

We are after Labor Day, and although we still have a few holdouts in the form of wave boarders, water skiers and jet skiers, fishermen now own the lake. Crisp mornings and calm waters make Lake Manitou the perfect venue for a leisurely run with rod and reel.