Recently I purchased a “real” GPS, one that I can use for bushwhacking and geocaching. I got a great deal on a Garmin etrex Venture HC complete with US topo maps. Last Friday I hiked into the owl marsh using my normal route, tracking and marking it using the GPS. Last year I orienteered it using map and compass but ended at a point to the East. Today I used the GPS coordinates to travel cross country and ended up at Owl Rock. Today I planned a little better and avoided mountain tops but still recognized some of the same areas I had map-hiked last year.
Last Friday I spooked an owl and saw it fly off as I arrived but saw no sign of activity in the nest. Today I sat on the rock for 15 minutes without any sign of owls before I decided to take pictures of the heron nests. I was amazed to find one of the nests commandeered by the owls. I cannot photo shoot the new nest from up high but still think I should be able to get some great shots, especially with my new dSLR camera.
As I headed out today I found fiddlehead ferns starting to come up, I found a pile of turkey feathers of all kinds but no blood or meat left, I found hooded mergansers and wood ducks on the water and warblers in the trees and I got a decent photo of a yellow-rump. On my way back I spooked a doe and arrived at my house to find a tom turkey displaying in my side yard. I will need to practice with manual focus in the camera to be able to shoot through tree branches – no photos of the courting display. I’m always excited by the owls but also love the discovery of the journey.
Hodgepodge Lodge 