Kingfisher Fun

Nice picture, but what are we looking at?


Look! It's our friend Mr. Kingfisher!


Isn't he cute? Well, actually he was more interesting than cute.
I hope everyone gets the opportunity to watch a Kingfisher's antics. I spotted this one above a small lake at Spears Woods. For you locals: From the parking lot, take the black trail to the red, turn left. When the red trail ends take the yellow trail south....only a few yards and you'll see the lake on your right hand side.
Mr. Kingfisher is amazing to watch! First, he perches himself on a tree branch and watches the water. What he is doing is trying to spot fish under the water. Next he flies above the water in one spot and hovers. He really hovers! In one spot! Then, the exciting part.....he dives head first into the water and disappears for a few heart stopping moments. If he's lucky, he flies from beneath the water with a fish! If he's unlucky, he tries again. Lucky for me, cause I get to see it again!

Oh how much fun I had watching this!

Here is the lake he was trying to fish at:


and this is just a really cool picture. Composition rocks, this may become a painting one day!



I love that yellow, whatever you call it, weed or wildflower! Yes, I see a painting in the making!!!

Nature KICKS BUTT!!!
YEAH!

Peek-A-Boo

On this glorious Memorial Day, I decided to take a hike through Spears Woods, part of the Palos Trail System. What a beautiful day! It was supposed to rain all day but I got lucky, no rain, only cloudy skies and 82°F.
Last night we had a thunderstorm with heavy rain for over an hour, so today the forest was filled with a strong earthy aroma, oh how I love that smell!

Anywho....I slightly went "off track" and found this really cool handmade birdhouse. I could appreciate the time it took to spray paint all those polk a dots and attach a wire perch. Very creative! I don't know who made this birdhouse nor who placed it here, I assume it was a restoration club of Spears Woods.

Who lives in here anyway?
I found out......


Why it's a tree swallow STARING RIGHT AT ME!!!
Do you love his white chin and belly? So do I. Even better, he has this metallic blue back that is something to see in person!
This is a zoomed in picture, I didn't actually get this close.

How lucky I was to have seen the occupant of the artistic birdie residence!

Srooms at Spears

I love when srooms attack a decaying log. I don't even know why.
They are beautiful, you know, with their darker gray colored rings. Can you see them?
Maybe they're a little mysterious...conditions must be right, why did they choose this section to attach to and not another, and why are they on this log and not the one next to it?

Maybe I just appreciate the job they need to do. Nothing goes to waist in nature. After the tree dies, it becomes food for a host of animals and birds, even shelter for larger animals as shown in the post a few days ago. When the tree collapse, these mushroom break down the tree's matter to speed up the decaying process so this tree can become nutrients to the ground.

This log also had some woodpecker holes in it. Wow, two attacks on one log and I'm sure a billion others under the microscope!

Spears Woods in November

When people ask, "What do you get out of walking around in those woods?" How do you answer?
I've met non nature lovers, people afraid of the outdoors due to the fact that bugs live out there, people who love the hustle and bustle of the city with as many people as possible, and surprisingly many just don't understand.
This is how I answer: Do you know the painting, "Creation of Adam" by Michelangelo? Where God's stretching out His finger touching the finger of Adam, breathing life right into him? Corny as that sounds, that's exactly how I feel. I am never more closer than when I'm in the woods, not even at church, oh that sounds bad.
When I'm as far away from people and in the center of pure creation, the communication highway is wide open and everything is so clear to me.
This is Spears Woods. I'm cheating a little and for the rest of the week, using pictures from Sunday's walk because daylight is short and I can't do much after work anymore. Spears Woods has several beautiful features...


Not only does the trail take you into deep forest, but shortly after you can visit a savanna and lake area. How I love when autumn colors give their last performance of the year.



Here is the lake. It wraps around an island of trees. I've spotted many deer in this area but not today.
This weekend, I have to paint some more autumn paintings in pastel, I will be using Spears' pictures for inspiration no doubt.


Oooo, I love the slime that forms at the edge of the water. Frog territory, I'm sure. Notice the ripple in the water? It was very windy that day. Leaves swirling in the wind and branches creaking as they bend. I loving it all, communing with the One behind it all!

Hey, What's Up That Tree?

Here I am, trying to fit inside this tree. I could have done it if I tried, ha, ha, ha. This beautiful tree is located at Spears Woods, part of the Palos Trail System
Sunday was the perfect day for an autumn hike, not too warm, not too cold, although it was a little breezy. Well, not even one minute into the trail did I spot this neat hide-a-way for animals and weird nature enthusiasts. I wonder what animals take shelter at night in this very tree? Here is a close up....


Doesn't it look like this tree has steps which lead upstairs? Only if I were that small, even for a moment! Doing the next best thing, I stuck my hand up the tree, turned my flash on and took this amazing picture....


Isn't it just the neatest!!! I get so excited just looking at it! Doesn't it look like the mouth of a cave? Now, if a bat flew out of here as I was taking this picture I probably would have had a coronary right on the spot. I'm happy I didn't disturb some poor creature, minding his own business in his home. When I got home I did zoom in to look at every inch up close like, in hopes of finding a spider or something, but I can only find a web and some fungus, I think. See in the center? That's not daylight, this was an incredibly large tree with many leaves on it, not completely dead. I think the center is white fungus. Any who, I just love this picture and now I'm on a mission to photograph every tree gut I can find!
Does anyone know what types of animals like to hide in tree hallows like this???