Fill 'er Up

The quiet of the refuge Monday morning was broken by the constant sound of a running engine. Down by the river, a pump was drawing water from the Concord River and pumping it back into the upper impoundment.


After only a few hours of pumping


By Tuesday morning there was enough water to lure a beaver who was checking out the situation

I am not sure everyone is a fan of the pumping. The Northern Harriers might like the fact that the mice and voles will be chased to the edges in the short term. You generally don't see them as often as they've been here with the impoundment drained.

Tuesday morning the birds were kind of laid back, allowing you to get closer than normal.

Sparrow sitting in a bush along the Dike path


Goldfinch feasting on Evening Primrose

Down by the "Poison Ivy" bench you can often see flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds and Bobolinks feasting on the Wild Rice

There are three keys to a close-up photograph of an autumn leaf. 1) Find a great leaft. 2) Find a good background. 3) Backlighting. This Cottonwood leaf had all three. How could I resist?

Practically across the path was a dew covered spider web.