Thanks to my in-laws, we found another neat wildlife area north of town, called the Blue Grass Fish and Wildlife area. This is 2, 532 acres of former stip mining land and has 28 lakes/pits (600 acres of water). If only I had known about this place back in the spring! We didn't see any water fowl while there, but did not get to explore it that fully.
The lakes are beautiful and have lots of walking area around them and boat launch areas. We saw fishermen on every lake. One huge area is set aside for no wildfowl hunting (yeah!) including nesting area and lakes.
The scenery is wonderful!
Small minnows in the lake.
Crawdad hole
Killdeer.....we saw quite a few of these, but I wasn't fast enough to get many photos. Something more to look for next spring.....baby killdeer!
I loved the real fine grasses growing in this area! Almost like spider webs.
A close-up of the fine grass
Very shy yellow grasshopper peeking out at me.
Mike pointed out this cool looking plant in the lake.
I think it looks like a leaf rake :-) Loved it with the reflection.
Sun getting lower gleaming off the water
Wish this was us! Mike has started pricing canoes and kayaks :-)
Lots of cattails and tall grasses around the lake edges with only small areas for a fisherman to get up close.
Nearing the end of the day, so we headed to the nearest eating place.....
Great food and cold beer (or iced tea) :-)
The lakes are beautiful and have lots of walking area around them and boat launch areas. We saw fishermen on every lake. One huge area is set aside for no wildfowl hunting (yeah!) including nesting area and lakes.
The scenery is wonderful!
Small minnows in the lake.
Crawdad hole
Killdeer.....we saw quite a few of these, but I wasn't fast enough to get many photos. Something more to look for next spring.....baby killdeer!
I loved the real fine grasses growing in this area! Almost like spider webs.
A close-up of the fine grass
Very shy yellow grasshopper peeking out at me.
Mike pointed out this cool looking plant in the lake.
I think it looks like a leaf rake :-) Loved it with the reflection.
Sun getting lower gleaming off the water
Wish this was us! Mike has started pricing canoes and kayaks :-)
Lots of cattails and tall grasses around the lake edges with only small areas for a fisherman to get up close.
Nearing the end of the day, so we headed to the nearest eating place.....
Great food and cold beer (or iced tea) :-) 
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20 comments:
Your leaf rake is very inventive! Very nice. Looks like another great place you have found for nature walks. I must try to find a very new spots around my location. My summer has been mainly focused on visitors and renovations. The renovations are almost completed but more visitors are arriving for the first two weeks of October, then we are off for a week ourselves. My nature haunts and jaunts have been neglected over the past couple of months.
Ann: You may have been very busy, but it hasn't hurt the lovely things you always post for us. I keep finding new places....but they all need a boat to really explore well.
It's nice to see a strip mining site repurposed to such a good end. I'll look forward to more of your reports and photos from this location.
That fan shaped grass made for a neat picture!
Oh, I hope you get a kayak or canoe. So nice to be out on the water! You'll love it.
Your grass photos are lovely, specially the fine grass close up and I love the sky, almost like someone's written their signature up there. Will that be posted on SWF?
I love places like that! Not particularly for those that fish (No offense Fishing Guy - many of your fellow fishers fish, but leave their mess).
Excellent shots!
Cheers, Klaus
How great that they actually returned the land to a wildlife area. Strip mines are always supposed to be reclaimed, but frequently are not. It's a beautiful place.
Marnie
Oh how I wish we had a place like that here. Awsome pictures. I too love the leaf rake picture with the reflections, and those water shots are so cool. It definately will be a super place to go early in the spring, OR probably this winter too. I never saw a crawdad hole...
Stunning photos Mary, looks like a great place and with 28 lakes will take some time to explore, look forward to seeing more posts from here.
So its you that's got all the nice weather Mary.
Great photos
Followed your link from Sky Watch Friday, you do have some beautiful nature photos here on your blog site. Thanks for sharing these little peeks with us all.
Mary- Your fine grass looks like Witch Grass, Panicum capillare, or a closely related species. They are neat, aren't they? The panicle will fall off and become a tumbleweed.
Tom
Those are beautiful images!
I'd go for the beer! What wonderful photos you've taken - can hardly wait for your visits next spring. We had strip mines around Missouri (Columbia). I wonder if they've been made into lovely places like yours. Sure do hope so!
Wren: Yes, they are good about reclaiming mining land around here.
Cicero: We may opt for a canoe. I'm not sure I could get in and out of a kayak with my bad knee. With a canoe, he can paddle and I can take pictures :-)
Jenny: I thought about saving it for skywatch, but figured I'd have something new by Friday.
Klaus: Yes, I encounter trash at all the nice places that I go, but not sure it is always fishermen. Harder to look for birds with a lot of people fishing, but this place seems big enough to make everyone happy. Will try to go back during the week instead of the weekend.
Marnie: they have done a super job with this place.
Becky: I figure when geese start moving through will be a good time to go back.
Mike: well a boat would help a lot!
Roy: yes, the weather was great this past weekend.
Pearl: thanks for stopping by!
Tom: Helpful as always! This grass was so fine at first I really thought I was seeing a bunch of spider webs. It was very pretty. There was another really tall grass I should have included a picture of.
Helen: Thanks!
Annie: well....when Mike asked what was on tap, everything they listed had "lite" on the end of it. He likes the dark stuff, so he had to settle for Amberbok in the bottle. The burgers were great! Mines are required to reclaim the land any more. Mike says some of it was made into a really nice golf course a little further north.
Mary, I LOVE that grasshopper...I think it is one of the best I have seen. It also brings a smile just to see it.
I have never seen a yellow grasshopper before...what a beautiful fellow!! And that reflection of the plant in the water is a WOW!! What a lovely spot Mary. These were all great photographs and I look forward to the baby birds and things next spring.
Rose: He was such a bright yellow, I could see him, but he wouldn't come out of the grass where I could get a decent picture.
Joan: Thanks...I know you'd go nuts over all the "critters" I see on my walks with your macro camera. It really was a beautiful area and not that far from us, so I will go back another time. Ought to go early some morning (groan)
What an absolutely fabulous place to discover!! I just LOVE discovering new spots to explore!! LOVE LOVE LOVE the "leaf rake" shot! And the 2nd shot in the series blows me away...the one with the tall grasses with that beautiful blue sky background. Just Awesome!!
PS - and an awesome capture of that grasshopper too! WOW!
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