Had a nice walk at the wetlands today. I arrived to find a school bus and about 50 kids and their teachers, so I wasn't expecting to see much! However, as I headed along the path to the "turtle bridge", I noticed a hawk up on the dead tree at the edge of the bridge and was able to get there and take some photos before the students arrived.
The hawk knew we were down there looking up at it, but was willing to sit for awhile. The teacher told the kids that Red-shouldered hawks are fairly sociable and were used to the presence of humans at the wetlands.
I tried real hard to find a spot to get a better shot other then looking up at the tail feathers!
Finally as the teacher talked to the students about different things along the bridge, the hawk decided it had enough of people and flew off somewhere else.
Another bridge deeper along the trail. It looked lovely in the sunlight with all the leaves and the color in the trees.
Some holly along the trail
Maples showing off their red colors.
....or yellow
Oak leaves on the water
Not sure what this orange tree is, but the leaves were very pretty!
Orange in the maples, too
The boardwalk through the woods is full of dead leaves. I bet a good leaf identifier could look at that boardwalk and tell you what all kinds of trees are in these woods.
More reds.....both the maples and gum trees were very colorful.
The trees reflecting in the water were nice, too. Less duckweed on the water now. Just a really calm and peaceful walk once the students headed up front to have their lunch and discussions.
Sumac
A Vulture hovering overhead.
One golden leaf on the walk.
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Turtles, geese, and some meadow shots up next time.