My Impression of the mythical French Impressionist painting “Cardinal”
I got a very late start on another beautiful day at the Kickerillo-Mischer Preserve. The little lake was much less crowded this week, with easy parking and only two other boats on the water – one launched just ahead of me, and one entered the water about a half hour before I came in.
I paddled west, went through the peninsula again (high water) and on to the grate gage, which showed about 4.7 bars.
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| Turtle |
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Great Egret |
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Juvenile Little Blue Heron
Sticking Out HIs Tongue |
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Juvenile Little
Blue Heron |
Allow me to let you in on a little secret: Turtles, egrets and little blue herons are the low-hanging fruit, so to speak, of the photographer’s potential subjects. They are usually present, are easy to spot, and enough of them stay in one place long enough for some good shots. That’s why you see so many photos of these guys.
I stayed in the quieter end of the lake this week. In the middle of the peninsula, near where I could paddle through, was this non-socially distanced gathering:
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| An Orgy of Damselflies |
Along the shore was this cool-looking trunk, which remained still for as long as it took to get its picture:
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Tree Trunk
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Then, off to the island, where I saw the Loch Marshall Monster:
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| Anhinga Swimming |
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Anhinga Swimming
to shore |
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Anhinga Drying Out |
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Anhinga - Not the
Most Pleasant Face |
I was around the island for quite a while today, and the last two pictures were taken in that area.
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| Blue Jay |
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Nature's Colors |
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Dragonfly on Leaf |
Then it was back to the put-in / take-out – on the ramp just after 3:30.
Other wildlife observed were: cardinals, blue jays, a red-bellied woodpecker, white-tip doves, an eastern phoebe, cormorants, a pied-billed grebe, spittlebug cases, fish, frogs and turkey vultures.
Here is the map of my little escape this week:
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| GPS Route with Stats |
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Grate Gage |
Link to Photo Album for more photos: Marshall Lake