Interesting Day !

I had the opportunity to tag along on a MA Wildlife visit to Prescott Peninsula .  A wonderful opportunity to say the least. The day started out with spotting a mature eight point buck bedded close to the road.
A shoreline visit revealed several pole ends that once supported the   hack-site with the introduction of eagles to Quabbin  Reservoir. A short distance out into the reservoir sits a small island named Loon Island.

A loon could be heard off in the distance before heading out. The ride out took us by Lily Pond.

where I spotted an old hand crafted ladder . I am guessing it may have been used to reach a photography platform  overlooking Lily Pond several decades ago.

Jim

Gate 50 to Gate 48

This mornings hike took me over Goodnough Dike through Gate 50 destine to find the entrance to Gate 48. .

 Several attempts to locate the Gate 48 driving the road didn’t work out.

Crossing Goodnough Dike a mature eagle flew in camera view.

  On the hike to Gate 48  cart road  ( 49-2) had several old foundations that looked interesting.

Several old maples lined the roads edge. I'll bet the foliage last month would have been nice.

 Just over three miles hiking I arrived at the entrance. The cement poles were still in place with no signs or  identifying marks.

 No wildlife to speak of this morning. I did hear three pileated woodpeckers and seen the usual winter birds.

Jim

"Still Morning"

This morning’s hike took me along the NE Shoreline. Overcast to start with the sun shining on the return hike.

 I enjoy walking the shoreline with anticipation of getting a picture of an eagle, listening to the loons and watching for tracks in the mud.

No shortage of coyote and deer tracks on the shoreline. I did locate a set of bobcat tracks that were close to a large outcrop of boulders.

Jim      

Several Milestones Reached Hiking The Quabbin Woods

Interesting day yesterday hiking Quabbin. There were several personal milestones within my reach. I was twenty five miles away from reaching a total of one thousand miles hiked inside the boundaries of Quabbin Reservoir carrying a camera. The second milestone was reaching the most miles hiked in one day.

 Putting twenty-five miles on the ole’ hiking boots yesterday and breaking the one thousand mile marker made for a rewarding day. The day started at Gate 43 with light snow falling. My hike today would take me out Shaft 12 Rd to Fitzpatrick Rd, over Lyman St, down to East St, exiting Gate 50 onto Goodnough Dike. From their I hiked out to Quabbin Park, then up to Enfield Lookout.

Wildlife was scarce with only seeing an eagle and one immature red-tail hawk. Beehives were everywhere. I kept track of the number of hives on my hike back to the truck. In the 12.5 miles there were 24 nests. I don’t think I have seen 24 beehives in my entire life.  

When I reached the truck the first thing  I did was to pull my GPS out of the pack.

Jim

Close No Cigar

The light rain this morning made it perfect for walking through the woods quietly .Moving slowly along an oak ridge I spotted movement about fourty yards away. It was a six point buck moving away from me with his nose on the ground in pursuit of a  doe. I attempted to get a picture through the many trees.

You can see his front leg and neck  on the left hand side of the picture. He was moving along and out of sight no time.
Also , since the leaves have fallen I have seen more bee hives  . Just in my hike this morning I counted three.
Jim

Deer Activity This Morning

With the rut just about in full swing deer should be moving pretty good. That was the case this morning. The problem was, I spotted them just a little too early and  had to  quickly set the camera on ISO 6400 with barely got this picture

A little while after this picture I did spot a small spike horn and several does.
 Before calling it a day I took a second hike at a NW gate  in hopes of maybe catching a few more deer out and about.

No luck!

Jim

 

Jim

Cold & Windy Morning

What a difference a day makes. Bit of a snap in the air this morning. I ventured out to the the Shaft 12 Road  I hiked to the intersection of Fitzpatrick Road ,where I took a right down a short cart road to the reservoir. I questioned my shoreline decision when the sharp wind  convinced me to put my hood on. It was worth the discomfort when this eagle glided by,

Continuing on, moose , raccoon  , coyote and deer tracks where consistent in the mud. The call of a loon put a nice finish on the morning .
I took a ride over to Quabbin Park. The reservoir looked beautiful from Enfield Lookout with a touch of sun.

Jim