Butterflies, Pitcher Plant, White-throated Sparrow (20160627) A walk up the other end of the tracks!

Well with all the luck I have been having on the west end of the line, I thought it was time for the puppy and me to envestigate the east end. There is a lake and some ponds and streams up that way with one particular spot I wanted to check for turtle sign. We had just nicely got started when we got this image of a Ruffed Grouse.

Next up was this nice little Yellow-Rumped Warbler. I haven't been finding these beauties as often as I would have liked this year.

I have a Yellow Swallowtail that floats through the back yard almost everyday, but it never seems to land so i can get a shot. On this walk We found this Swallow tail willing to pose, and doesn't a polinator bee photobomb the shot :)

Our next companion was this White-throated Sparrow, it was quite vocal as we passed by.

A flash of red up near the top of the canopy revealed this lovely Purple Finch.

Then a very pleasant surprise as we found this beautiful Monarch butterfly imitator, the Viceroy, willing to sit long enough for an image or two.

Then on our walk back to the truck, with only one area that looked like ther might have been some turtle action, we found another Swallowtail on a much nicer environment.

We also stopped and grabbed a couple of images of two bogs that had Pitcher Plants growing. These are "fly eaters" getting some of their much needed nutrients from bugs that get trapped in their "pitchered" leaves.

Our next encounter was with this loud and almost obnoxious Oven bird that was claiming its right to own the railway right-of-way.

Since we had a little time we took a stroll out the "hot spot" but witnessed no Snapper action. What we did find though were a couple of Smallmouth Bass hanging around in the large Rip-rap used to build the base of the railway. As I have mentioned before on the blog, quite often the easiest way to find fish in the water is to spot their shadow on the bottom :)

As we walked back to the truck for our short drive home this next critter put in an appearance. This little toad was just a little larger than a nickel.

Overall a SUPER day with lots of activity and "wild" added to our lives. Put a little "wild" in your life, it'll do you good!
Turbo