November 30, 2009 by Jennifer Schlick

Audubon Walk-about

I don’t get to see Cindy very often. She lives in Colorado. The other day she happened to be on FaceBook when I was and I sent her an instant message. She wrote back, “Hi. I’m in Frewsburg.”

Yay! So she came by Audubon today and we took a walk around Big Pond. And talked. And talked. It was lovely.

We saw lots of birds: Great Blue Herons, Tundra Swans, Canada Geese, Ducks (mallards for sure… probably others, too), and a Bald Eagle. We heard a Kingfisher, but I never saw it. The day was variable… snow sometimes, then rain, then sunshine… We both toted cameras and often took shots of the same scene. Cindy promised to post hers on Facebook… Will you, Cindy?

Here are some of mine:

Several flocks of geese came in while we were walking. It was fun to hear their wings flapping right over our heads, then to watch how they roll out of their flight pattern before descending to the pond.

The colors on gray days seem brighter than on sunny days… why is that?

The dried grasses are so graceful.

The red berries of Winterberry Holly seem to glow from within.

The neighbor’s barn is very colorful.

Recovered!

Cedar Waxwing

I took this photo back in August and had given it up for lost because it was backlit and dark… But then I learned a few tips and tricks in Adobe Lightroom and I salvaged it. Hooray!

November 8, 2009 by Jennifer Schlick

The Conewango

Mike wanted to paddle at least one more time before winter. He invited Terry who invited me… Lucky me! Gorgeous blue skies, temps near or above 60.

We put in to the Conewango Creek off Route 62 between Jamestown and Frewsburg. Many thanks to Sarah who helped us with the logistics.

Mike paddled in front, Terry behind. I sat in the middle. (I’m not used to not being in control… it was quite a lesson in patience and trust…)

This section of the creek is part of Chautauqua County’s Marden Cobb Waterway Trail. We stopped at one of the leanto sites for lunch.

I took way too many pictures of leafless trees reflected in the water.

Not all of the water is this flat. Once you pass the Akeley Bridge, there are several spots where the water runs fast. It made me very nervous. (I don’t have a good track record with boating in general. For example, click–> here.) I put my camera in the dry sack during that part and have no pictures…

Still, everything went well. I didn’t get (too) wet. We didn’t capsize. There were no strange weather changes. Could this be a new era for me and boats?