Failures of the gardening year

The biggest "failure" of our gardening year was our inability to find a two-tiered bird fountain. It was supposed to be the focal point of our second native garden. We looked locally and online and came up "empty." Everything we saw was either too small or the water would be too deep for birds to stand in. A bird bath should not be deeper than two inches and nothing passed the test. We finally bought a pretty bird bath and a water wiggler. It was not very popular, though, until we hung up our bird feeders. I guess water alone was not enough of a magnet for birds.
We also purchased an arbor and placed it at the entrance to our native garden. We had images of trumpet honeysuckle climbing up the sides and luring hummingbirds with their sweet smell. Alas, we could not find trumpet honeysuckle anywhere. We hope to have better luck next year.
We also expanded our vegetable area and planted tomatoes and paprika. That proved to be too much temptation for our resident groundhog (actually, he resides under our neighbor's barn, but finds more food in our backyard). Our plan for next year is therefore to put up a fence to protect tender plants from wildlife since we spend a small fortune on repellants.
Fences are on our list for next year, but overall we're happy with the way our backyard has turned out this year. Considering that we haven't had much rain this summer and fall we're lucky that we only had to water our new serviceberry and the annuals, of course.

Successes of the gardening year

The gardening year is winding down and it's time to take stock of the successes of our native garden. After removing our huge silver maple, we had enough space in our backyard to finally buy a serviceberry. It is now the centerpiece of our second native garden. Its bloom was very short this year (I didn't even get to photograph it because it was over so quickly) but I hope it will bloom longer in its second year. I missed the berries because I was out of town at the time. Its autumn color was beautiful--a russett red that added a beautiful shade to our fall garden.
We also purchased a Joe-pye weed that was a bee and butterfly magnet. I have the photos to prove it. Its blooms attracted bumble bees into October. Luckily, we got a dwarf variety. They can get taller than a man in the wild.
Our zinnias recovered after the first shoots were eaten by rabbits. With a later bloom, they provided color until the first frost killed them.
Next time I will blog about the failures of our gardening year. Luckily, there weren't many.

Birds & Blooms

I am excited to announce that my photo of an airborne Tufted Titmouse is a finalist in Birds & Blooms magazine's backyard photo contest. People can now vote online by logging on to www.birdsandblooms.com/contests.
After winning First Place in WildBird magazine's photo contest in 2005 and an Honorable Mention in Pennsylvania Magazine's photo contest 2006, this is the third time my little friend is up for an award. It even landed me on TV when Dave Crawley from KDKA Country filmed me in 2005. Now, the titmouse graces my business card and the homepage of my website, enchanting everyone who sees it. Will three be a charm? I'll keep you posted on the results.

The Wood Duck

The wood duck is one of a few ducks in North America that nests in trees near water. Many people consider it to be the most beautiful of all waterfowl. You can count me among them now. I think they look like swimming paintings.
Wood ducks readily nest in boxes, and that's how they were introduced to North Chagrin Reservation. As you can see on this photo, the head of a wood duck drake is iridescent. While the females look more drab, they also have a crest and beautiful plumage. Most remarkable is their white eye ring.
They feed off seeds, acorn, fruits, and invertebrates. At North Chagrin, they often picked up pieces of wood out of the pond.
Wood ducks pair up in January and are usually paired by the time they reach their breeding grounds. They are probably gone by now, but they'll be back in Ohio next year, ready to enchant us again with their beauty.

North Chagrin - Part 3

Photographers should always be open for new subjects. Such was the case on the morning of the first workshop day when a buck appeared on the other side of the small pond. Undisturbed by leaf-peepers and photographers, it made its way along the paved trail while we photographers fired away. It was the first time that I actually photographed a deer. The only other time I encountered a deer while carrying my camera the deer was way too close. I figured that I could maybe photograph its nose and not much else. And the nose would have probably been out of focus.
I am still editing the hundreds of shots I took at North Chagrin and find that I have many favorites. Considering the bad weather we have had during the past few weekends I had great luck. I still can't get over how tame the birds were. Last week, I went to Beechwood. There were three mallards on the pond but they always swam to the other side of the pond when they noticed me. They must have been passers-through since Beechwood is a popular destination with hikers and school groups.
All in all, I couldn't be happier with my results.

North Chagrin - Part 2

Waterfowl were not the only tame birds at North Chagrin Reservation. Here is a list of the birds I observed during my stay: Bluebirds, American Robins, Cooper's Hawk, White-breasted Nuthatch, White-crowned Sparrow, Wood Ducks, Canada Geese, Mallards, American Wigeon, Red-winged Blackbirds, Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, House Sparrows, and a Great Blue Heron.
It is one of life's mysteries that a bird that I really could use in my portfolio only shows up when I don't have a camera handy. Such was the case on Sunday when my husband joined me and I decided to leave the camera behind while we walked around the pond. Just then, a bluebird landed on a small tree not far from where we were standing. Considering how many people visited the reservation last weekend I was amazed how accustomed to humans all the birds were. Of course, humans weren't the only creatures around. I haven't seen so many dogs this side of the Allegheny Mountains. But wood ducks are truly the stars of the show and quite a few people asked me anxiously, "Are they still here?" Yes, they are - at least until early November or whenever they decide to fly south.

Ducks galore

I spent the weekend at North Chagrin Reservation in Ohio where I attended a wood duck photo workshop. I arrived on Friday afternoon in a light rain and checked out the pond. To my surprise the birds were so tame that even the great blue heron I saw did not fly away when I approached. Apparently, the waterfowl and shorebirds are so used to people that they don't get spooked.
On Saturday morning, we joined plenty of other photographers on the boardwalk to photograph wood ducks and mallards in the early light. We learned that about ten years ago, wood ducks began to breed in the nest boxes that had been built for them. More nest boxes followed and the reservation now is home to a beautiful flock of wood ducks. Before migrating south in early November they have molted into their fresh plumage. Against the backdrop of fall foliage reflecting in the ponds they are truly beautiful. Mallards and Canada geese were also plentiful. And the trees around the ponds and on the trails are home to many songbirds. Although the workshop ended on Sunday evening, I spent Monday morning at the pond before I packed up and it began to rain. It has been a cold, breezy weekend but at least the rain held off until I was finished. The fall foliage, which was probably at or near its peak in Cleveland, added to the beauty of the experience. Now I am back in our warm house, tired and excited about the happy task of editing hundreds of photos. I think I have found another favorite spot to visit.