The Swans of North Bay Park

North Bay Park is a frequent subject of my photos.  I like to walk through the park and it has a nice loop that makes for nice scenery despite the proximity of the I-94 and Ypsilanti.

For the past couple of years I've watched the swans.  A couple of years ago, they had one young.  Last year they had two.  This years, the next was right next to the trail and there were six eggs on the nest.  Five of them hatched.

The parent.

A couple of the chicks.

I shot a bunch of pictures and trying to narrow them down was tough.

Mom and the babies.

The adult.

The young.

These guys were falling asleep.  Watching them was fun and I spent quite a bit of time doing it.

Under the boardwalk are the nests of sparrows.  You can often see them sitting on the supports just resting.

Some turtles.  Last year, I didn't see a single turtle all year.  It is good to see them again.

Another sparrow.

A family of ducks.

North Bay Park

I took another jaunt to North Bay Park.  I go there often because it is nearby and a nice place to take a walk.

A lone leaf.

A crown of gold.

The colors of fall.

North Bay Park

I headed out to North Bay Park a couple of days ago.  The trees by the parking lot have begun to change.

North Bay Park

One morning I took my camera on my morning walk.  I didn't have my macro lens with me so I couldn't get very close.

Purple Loosestrife.

I'm not sure what kind of flower this is.  A kind of snapdragon, maybe?

My first attempt at photographing spiderwebs.

My second attempt.

And a third.  Overall, I'm pretty happy with the way the spiderwebs turned out.

North Bay Park - December - Finally

I've been absent from posting for quite some time. There have been a lot of reasons why this has happened, but basically it boils down to the fact that I've been busy. I don't know that that is going to change anytime soon and I may, in fact, be even busier. Even though it is months late, I do want to get the December pictures up.

The boardwalk.

The swans were still there.  I went to the park periodically throughout the winter and they were there every time.  The last time I was there I didn't see the young one, but I did see the adults on the nest.

Another shot of the boardwalk.  I really like the look of the shore since the golf course has cut down the trees.

Crossing one of the islands.

Looking back up the hill at the start of the trail.

Swans 12-2-11

I went to North Bay Park last Sunday. This picture is from the 2nd, but the swans were still there on the 11th even though most of the enclosed water was frozen. I'm hoping to get back there tomorrow and see if they're still there.

The Swan Family

Monday morning I went over to the park to see if the swans were still there. To my surprise, they were. I don't know what they're eating as all the plant life is pretty much gone for the year. After the rain and snow yesterday I'd be surprised if they're still there today.

The young swan just finished searching the bottom for something to eat.


One of the parents.

North Bay Park - November

Here are the pictures for November. They were taken on the 17th.



This tree still had a full mantle of color which surprised me as most of the trees were bare.


The swans were still in the park. One of the parents and the young one.



The golf course was busy removing the trees from the bank. I think this will not only give a nicer view from the golf course, but looks much better from the boardwalk.



The other adult swan.



Looking back along the trail. What surprised me even more than the tree with the colors was that there were still a fair number of plants with green leaves on them.

North Bay Park - October

Yes, you read that right. These photos are from October. It took me awhile to get caught up on my trips up north, then even longer getting them off my camera onto my computer. Most of these pictures were taken on either 10/17 or 10/18. The one of the swan was taken on the 22nd or so.


Sun shining through the storm clouds illuminates the colors of autumn.



Signs of fall.



A tree blew over in the high winds the night before.



Afternoon light catches the leaves.



Most of the green plant life is gone from the lake.


Here you can see the color of the baby swan has really started to change.

North Bay Park - September

These pictures were taken between the 15th and 22nd of September.


The boardwalk.



An unknown bird.



A closeup.



Another water bird taking off.



The swans.



The young swan preening.



The swans with the boardwalk in the background.



One of the bridges in the morning light.



Across the bay.



Along the boardwalk.