The Beauty Of Carptenter Nature Center

I just got the biggest chuckle out of this photo. Apparently a group of people were protesting Scientology in New York (all wearing masks) and two were holding signs that read, "Down with this sort of thing" and "Careful now." This is a reference to one of my all time favorite tv shows...

Father Ted--it's a series about a couple of Irish priests who get into all sorts of scrapes and mischief. In one episode, Ted (guy with the gray hair) and his assistant priest Dougal were ordered by their bishop to protest a dirty movie that came to Craggy Island--and these were the signs they held during their protest. This series is worth a look through Netflix, my two favorite episodes are The Plague and A Song For Europe.

Okay, folks, Carpenter Nature Center is still several shades of gorgeous. It's not too late to visit it yet this fall. The asters are still blooming and the sumac is turning red.

The orchard bees are making the most of the late fall bloom and can be found on asters or goldenrod.

We did not get huge amounts of birds in the nets at our Friday banding session. There were tons moving through, but a combination of strong winds that billowed the nets and a steady stream of sharp-shinned hawks migrating through, seemed to keep the birds away. On very windy days, the nets move and the birds can usually see them.

We watched quite a few birds fly towards and then up and up and right over the nets. Ah well, that left more time to photograph the landscape.

A large flock of bluebirds were hunting for insects in the grassy areas. They just added a little dazzle to the landscape.

So, again, I say, if you have not been to Carpenter Nature Center this fall, do go check it out, it's one of the prettiest spots in the Twin Cities.