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Writer's picturesallyinstpaul

Where Bloggers Live: Nature Friday Vacation Days

Welcome back to the monthly edition of Where Bloggers Live! I am lucky to have joined a terrific group of bloggers who give a peek into the places and spaces where they spend their time.

Where Bloggers Live

Today's topic is Vacation: A Day in the Life...and this is well-timed because I took 7 vacation days from work in the month of May: 3 Fridays plus the week of Memorial Day.


For this post, I'm focusing on two mornings in May that my husband and I spent as "Nature Fridays" at Crosby Farm Regional Park in St Paul, MN to bird, hike, and (in my case) photograph interesting things.

trailhead
Trailhead - Crosby Farm - St Paul, MN - May 2024

We heard more birds than we saw, and saw many more birds than I was able to catch with my camera. The cooperative birds included some very active red-bellied woodpeckers...

bird
Red-bellied Woodpecker - Crosby Farm - St Paul, MN - May 2024

Indigo buntings squabbling over territory...

bird
Indigo Bunting - Crosby Farm - St Paul, MN - May 2024

An American robin who was ready for his close-up...

bird
American Robin - Crosby Farm - St Paul, MN - May 2024

And red-winged blackbirds trying to attract female attention.

bird
Red-winged Blackbird - Crosby Farm - St Paul, MN - May 2024

We also saw these bird signs attached to trees around the entrance to the park. Right after taking the blue jay sign photo, we heard one calling and saw it a couple minutes later. That was a very well-placed sign!

bird signs
Bird signs - Crosby Farm - St Paul, MN - May 2024

Some of the trees were cool to look at, including this skeletal one that was being overtaken by a mushroom colony...

tree and fungus
Tree & mushrooms - Crosby Farm - St Paul, MN - May 2024

A terrifying one that looks like a cross between a giant crustacean and a Leshy from the Witcher...

fallen tree
"A Monstrous Creature" - Crosby Farm - St Paul, MN - May 2024

The horror that results from a Dune sandworm adapting to an arboreal environment...

fallen tree
"A Gaping Maw" - Crosby Farm - St Paul, MN - May 2024

And, to turn away from the grotesque to the beautiful, a stand of living trees reflected in the higher-than-usual Mississippi River.

river
River reflection - Crosby Farm - St Paul, MN - May 2024

Although mid-May is early for wildflowers in Minnesota (we see more in June), there were some pretty blooms in the park as well. Purple was the dominant color of flowers on our two visits...

flowers
Purple flowers - Crosby Farm - St Paul, MN - May 2024
flowers
More purple flowers - Crosby Farm - St Paul, MN - May 2024

But white, yellow, and red were also represented. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable than I am recognizes some of these flowers.

flowers
Yet more flowers - Crosby Farm - St Paul, MN - May 2024

On our second visit, as we were approaching the parking lot, we were bid farewell by deer lunching on the grass and vegetation (i.e., nature's salad bar) off-trail. That was a nice final sighting for our nature outing!

deer
White-tailed Deer - Crosby Farm - St Paul, MN - May 2024

You're probably wondering whether we saw any rabbits during our time at Crosby Farm, and I must report that we did not. By the time we arrived at the park, the bunnies had already eaten and gone back to their safe places. However, my husband and I have seen wild rabbits from our balcony again this year, so all is well on the rabbit-viewing front.


During our weeklong vacation, my husband and I played many games of the Wingspan board game to continue the bird theme. Although it's a competitive game (and fun to play that way), I prefer to play it cooperatively. The game play is not different, but we collaborate on strategy and decision-making. To me, the collaborative approach is more relaxing and is much more in the true spirit of how wildlife preserves function.


We think of ourselves as developing adjoining properties as bird sanctuaries with the goal of creating the best habitat, protecting the most birds, and overall making the most wonderful bird spots we can between us. Everyone who has ever birded knows that what's better than there being an outstanding birding location in an area is there being TWO of them.


Thanks for joining me in a short recap and photo essay of the nature-related activities of my last vacation/staycation.


Next month's topic is My Self-Care at Home...which I currently have no idea how I will address!


In the meantime, visit these lovely bloggers as they share about their vacation doings:


Bettye at Fashion Schlub


Do you have any vacations/staycations planned for the summer? Do you like to do any hiking/nature photography/wildlife watching during vacations? Have you ever played the game Wingspan?


Blogs I link up with are listed here.

25 comments

25 Comments


ARUN GOYAL
ARUN GOYAL
Jul 08

What a lovely post, I love all the birdie shots. Purple Floral blossoms are pretty. Thanks for being part of Garden Affair.

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sallyinstpaul
sallyinstpaul
Jul 08
Replying to

Thanks - I'm always happy when I have something to link up with you!

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Julie Nyanyo
Julie Nyanyo
Jun 23

Gorgeous photos, thank you for sharing them with us at Handmade Monday :-)

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sallyinstpaul
sallyinstpaul
Jun 24
Replying to

I appreciate your kind comment, Julie!

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Stephanie S.
Stephanie S.
Jun 21

Thank you so much for sharing your vacation days with us at The Crazy Little Lovebirds link party #42. :)

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sallyinstpaul
sallyinstpaul
Jun 24
Replying to

Thanks, Stephanie!

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Lillian Flaskerud
Lillian Flaskerud
Jun 18

Amazing birdlife, lovely photos

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sallyinstpaul
sallyinstpaul
Jun 24
Replying to

Thanks, Lillian - photographing birds can be tough but a lot of fun!

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Joanne
Joanne
Jun 15

You got some great nature shots! I often have a hard time capturing birds too as they rarely stay still for very long.

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sallyinstpaul
sallyinstpaul
Jun 15
Replying to

Right? It's like they have other priorities - ridiculous! :D But it does make it all the more satisfying when we get a photo of one!

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