We recently went to a local wetland area, a boardwalk in a backwater of the Little Calumet River along the expressway in Hammond (just east of Kennedy, just south of I-80). It seemed unpromising at first. The expressway is very loud, even with the sound barrier. Once we got into the woods a bit we could let the noise fade to the back of our minds and hear the birds.
We saw this Great Blue Heron looking for lunch.
Taking our time and looking a bit closer, we spotted a second Great Blue (on the right in the water).
Then we found two Black Crowned Night Herons. I hadn't seen them so clearly before.
Along our walk we saw some turtles sunning themselves and signs of beaver and muskrat. It's not a long walk. Some people were having family picnics, others were fishing. We took the shorter trail that led to the Little Cal. There was a deck you could fish from and also a dock where you could put a boat into the water.
It was a nice interlude in a couple of busy weeks.
I also taught a class on color last weekend. A great review of it is posted here--the author did a great job. Thanks!
