As you know, yesterday marked the end of the challenge.

Earlier, I described some knowledge I’ve gained from doing that. Here are some other things, while I’m watched over by a redshouldered hawk, who flew up from the lawn when he saw me, but still perched very close by.

First, there is always more story, and more to the story. As the month progressed, I posted longer blog entries with more pictures. There is so much I want to remember that it becomes hard even to attempt to capture it all. I feel an obligation to my future self to do it, though, and I believe that is both unreasonable and unproductive. But really enjoyable right now!

I started out recounting the one or two things that crossed the high water mark. Then something happened. I so like the act of writing… Adding to that, the idea that I didn’t need to be precise or especially creative, helped me to write more. I am a reasonably conscientious writer, but a few days’ entries have made me cringe.

I have gone back and edited/updated some that I re-read, but there’s much here that will not be touched again.

The other significant thing that happened is that my level of excitement about the whole backyard adventure has continued to increase in spades. I mean, I am just constantly pleased to be able to get up from my desk and live with the creatures outside my door. So, that’s a discovery, of a sort, though not one relegated to just this past month.

I like to try to capture their peculiarities through images, and as such have decided to get a better camera, see how it suits me.

The hardest part of this is sorting through images. It is a challenge deciding what photos tell enough of the story to satisfy future me, and which ones are just images I like. Often, these are not the same things.

So, I’m going to devote some time to really learning more about photography, with the idea of developing both a more discriminating eye, and making me a better maker of images.

There is so much I want to remember that it becomes hard to even attempt to capture it all.

(I don’t forget too, that at some point, eyes that are not just mine are likely to read this, being published as it is, online.)

The idea behind the three week cooling off period that I intend to take staring this week is to discover a blogging schedule that works with my schedule, and that also allows me to indulge in this in a more useful and productive way.

And now, to today’s adventures: Obviously, the turtles were out in full force. In the summer, the turtles and the alligators are my most constant visitors. They are also both far more skittish in general than any of the wading birds. Less escape range, I suppose. As the warmth goes away, so do they. These are the first for some weeks. This individual has been coming up near the lawn for a few days. Today it decided to get all the way up and stretch out. Was out there for quite some time. Hours, as I recall.

This other individual enjoyed the sun’s rays bouncing off the water. But, though we must have been 30 or 40 feet apart, separated by a body of water, he could not tolerate my presence and dove off soon after this.

A tiny baby turtle, broke the grass near my feet. I though it was a huge bug! Then it emerged and rushed up the hill. It kept its eyes on me too. I’m always fascinated when I find the animals are looking back. It’s extraordinary (and most likely completely to be expected!) that they are as curious about me, as I am about them.

I know the both the muscovies and the mallards investigated me and decided I was alright. They almost entirely ignore me now when I go up to them. I sat on the overturned canoe and the mallard pair swam up just next to me and comfortably munched away and then lazily moved on.

The sight of the hawk and the presence of the grebe yet again both made this a special day. And that’s without even accounting for the grebe’s entertaining behavior with both the tricolored heron and its companion the snowy egret.