Woodpeckers

We have seen and heard several species of woodpeckers at Hasty Brook, my favorite being the pileated woodpecker. There are many dead trees standing throughout the woods. This birch had been chewed around the base by beavers- not sure why they didn't finish the job, but they left a "diner" for the pileateds. This snag has three excavations like this one. I have never been able to catch a photo of one of those awesome birds, but we did get a really good look at one while camping in July. A beautiful male flew into the campsite and landed on a tall, rotted tree stump, less than ten feet from the fire pit where we were all seated. After a few seconds someone gasped, he squawked and flew off! I was especially grateful that all of the kids got a good look and could enjoy the size and beauty of that magnificent bird.

We're heading "up north" this weekend- can't wait to be there and see what we see!

First Time

It's time to just jump in with both feet. I've stalled and fretted long enough. I decided to start a blog as a sort of electronic journal to record pictures, observations and thoughts of a piece of land we call Hasty Brook. We bought ten acres of wooded land in northern Minnesota in the spring of 2005. We justified it by calling it an investment/savings plan for the future. On the first trip up just to look at the property I was hooked!

I'm not a photographer or writer by any stretch of the imagination, but I'd like to try to share what I see and feel when I'm at Hasty Brook.