The purple Martins are in their little aprtments. The Oystercatcher looked like it was nesting right next to the road. I saw a small dark shape on the road. It was a box turtle. Some of its shell was scraped off on top, and its back leges were hanging out. We picked it up and it pulled in its legs. I think somone ran over it and it was still in shock. We put it in the grass. I hope it is OK.
There were dozens of huge Snapping Turtles. The highlight of the day was the Eastern Screech Owl that a kind person showed us.
I bought Corel’s Vision FX 2.0 to try out using the add-on’s AI to creatively enhance some of my photography. I used my photo and asked AI to create something using my image. I then added part of that layer over the original in Photoshop. I did not stray far from the original image.
This was a photgraphy trip so whatever wildlife I saw was incidental. I always look around and up.
We stopped briefly at https://njpalisades.org/stateline.html in Alpine, New Jersey and saw a few hawks. Red-tailed Hawk, Coopers, Sharp-shinned Hawk and the resident Peregrine Falcons.
Then we went to have dinner at Kiku at 385 Route 9W, Alpine, NJ 07620 https://www.kikurestaurantsnj.com/. It is very quiet in the regular dining room. I love eating there. The hibachi section is more popular and a little noisier.
On the last day of the trip we visited Halibut Point State Park. It used to be a granite quarry. One of the 6 posts on Cape Ann.
An afternoon Essex River Cruise after the whale watch followed by a meal at Woodman’s. More lobster for me.
Insects, mammals, reptiles and more can be found at the arboretum. These are a few of the chickens that provide the multicolored eggs for sale.
