The Lazy Birder

We went for a short hike at the Franklin Lakes Nature Preserve. A nice day to get outdoors and get some exercise before the weeks forecast of several days of rain, which is needed due to a continuing mild drought.

The preserve has recently been renamed The G. Thomas Donch Nature Preserve which is not what most people know it as.
There is a shorter accessible "trail" available.
The other trails are easy and flat but there are can be some muddy areas or uneven ground so hiking boots are preferable IMO.
Some photos below, as always.

A trip to wander around the Laurelwood Arboretum and Sculpture Trail. It's a beautifully landscaped park with the various trees identified with plaques or markers, and 'sculptures' spread throughout. While we observed birds such as goldfinches, hummingbirds in the sensory garden, red-belly woodpeckers, and heard catbirds, red-tailed hawks, and more, it was really a day to walk and enjoy everything the park had to offer. With that in mind, I had the 35mm focal length prime lens mounted on my camera which makes for a nice walk around combination but did limit its usefulness for photographing birds. But there was more to see and enjoy on this trip than just the birds.

Some views from a walk at the Celery Farm. There were four Green Herons at one point which was the most I had seen at one time.

A short solo visit to the Teaneck Creek Conservancy for a little walk with the camera. Several Blue Herons lurking in the field, and a pair of Wood Ducks in the pond.
Upon returning home, a Monarch butterfly ready to be photographed on some Cutleaf Coneflowers in the yard.

A walk with the Bergen County Audubon Society at the Mill Creek Marsh Trail in Secaucus, a great place to see shorebirds!