Maumee Bay State Park

After we left Shedel Gardens the day was still young so we headed over to Maumee Bay State Park and their Nature Trail. Maumee Bay is some kind of State Park. It has an enormous Lodge, beautiful cabins, a golf course, tennis courts, an inland beach and a Lake Erie Beach and the Nature Preserve with miles of boardwalk.

Visitor Center

Pond outside the Visitor Center

Inside the Visitor Center

Boardwalk

Of course, we were interested in the nature hike on the boardwalk and ended up walking more than two miles on boardwalk. Of course, I love boardwalks because you are walking on flat ground and my knees don't give me fits like when we are climbing up and down all the time.

Willow Flycatcher

Lee was able to get pictures of a female Red-tailed Hawk and a Willow Flycatcher which are two birds that we didn't have pictures of so it was a really good day.

Can you see the walking stick?

Grasshopper

Lake Erie

Female Red Tailed Hawk

Mama Raccoon

  Chattering Baby Raccoon

Then as we were getting close to the end of the trail, a baby raccoon eluded her Mama and came chattering out into the open. When the Mama saw us, she wasn't happy and she darted back into the dense cover. The baby though just kept wandering and went under the boardwalk we were standing on. I got a great movie of him chattering away as he went under the boardwalk and out the other side. 

Once he got that far away from Mama, she headed out to get him. Then she must have decided that if we were going to hurt him, we would have already done so because she seemed to scold him and began to clean him up. That was probably his punishment. It is hard to see him in the video because he is such a little ball of fur but it is still fun to watch her groom him!

Grooming

Mama and Baby Raccoon

Great Blue Heron