Nov. 1 we visited the Minor Clark Fish Hatchery and saw a 2nd year Bald Eagle sitting on top of a dead tree
{{gwi:1378757}}From 11-1-09, fish hatchery

checking out the Licking River Lagoon where the hatchery breeds Muskellunge game fish. Trees were already going bare
{{gwi:1378758}}From 11-1-09, fish hatchery

I walked around the the lagoon and spotted a cute female Ruby-crowned Kinglet combing the underbrush for insects
{{gwi:1378759}}From 11-1-09, fish hatchery

Small flocks of Juvenile Bluebirds were moving through the trees
{{gwi:1378761}}From 11-1-09, fish hatchery

We resumed camping in our screen tent after a long rainy spell and heard a Barred and Screech Owl, but also the jaguar(?) bawling and two loud coughs from behind the house. When we checked the Cuddeback Cam the next morning, Nov. 2, something had messed it up so it took empty photos all night, every 30 seconds. But it did catch the bobcat confronting a 6-point buck.

I sent the cam in for repairs, and this time I'm buying a bear protection cam cage.
{{gwi:1378762}}From 11-1-09, fish hatchery

DuBois heard that a neighbor's dog had been attacked by a big black cat that had "torn half its head off." I became worried about my own dogs and called Jeff to get the details. He said his dog was barking one morning so he turned it loose, but a "black panther" with a "three-foot tail" stuck its head around the barn, swiped the dog across the face, and walked into the woods without a backward glance. The dog required over $300 worth of stitches, but he said the cat had done it in self-defense.

Nevertheless, yesterday I heard a local deputy say that if he ever sees it, he'll shoot it in "self defense."

Jeff said he'd put three game cams out to get a photo, but I say good luck with THAT.

Nov. 7 we visited the Minor Clark Fish Hatchery and saw a female Greater Scaup in one of the fish breeding pools
{{gwi:1378763}}From 11-1-09, fish hatchery

A juvenile Cedar Waxwing was back in the tangle of branches by the lagoon
{{gwi:1378764}}From 11-1-09, fish hatchery

adult Cedar Waxwing
{{gwi:1378766}}From 11-1-09, fish hatchery

The next night we saw a male Hooded Merganser on a Poppy Mnt pond
{{gwi:1378770}}From 11-1-09, fish hatchery

We stopped by the fish hatchery on Friday the 13th before work.

A Pied-billed Grebe was swimming far out on the lagoon
{{gwi:1378771}}From 11-1-09, fish hatchery

The female Greater Scaup had been joined by a male Bufflehead, but they also kept their distance
{{gwi:1378772}}From 11-1-09, fish hatchery

Frustrated, I crept up and took photos through the brush

11-13-09, Minor Clark Fish Hatchery, Pied-billed Grebe, American Coot on log
{{gwi:1378773}}From 11-1-09, fish hatchery

Love those green feet
{{gwi:1378774}}From 11-1-09, fish hatchery

Just then a Lincoln's Sparrow came by my hiding place and did a double take
{{gwi:1378775}}From 11-1-09, fish hatchery

unsure what it was seeing..
{{gwi:1378776}}From 11-1-09, fish hatchery

Nov. 14 we saw a wild Turkey hen on Poppy Mnt with her grown poults
{{gwi:1378777}}From 11-1-09, fish hatchery

The poults began walking away, stretching their wings
{{gwi:1378778}}From 11-1-09, fish hatchery
{{gwi:1378779}}From 11-1-09, fish hatchery

Finally, they were ready to launch
{{gwi:1378780}}From 11-1-09, fish hatchery

A Lincoln's Sparrow dove into a thicket, but at the chirruping sound of the camera's auto focus, up popped the sparrow..it even answered me back!
{{gwi:1378781}}From 11-1-09, fish hatchery

The next day, Nov. 15, we returned to the fish hatchery where I pushed through brush on the shore of the lagoon until I could see the Pied-billed Grebe out on the water
{{gwi:1378782}}From 11-1-09, fish hatchery

I moved to where I could peep through the tangle at the log, now covered with Chicken Turtles, where the American Coot and grebe had been sunning last time.

Eventually, the grebe cruised over
{{gwi:1378783}}From 11-1-09, fish hatchery

Didn't look like much chance of getting a spot on the log
{{gwi:1378785}}From 11-1-09, fish hatchery

A Red-tailed Hawk wheeled high overhead as I returned to the car
{{gwi:1378786}}From 11-1-09, fish hatchery

That evening we went up on Poppy Mnt, looking in vain for the Hooded Merganser. The woods have lost most of their leaves now
{{gwi:1378787}}From 11-1-09, fish hatchery