The Highfield Discovery Garden

This is probably the first walking stick insect that I've ever seen in the wild:

The Garden Loop Path at Glenwood Gardens Park

The narrow trail on the western part of the path leads down to the stream:



I was surprised to see a coyote this morning, this was shot on the service road next to the garden loop:







If you look over the south eastern rail of the bridge that is next to the garden loop you might see a few 12" long fish, and occasionally you can see around twenty of them:

View from the Cotswold Overlook at Glenwood Gardens Park

Fernald Preserve

This preserve is not actually part of the Hamilton County Park system.

The boardwalk on the Sycamore Trail:



A Great Blue Heron:




The Fernald Preserve bird blind:




Also called the wildlife viewing area:







The next five photos are views from inside the blind:




















A Kingfisher:




An Indigo Bunting:








A Northern Harrier, this is a type of hawk with a distinctive owl-like face:



A Northern Harrier hunting:

The Winton Woods Dam

This is the view looking south from on top of the dam. The building contains the controls for adjusting the water flow into
the West Fork Mill Creek which goes through Glenwood Gardens Park.



The westward view from the dam:







This nearby lake started as a sedimentation basin and has evolved into a wetland habitat for a large number of wildlife.



Across the street and down the hill is a secluded meadow/wetland area with a grass walkway around it.



A Great Blue Heron rookery next to Winton Woods Lake:

Gilmore Metropark

Cattail Marsh:




This is the same view as the previous photo but in the Fall:




Same view but a close-up of the rookery:







I went back in the Spring and there were over twenty Great Blue Herons in the rookery:












On the opposite side of Cattail Marsh there is a bird blind: