Tifft Nature Preserve is an urban wildlife sanctuary located practically in the heart of Buffalo.  I’d been itching to visit for months, and hubby and I thought it’d be fun to go at least once in each season, and photograph the landscape as its elements changed with the months.  A few weeks ago, we bundled Peanut into the car and set off for our winter visit.

Before we even got out of the car, we’d already seen two deer.  Deer in the middle of the city!  Love it.

(This guy ^ was closer than he looks.  I need to learn to work my camera a little bit better, clearly.  Or maybe I should have swapped in my zoom lens.)

There were beautiful paths leading in several different directions, so we picked one to follow.  I can’t wait to see what this trail looks like in spring and summer!  I expect it’s a riot of green overhead and all around.

Peanut wasn’t sure what we were doing tramping around in the snow, but – once again – she was not impressed.

We passed a bat habitat that the nature preserve had set up in the trees, which I thought was extremely cool (almost like a modern art installation).  Although I – like every woman, I think – have a horror of getting a bat stuck in my hair, I actually really like bats as a rule.  They’re good for keeping local insect populations under control, and if you actually watch them swooping through the evening sky, they’re really quite graceful.  Obviously we didn’t see any bats (it being the middle of the day) but I like knowing that the nature preserve is taking steps to protect the local population.

More nature: deer tracks!  I felt like I was tracking a Jaguar with Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet.

We found a small frozen pond tucked away down the trail.  Peanut is recently obsessed with ponds (more on this next week) and we took advantage of the opportunity to show her her favorite ecosystem all frozen over.

I don’t think she really put two and two together.

Just before we turned back, we saw this small offshoot trail leading to a wide expanse of snow and grass.  I might be completely losing it, but something about the landscape reminded me of the beach.  Maybe the small path leading to the great wide open?  Or the tall grasses that look so much like the Outer Banks’ famous sea oats?  Either way, it was a beautiful sight.

Thanks for the lovely walk, Tifft Nature Preserve!  Can’t wait to see you bedecked in your spring finery.  Anytime now…