FEBRUARY 2, 2013

It was 16 degrees this morning on the Riverwalk trail, but it didn't seem as cold today as yesterday because the wind wasn't blowing. There were not many people on the trail, and Sadie upset a group of geese in a large field, although we didn't get very close to them. The moon was about 2/3's and made a beautiful background for a cardinal in the top of one tree. We also saw a group of vultures this afternoon as they were resting in the top of some trees near the river. Also, this afternoon a woodpecker visited our birdfeeder but just sat there staring at the feeder. It rested there for nearly 20 minutes before flying away. Sadie had a good run in a field. It was a good day on the Riverwalk trail.

JANUARY 31, 2013

It was a very windy and cold, but sunny afternoon at the Riverwalk this afternoon. The river was high and the geese had taken refuge on the fields near Dan Daniel Park. A small group of ducks were in a cove, but no water fowl were braving the heavy rapids in the center of the river. Even the great blue heron I usually see was not there since it perches in the river had been covered with water. Near the Public Works department, a mockingbird was watching us closely from the bush with the red berries. It posed for my camera for a short time, lost interest, and then flew deeper into the bush and out of sight. On the way out of the park, I saw a few birds in a tree on my left. I stopped the car, rolled down the window and took some photos of a bluebird and a white-throated sparrow that were nicely lighted with the afternoon sun. It was another great day on the Riverwalk trail.

January 27, 2013

(CLICK photos to make them larger) Sadie and I passed only one other person on the Riverwalk Trail this morning. My Averett colleague, Richard Ferguson, was running on the trail this brisk, Sunday morning. We were so early this morning that it was, evidently, too cold for many of the birds to be out, though we saw a few cardinals, mockingbirds, chickadees and woodpeckers. However, the geese were out in great force. On the river and in the air, the Canada geese made their presence known, and there was a large number of the white, brown and grey geese; as we approached, they seemed agitated by the presence of a dog, so we made a wide circle around them so they wouldn't be interrupted from their morning activities in field. We went back this afternoon and, again, saw very few birds, but Sadie found a crummy looking baseball in the tall grass (one of nearly 70 she has found this year). I took her to a baseball field and let her run and play with the ball. She had a great time throwing the ball in the air, running after it, and keeping it away from me.

As we got into the car, a couple in a white truck stopped and got out to pet Sadie. The lady called me by name and said she enjoyed my photos in the paper. We chatted for 15-20 minutes, and then we came home. It was a very good day at the park.

January 26, 2013

(CLICK image to make it larger) This afternoon on the Riverwalk, the weather was mild (low-40s) and the ice on the trail had mostly vanished. Sadie and I were alone for the most part with only a lone jogger passing us 10-minutes into our walk. I thought I had arrived to late in the afternoon to take any pictures, but got a few shots of some ducks (canvas back and mallards) under a bridge) and then noticed an unusual large bird on a limb of a fallen tree that was jutting out over the river. As I looked closer, I noticed a very cold heron on that limb and took some pictures. As I moved around, I got a stately profile of the beautiful bird. I regretted that we had disturbed its peaceful rest on the limb and it flew off shortly after we had passed by. It was another beautiful day on the river.

January 25, 2013

Today our bird feeder was full of birds as the snow and freezing rain came down. In the short time I was watching, I saw some white-throated sparrows, tufted titmouses/mice?, cardinals, juncos and chickadees. Sadie enjoyed looking out the window at them as they jockeyed for feeding positions on our two bird feeders This morning I went to the park with Sadie, and we saw a couple of deer but not much else. It was a good day to see nature.

January 20, 2013

(Click Photos to Enlarge) Very odd, I think. This morning I saw a couple of bluebirds "house hunting" on the Riverwalk trail near Dan Daniel Park. The male was sitting on top of the house and the female was perched on the outside of the entrance, looking in. I haven't seen this activity often, but noticed it several times over the past few weeks, but each of the other times involved a male bluebird sitting on top of the house. I watched some chickadees playing around in the trees and a few downy woodpeckers eating berries in the same trees. The flood waters are receding, and the water fowl are now back on the river in larger numbers. Though the river is still swift, the ducks and geese are hugging the shore and I saw several flocks of Canada geese flying over (a beautiful sight). It was a good day on the Riverwalk trail.

January 19, 2013

(Click Photos to Enlarge) The woods along the Riverwalk Trail seemed full of woodpeckers this morning. I could hear the tap-tap-tap as they searched for bugs, but most interesting was their hanging up-side-down as they ate white berries from the trees. The small red stripe of the downy woodpeckers made them stand out against the dark wood of the trees. As we drove into Dan Daniel park, I saw a couple of young deer munching the grass near the road, and I stopped to take their pictures. They occasionally looked up, but didn't seem to shy at all.

I also saw the two ladies who enjoy feeding the ducks and geese on the trail. They are concerned that the city may enact a law to make it illegal to feed the ducks and geese. I have mixed feelings, but I tend to side with the ladies. The bread they feed may not be the healthiest food for the birds, but the ladies do enjoy feeding the birds, and it is the reason they enjoy getting up each day to walk the 2-3 miles along the trail. I also see families bringing loaves of bread to give their children for feeding the ducks and geese. It give the children a close-up and personal experience with nature.

The major complaint from those who walk on the trail is that the bread causes the geese to leave more dropping on the trail. In all the years I have walked down there, I have never found that to be a problem, and besides, when we go on the trail, we are in their home, and wildlife leave their droppings where ever they may be. May biggest concern is not the wildlife along the river, but speeding bikers who come up behind me without warning. But that's for another day. Overall, it was a very good day on the Riverwalk trail.

January 18, 2013

The river, after the week of rain and then yesterday's snow, has swollen beyond its banks on many sections of the Riverwalk. The geese hug the shoreline a the rapid river speeds past, and the birds hang high up in the trees. Deer come down from the hills to drink from temporary ponds created in areas that had been dry meadowland. This afternoon, a small bluebird caught my eye as it jumped from a tree into a newly created pond, stood there, and then jump up to fly back into the nearby tree. It was a beautiful sight in the winter world where the snow had melted into puddles and the river was encroaching upon the land. It was another good day on the Riverwalk.

January 16, 2013

The river was very high this afternoon and only a few geese and ducks were in the water. The geese on the shore backed away as Sadie and I passed, but when we saw a large group of geese, we decided to turn around and not bother them. I felt that they had been traumatized too much already by the high water on the river.

Those who deny global warming should have been with me on the trail this afternoon. I saw something on the trail I had never seen during this time of year. Actually, Sadie went over to investigate a movement in the grass, and when I got there, I saw a foot and a half long green snake. I have never seen a snake during this time of year since they are, mostly, hibernating. The snake looked at us and didn't move until we left. My guess is that its underground winter home had been disturbed by the heavy rain and the flooding, and it was out, on a rather mild afternoon, looking for another place to burrow.

Sadie found two baseballs on the trail this morning; one was badly beaten up, and the other was nearly brand new. She dropped the older ball, which she had carried around for several minutes and picked up the new ball following a rather lengthy decision making process trying to decide which one to keep. I let her play in one of the ball fields where she tossed up the ball, chased it, and carried it around like a trophy. It was a good day on the Riverwalk Trail.

January 15, 2013

Ducks and geese and Sadie and me. That was all one could find on the Riverwalk today. The river was rising as the five Canada geese, above, were floating down the river. Not much else to see on this rainy, winter's day.