FEBRUARY 3, 2013

(CLICK PHOTOS TO MAKE THEM LARGER) Sadie and I were on the Riverwalk trail twice today - early morning and mid-afternoon. Sadie found another baseball (one of over 70 she has found since last spring - she has found 3 within the week). The ball was pretty tattered with the cover coming off. I let her run with the ball in one of the Dan Daniel Park ball fiends, and then, when she let me have it it, I tossed it in the trash.

In the afternoon we saw a large flock of robins in one of the fields near Dan Daniel park. They had gathered on the ground and in a tree, and the lighting allowed for a good shot of some of them. The geese had gathered near the shoreline and the effects of the foliage between us and them made for some interesting effects. It was another good 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 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 14, 2013

It was a rainy morning on the Riverwalk. At the bridge near the Public Works Department I saw a mallard couple in the tall grass. There were few birds or other wildlife on the trail. Sadie, my English setter, and I were the only fools out there. It was a good, but rainy, day on the Riverwalk.

January 12, 2013

This morning, as I drove into Dan Daniel Park, I saw two deer on the hillside. I turned the car around, rolled down my window, got my camera ready and went back to take a photo of the deer. By the time I got back, they were gone. However, there were a couple of squirrels there, and one was eating a pine cone. I took its picture instead of the deer. As we were walking up a hill to a place I had seen a hawk the day before, Sadie ran through the tall grass, and took some pictures of her. One is posted here, and I used a special effect to make the shot more interesting. The hawk wasn't there. We saw a number of different song birds along the trail, but the most interesting was a chickadee I saw eating berries from a tree near the river. I have a couple of shots here. On the way back to the car, a fellow walker told me that he had just see a couple of river otters playing around and fishing at the bridge near the Public Works Department. We walked back the mile to the bridge, but by the time we got there, there was no sign of the otters. There will be another day for taking pictures of otters. It was a very good morning on the Riverwalk Trail.

January 8, 2013

This small chickadee sat alone on a small twig. It looked cold as it watched us walk past.

January 2, 2013

Four Canada geese swim calmly on the river shortly before flying off to graze in a nearby field.

January 1, 2013

As the sun shines brightly on this small bluebird, the richness of it color could be appreciated.

December 30, 2012

This great blue heron lands gracefully on a fallen tree near the bridge going over to the Community Market.

December 29, 2012

This small woodpecker made a loud pecking noise high in a tree near the Goodyear Fields.

December 27, 2012

These two geese swim lazily on the Dan River on a cool winter morning.

December 26, 2012

This small junco watched us from a nearby tree as we walked by its tree near the Veterans Memorial at Dan Daniel Park.

December 25, 2012

Sadie found a yellow soft ball in the high grass near the Goodyear ball fields. She enjoyed throwing it up in the air and chasing it. She has found over 60 baseballs, 3 softballs, 2 footballs, 3 soccer balls, two tennis balls and two golf balls during the past year.

December 24, 2012

This angry mockingbird looks down at us with a threatening look as we passed through its territory near the Public Works Department on the Riverwalk Trail.