An evening rain left frozen pools that had just begun to thaw and clouds lingered throughout the day. Yet all in all it was a perfect hike and one just right for seeking solitude.

Watching and observing as early morning light breaks through the trees.
Observation seems a lost skill in a world where words now speak louder than action.

Much smaller than the leaves on this tree a Female White-Necked Jacobin puts proportion in perspective….. how can something so small can leave an impression so large.


Almost but not quite. Red Winged Blackbirds are back in town but the shoulder badges on the males are not quite a vibrant red and the sky is still a bit grey and wintery this day. Almost, but not quite, spring is indeed in the air. I can hear this blackbird singing.

A male Redheaded Duck enjoying the late afternoon sun on a chilly winter afternoon.

The path meanders
One foot in front of the other.
We were treated to quite a show by this Male Hooded Merganser the other day and unfortunately for him we seemed more interested in his display than the female Hoodie he was courting. To begin with, he took on the other male in the pond in a typical Hooded Merganser head bobbing competition. He appeared to win that battle easily. Next he danced around his lady bobbing his head up and down and to our surprise would crook his neck sideways and belt out a little tune for her. The female hoodie would occasionally glance over his way, tuck her head back into her feathers and continue with her afternoon nap. He kept head bobbing and singing for quite some time and we got to witness quite a show but were left wondering was the female just playing hard to get, or was his show subpar?
For the next couple of weeks we will be posting some of our favorite posts from the past as we take a small respite from the digital world.
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