22 November, 2021 Red-shoulder over my shoulder – thank you Ray! 

My friend Ray and I were hiking at Bryan Park one lovely morning this week. We sat down at a picnic table to catch our breath – and a Red-shouldered hawk was perched almost over my shoulder! I’d never been so close to one before! Ray took this picture: 

Amazing! Then he handed the camera to me and I turned around and got this image: 

The trees are not entirely bare yet, but there’s a lot of light getting through. I saw this Mockingbird Monday while I was riding my bicycle at West Creek: 

The dogs and I missed our Sunday hike last week (11/15/2020) because the river was still flooded. It had gone down a lot and dried out some by Tuesday so Mackey and Turner and I took a quick jaunt Tuesday morning. We saw and photographed an owl (that was why I went) but I got a better one today. I was surprised to see a butterfly still fluttering around in mid-November, but this beauty stopped long enough for me to grab a quick shot: 

Barred owls are much too wild to take for granted. But I see them often in the same spot, and I am filled with the same rush of delight each time I look up and see one. I saw one at 9:15 this morning, then hiked for half an hour and came back – still there. 100% delightful 100% of the time: 

Mackey and Turner and Yuki and I had a pleasant hike this morning – especially since we saw the owl twice! I was hoping to see Buffleheads but I haven’t gotten a good image yet. We were headed back up the riverbank around 10:00 when we came across a group of middle-school aged boys racing up and down and over the logs and through the underbrush. One looked a little more confident and outgoing than the others. I stood with the dogs around me and held out my phone and said “Would you mind taking our picture?” And he replied confidently “You know I can!” as he reached out for the phone. These dogs are like magnets. I regret I did not ask his first name so I could credit him here. But thank you whoever you were! 

Yuki found a turtle creeping through the wintercreeper just before we got back to the parking lot: 

We also still have pretty roses in our yard, though they’re beginning to look dry. But November 22! I took this picture a little bit after 2:00 this afternoon: 

Bluebirds are not bright blue in autumn, but this one was cute sitting on one of my feeders at 2:00 this afternoon. I like it with the reds and greens in the background. Colors will continue to fade as the daylight shortens, but bluebirds are always a treat. And I’m looking forward to next week’s blog post! I hope you are too! Have a great week, all best, 

Jay