![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ferineSaturday the boys (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ndn_2spirit_den and cyberwolf007) and I ventured out on the 104th trail and spent time "off-roading", veering off the path to prowl among the trees and algae-blanketed ponds. Of course, the day I don't bring the camera nature is on display.
The breeze and the leaves rustling amongst themselves, yellowed leaves spat to the ground, were dramatic indications of the coming Fall. We plowed through sandy earth and neared a marshy area flush with tall cattails and reeds. Beautiful wildflowers grew in clusters to the right and the left. Some were like tiny white daisies with bright yellow button centers. Some were small and electric purple. Butterflies, white ones, yellow ones, orange ones, white ones with dark spots, congregated in the area. With every stride butterflies took flight around us.
As we pressed on, a cry broke the relative silence and we looked up, marveling as a red-tailed hawk soared above us and headed off toward he nearby river. I wonder if it's the same one we've encountered there in the past.
Returning to the trail, we found a dehydrated frog on the edge of the cement. We surmised it was attempting to trek from the river to the lake on the opposite slope of the trail, when it succumbed to the lack of moisture, the heat of the cement and the glare of the sun.
A little further a sandy-colored lizard whisked by through powdery dirt. I wouldn't have seen have seen it save for the movement.
Past the second big shoulder in the trail, we spotted four birds of prey high above the lake. Three were grouped together, and the fourth, which was smaller, lagged behind them. We watched them for some time, and as the larger three drew nearer we decided they were Swainson's hawks due to their markings. Because they were hunting in a group, we postulated that they were either a family group or siblings.
Finally we continued and approached the smaller raptor. It too was hunting, and came much closer to us. It circled over us repeatedly, fairly near, allowing us to study it's vivid markings. At one point it dove down, snatching something in its talons. We decided it was a prairie falcon given its size and markings, but I'm not entirely certain now. There's such an abundance of and variety of raptors in this particular area that sometimes it’s tricky to determine the precise type solely from color, markings, and size at a distance.
We moved on, peering into the cottonwood copse on the left, when a great horned owl peered back at us from its nook in a tree! It's head rotated in that "oh no you didn't!" way. As soon as it noticed we saw it, off it flew deeper into the trees.
When we returned to the parking lot, one of the Swainson's hawks seemed to follow us, landing atop a wooden post beside 104th.
A splendid day, chock full of avian mojo. >;-)
How many of you savor nature's wonders around you? Ex: a wildflower growing in the crack of a sidewalk, a crow on the roof of a building downtown, leaves changing color in a park or beside a road, or "true" outdoors for those with access? Are such observations important to you?
ndn_2spirit_den and cyberwolf007) and I ventured out on the 104th trail and spent time "off-roading", veering off the path to prowl among the trees and algae-blanketed ponds. Of course, the day I don't bring the camera nature is on display.The breeze and the leaves rustling amongst themselves, yellowed leaves spat to the ground, were dramatic indications of the coming Fall. We plowed through sandy earth and neared a marshy area flush with tall cattails and reeds. Beautiful wildflowers grew in clusters to the right and the left. Some were like tiny white daisies with bright yellow button centers. Some were small and electric purple. Butterflies, white ones, yellow ones, orange ones, white ones with dark spots, congregated in the area. With every stride butterflies took flight around us.
As we pressed on, a cry broke the relative silence and we looked up, marveling as a red-tailed hawk soared above us and headed off toward he nearby river. I wonder if it's the same one we've encountered there in the past.
Returning to the trail, we found a dehydrated frog on the edge of the cement. We surmised it was attempting to trek from the river to the lake on the opposite slope of the trail, when it succumbed to the lack of moisture, the heat of the cement and the glare of the sun.
A little further a sandy-colored lizard whisked by through powdery dirt. I wouldn't have seen have seen it save for the movement.
Past the second big shoulder in the trail, we spotted four birds of prey high above the lake. Three were grouped together, and the fourth, which was smaller, lagged behind them. We watched them for some time, and as the larger three drew nearer we decided they were Swainson's hawks due to their markings. Because they were hunting in a group, we postulated that they were either a family group or siblings.
Finally we continued and approached the smaller raptor. It too was hunting, and came much closer to us. It circled over us repeatedly, fairly near, allowing us to study it's vivid markings. At one point it dove down, snatching something in its talons. We decided it was a prairie falcon given its size and markings, but I'm not entirely certain now. There's such an abundance of and variety of raptors in this particular area that sometimes it’s tricky to determine the precise type solely from color, markings, and size at a distance.
We moved on, peering into the cottonwood copse on the left, when a great horned owl peered back at us from its nook in a tree! It's head rotated in that "oh no you didn't!" way. As soon as it noticed we saw it, off it flew deeper into the trees.
When we returned to the parking lot, one of the Swainson's hawks seemed to follow us, landing atop a wooden post beside 104th.
A splendid day, chock full of avian mojo. >;-)
How many of you savor nature's wonders around you? Ex: a wildflower growing in the crack of a sidewalk, a crow on the roof of a building downtown, leaves changing color in a park or beside a road, or "true" outdoors for those with access? Are such observations important to you?
