A Long Walk

Foliage, November 25/L Herlevi 2015

Good wildlife-sighting day, took almost three hours to walk all the way around the lake.  Sunny and cold.  Right off the bat, as I'm getting close to the water, a bird shoots out and flies low over the soccer fields, chasing gulls, but not catching any.  I hope for a fly by, and am eventually rewarded as it flies up into a nearby tree, closely followed by a group of crows.  I look up and take a few pictures, to try to get a better look, I hear a voice ask if anyone knows what it is.  When I turn to look, a small crowd has gathered to look up.  Best guess of a man standing nearby: peregrine.  (Pretty sure that's the case.)  Nice first sighting of the day.

Peregrine Falcon, November 25/L Herlevi 2015

On the lake are a pair of Western Grebes (I think), one swimming and one floating asleep; American Coots, American Wigeons, Common Mergansers, Cormorants, gulls, crows, Mallards, Hooded Mergansers, Common Goldeneye (a lone male), Buffleheads, a large Great Blue Heron, N. Shovelers, Gadwalls, Pied-billed Grebes, (and a smaller looking Grebe that I always assumed was a Pied-billed, though seeing them close together, I'm questioning that, a smaller, darker, more streamlined body...looks more like a Least Grebe, but those don't live here, so I don't know.)  Later, an eagle circling slowly, in small circles above the golf course, then as I started north again, two medium-sized raccoons lumped across the trail and into the underbrush by the water.  Shortly after that, a Bald Eagle at the very top of a sequoia.

The pictures of the raccoon and eagle aren't particularly good.  Here's a plump squirrel, and some tree branches.  (Part of why it took so long to walk was that the light was gorgeous and I kept stopping to admire how hit shone through the trees.)  Happy Thanksgiving!

Sunlight through birch branches, November 25/L Herlevi 2015

Winter ready, November 25/L Herlevi 2015

Branches, November 25/L Herlevi 2015

Owl

I had an event to attend later in the evening, and so decided not to go home after work.  Futzed around in the office, rearranging flowers in the lobby and putting on make-up.  It was dark when I left.  As soon as I hit the access road, entering the line of trees, I said out loud to myself, "I wonder if I'll see an owl?" almost simultaneously with the thought, "Am I wearing the sweater? No I am not."  No sooner had these passed than a large bird swooped to my right side, and into a low-hanging, bare branch of a horse chestnut tree.  I stopped and looked.  Walked around the tree to see better.  It turned it's face to look back at me: a barred owl.  I said something to it out loud, people walking across, behind me, but not paying any attention.  I looked at it for a while, and then it leapt off of the branch and landed on a patch of dirt, near a basement entrance to a building.  I walked a little closer, wary of scaring it, wary of it flying back out and smacking me in the head.  It stood on a small mound of dirt, inches away from the wall, fixedly watching the wall.  Occasionally, turned to look at me, to see what I was up to, then back at the wall.  Eventually, a few minutes perhaps, it flew back into the tree, and I walked over to see what it had been looking at.  It watched me.  Some dirt had been pulled away from the wall, leaving a hollowed out area, maybe there was some sorta' burrow there, but I couldn't really tell in the dark.  I turned to leave, it watched me.  I wished it "good evening" and began to walk away, turning back once or twice, and saw it remained in the tree.  A squeak in the bushes to the left made me pause, but it didn't repeat, and the owl wasn't interested in whatever that was.  I continued on into the realm of people and left my bird in the silence of the trees.

The Fill

I finally made my way out to the Fill again, after what seems like months.  There was a break in the weather, after days of rain, inches of rain, but in spite of that, it wasn't overly muddy.  First sighting was of a small flock of Wood Ducks, in all their breath-catching glory: gorgeous birds.  Small birds in the trees that moved too quickly to get a good look at.  On the first pond, three Hooded Mergansers, and a Great Blue Heron.  Just off of shore on the lake, a massive raft of waterfowl, too back-lit to get a good look at for identification.  Roiling with flight and chatter, always somehow staying clumped together as a solid mass, even as that mass evolved in shape, never splitting into pieces.  At one point forming a massive thin arc on the surface of the water.  Hundreds of birds.

I watched them morph for awhile, then walked over to the sightings board to see if they were mentioned; they weren't.  Possible Cassin's Vireo in the brush, a couple of thin, long-tailed hawks flew into the cottonwoods, American Coots, Mallards, and Cormorants in the canal.  Crows keeping watch in the parking lot.

Not a lot of birds out.  Still good to get out in nature for a while, get centered, get cleared.

Saturday

Cackling Goose, November 7/L Herlevi 2015

Canada Goose, November 7/L Herlevi, 2015

Bird of the day, Branta hutchinsii, or Cackling Goose, a lone bird, amid a small flock of much larger Canadian Geese, Branta canadensis.  They were protective of it, about 4x the size.

Heard Belted Kingfishers chattering, but did not see. Other birds on the lake: Buffleheads, Mergansers, Cormorants, Gadwalls, Mallards, Pied-billed Grebes, Northern Shovelers, and possible Mew Gulls (large flock of them, could also be Kittiwakes, would need to look again.)  Walking toward the lake, Juncos.

Very wet out.

Leaves, November 7/L Herlevi 2015

Owls

Leaving work tonight, walking to the bus stop through a grove of trees, sky still light, breeze tossing leaves down around me, I think, "I'd like to see an owl.  I wonder if wearing the stupid owl sweater would attract one?"  Suddenly, I hear a loud, resonant, nasal call.  I stop.  Look up into the branches.  Nothing.  Walk a little bit further, a second call, ahead of me.  I slowly make my way under the trees, gazing up all the while.  I don't find it, but I'm pretty sure that was an owl call.

On a recent walk around the lake, I pause to look at a heron, in the cartoon version of this moment, the heron is standing perfectly still (and tall) and trying to blend in with the circling mallards.  A woman stands there taking its picture.  Suddenly, it begins to move, turning and giving good angle to her camera like an old pro:  I think it likes to be photographed.

I haven't got out to walk in either haunt lately.  Looking forward to the coming daylight, a free morning, and space to roam.