Last Day Hike - Ring Out the Old

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

~ Alfred Tennyson, In Memoriam 

I intend to walk every day in the new year. And I believe it is best to start now. If I leave it for tomorrow, I'll keep procrastinating. So DH (yes, he is still here!) and I fell out early today for a walk in the parks*. A storm front blew through yesterday leaving pools of water and dripping foliage throughout. The birds were on the move and I caught what I could despite the husband and dog walking ahead of me.

DH and Zelda (sometimes she looks back to see what's keeping me.

The peace of the morning was broken by the church bells, bird song, and occasional "good morning" greeting as we walked along the steady rush of muddy water of the creek. The creek was up and fast. The storm ruined the morning for the few fishermen we saw. We watched one after another give up. A father and son began tossing sticks into the water to watch them move downstream.

The squirrels were out distracting Zelda. DH let her give chase a couple of times (so she's "out cold" as I review the photos of the hike), but no squirrels were caught or injured. A few ch-ch-ch-ched at us as we moved on down the path.

Cheeky little squirrel watching us.

We had heard one Red-shouldered Hawk as we exited the car, but it tends to stay in some Live Oaks making it almost impossible to see. But then it moved down towards the creek. We continued on our walk, but I turned to see if the hawk had moved again and watched a second perch just opposite the first. I had heard that Red-shouldered Hawks like to hunt in pairs. I had enjoyed watching the two juveniles nearby. I had heard three hawks calling from both sides of the creek. But this was the first time I'd seen any "together" since one of the juveniles disappeared at the end of the summer.

I noted the hawk on the power pole and tried to get a photo.

It flew away and perched on a tree closer to the creek.

I managed a silhouette. Morning light can be tricky.

But the other side was tricky.

As I gave up and started to walk away, I saw another RSH fly into the tree, just to the left of the first one.

This hawk was easier to photograph.

The morning light made that chest almost glow.

And from this angle I was able to get a better shot of the first hawk.

Hawks can turn at least 180 degrees.

I waited, hoping the hawks would swoop down for breakfast. I gave up and caught up with DH and Zelda after taking one last shot.

So here is the rest of we saw this morning:

It's some kind of maple.

Carolina Chickadee

At the edge of Harris Community Park the neighbors have posted signs. This tree often has exotic species in its branches. Today there was only a White-winged Dove.

Eastern Bluebird

Henbit Deadnettle

European Starlings whistle and squawk near the church.

White-winged Dove

Eastern Bluebird

Great Blue Heron on the far bank at the Second Avenue Bridge

The GBH came out of the shadows and showed off a bit.

Blue-headed Vireo

Mexican Buckeyes - I was looking for some seed pods with rain dripping off of them.

Chinaberry

A little warbler flits around the Second Avenue Bridge. I thought it might be a kinglet. The experts say Orange-crowned Warbler.

Orange-crowned Warbler it may be. But I just see little brown bird...until the camera brings it close enough for me to see it is really greenish.

No mistaking the Blue Jay.

Northern Mockingbird

Grackle

Yellow-rumped Warbler found breakfast.

There were other birds, but these were the most unusual and the best of the photos. Every day in the park is a gift.


NOTE:

*We start in Harris Community Park, move through Yettie Polk Park, and finish at Confederate Park.