Back to the Woods

This morning was a long time coming. Winter was slow to leave, then last week was warmer than my ideal hiking weather with several strong thunderstorms and substantial rain. Many trails are still officially closed due to muddiness, but I found some places to walk today. I love winter, but it was good to see some variety.

I was hoping to see some deer because it had been a while since I’d seen them while I was hiking, and I did see a couple.

At one point, I thought I saw something large and brown coming down a tree, and fisher popped into my mind. I waited and looked around the area, but the only animal I saw was this squirrel.

Walking between hikes, I stopped for photos in front of a house when I saw three downy woodpeckers.

I decided to walk along a creek because of all the rain that had fallen.

This American Redstart was hopping around quickly as they do, and I didn’t expect much from any of the photos I took. Then he flew up to a tree branch and I thought I might get a perfect chance, but a person came walking from the other direction and I never saw the bird again. I was a little annoyed at the timing, but I missed plenty on my own–ducks flying above the creek (twice), chickadees, and a handsome Mallard sitting on the opposite shore who I didn’t even notice until he flew–and this photo turned out better than I expected.

I hadn’t cared about the time at all, but when I finished hiking it was perfect timing to walk a block and catch a bus home. As I waited a couple minutes, a chickadee taunted me almost within arm’s reach but I didn’t pull my camera back out.

When I got home, a cat who lives on my floor was walking the hallway with a human keeping an eye on him. I’ve noticed the cat outside my apartment before so I opened the door to see if he’d poke his head in. He was happy to explore new territory, and I enjoyed seeing him in my place until I eventually had to pull him out from under the bed to give him back.

So, a good day.