It was cold today. Had the gray sky opened up, it would have dropped a messy confusion of rain and snow. An incredible number of robins gathered in the bushes, eating little red berries. They flitted across the trail and drank from the canal. I’ve never seen so many! It was a surprise to me since I think of the robin as a springtime bird.
Suddenly, a furry critter came into view just where the trail curved out of sight. Chuck and I both froze, watching it. It was small with a long tail. I couldn’t see it well. I hoped maybe it was a mink or a fox. We moved forward slowly, watching it carefully. As we drew closer, it darted off the trail. We continued stalking it until we finally came upon it on a grassy side trail. I had to laugh when I saw that it was just a lovely kitty.
We moved on again and soon came upon a little herd of deer. They froze and stared at us for a moment before bounding into the tall grasses. There, they stopped. The young one peered at me through the grass, clearly hoping we would just go away.
A red-tailed hawk landed in a nearby tree. As I focused the camera on it, I noticed another larger bird perched in the same tree. It was a juvenile eagle! I managed a couple shots and we tried to get closer, but the eagle took off. We followed it up the river for a mile or so, trying to get near, but spooking it into flight every time.
We turned back at the eagle’s nest near Station Road. On the return, our pace was quicker. We stopped to watch some ducks and a few small Carolina wrens and cardinals. As we drew near the trailhead, I spotted another eagle perched high above the river on the far bank. This one was a mature eagle, standing regally as the wind stirred his feathers. No matter how many times I see them, I don’t think I’ll ever get over the majesty of these birds!
