2024 February Hiking

Days are getting longer….seeing the sunrise in the morning….wonderful to feel like spring isn’t too far off. 🌺☀️🐣

I’m starting to see white-tailed deer again 🦌- after not seeing any since early December. Unfortunately, they have been seeing me first, and I haven’t gotten any great pictures. It is really difficult to sneak up on them while walking on crunchy, frozen ground! ❄️

Red squirrels have been very cooperative for pictures though. Lol…yes, there is a red squirrel in the 2nd picture…and, I think that picture would make an awesome puzzle to give to someone that you really didn’t like that much, and wanted to drive slowly insane.

More Canandian geese have been returning every day. 🪿 It is almost impossible to look in the sky, and not see geese in chevron flight, and hear them honking their arrival this time of year.

I admit, it is sometimes a little unsettling to hike into the woods while it is still dark out. Sounds seem magnified in the dark, and bring to mind images from “Where the Wild Things Are” 🐉 🦖🦑….but, it also makes me feel alive, and then, oh, the sunrise! 🌞

This morning, a bluejay sang a beautiful, moving opera, and then took a bow….🐦‍⬛

….the red squirrel applauded 🐿 the bluejays song, while the blackbird was left speechless.

⛔️ 🚫 Warning – I have pictures below from a hawk’s fresh kill site, that include blood 🩸🧬 ….at, least, I am pretty sure the kill is from a hawk. 🦅 I saw several hawks on my hike this morning, and the way the feathers 🪶 are dispersed, and lack of and tracks 🐾 leading to/from the site make me think hawk. I am no expert though – please let me know if you agree/disagree in the comments! The feathers and blood weren’t there when I hiked out at dawn, but were there when I was hiking back at 8 AM.

All pictures were taken with my Canon EOS T7, and one of two lenses. Either my Tamron 70-200 f/2.8, or my Tamron 18-400 f/3.5-6.3.

…and, check out my YouTube channel for outdoor videos!