The hawk and the blackbirds

Clear blue skies  marked the day

The hawk landed in a tree to contemplate its defeat

It was one of those rare winter days with clear skies and rising
temps, so Tinkerbelle, Topsie and I set off for the park.  We had only just arrived when the sound of cawing filled the air.  We gazed skyward to an unusual sight.  Against the bright blue sky, we spotted the outspread wings of a gliding hawk and surrounding the hawk were three agitated blackbirds. The blackbirds, clearly distressed by the hawk's trespass over their territory, swarmed around it in an orchestrated assault. Relentlessly, they flapped and cawed at the hawk as they tried to drive it away.  Then, as we watched, they began to tire. First one, and then a second fell back,  leaving only the third and last blackbird to defend the territory.  As if it knew it was the last line of defense, it drove at the hawk with gusto driving it all the way across the street and only then did it fall back and retreat.  We stood mesmerized by this unfolding drama, remembering to pull out the camera just as the hawk landed a top a  tree to contemplate its defeat.

Where the robins go

A robin emerged from the woods

...and landed in our path 

then flew up onto a branch...

I've often wondered where the robins go for the winter.  They seem to be around until late fall then suddenly disappear only to re-appear at the first sign of spring. Conventional wisdom says that they fly south for the winter, but my canine wisdom tells me otherwise.  With the heavy snow falls lately, the robins have started to appear leading me to believe that they could not have flow south.  I suspect they gather deep in the woods where they wait out the winter. Their recent appearances coinciding with the heavy snow falls suggest that they have emerged from the woods in search of food. On our walk one morning, a robin flew down, landed in our path and would not move. We stopped and watched it as it watched us. Then it flew up onto a branch as we moved forward.

Early arrivals

The geese arrive early

The pond spa

Gathering with the ducks at the pond spa

A slight warm up has melted a corner of the pond and the ducks have found their way back.  Right where the stream flows into the pond the ice has melted forming a small spa ... a pond within the pond. But it wasn't the pond spa that surprised us this morning, or the fact that the ducks had returned, it was the sight of a pair of geese that left us speechless.  It is barely mid-February and the geese are back. They are most likely the same pair who stopped over in the fall.  Perhaps food was scarce where they had gone and they know that food is the one thing that is rarely in shortage at the pond. So, here they are, plodding over the frozen pond, mingling with the ducks, and most likely making plans for a nest in the spring.

Pretty in pink

Topsie with two pink bows

February brought with it another grooming day. While I put up my predictable objection, I couldn't help but notice that Topsie did not put up the same objection. In fact, much to my dismay, Topsie seemed to enjoy the attention from the groomers greeting them with kisses and wags. The
groomers in turn enjoy fussing over Topsie. It's no wonder that she came home with two pink bows in her hair.  She strutted around the rest of the day showing them off. I shall have to talk to her about the importance of taking a united stand against grooming day if we are ever to rid ourselves of this scourge.

Walking on water

Snow covers the frozen pond

Snow has fallen again and a thin layer covers the surface of the already frozen pond.  Since the pond has frozen over completely, the ducks are nowhere to been seen. Perhaps they have found another temporary watering hole.  Even as we looked out on the desolate pond, we couldn't help but notice a set of tracks laid in the fresh snow and stretching across the pond.  Clearly, the frozen pond had not scared off everyone as something had clearly ventured across the frozen ice leaving a pattern of tracks on the snowy surface.

A pattern of tracks stretched across the pond

Tracks on the pond

The hobble wobble

demonstrating the hobble wobble

All the snow on the ground and the sub-zero temps brought about by the "polar vortex," inevitably led Topsie and me to engage in episodes of the hobble wobble.  The hobble wobble comes about when due to an extreme cold affliction of the extremities, we have to lift a paw in the air and hobble along on the remaining three paws.  Generally, in the course of a walk, each paw takes its turn off the ground leaving us to hobble along in an alternating three paw hop.

The pond freezes over

The ducks clustered together in the frozen pond

It's been cold the last few days, so much so that the pond has frozen over, at least around the edges.  Luckily for the ducks, the center of the pond has remained warm enough to prevent any ice from forming.  Unluckily for me, its been so cold that Tinkerbelle has made me wear the dreaded sweater. I've expressed my displeasure on the subject of the sweater by going straight under the dining table at the first sight of it followed by a game of dodge as Tinkerbelle tries of catch me. Unfortunately for me this game always ends the same way as the picture below will attest.

Wearing the dreaded sweater

The snow folk

More snow has fallen in the last few days.  So much snow that the neighborhood kids had enough to build two snowmen; or rather a snowman and a snow-woman!  Topsie didn't approve of the snow folk loitering around the courtyard and growled at them whenever we went by.  The snow folk took it all in stride dismissing her objections to their presence.  They were, after all, only in town for a few days.

The first ice

December also brought with it the first snow and ice of the season.  As we set off on our morning walk, ice encased the world around us. The trail was covered in a dusting of icy snow and the bare branches of the trees around us were preserved in a layer of ice. As we made our way through this pristine landscape, we couldn't help but notice a set of tracks on the ground that by all accounts looked like a deer may have come this way.  It has been a few years since we've seen any deer in the glen and hopeful that they may have returned, Tinkerbelle and I came back later to leave a few apples. 

Tracks in the ice

Pendulous things

The first smaller pod

The second larger pod

December started out with the pendulous things.  On more than one occasion just a few days apart we spotted the strange pod like objects hanging from the trees.  With fall almost over, and the leaves all shed from the trees, they easy enough to spot  dangling from the bare branches. We spotted the first smaller pod on our daily walk as it hung from the branch of a bramble bush.  The second pod we spotted at the park coming across it as dusk fell upon the park.  This one was much larger than the first, big and round at the top and tapering to a narrow point at the base.  Tinkerbelle, who is the tallest, walked around the pendulous thing trying to

We spotted the pod as dusk fell

figure out what it could be.  We speculated for a while, each offering our suggestions, before agreeing that it is probably a nest of sorts. But not the sort to poke or prod, we decided, lest it turn out to contain an unfriendly surprise!

Topsie climbs the ladder

It's the beginning of the holiday season and Tinkerbelle had brought out the ladder to hang up the decorations.  Topsie, always the helpful one, pranced up and down and around the ladder, until she found herself on the top rung. Being that high up was scary she decided. Next time, she'll just stay on the ground!

Unexpected harvest

I inspected the fruit hoping it was something I could eat

We were strolling through the park today when we came upon an unexpected harvest. A pile of horse apples at the base of a tree. They lay in cluster upon the ground as though someone had carefully gathered them into a pile. Topsie and I eagerly sniffed and inspected the fruit hoping it was something edible. Alas, it was nothing we wanted to eat, so we headed home for dinner instead.

Horse apples lay on the ground

Falling leaves

It's fall and the trees are all wearing their vibrant fall coats. The leaves have started falling and lay piled up along the path where we take our daily walks. In a few weeks, they will have dried up and lost their pretty colors. But, for now, they lay in lush piles of vibrant colors occasionally drifting into swirling ribbons whenever the wind picks them up. It's quiet except for the sound of rustling as Topsie, Tinkerbelle and I shuffle through leaves on our afternoon walk.

A most unusual find

On our way home from our morning walk today, we almost trod upon this latest find.  A cluster of round mushrooms emerging from among the wood chips in the middle of the trail. "Come see these" I called to Tinkerbelle. We all gathered round to examine the small round fruitbodies.  Most likely a type of puffball, these were light brown on the outside and white on the inside with a spongy texture. A most unusual find, we all agreed.

The geese arrive

Every fall around the same time, the Canadian geese arrive at the pond.  They showed up today in the usual fashion, honking loudly in the air to announce their arrival. But this year was different in a couple of ways. The geese arrived later than usual as previous years have seen them arrive as early as September. They also usually arrive in a larger gaggle of thirteen or fourteen.  This year it was just two.  It's possible that these two are the same two that always stop by the pond in the spring on their journey back North often staying long enough to build a nest. Regardless of their number, the geese are never shy or modest about making themselves at home at the pond.  The ducks react predictably by fleeing to the far edges to sulk at the arrival of the perennial guests. It's the same every year. As we watched the pair helping themselves to breakfast that someone had left, we couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the rest of the flock.

Happy Halloween!

Today is Halloween and Topsie and I dressed up as Bonnie and Clyde. Tinkerbelle took us trick-or-treating at the Clubhouse for doggie treats. We don't get to go to the Clubhouse often so we had an especially good time mixing and mingling with all the other dogs who stopped by for treats. A fun time was had by all.

A mysterious tapping

A tiny bird on the far edge of a branch

A Downy woodpecker

We were at my favorite park this morning finishing up our walk, when we heard the

It dipped into a hole in the branch

mysterious tapping. It was a series of steady rhythmic taps ... tap-tap-tap pause tap-tap-tap pause.  We looked around and up in the trees but saw nothing.  "It's coming from this direction," I said to Tinkerbelle as I headed toward a patch of trees.  We followed the sound, but even then we saw nothing. We were about to turn back when all of a sudden, there it was...a tiny bird on the far edge of a long branch.  "It looks like a woodpecker," said Tinkerbelle following my gaze up the tree. White and black with a red patch on the top of its head, we later identified it as a Downy woodpecker. As we watched, in between tappings, it dipped in and out of a hole in the branch. "Culprit located and mystery solved!" I exclaimed as we set off  for home and breakfast.

High tide at last

It had been raining steadily for the past few days.  With the ground soggy and the trail muddy, our walks had been short and confined to the courtyard. But today, the rain finally let up and we went down to check on the pond.  With very little rain all summer long, the water level in the pond had dropped dramatically exposing wide patches of the muddy bottom. The recent rains, we hoped, would fill up the pond. As we approached the pond, happy chuffing sounds from the ducks floated towards us. And, to our relief, we saw that the pond was full once again.  The rains had raised the water level and the ducks had reclaimed their domain. All is well at the pond once more.

The water level had returned to normal

The hidey hole

Of all the rocks that lie along the stream, there is one that stands out.  Its a large flat rock that rests next to the water's edge where the steam is at its widest.  It is a great deal larger than the surrounding rocks and its broad flat surface always draws my gaze as though expecting to see someone or something perched upon it.  I never have.  But, the other day Tinkerbelle, Topsie and I did see something crawl out from under it.  In the smallest and quickest of movements, something darted out from the rock as we walked by. We stopped and squinted across the stream barely making out the diminutive form of a chipmunk.   Perhaps it had heard us walk by and came out to investigate.  It stood still just next to the rock before darting back. Probably safest under the rock with the hawks around, I thought, as I led the pack home.

A diminutive chipmunk emerged from the rock

A large flat rock rests next to the water's edge

Pool Party

It's early fall and all of the pools are closed for the season.  A recent rain shower, however, made this pool party possible for a family of robins.  We stopped and watched as the birds splashed and danced in the puddle of water. A blue jay  even flew down to join the party, stopping to indulge a sip or two of the fresh rain water. Then, Topsie, tired of watching the birds, barked loudly and frightened them all away.