Day 21 - January 21, 2012

Ok...it  snowed today but after clearing off the cars, I decided to walk over to Nonnewaug High School to see what might be there.

So I got to NHS at 1:15pm and started to walk along the driveway to the left of the school that heads towards to road to the lower field.  When I got to the steps to go to the lower field, I decided to go and walk the lower field - never been down there before.- so why not do it today.  I went down the stairs, got to the lower field and started to walk in a clockwise direction.

Within a minute or so of walking the perimeter of the lower, a red tailed hawk flew out of the trees.  Seeing the hawk did not surprised me but what did surprise me was that I walked right by it when I was on the driveway on my way to the stairs - I got to remember to look into trees as well as towards the ground from now on.

Over all, my trip around the perimeter of the lower field was not eventful but I never realized how close the Pomperaug (?) River was to the field - should be interesting in the spring to see what birds are there with the river, food, and shrubs.

I did my usually birding thing - meander here to there, explore thickets, shrubby areas, etc.  I did not see any new birds to add to the list but I did see the red tailed hawk, crows, juncos, white throated sparrows, blue jays, red bellied woodpecker, cardinals, and cedar waxwings.  I was there from 1:15 to 2:30 pm, the temperature was about 21F,  the snow sometimes was almost horizontal because of the wind, and maybe there was 4 inches of snow on ground.

I found something interesting based on what I do when I bird a field like today or an area like Flanders Nature Center - I just take this path or this path.  If I reach a dead end or water, I turn around and back track to a new trail.  So I bird sort of like life.  I make this decision or that decision not knowing where it will lead me in the future - sometimes the future is good; sometimes not as good.

But because today I meandered here and there and back tracked once or twice, I ended up at the right place at the right time to see a flock of waxwing in a cedar tree.

Maybe life is for the birds....