still Making Waves on top of the world: enjoying what I get handed each day.....

.....as I go out each day looking for something to be handed!

My plan for this day was to be a birder for a few hours with hopes of coming away with lots of sweet sightings! While I had no success with seeing lots of interesting birds other than the usuals, I cannot feel disappointment as I saw several sweet sights of other sorts! The lagoon at Carburn Park was still not fully thawed. It looked so pretty showing off a clear reflection. On this morning, I did stop and sit on a bench for awhile and savour the scene in front of me.

While exploring along another trail, a couple asked me if I knew where the porcupine was to which I replied "No, but do you know where the owl is?" to which they replied "No!" A lady heard our discussion, offering to lead us to the porcupine. This was one of them, high up in the tree. I was thankful for my great zoom lens to captured its face.

This American Bald Eagle was hanging out, watching over the area!

Or was it watching over something else?

Upon close inspection with my great zoom lens, I spotted a Bald Eagle sitting in the nest! The watch is on! I will have to come back another day to see if there are babies.

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During this visit to the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, a fellow asked me if I work there to which I replied "No"! My initial thought was, am I spending too much time here! It reminded me of when the Out There store was downtown kitty corner to the Bay. I enjoyed going in over my lunch hour to drool over all the sporting gear. Then one day the manager said to me, we are going to give you a name tag because you are in here more than the employees.

waiting for the deer to cross the trail

This Northern Flicker was drumming on the green metal post. It stopped when I came along. I waited for it to drum again with plans of recording it. It never did, it just flew off.

a male Hairy Woodpecker

I had a plan during this visit! Instead of taking photos of the Geese sitting on the railing, I would make a video of them as I walked across the bridge. This was the outcome of that! I am not sure which one is the male. The first one hissed at me and the second one stuck its tongue out at me.

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It was time once again to hit the hills at Nose Hill for crocus hunting. I had much success! I gave up sorting through the dozens and dozens and dozens of photos I took, and went with these few to share with you. There were loads of bouquets, but they had lots of brush blown over them. It had been quite windy through the night and earlier on this morning.

Another plan for today was to check out the location where I thought there may be a den. As I approached the top of a little hill, I saw this, a coyote leaving the area where the digging was. There was no activity around the actual digging so I moved on. I will come back another day, maybe there will be babies to see. As I began to follow the trail.....

.....I saw something odd looking in the grass on the slope across the way.

Do you see what I see?

See that dark circle just below where I put the orange arrow?

Time for a closer inspection!

I followed the trail along the top just above the arrow until I got to where the snow was and where I thought the dark circle might me. This is what I saw when I zoomed in with my great zoom lens. It's a porcupine laying in the grass. It was probably sleeping as they do their prowling around in the dark of night.

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My initial thought a short distance along the trail at Confluence Park this morning was I should have stayed home! It was cold, it was windy, it was snowing lightly! I did not don enough warm layers! No, I am not winking at you, the snow was plastering my eyes! I did cover 10.5 kms as I wanted to finish off the Great Ocean Road Virtual Challenge, I needed 10.1 kms to reach the finish line.

I went out looking to be handed something, something sweet that I could savour.

I accepted what I was presented, ice formations and

snow covered crocuses

Then, I spotted a "lifer"! An American Pulpit! This was the best I could do with photographing it, it was a distance away, it did not sit still, it then flew off. I guess I will head back here another day to see if I can see it again!