Quiet day Friends

  Out hiking on this quiet, snow showery first day of winter, produced a Barred owl hunting and a Golden-crowned Kinglet

 

I'll have to say, it was a good day! 

Owling

 

Owling with Gaige...

 Gaige and I set out for a hike. It was a gloomy day, a great day to look for owls! 

Although we had a adventurous time, we didn't see nor hear any owls.

Willard Pond, NH

Willard Pond, New Hampshire

A hike on Tudor trail at Willard Pond...

 

It was breezy, mostly cloudy and in the 60's. It was a great day for a hike. The breeze kept the bugs off and the temperatures down. Gaige was in his Glory!

 As we started out, we came across a Eastern/Red-spotted Newt. It seemed cold and was hardly moving.

We continued on the trail which meandered through the woods by the edge of the pond. The woods were open and you could see all around. There where boulders that looked like they could roll down the hillside at any time.

 

We came across Lady slippers that were growing on-top of rocks and a  small sapling once taken down by a beaver,  now growing branches

 

I often think of my friend Jane when I come across tree cavities, although mine never seem to have animals nesting in them!

As we made it to the end of the trail, the trail opened up into a spacious pine-needle peninsula.  Gaige played in the water and we had a snack as Cedar waxwings and a Thrush kept company

Head plant...to retrieve stick!

Bald Mountain, NH

On the way back I noticed two different flowering bushes which I didn't see on the way out...incredible! Me not noticing something like this is unheard of!

June foliage? Yahoo!

Back at the car, Gaige decided to grab our orange that was placed by the Crocs as I was putting my  gear away, good thing oranges need peeling!     Love this dog!