Future golfer

This little guy was practicing his swing in the park.  

How's his form?

 

Survival of the coldest

After our little snow, it stayed cold.  

So a few masterpieces survived.

But maybe not for long.

 

Watch out for the little guys

I know turtles, snakes and frogs are wildlife, but they just don't seem as exciting as a jumping deer on a sign.

 

Snow!

I know, I know.  Anyone from north of here is laughing at us, but it snowed!  

There was snow on the magnolias.

Kids roamed the neighborhood collecting enough snow in their red wagon to make a snowman.

By noon it was melting.

The snowmen melted away.

 

Seep

I know that water from a landfill is directed to a place where it is treated.  I know that this is just a drainage ditch for stormwater.  But what's with the color?

Downtown from a distance

In the distance, from Green Hills park you can just see downtown 12 miles away.

 

Lonely picnic

At the top of the largest hill at Green Hills Park you can have a windy picnic overlooking the county waste disposal site.  Hmmm.

 

Green Hills Park

A hill is an unusual thing in Raleigh.  These "green hills" are manmade.  They cover a huge landfill.  The hills are dotted with these valves to control the methane release.

Landfills are more than just trash heaps, (see here).

 

Incoming weather

The clouds moved in, the wind whipped up, and the sun disappeared as the weather moved in.

 

Winter walk

Brown is the main color right now in the woods.

 

Winter lake

No snow yet, but the winter gloom is here.

 

First flower

Of course, the first flower of the year would be a dandelion...

 

How many deer do you see?

I counted three when I took this picture.  After I got it on the computer screen, I saw the fourth.   Do you see it?

 

Buttermilk Sky

 

I've always called these clouds a buttermilk sky.  Another name is a Mackerel sky.  I get the curdled buttermilk, but naming it after a fish?

(see here) (or here for the hit song, or here or here)  

I don't think a song about a Mackerel sky would go very far.

Camo

This little woodpecker was well camouflaged against the trees.

 

Sometimes a swamp

This area is usually dry, but high water from the Neuse river filled it up.

 

Up on the rooftop

These two were sunbathing on a sunny afternoon.

 

Lonely visitor

Usually, Cedar Waxwings come in big flocks around here in the spring and fall.  This guy came all by himself and hid out in the bushes before flying off.

 

Pine Warbler

This little guy has been visiting the feeders lately.  

 

Doves

On a cold but sunny day, these two mourning doves snuggled down in the leaves to warm up.  They sat, not moving, for a long time.

 

Monarch waystation

Monarch butterflies are endangered, but not on the endangered species list, (go figure).  But more and more I'm seeing areas with native plants, especially milkweed.  Maybe even without government support we can save these creatures.

 

Quiet pond

Cooper's Pond was deserted on a cloudy, dark day.  Even the geese were somewhere else.

 

Red House

The red house at Horseshoe Farm is not lived in anymore.

It has been renovated, and it is used as park offices.

 

Bird trees

It was too far away to see what kind of birds were hanging out in the trees.  Robins maybe?

 

Quiet day for boating

 

A good day for fishing?

Midwinter color

This little sapling doesn't know when to quit.  All the other trees are bare.

 

Under the bridge

The graffiti under the Louisburg road over the Neuse river.  It wasn't too exciting, but a little bit artsy.

 

Rain

Holly berries in the rain.

 

Rainy day

There weren't many people walking on a rainy day.

 

Kingfisher

We heard him laugh before we saw him.  The kingfisher swooped down, caught a fish and then perched proudly after his meal.

 

Golden Crowned Kinglet

We stopped on a quiet part of the greenway and saw this tiny little bird.

He didn't stop very long and it was hard to catch a picture of him.

A Golden Crowned Kinglet!

 

Heron

It's a swampy storm water retention pond close to the freeway, but it hosts heron, kingfishers and ducks. Nature always finds a way.

 

Fishy

We found this lantern fish under the I540 bridge at the Neuse river greenway.  Definitely more than graffiti.