First Walk in October

Bill and I went on a walk on the Neuse River Greenway trail today.



The paved trail is 27.5 miles long and seems to be popular with cyclist.



I think of it as being outside of Raleigh, NC but it's part of the Capital Area Greenway System. 



September was the hottest month of the summer which isn't unheard of but that hasn't happened in a long time.



I don't know if the red tree is a young pine that is ready to drop it's needles or not but I like the way it looks.



I can't really complain since June was quite cool and it didn't get very hot until July.



I don't think it has been a hotter summer than usual here.



It just started to get hot later and didn't get cooler until later.



Today was perfect for a walk.



Looking ahead at the weather I think it will be quite pleasant next week although there will be some storms.



There are starting to be signs of fall but plenty of wildflowers remain.

End of August beginning of September 2016

This is a hodgepodge post from walks and backyard birds over the past week and a half.



The shot below was taken on a walk along the Falls of the Neuse trail in Raleigh, NC.



Below is an American Robin. The first shot is of a female cardinal.



The catbird's mouth was so far open he looks like a singer full voice.



The American Robin below looks like its starting to lift off.



The next shot is of a grackle.



The mourning doves look rather companionable.



The male cardinal looks like he's probably not full grown yet.



I took the next two shots at Shelly Lake last weekend.



I love clouds this time of the year.



The bluejay looks like she's sticking out her tongue.



I took the next shot on a trail near falls lake that is part of the mountain to sea trail.



This is part of the trail in central NC near where I live and Bill I I took a walk on it today (Sunday September 4, 2016).



It is an 1150 mile trail that goes from one end of the state to the other.



I took the rest of the shots with my cell phone on a short walking break at work last week.



I find the camera in my cell phone works best when I'm getting closeups of flowers.

Staycation

I can't remember the last time I had a staycation where I took time off from work to be at home without any plans. 



That's what I'm doing this week and so far it has been great.



It made the weekend that much better knowing I didn't have to go to work on Monday.



I'm planning some morning walks this week with friends but it was very nice today (Monday) to walk around my neighborhood lake with just me and my camera.



The weather cooperated and was perfect for a morning walk.



One of the things I miss about working from home is having the option of walking at times that suit me.



We've had a hot spell before a slight cool down this week but the rainy summer has kept everything looking fresher than usual.



It's been quite a while since I have gone on a photo walk by myself.



I love the wispy clouds in the sky today.



This was a first for me. A bunch of mallards charged me. 



They turned on a dime right barely avoiding running into me while I kept snapping away.



The turkey buzzard below was behaving more like a predator than a scavenger.



It was odd, he watched the lake and spread his wings as if waiting to pounce.



He never did pounce but it was odd watching him for quite a while behaving very oddly. He was behaving more like the cormorants usually do at the lake than a vulture. 

Summertime 2016

We've had a wet summer which has helped keep many flowers, plants and trees looking fresh even in the heat. 

It hasn't even been as hot as most summers but the past few weeks have been so humid the heat index has been very high.

The photographs are a mix from July and the first week of August.

Hard to believe that summer is almost over.

Since summer isn't my favorite season I don't mind that at all.

My crepe myrtle trees always brighten up my yard in the summer.

I like all seasons as long as they don't last too long and to that extent summer has been better this year.

It took much longer to get hot so we really had an extended spring which I loved.

I like change so I'd have trouble living somewhere that didn't have 4 distinct seasons.

I've gotten more bird shots on weekends and after work because they've needed the water I supplied during the hot spell.

The juvenile cardinal above and below looks like it's losing it's baby feathers.

One more crepe myrtle shot below.

I always have a lot of catbirds.

American robins are another common bird at my baths.

I love those quilted skies.

A female cardinal gets her turn in the bath.

Last but not least is a mourning dove.