Anything Out There?

I had a limited amount of time yesterday, when I took my walk.  My goal was to photograph at least one living thing, and then get to work on time.  The world looked bleak and cold, and at first there didn't seem to be much stirring.  Then I actually got out of the car.

I first saw seagulls, soaring through the frigid air over the open river.  Others were conserving their energy, and heat.  Theirs was the first call of the morning.

The chorus was then taken up by sparrows, chipping away in the tree tops.  I could not find them, but they were near.  

Next I had the fun of seeing squirrel tracks in the snow, and marveled at the indentation of each little paw pad.  They left plenty of tracks dashing about from tree to tree.

Then I spotted a lovely pair of mallards on the water.  They are common enough, but as the hen preened I was reminded of how they waterproof their feathers against the wet, and how marvelously adapted they are to survive in the cold.

Walking further along I heard the cry of a Canada goose and had the pleasure of seeing two pairs come in for a landing just down the bank from me.  I know they are a nuisance in public parks, and for private land owners, but I can never quite lose my awe of their ability to fly and of their beautiful, powerful shapes. 

I then traced a set of mammal tracks down an embankment and over some big rocks to the edge of the water.  The tracks were fresh, and some of them were tinted with brown from a point where the creature had stopped to scrabble in a muddy hole along the way.  I've examined these tracks closely, but cannot tell what animal made them for sure.  Any help from you readers would be greatly appreciated.  Post your thoughts in the comment section below.

Next a crow warned his brothers of the danger of my approach.  Fearsome me.  I could not find him, but the raucous call was familiar enough.  Why I alarmed them I am not sure, except that they are ever vigilant.

By this point, my fingers were cold to the point of hurting, so I headed back to the car.  Driving up river a ways, I quickly tried another location.  From out of the blue came a dazzling sight - a kingfisher, jewel of the morning!  He flashed across my field of view, paused for a split second on a branch, and zipped away, beyond recall.  I waited and watched, in hopes of his return, but that was not to be.  The day I can photograph one of those will be a red-letter day indeed.

Walking along the river, I kept my eyes open for more wildlife.  Some thin bird tracks in the snow left me wondering what species had left them.  It was something smaller than a crow, but bigger than a sparrow or cardinal.  I had to leave that mystery behind me.

As my remaining minutes melted away, my attention was caught by a couple of birds darting about in the trees on the edge of a field.  Approaching closer, I tried to distinguish their form and features - then caught a little flash of red.  Woodpeckers.  "Pretties!" I exclaimed.  They flitted about quickly, in a tangle of branches, more interested in each other than in me.

Then it was time to go.  As I drove to work, I passed a few mourning doves on the telephone wires.  I wished I could stop to capture them with my camera.  And as I left my parked car and went in to work, the cheery calls of a black-capped chickadee reminded me that spring is coming, and before too long I will be wandering the fields in the oven heat of summer.