Birds were out, mostly in flight; they weren't hearing my pleas to be still so that I could get great photos. I don't have the kind of camera that takes great shots of birds in flight, and my hands were cold, so I had to mostly settle for standing in the blind and observing. An osprey flew overhead several times, as did a raptor I'm fairly certain was a red-tailed hawk although it wouldn't slow down enough for me to get a positive ID.
I did get to see my first common goldeneyes of the winter.
Since the critters weren't posing nicely, I kept an eye out for stationary lifeforms and was rewarded with this lovely fungus. I didn't want to stick my hands near the water to see if it had gills or pores on the other side, but my guess- having seen similar fungi before on this log- is going to be gills. I used the vibrant function of the camera to get this shot.
Then, back on the trail headed to the car and warmth, this beautiful ruby-crowned kinglet actually sat still for me long enough to get a photo. These birds are so cute but they almost are never still long enough for my neophyte nature photography skills, so this could be the best photo I've ever gotten of one. I kept thinking I was hearing woodpeckers but either they were hiding really well or it was really just branches moving around in the wind.
Seen on the trail today: Osprey, eastern phoebe, greater yellowlegs, mallards, gadwall, common goldeneyes, great blue herons, great egrets, a few small brown birds, unidentified raptor (probably red-tailed hawk but not sure), northern cardinals, armadillos, ruby crowned kinglets, and one brave turtle swimming near the surface of the water.
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