Rail Trail Sights

I’ve been going down to a local railroad-bed-turned-walking trail and jogging this spring. Sometimes the whole family goes, my husband running a little farther and faster, the girls on bikes. Sometimes I go early in the morning with just the dog. And sometimes it’s just me, the dog and the girls.

I run 3.1 miles in about 32 minutes on average, so I’m not setting any records for speed. Lately it’s been even slower because I keep stopping to take pictures of birds. Here are a few of them:

These birds line the trail with their mockingbird-like chatter. This one posed for me quite nicely.

There is at least one pair of Baltimore orioles — so beautiful and bright, with a gorgeous song, yet so elusive to capture in a picture.

This morning I saw a robin bringing either a worm or nesting material to her nest, then she and I had a staring contest.

I also see yellow warblers there.

This little bird is from a few weeks back too. It’s some kind of sparrow, I think — a pretty little thing.

And here’s a goldfinch. No black cap, so it must be a female.

It’s interesting how people stop and ask what I’m seeing when they come upon me with camera aimed. Then they walk on, looking at the treetops instead of straight ahead. It makes me wonder how many things we miss because we’re not looking.