January 22nd. Five degrees at 7:30 AM. Everything frosty. Trail still crusty so easy walking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 23rd. Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Juncos (Junco hyemalis) were the only birds I saw...

 

...though I think I heard a Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa).

 

January 25th. Early afternoon at the barnyard east of Cook Hill Road.

 

 

 

After rain yesterday and temps above 50 today, most of the snow and ice are gone, and the trail surface sloppy.

 

 

 

This horse was curious about me.

 

Came over for a nose rub.

 

 

 

 

 

Too mucky for me today. I turned back and headed to...

 

...Raymond Brook Marsh where I saw some open water but mostly water atop the ice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 26th. Later afternoon at the pond east of River Road.

 

The lousy surface installed when this section of trail was "restored" a few years ago.

 

Mucky when wet. Dusty when dry.

 

Patterns in the ice.

 

 

 

 

 

I heard an American Beaver (Castor canadensis) splash and followed its ripples 'til I was close to the lodge.

 

Stems look like whiskers.

 

Hmm, even a few green leaves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the lodge I realized that the beaver had uprooted a cluster of stems, not just bitten off a couple of them.

 

It then dove with its prize to enter the lodge from below the surface. End of the show... and I was running out of light.

 

January 27th. The trail at Raymond Marsh is in very good shape, only some muddy spots in the wooded areas but they can be avoided.

 

The ice looks kinda "punky" though; not that I'd plan to walk on it anyway.

 

A male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), twenty Dark-eyed Juncos (Junco hyemalis), and a Sparrow of some sort.