25 January 2014 - A Walk Interrupted

Today I felt the overwhelming need to get out for a walk. It was too chilly for me (33 degrees) up here in the foothills. After running some errands I ended up on the Jordan River Parkway. While it was warmer in the valley, it wasn't a whole lot warmer. But I had a path beside the river. Sometimes icy, sometimes muddy, but still a nice walk. 

My plan called for a brisk walk. The reality was quite different. The birds kept getting in the way. 

First there was the kestrel. I have seen kestrels before, but not this close. 

It was pretty exciting to get a picture showing all the colors.

Next there was a red-shafted flicker. I get flickers all the time in my yard, but I thought it would be an opportunity to get the bird in another setting--other than on my feeder. 
It was quite a surprise to discover this wasn't a red-shafted flicker, but a hybrid of the red-shafted and yellow-shafted flickers. If you look closely you can see some red on the back of the head. This is one of the markers of a hybrid. 

I also saw a Belted Kingfisher. This was another first for me. He was on the other side of the river and busy flitting among the tree tops. And  he was backlit.  I had a really hard time getting him to pose. Just about the time I got him in focus he would fly to the next tree. grr. Makes me want to go back in the morning and see if I can find him in the same place-- but with the sun behind me. I spent a long time on him-- trying to get south of him so he would be in better light. 

The last wonderment of the bird world was a tiny little Ruby-crowned Kinglet.  When the sun caught his head there was a bright streak of red. I caught a bit of it, but not in full glory. 

The big surprise of the day was seeing magpies bathing in the river. In spite of how calm it looked on the surface, it had a really fast current. Ducks would drift down then fly back up the river, rather than try to paddle against the current.  On the far side of the river was a spot tucked under overhanging brush. A flock of eight magpies was having a grand time-- a quick splash then up into the trees to shake off and preen. Check out the eye in this photo. I wonder if he is blind in one eye. 

Birds weren't the only thing I was looking at. The scenery was lovely.


Here's a view of Mount Olympus from the valley. 

Here is the Jordan River--I was following the dirt path along the bank. In the distance you can see Grandeur Peak--slightly hazed out by the smog. 

Another view from along the river. 

 The foot bridge connects the subdivision on the left hand side with  the parkway trails on the right. 

It was wonderful to get out and see something new. The Jordan Parkway is 50 miles long. I have a lot of walking coming up!