Happy New Year 2013!

For some reason I really like walking around the park on the last day –and the first day of the year. I guess it's kind of how I now celebrate the New Year holiday. I like to reflect on all the things I saw and learned over the last year, and hopefully all the new things I will see and learn in the coming year. And getting up early and going for a walk in the woods is SO much better than being at home with a hangover don't you think? I saw and photographed a Chickadee fairly closely this Tuesday morning but the photos didn't turn out as well as I thought at the time. After that I spent a fair amount of time over at the "Duck Pond" as I spotted the Wood Duck there that myself and other park-goers have been seeing in December. It has been fun but worrisome to see him there this late into the season –as at this point I doubt he would even try to make it back south. Like many times he was swimming about with at least 50+ other Mallards. I took lots of photo of him with Mallards surrounding him but the neatest photo I got was mostly of him alone with sparkling water drops and ice crystals clinging to his bright plumage. You wouldn't think by this picture alone that the park was currently covered in snow and it was the first of January!