I was able to arrive at the park this Saturday morning before 9am. I was glad I did, as the weather only got worse as the day went on. It was a typical overcast and gloomy November day with not a hint of blue sky in sight. Even before I got to the south side I'd spotted a juvenile Bald Eagle soaring over the middle of the park. I watched him land in a tree on the south side but when I got there he was gone. Only 5 minutes after passing the area, I looked back and there he was again.
But when I got right underneath and looked up I realized this was a different Eagle, a mature adult with a white head. It's too bad this was the only decent photo I got. In another quick shot I noticed that the Eagle was banded around it's right leg but I could not make out the number. Aside from the 2 Bald Eagles I saw only a handful of other birds including Northern Cardinal, Dark-eyed Junco, Black-capped Chickadee and LOTS of American Tree Sparrows. The latter was the only bird I could seem to get close to today.
All throughout my walk today I was running into people I know left and right. These are all folks I know from walking at the park and many of them hike here just as often as I do. Some have become good friends over the past couple years and others I know only by their first name. And then there's a handful of people whom I only know by their dog's name - ha ha! I'm usually not one to stop people and engage them in conversation so it may take me longer to learn everyone. But I guess it works both ways because now that I think about it, there's a couple who call me "camera guy!" One person who I see all the time has been walking his dog "Tucker" around Palmer Lake Park for years. The dog was quite an older Golden or Yellow Lab and one day not too long ago I actually stopped him to ask how old his dog was. I forget now exactly the age he told me but it was in the teens or more.
He also told me that this might be Tucker's last walk around the park. Sadly, it was indeed his last walk, and his owner has recently put a little memorial plaque on the foot bridge over Shingle Creek nicknamed for the place Tucker would receive a biscuit treat.
But when I got right underneath and looked up I realized this was a different Eagle, a mature adult with a white head. It's too bad this was the only decent photo I got. In another quick shot I noticed that the Eagle was banded around it's right leg but I could not make out the number. Aside from the 2 Bald Eagles I saw only a handful of other birds including Northern Cardinal, Dark-eyed Junco, Black-capped Chickadee and LOTS of American Tree Sparrows. The latter was the only bird I could seem to get close to today. 
All throughout my walk today I was running into people I know left and right. These are all folks I know from walking at the park and many of them hike here just as often as I do. Some have become good friends over the past couple years and others I know only by their first name. And then there's a handful of people whom I only know by their dog's name - ha ha! I'm usually not one to stop people and engage them in conversation so it may take me longer to learn everyone. But I guess it works both ways because now that I think about it, there's a couple who call me "camera guy!" One person who I see all the time has been walking his dog "Tucker" around Palmer Lake Park for years. The dog was quite an older Golden or Yellow Lab and one day not too long ago I actually stopped him to ask how old his dog was. I forget now exactly the age he told me but it was in the teens or more. 
He also told me that this might be Tucker's last walk around the park. Sadly, it was indeed his last walk, and his owner has recently put a little memorial plaque on the foot bridge over Shingle Creek nicknamed for the place Tucker would receive a biscuit treat.
Tucker was a 12 1/2yr. old Golden Retriever and we walked the trails for 11 of those in all kinds of weather. Tucker had many friends that he had met in all those years and most knew his name but not mine! Ducks in the water, squirrels in the trees was his rules! Also no softball or baseball left unfound around the fields. He got his first treat on that bridge and hit me up every time we went across. So the name began. We have a new pup now a 3 month old Goldendoodle named Kona who gets a treat from Tucker when ever we cross Biscuit Bridge!! Miss ya buddy....
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