A long walk in the Bear Creek Greenbelt is just the way to start the new year.

Wood Ducks and Mallard

An overwintering Say’s Phoebe

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

A morose Mourning Dove

Great Blue Heron

American Wigeon

American Dipper

On the last afternoon in 2024 in the Bear Creek Greenbelt:

American Dipper

Papa Great Horned Owl

Here’s Mama Great Horned Owl in the Bear Creek Greenbelt this morning:

Great Horned Owl

This morning in the Bear Creek Greenbelt an American Dipper caught a brook stickleback.  It climbed on a rock and vigorously flung the fish in the air and beat it against the rock.  After a few minutes, the fish was considerably worse for wear, its spines broken off, and the American Dipper swallowed it headfirst.  Here’s the American Dipper with the brook stickleback just after the catch.

American Dipper with brook stickleback

In the Bear Creek Greenbelt this afternoon:

American Dipper

In the Bear Creek Greenbelt this morning:

Female Hooded Merganser

American Dipper

On Christmas Eve morning in the Bear Creek Greenbelt:

Mink

Belted Kingfisher

Immature Red-tailed Hawk

Common Goldeneye

This morning in the Bear Creek Greenbelt:

Mink

Hermit Thrush

American Dipper

Early morning in the Bear Creek Greenbelt on the first day of winter.

Immature White-crowned Sparrow

Muskrat

White-crowned Sparrow

And a mink, rolling around in a snow patch.

Mink

Mink

Mink

Mink

At close of day in the Bear Creek Greenbelt an American Dipper kept plunging into the creek for a meal.

American Dipper

American Dipper

Meanwhile, in the trees:

Papa Great Horned Owl

Mama Great Horned Owl

And this bird–two of them–skulked at the creek’s edge, obscured by reeds.  After a few minutes, one of them relented and posed for me on a fallen log.  Then they began feeding on the ground.  They would tap one foot rapidly, then the other, trying to uncover insects beneath the leaves.  Then they’d run, and tap dance again.

Hermit Thrush