On this snowy morning in the Bear Creek Greenbelt:

Song Sparrow

American Dipper

Male Common Goldeneye (center) et alia

Wood Duck

Late afternoon in the Bear Creek Greenbelt:

Mama Great Horned Owl

Wood Ducks

Common Goldeneye (female)

Beaver and Mallards

Gray Softball, aka American Dipper

Seen on a long walk in the Bear Creek Greenbelt, including the far western section:

West-of-Kipling-Parkway Great Horned Owl

West-of-Kipling-Parkway Red-tailed Hawk

American Dipper

In the late afternoon in the Bear Creek Greenbelt:

American Dipper

The Great Horned Owl pair are spending more time roosting together:

Great Horned Owls

A raccoon perched high in a nest

Common Goldeneye

From the Bear Creek Greenbelt . . . here’s a male Hooded Merganser with a favorite meal:

Hooded Merganser with Crawfish

Gadwalls have been regular in the pond that never freezes.  Here’s a pair:

Gadwalls

American Dipper

Female Common Goldeneye (far right) with two male Hooded Mergansers and one female

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