Friday, March 23, 2007

An Inspiring Ride

After starting the day seeing an otter in the creek, my day ended with an amazing bike ride out to Meadowlark Prairie. The highlight was a western pond turtle basking on a log in the creek, just south of where the bike path crosses the railroad tracks. And so many birds singing this time of year! I got great close-up views of western meadowlarks, killdeer, red-winged blackbirds, wigeon and green-winged teal, in addition to the usual herons, mallards and Canada geese flying overhead. Pheasants were calling from all directions, and special appearances were made by a pied-billed grebe, a kestrel and a northern harrier being chased by a crow.

There were also lots of folks using the path for everything from roller-blading to bike rides with babies. How lucky we are to live in a community filled with people who can appreciate the beauty of our native landscape!

1 comment:

elvira said...

YES! Liz, I'm so glad you posted about this =D love the otter and birdlife in west eugene!