Winter, the Great Backyard Bird Count

     It's a funny thing about the winter. You'd think that in the middle of it, when the wind is whipping and there might be snow on the ground, that the birds would stay away. But they do some migrating and a number of them "come around" the middle of February, during Audubon's "Great Backyard Bird Count". I saw cardinals at my feeder as well as at the local park on the river today, also mallards, Canada geese, and what looked like a fall warbler or juvenile grackle.
     In Virginia we have not had the snow of  Boston :( . We are actually in the drought, but, either way, the birds still come through. They can always go to the river to drink. And what's with the flock of herring sea gulls I saw the other day at our shopping center? Looking for a handout in the cold? At least the sun was out when I did some counting.

Walks in Fall and Winter, Cutting Redwoods

  Well, walking in fall can be problematic. If you don't like cool winds blowing your hairdo around  and leaves are not your thing, then autumn is not your thing. Of course, it is "winter" now, but since we have had a real lack of snow in the southeast, then it seems we're back in the autumn mode, with bare trees and the landscape and the grass turning yellowish or brown.
   Radford University has a small, some might say "cozy" campus. It can be a good place to walk and commune with nature for a short while. But the college "plan" is to expand and tear down Lucas Hall, thereby eliminating several dawn/don redwoods and a pecan and bald cypress. Yes, and that is not right. The cutting of established and big trees is never a good thing. But they are doing it to then tear down Lucas Hall and put up a huge Dept. of Humanities building. I like the campus the size it is now, and losing green space is not a good thing, don't you think?