The Odd Sock: Today's walk report: 101621

First, two details that saved my day, at least they took the sting out of a bad start to an early morning. Those two things were taking this walk on the phone with Docken and simply taking this walk. What started the morning, once I was prepared to leave the house, was a garage door that wouldn't open. Well, it opened a little. Upon close inspection I discovered one of the springs had snapped in two. The garage door opener didn't like that. Nor did I. Preliminary study into the matter indicated I might be able to do this repair on my own but then I again, I might suffer in the attempt. So, I got on the phone. The job was swift and like almost every service and repair company/person I've ever had the displeasure to deal with (oh, you too?) I was lied to and had to pay up the wazoo. It's not like it's the 1980's, we can look this shit up now but they still lie with impunity. Anyway, the door got fixed and I ended up driving to the local college campus about four hours later than originally planned.

Red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis), there were three of them and they were interacting with intensity. This particular bird stole the show. Notice its wide-open beak in this first shot. The screech is loud and piercing, Docken also took note of it over the phone.

I stayed with this bird for several minutes.

All three hawks were circling together in the sky but for the most part it was a wider shot than my 70-300 mm lens at 70 mm would accommodate. I did manage to get a few shots off of the three on them before they flew too distant. Even so, this aspect is Panavision, or Technirama, Dimension 150 if you will, all from bygone eras in filmmaking. So be it, don't you deserve to see what I saw?

Moving in a vigorous circular motion along the top of the hill here are some other pictures. These two donkeys are my friends. You can ask them, they will tell it's true. I first met these donkeys over 10 years ago.

I've known most of these goats for just as long but I never asked them if they'd be my friend.

This is a common or European starling (Sturnus vulgaris). You don't usually see them alone, you see them in masses. I saw an article today referring to them as "America's most hated bird." That's pretty harsh, don't you think? Then I saw another article in Smithsonian Magazine online saying we can blame Shakespeare for their invading North America. I'm okay with that call, I guess. Last and maybe least there was this article, How Mozart Changed My Mind About America’s Most Hated Bird. Really now? You don't say?

I think it's a pretty bird.

Then, finally, there was this event. Having been a cross-country runner in High School my educated guess is this was a city quarter final race. There were too many runners for it to be a regular meet and quite honestly some of the runners I saw would not have qualified beyond a quarter final race. Sorry, more power to them and with all due respect, at whatever level, cross-country running pretty much qualifies as some sort of masochistic indulgence which defies logic. I decided to leave the campus as this was wrapping up, this shot only represents a small fraction of the people who were about to exit as I did.