Yesterday I had to drive to the eastside to drop off stuff to recycle because it was overflowing my garage. So since I had to go to Wesselman Park and the sun was shining, I took the camera along to take a walk in the woods. When I lived next door to this park I visited every day, but since moving to the northwest side of town, I seldom get here except to recycle. Wesselman Woods is a real treasure! Over 200 acres of virgin forest located within the city limits! Trees 100 feet tall and some over 300 years old! It is the largest virgin forest in a city of over 100,000 in the United States and on the National Registry.
I stopped in the Nature Center first and checked out the feeder area, but since the birds were the same as what I see at home, I didn't linger there very long. This was one of my favorite places when Steven was little and we would ride the bike over to watch the birds and play in the playground every day. 
They are busy collecting sap to make Maple Syrup. They demonstrate this process every year to local school children and adults.
High in the branches were a lot of interesting looking holes.....I wondered what lived in all of them!
The Nature Center tries to help injured animals......but sometimes can't. This Barn Owl is named Banshee and has a dislocated wing that the vet could not fix. So it lives at the park as a docent animal along with another owl and a Red-Tailed Hawk.
I didn't walk very far today.....it was bitter cold. I look forward to coming back when things begin to green up and it is warmer than today. I need to remind myself more often of what a great place this woods is and how fortunate we are to have it.
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6 comments:
I haven't been there in so long! Sometime when I'm up and the weather is nice we should go there for a walk. Thanks for showing these. I love owls. Melissa
I felt so sorry for the owls and hawks having to be caged up, but they all have damaged wings. I would love to really see an owl. Next time you come we will definitely go to Wesselmanl...exercise! I really should go there more often!
Mary, HI! Fabulous blog here! Your bird photos are fantastic and you've shown shots of my favorite birds - Carolina Wren, Chickadee, Titmouse... and the Downy Woodpecker. I have a female. Haven't seen a male yet :o)
I'm glad I stopped by!
Mary....I'm glad you stopped by, too! We visit some of the same blogs and it is really confusing with us having the same name :-) I'd change mine (if I knew how) or add another initial or something. Your blog is beautiful, too. Downy's are my most faithful visitors all year round, and I get pictures of them every day. They are definitely favorites of mine for their color combination.
What a beautiful place to walk. I love all the different textures in your pictures. The vine with the holes is fascinating. Nice picture of the owl. It's wonderful that there are places who do such good work in their rescue efforts.
Thanks, Sandpiper! I was trying to shoot the owl through a little opening in the slats of the "warm box" they had it in....I didn't think it would turn out at all. It is a very nice place. I take them my recycle stuff because they use the money for their bird feed and projects.
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