starting him young

I took my little hatchling for an afternoon walk on this lovely fall day. I wanted to test out his new fancy stroller on our suburban streets. He really liked lying in its bassinet and watching the sky, trees, and birds whiz by. And for a mile-and-a-half walk, we saw some great birds.

blue jay
cardinal
robin
catbird
turkey vulture
mockingbird
mourning dove
grackle
song sparrow
osprey

The osprey seemed out of place in our neighborhood, since we're nowhere near water. I'm so glad I looked up!

A few days ago in the early afternoon, we spotted three red-tails over Neutaconkanut Hill. A day before that I thought I spotted a peregrine falcon, but I didn't have my binocs with me to be sure. The one time I didn't toss them in the stroller basket!

I discovered this odd patch of meadow in the middle of our neighborhood. Unfortunately, it's surrounded by mounds of dirt that I can't get a stroller over. But the edges of the meadow are home to many types of trees and brush, and today I found this area is home to lots of birds. The hatchling and I will be visiting that place again tomorrow!