Nature Done Wright

    Just back a quick trip from Hawk Mountain, where I saw snow and a lot more foliage than I had expected.

   I am told that this is the latest the leaves have changed in recent memory.

   It was certainly one of the few times I have seen a mountain with both snow and a palette of changing foliage at the same time. 

    In the early morning yesterday, the tops of the ridges had a light dusting of snow while the leaves below showed their colors.

   The view from South Lookout a couple hours later showed the foliage to still be going strong.

   The attraction at Hawk Mountain was a live raptor show featuring a golden eagle, a red-tailed hawk and a barn owl.

   These birds are rehabbed birds that can no longer survive in the wild.

    It was amazing and most informative to see fairly up-close the golden eagle (a big strong bird) and the barn owl (a mysterious-looking guy if there ever was one), but I’m sure most of the audience would have preferred the birds to be healthily elsewhere.