Yesterday afternoon we drove out to Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge, south of Salem, to check out the new Ankeny Hill Nature Center. We were delighted with what we found, and although the main building, Mark Gehlar Hall, is still closed because of Covid, we went for a walk on the Big Loop Trail and made a bird list.
The most impressive sighting was a pair of American Kestrels. We watched the male dive to the ground and fly back to his perch with a small rodent. He did not start to eat it immediately, but I noticed she flew further away. Did he mean for the catch to serve as a gift? Was she playing coy and testing his resolve? It's interesting to watch nature play out and attempt to interpret our observations.
We enjoyed our time on the trail. It is well graveled, so appropriate year around. There is much of nature to observe there born out be the fact that we saw a herd of fifteen Elk. I'm sure we will be returning.
Your posts always brighten my day!
ReplyDeleteThanks Glenn, my day is brightened to know somebody has read my post!
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