The temperatures have been dropping even further as winter steadily takes hold. It was quite cold outside when we got to Violettes Lock for our walk last Sunday. The thermometer in the car read 24° F. We were determined to walk in spite of the cold.
It had rained earlier in the week. The river was fuller than usual. It is not unusual to see the water flowing freely even at these temperatures. It takes a while for a river to freeze.
There is an inlet lock to the canal at this point. There used to be a dam on the river (Dam 2) at this spot on the river that was meant to direct water to the canal. All that remains of the dam is rubble. The water in the river flows as if through rapids in this section. You can barely make out the nature of this flow in the picture above.
Here are some pictures from the walk. There was ice on the trail in places because of the cold. I was surprised to see a few groups of bicyclists out at these temperatures. It can be brutal on the face even at temperatures much higher than this. At least one person was at least wearing googles as an acknowledgement of how cold it was!
This heron was sighted early in the walk.
These are the sights of winter.
It had warmed up to just above freezing by the time we were done with the walk. We had also covered a significant enough distance on the trail that our bodies had warmed up sufficiently. That had not been the case the previous weekend – when we had slowed down significantly to do some birding. As you can see from some of the pictures above, there were still opportunities for birding to be had in spite of the distance covered.
Happy New Year to all readers!
These are bell peppers.
The trees that I planted as saplings in the backyard many years ago have survived the deer, and have grown to tower over the backyard, and also provide shade on the deck in the late evenings. One evening, as I sat on the deck, my entertainment was provided by a flock of bluejays on the branches of the cherry tree,
with a chickadee
and what appeared to be a juvenile tufted titmouse (I could be wrong)
making their appearance once in a while. The bluejays were creating a cacophony as they called out to each other across the backyard.
Perhaps you will also find it interesting!
If you look carefully, you will notice that the owl’s body was actually facing away from us. You can see the extent to which it was able to turn its head. 
We had reason to believe that their might have been three of the owls hanging around the place. We saw a second one. We guessed the presence of a third one based on the direction from which we were hearing the response to the owl in the picture above.
But the colorful specimen, although excited, seemed to be quite harmless. It was not frothing at the beak. It seemed to be following us with some purpose, and fortunately that purpose did not seem to include attacking human beings. I could tell by the look in its eye! Maybe it was expecting some food.
Not only that, there also seemed to be a different pipe leading out of the river towards the canal not too far from the pipe running through the culvert.
With some effort, and using a certain amount of skill that was newfound (and ultimately useless, may I add!), I managed to get the rooster back to the main trail. I could not have done it without the encouragement of the cheering squad.
It was not long into the walk before we spotted a bright blue bird flying across the trail in front of us. This was a bird that we do not normally see on the towpath. The color stood out amidst the green of the forest. The vibrance of its color was similar to the vibrance of 
One was curious as to the nature of the bird. I guessed that this was a male bluebird during its mating season. I was wrong! Later that day, we had a phone call with the kids on account of Mothers’ Day. I shared this picture with them. Jesse was quick to research this, even while we were talking. The bird in the picture above is called an 
Further along the trail, we came across some deer that were hanging out. These two appear to be having a conversation about the approaching humans. If you look carefully at the picture, you might also notice the cardinal (out of focus) on the trail in front of the deer.
The woods along the C&O canal are infested with a plant called garlic mustard. They are massively invasive, and show up once in two years. We have been seeing these plants during all our walks along the canal this year. Three or four years ago, I even took part in a cleanup effort along the towpath at a place called Carderock. I think controlling the spread of these plants is a losing effort.
Here is shot of the flowers of garlic mustard. This was part of my experimentation with the zoom lens to see if I could capture a picture which looked like one taken with a macro lens, i.e, taken with a lens that allowed you to take a picture from very close to the subject matter. At the time that I was taking this picture, I did not realize that there was an insect nectaring on the flowers.
Further along, we came across this Great Egret that took off at our approach. We saw it flying over the trees further along the trail.
We finally came across a real 
As usual, the air was filled with the sounds of the birds, occasionally mixed with those from the scurrying squirrels. There are certain sections of the trail where the birds are more plentiful. The woodpeckers, in general, make a very guttural sound. The trees can vibrate quite loudly when some of the woodpeckers hammer on their trunks. The woodpecker in the picture below is most likely a 
There were many flowers beside the trail as we approached Edwards Ferry.
These are fleabanes.
I myself did not walk all the way up to the river since I was busy changing the lens on the camera.
The parking lot at Edwards Ferry was quite full.
This 
The rest of the walk was completed with a renewed sense of purpose. We picked up speed in spite of the distractions of the park. We completed the walk in a reasonable amount of time. There were only a couple of cars in the parking lot by the time we got back shortly after 11am.
Some of you have probably already figured out the reason for this delightful display of artistry. Yes, it was wintertime when these pictures were taken, and the heron was moving around on a thin sheet of ice.
Some research suggests that this could be a juvenile 
I decided to ride a distance of about 16+ miles (one way) to Fletchers Cove this day. I had forgotten how cool it could be under the trees even on a July morning in the middle of summer as you rode against the wind. I had forgotten the rhythmic sound of the crunching of the tires against the gravel of the trail as one rode on the dirt. I had forgotten the easy and peaceful nature of an early morning ride. There was a feeling of serenity, and the mind could wander once again.
In fact I got a good picture of its butt! 
It seemed to sense my presence even though I was in the house and behind the window.
It slowly turned around and stared at me. I grabbed the shot before it was too late.
It posed for me.
A few seconds later it was gone.
Splattered Brains 