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| CVRT between Nealy and Bull Heads Roads 4 February 2022 |
On the main part of the CVRT, it is difficult to find any part that
is more remote. But between Nealy Road and Bulls Head Road there is very little
traffic, fields and pastures are on either side. This makes this stretch a good
place to watch birds. About halfway between the two roads, not too far from mile
marker 8, a line of five trees, perpendicular from the trail, form a boundary
between two fields. Three trees are close to the trail, while the other two,
further away, are space further apart. On the furthest tree there is a hawk’s
nest that has been there for at least the last three years. It is not uncommon
to see a hawk sitting in that last tree monitoring the fields for rodents.
Today, I saw two hawks in different trees, doubtlessly the breeding pair. As I approached,
one of the hawks left the middle tree and retreated to the one with the nest. I
think they are red-tailed hawks, but make a mental note to return soon, before
trees start budding, with binoculars and the camera to identify.
Near Nealy Road I watched a pair of downy woodpeckers move around a
small tree searching for insects together. As they kept equidistant from each
other, circling looking for a quick meal, their movements were like a dance. Facing
upright, they work their way down the tree, in a movement that is seemingly backwards.
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| A few days later I returned to photograph the nest, but neither hawks were around. |
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