Around the neighborhood in Wilmington, NC

You probably thought I had stopped hiking since I'm settled in Wilmington. You were nearly right, but I took the opportunity yesterday to explore my neighborhood. While in many ways it is just an ordinary starter subdivision, I found quite a few interesting things to see. Since the area is flat there are drainage ditches and small ponds everywhere. Since it is in a bit of a rural area, there are green areas through and around the subdivision. And, where there is water and green areas there is wildlife.

The pictures above are from a pond just a couple hundred feet from my house, with herons and ducks, along with a hawk who landed on a nearby fence just as I was leaving.

Also, I took these pictures of birds in backyards from the drainage/greenbelt area probably less than 100 yards from my house in the other direction. I believe the two red and blue birds are painted buntings, which I mentioned in my post about the Big Thicket. This proves once again that beautiful things are to be found in the most surprising places. It also proves I have a problem photographing birds, but hopefully it is clear enough you can imagine what they look like. As for the other birds, I'm hoping someone will identify them for me. They were a very interesting shade of light flourscent green when viewed in just the right light.

Then there were the other ponds, drainage ditches and green belts, along with Ogden park, a 15 minute walk from my place. How can you beat that, for a stroll around the neighborhood.

I hope soon to visit Joe and Kathy's, whose house I'm assured backs up to 10 miles of woods just waiting to be explored.