202020202020

Time to go bird-hiking!

From our new house in the Forest Ridge development, there is a trail that leads down to the Eno River, connecting with a well-traveled path to downtown Hillsborough.

It took us about two hours, because we met some new neighbors who had created a small birding sanctuary near their house, greeted an elder from our church jogging on the path (a younger elder…), and also met our very next door neighbor with his visiting grandsons. Small town, or what?!?

And of course, we brake for birds.

The tiny Winter Wren was a new Orange County bird for us.

We connected to Hillsborough’s River Walk, and much of our route was also part of North Carolina’s Mountain to the Sea Trail, which is still a work in progress.

The original known people group near the Eno River were the Occoneechi. Hillsborough has erected this fort-like structure to resemble one of their encampments.

We celebrated our New Year’s Day inaugural adventure with some brisket and barbecue before our 2.5 mile return trip.

And that return trip was not without its reward!
A beautiful juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk.