Bluebirds and Cardinals Stand Watch

During our weekend walk at Belle Isle, we were accompanied by bluebirds and cardinals. They flew from tree to tree ahead of us, like sentries alerting animals further down the trail that the we were invading.

I am usually content with my inexpensive point-and-shoot digital camera, but seeing the brightly colored birds made me long to be a real photographer, with equipment and lenses and everything.

It was hard to catch them at rest for even a moment. I had no luck with the cardinals, even though it seemed like there were twenty of them. It was probably the same two or three or four of them just messing with me.

It was a very cold day... the sun was deceptive... only the birds and the squirrels were about. Once in a while, when there are no people around, the dogs can run off leash.

Fallen trees made a graceful bower over the trail.