I didn’t point out the dangers to these responsible parents enjoying frigid family fun this time, but I did leave the video camera rolling to capture the inevitable. As a dog owner and parent of a young sledder I highly advise against sledding inside any dog run. Bringing children into a dog park adds responsibility for their behavior and a risk to their safety. Wrapping them up in fuzzy, furry winter wear and sending them screaming down a hill makes them a target for animal instincts. The fact they ‘got away with it’ this day was against the odds.

There, you will even find quaint streams bubbling with life. There are pristine examples of local flora along the paths and many signs of fauna calling it home. A healthy Red-Tail Hawk swooped down just in front of me as I wandered a long straight section of path. It flew close to the ground and sped through the trees to a perch just out of sight.

Sometimes when I am walking in Nature with my camera, enjoying a startling moment of magnificence precludes my reaching for the camera. Trying to focus and snap a shot, I’m missing the moment on a personal level.

I stopped to take a picture of a red squirrel and just as I focused he leaped. My digital point and shoot captured it sailing 20′ above the ground to a neighboring tree! The hawk, however, flew down quickly and I watched in amazement as it powerfully navigated the thick foliage, not bothering for a blurry snapshot but prefering to absorb every split-second my senses could take in.

The less we do to alter Waveny Park while it is in our care, the more positive experiences with Nature future generations are offered. If we build driveways and drainage systems, sports facilities and recreation buildings, residences or offices, even a tool shed, we are making a costly trade.

Remember, the thick woods where Spencer’s Run is was one of the most fascinating places of my youth. A woods filled with wildlife and so Naturally overgrown it was virtually impassible on foot. So many animals used to live in there! My dog, at the time, would often spot a deer and beg to run in and chase. I watched bats fly around those trees every summer.

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Please don’t sell our Park. Please don’t cut down any more trees. Please stop encroaching on the fraction of remaining habitat. Nothing is more important than the air you breath, for without it none of this matters.

Days before the field closes for two months, I picked up this bird’s nest made from dog hair. Not wanting to remove it from the area I placed it on top of a post, under the roof of the announcement board. When I returned the next day with some children, it was gone. Well, fallen from it’s lofty perch twice this one has. One of the kids found it on the ground nearby and we all got to see it again. Really soft, undoubtedly warm and pretty neat, huh?