Last week in my blog I mentioned seeing a small hawk and I couldn’t identify it. The hawk flew away before I could snap a picture of it
Yesterday I saw the hawk again. It was on a power line in front of my house. This time I was able to get a picture.
I sent the picture to my bird expert, my grandson Martin. He was able to identify the hawk as a sharp-shinned hawk. This hawk is the smallest hawk in North America.
I am hopeful that Sharpie has taken up residence in my neighborhood. One nice thing about winter is that I can see the wildlife easier. Not that it is easy to see them.
Hopefully I will see the hawk and the fox that are in my neighborhood. I wonder what other animals there are here that I haven’t seen. As always “Hidden in Plain Sight”
Last week my wife and I were having breakfast. It was still dusky outside when my wife mentioned there was a fox across the Street.
Sure enough, there was a red fox roaming the neighborhood. I have seen foxes before in the neighborhood. I assume this might be the neighborhood fox.
After breakfast I started my morning walk. I was one mile on High Ridge Road when I spotted a dead deer off the road. It was a buck with a full set of antlers. This area must be a deer crossing. Last year there was also a dead deer in the same area.
Continuing my walk, I am approaching Bulls Head, and I see a blue bird land on a small tree. I am thinking is it a blue jay? The size was similar.
I was able to approach the bird, and I realized it was a hawk. I could tell by the beak. The bird flew away before I could take a picture.
I consulted with a bird expert, my grandson, about what type of small hawk it was. My grandson suggested. It might be a kestrel. It wasn’t. We still aren’t sure what hawk it was.
These three sightings happen within thirty minutes. While I do see lots of birds and animals, while walking, it is unusual to see so much animal activity in the built-up part of Stamford
One of the many joys of walking. My goal is to come upon a black bear. They are in the area and have been sighted in North Stamford.
Of course, I would probably run the other way as fast as I can.
My wife does not like to walk in NYC with me. I zig zag. When I leave Grand Central Terminal, I don’t go north then west, I go north a little bit then west then north. You know, zig zag.
The other day I left Stamford on the local train to NYC, and I got off the train at Fordham in the Bronx. My destination was the Hunts Point Produce Market at Hunts Point.
As usual I had consulted maps and had a general idea of my route. I was going to work my way east to the Bronx River and follow the river south to the point.
All I could say was it was extreme zig zagging. I went through Arthur Ave, skirted around the Bronx Zoo arriving at the river.
There was a path I could follow for a while. That ended and I had to cross over to the other side of the river and then look to where I could cross the river again.
It took 90 minutes of walking to arrive at the Hunts Point Produce Market.
The Market is huge. There are three buildings, each about 2,000 feet. Lots of activity. I had to pay $5.00 to get into the facility.
It is mainly wholesale. I am not sure if you can even buy individual produce. Needless to say, I won’t be going back there again.
One thing I have noticed when I walk through the Industrial parts of the Bronx are car repair shops. There must be hundreds of repair shops in the Bronx.
I finally did it. I have been wanting to go up the Hudson River by train for ages. The other day I finally accomplished my goal.
The trip was enjoyable. The train leaves Penn Station in NYC and takes a little over two hours to arrive in Hudson, New York.
The train left Penn Station at 8:40; the first ten minutes was just like leaving Grand Central Terminal. Underground and dark. We emerged from the tunnels around 130th Street.
Unfortunately, it was quite foggy.
Here is a view of the George Washington Bridge. After Tarrytown the sun burned through the fog, and it was blue skies the rest of the way.
Passing through Ossining we came upon Sing Sing Prison. I believe the phrase “sending you up the river” refers to Sing Sing.
Soon it was the Bear Mountain Bridge in view. A few minutes later West Point came into view. The hills were getting bigger.
There were many sightings of wildlife. Lots of ducks and I saw two Bald Eagles on the way up to Hudson.
Arriving at Hudson in a little over two hours I was anxious to explore the town. Hudson is having a revival. The town is full of restaurants and quaint shops. There is an emphasis on antiques and vintage. The town is quite walkable. I spent four hours in Hudson and enjoyed it.
This is a picture looking at the Hudson River from Hudson and seeing the Catskills Mountains in the distance.
I was amazed at how many lighthouses there are on the river.
At this point in my travels, I would say the trip up the Hudson and taking the train along Long Island Sound are two train trips you should do.
The only drawback to going up the Hudson is you either must go to NYC or catch the train in Yonkers.
In a few days my wife and I are traveling to Washington DC by train. Once I get back I will give the details of the train trip. I thought I will tell why train travel is my choice.
I had three options to travel. Plane, car or train. The plane is not really an option. It is quite a bit more expensive and it is not that faster. I took the plane from LaGuardia last year and door to downtown DC was four hours. Driving to the airport and having to get to airport at least 90 minutes before departure adds to much time to the flight.
The train is scheduled to take four and half hours Stamford to DC. Add in half a hour to get to the train station five hours is the total time. I can drive to DC in five hours if traffic is good that is a big if.
The cost for a round trip train ticket for two is $120.00. You have to buy this ticket about a month before the departure date. Driving would also cost about $120.00 according to my Google question. That price includes gas and tolls.
The biggest factor is not having to drive. I plan on reading, writing, and walking around the train.
Stamford By Foot 