A report from the creek

 It was a cool, clear day, and a big red-tail hawk made lazy circles over the upper end of Elmendorf Lake.

It’s been cool and clear for about a week: temperatures might drop into the 40s at night and rise into the 70s during the afternoon. On clear days, from below, red-tails look tan. But when the sun hits just right, the red on the tail explodes like a firecracker.

This big bird was fishing, I think, but I didn’t see him dive. He gradually worked his way up the creek, past Commerce Street, out of sight.

He reminded me that I haven’t given a report on the creek in a while. I have been waiting for the shovelers to arrive for a month. (You can see a note about them on Oct. 12.) A few finally arrived in the past couple of days. The winter coots arrived first. We have a few that stay on the creek all year, but I’ve seen a few more than usual since mid-October.