This mom was on alert and stared at me, as if she was saying: "Stay away from my children!

A family of four checked out the park.  One kid is going to high school and the other seems to be going to elementary school.  The older one must be a popular figure in school.😊

After taking a closer look at two flickers I saw having a conversation, I suspect these are two males negotiating on territories or tariffs😫, as both have mustache (characteristics of masculinity).  The debate of the two birds was like a marathon.  I could see their intent in their body language and  in the eyes.  Eventually, I had to move on and did not have the final results to report.

After a heavy rainfall last night, I went to the park early this morning and hummed "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head".  I was a little disappointed that almost all the water drops on plants and flowers were blown away by the wind and the ground was almost dry.  Although it was overcast and the light was less than optimal, I decided to record what I saw.  

I was cheered up by two bird friends who highlighted something I usually missed in photographing them: a singing cardinal showing his sticking-out red hair and his black beard, and a red-bellied woodpecker exposing the belly that he was named for.  

The ring-necked ducks seemed to be used to me and let me take photo shots without swimming far away.
​

As spring arrives, the sound of birds singing gradually replaces the quacks of geese.  Signs of new growth appear in Brightwood Park, too, with colors replacing the boring brown.

Yesterday I was privileged to join Rob, Phil, David, and Peter to work on repairing and improving the trails.  In addition to the fun of hanging out together, it was a pleasant surprise for me to find daffodil flowers covered with numerous water drops leftover from a rainy day.

After finishing the work I took a photographic tour.  A mallard duck couple was waiting near the junction of the two ponds and posed like professional models.  Meanwhile, geese were minding their own business and couldn't care less about my presence.    

Earlier when Phil was turning over a rock, a salamander and an earthworm were revealed.  We apologized for our intrusion, followed by covering them with fallen leaves to respect their privacy.

Another interesting finding was a log of a beech tree covered with red spots of Nectriceae-like fungus.  The beautiful pattern marveled me and reminded me once again of the big artist upstairs.

A few weeks ago, a flock of ring-necked ducks checked into the large pond.  There appeared to be a hierarchy in the duck society.  For example, one of the visitors swam by a male mallard duck and paid tribute to the guy.  Meanwhile a female mallard duck watched the visitors from a tall tree on the central island.  I wonder if this was a showdown of who the owners are.

When I walked on the two-bridge trail, I was approached by a buck who apparently had antlers shed, with a sad look.  I tried to comfort him by telling him: "Don't worry!  They will grow back and you will look handsome again.  Just be patient!"

In the back of the park I saw a few fragmented trucks of fallen trees, with a pattern like a turret.  I prayed for the countries and the people suffering from wars.  I was also thankful for the peace we have and asked for stability and reconciliation of political conflicts.

The tree root in the last photo caught my eye because the pattern looked like the face of a coyote, a figure unpopular to most of us but missed and often asked about by some.  

This morning was my third time identifying snow geese among a huge crowd of Canada geese.  These snow geese appeared relaxed, as evidenced by some funny faces they made, and by taking a bath in front of me (of course, with clothes on).  Once again, the rule of discovering something new in every visit of the park proved itself.  There were three snow geese instead of two this morning, each wearing an outfit with a unique color pattern.  One was light, one was dark, and the other was mixed.  They tended to stay close to one another, although they seemed to mingle well with the Canada geese.

It was quite cold and I was in the park for more than an hour.  Being able to capture the moment of snow geese taking off with Canada geese made the wait worthwhile.

 My wife and I used to live in Santa Monica, California, when we were graduate students and on our first jobs.  I once said to her, although owning a place in Beverly Hills was anything but a dream, we actually own more than the rich people and celebrities could ever have.  Just think about it, the Palisades Park (https://laist.com/news/california-incline-set-to-open-befo; and https://pixels.com/featured/palisades-park-bluffs-and-sm-pier-david-zanzinger.html) where the movie "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMOb8NCtjFs) was filmed, was our backyard, and we also had the Pacific Ocean as our swimming pool.  What else can anyone ask for?

After moving to Westfield, New Jersey in 1988, I often had dreams in which I was walking in Palisade Park and on Santa Monica Beach.  It was a shame that I did not discover Brightwood Park till the breakout of the Covid pandemic.  I fell in love with the park since the first time I went there.  Now I told my wife that to me, the park is like an illustration of what the Garden of Eden was like (before Adam and Eve were kicked out of it) and a preview of the New Heaven and New Earth to come.

Ever since then I have been going to the park at least once a day, even in rain and snow.  I enjoy  being a self-appointed park ranger.  Every visit has been an new adventure, and my excitement of discovery cannot be contained.

A few days ago I saw two light-colored geese amidst more than a hundred Canada geese.  I thought they were genetic mutants like albino animals.  After a Google search, I identified them to be snow geese.  I thought it was a coincidence.  To my surprise, this morning again I saw a snow geese couple.  These two did not appear as timid as the ones I saw last time.  From sleeping soundly to waking up and doing morning exercises, they posed and allowed me to take several photos.  Before I thought the male one was all white.  This time I found that the goose was covered with handsome mixed colors.  The female one was wearing a dark-colored coat, looking beautiful and noble.

Compared to Canada geese, snow geese cared much about the cleanliness of where they stay.  After climbing onto the ice, they constantly check to make sure they are not stepping on poop left by others.  

 It was a very cold morning.  I went to the park for a walk.  The jigsaw puzzle in the pond was loaded with a huge goose family.  Interestingly, the big birds seemed to have some sense of art appreciation.  For the most part, they stayed away from the beautiful pattern of ice.

Underneath the bridge, the ice formations are my favorite objects to photograph.  Observing the reflection of morning sunlight and its glow almost cost me a fall over  the slope.

I highly recommend you to check out the wonderful world of ice.  As long as you bundle up well and carry hand warmers to keep from freezing.

I went to the park in mid-afternoon.  The clouds were dancing with the sun.  I took a couple of shots and did one more by zooming in to the sun.  In the evening I tried to take similar shots of the moon for comparison.  The moon appeared to be prettier to me.  Do you agree?  Still, I have a lot to learn in the skills of recording the beauty of nature at night.

 The snowfall last night decorated Brightwood Park in a special way.  The ice crystals and the frozen pond were like ladies refreshing their makeup in the middle of a celebration banquet.  Geese were there to perform music and dance.  I was impressed by their remarkable 3-dimensional dancing skills, but less with their singing voices.