#66 - Take Photos of 50 Birds - Chicken

Sorry I had to :p This is actually an awful picture, because once again I had to zoom in with my iphone, but I just wanted to document proof that there are indeed chickens running amok in Lafrenierre park :p Here's a rooster and a hen behind him right by the park entrance :p That's actually a really busy highway you see in the very background and I'm always scared that one of those chickens is going to try to "cross the road" and become roadkill. But I've yet to see a chicken that didn't make it on that road, lol.

#66 - Take Photos of 50 Birds - Great Egret

Well here is a classic Louisiana picture for you...a little marsh with an egret. You'll find almost this exact picture on a postcard in any tourist shop in New Orleans and that's because we have lots of egrets here! They're quite beautiful birds! I've always thought that. But I've also thought that I would hate to have a neck like that :p

#66 - Take Photos of 50 Birds - Black-Bellied Whistling Duck

We have a LOT of these! But they are so hard to get pictures of!! They're skittish skittish skittish! I so wish I had a good camera. I have to use my iphone and then zoom in on them so this is the best I can get. Most ducks are fairly used to humans around here because we feed them at the parks :p But these start quacking and running when you get within 30 feet of them, lol. But they hang out in groups. I think they're such gorgeous ducks though. Really really pretty! This is sadly the best I could get though and the swan got his head in the way :p

#66 - Take Photos of 50 Birds - Black Swan

I think that this will forever be my favorite bird I'll ever take a picture of. These two gorgeous swans literally took my breath away! When I came up to them, just their gracefulness was awe inspiring. The way they move their necks, groom themselves, spread their wings, take sips of water out of the pond, get into the water and just gracefully swim. And they were so cool, calm and collected. Not like any of the other ducks that run away quacking when you go up to them to get their pictures. No, these beauties just basically pose for you :p I swear I want to go back every day and see them again. It was like a gift to get to just watch them.

#66 - Take Pictures of 50 Birds - Glossy Ibis

I swore that this was just going to be a "black ibis"....but when I got home and checked my field guide, this guy is actually called a "glossy ibis"! In the picture in the field guide he's shown as purplish in the illustration. But it says in the description that the glossy ibis appears to be black until close view or until the sun hits it right. So sure enough, here we have a glossy ibis :) I'll attach a picture I got of a white ibis today too just because I liked the shot :p

#113 - Walk 50 Trails Update

Today was a nice surprise. I had a client on the southshore today, so I decided to bring my walking clothes with me (hopefully one day they will become my JOGGING clothes and then my RUNNING clothes) and decided I'd go walk at Lafrenierre park. Lafrenierre is by far my least favorite of the parks in the greater New Orleans area. Basically because it's a man made park. Most of the trees there were planted, the ponds were built, etc. It's where I used to go walking all the time though when I did walk and when I lived on the southshore because it was convenient. But today I REALLY enjoyed it. It's been probably three years since I've walked there and they've had so many beautiful ducks and swans make their home there and......chickens!! I don't think anyone really knows the story behind that exactly, but Lafrenierre park has almost become known for it's chickens down here. After hurricane Katrina, chickens showed up at Lafrenierre and since then, they're always out there :) So cute. I have to say though that they've made the park much much nicer since the last time I've been there. It used to be so damn sunny and was basically nothing but sports fields, but they've added lots of bridges and gazebos and the trees have grown in and it's gotten really nice.

Also, I got rained on for about 1 mile of my 2 mile walk today, but I have to say that it felt absolutely glorious :p And it was actually somewhat exhilarating to walk in the rain. I'm going back to work next Tuesday and I need to make sure that I keep up these walks. Not only do I feel better right now than I have in a really long time, but I know it's good for my body too. But it really does refresh the spirit just to get out there with nature. Also, I set a personal best today! This will show you how pathetic my pacing is, but I averaged 16 minutes 4 seconds per mile today walking which is the best I've done so far this go round of walking. Also, I passed 10 miles total in my walking! So now there are only 24,891.31 miles more to go before I walk the circumference of the earth :p Here are some pictures of the park today: