Wichita Forest Trails

Found the Wichita Forest Trails today -- a 75-acre nature preserve smack in the middle of a bustling suburb. Reminded me a bit of South Platte Park back in Denver, minus the river running through it.

The area has a lot of well-marked trails crisscrossing through it.  And some very informative signage sprinkled around about the local flora and fauna courtesy of an Eagle Scout project from about a decade ago.

One thing I always appreciate about shooting in the winter is that even at midday, the sun is still low enough in the sky to give you some decent shadows.

This was one of the few open areas.  The trees are otherwise pretty dense for the most part.  So dense that I was unable to follow an owl that a group of cawing crows had chased away.

I spent a while watching a group of chickadees, hoping they'd get close enough for me to get a decent shot.  I'd like this one better if it didn't break the guideline that your subject should be the brightest part of your image.

Woodpeckers were also a pretty common sight, and not too terribly concerned about me.  Still, I hoped my best effort would be better than this photo of a female Downy.

Not a bad meander, and very close to home.  If I want some "real" wilderness, I'm probably going to have to venture further afield!