A Walk in the Park.

9-23-15 SHORT HILLS: The Autumnal Equinox is here. Today is supposed to be in the eighties, and it doesn’t feel much different than the rest of the week—dry, sunny and warm.

The Vernal Equinox of 2016 will occur on March 20 at 12:31 AM EDT. In 2015 it was also on March 20, but at 6:45 PM EDT. If you add up the days from March 20 to September 23, it totals 187. The total days from today to next March 20 is 179, which means that the wintery half of the year is 8 days shorter than the summery half. Check out my addition for yourself.

Why is that? The Earth’s orbit is an asymmetrical ellipse, and the Earth is actually slightly closer to the sun during the winter and so moves faster along its orbital path at that time. Winter is colder for us because the northern hemisphere is tilted away from the sun. Don’t you feel better knowing that Spring is only 179 days away?

Judy, Maizie, Bally, Gus and I went walking with Lynn, Bill and Bella last Sunday on the newly opened trail at Giralda Farms Preserve at Loantaka Brook Reservation near St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center. The trail is flat, longer than a mile, circles a pond, and is popular with hiker, runners, bikers and dog walkers. We saw a raptor making lazy circles in the sky and then settle down on a treetop. A red-tailed hawk, I think, because the under side of the tail isn’t barred or striped.


Who's walking whom?

Red-tailed hawk, I think, above and below.