Walks
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Tracks
Winter reveals secrets: nests hidden in summer, wasp nests, holes in the ground no longer covered by long grass.
And tracks. Especially along frozen streams.
Today in this spot we saw what must have been muskrat tracks — small feet with a tail-dragging mark between. They came up over the edge of the bank, meandered in a circle on the grass, then dropped back over the bank. There was a little dirt slide that led right down into one of those slats between sheets of ice and the bank.
These tracks suggest a squirrel and a crow taking a walk together, but probably the crow came later.
I once watched a squirrel carefully bury a nut in our back yard. Just after he left a crow landed, dug it up, and carried it away. I think the crows watch for the squirrels and investigate.
We saw several of these spots today, where crows had landed and dug at something. There were some dried seed pods around, so maybe that’s what they were after.
Mouse trails show up well too. They must hop pretty high to leave such perfect imprints, complete with little tail marks.
Then there are the tracks left by juvenile homo sapiens — my kids, who like to write in the snow with sticks.
Winter crop circles. Or Nazca lines. We humans, unlike all these tough little barefoot animals, have the luxury of boots and can make gratuitous marks in the snow. Maybe next time we can draw something spectacular. Till then it’s the tried and true.
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Winter trails
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Winter’s understatement
These pictures were actually taken back in December — I just haven’t gotten around to posting them. They capture a beauty unique to winter with its pristine paleness.
The frost seems to emphasize the outlines of things, from grass to dead leaves. And somehow, the reflections seem sharper.
Textures and colors stand out in a way that fails to attract attention in the green busyness of summer.
I know it was December, but what I think of is John Updike’s poem about November extolling “the beauty of the bone.” Winter lasts longer than I’d like where I live, but it does something for me.
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What hawks see
These redtails are all over the place in the winter. I’m not sure if it’s just that they’re easier to see when the leaves are down, or if they come out of the deeper woods in winter as I’ve read.
I’ve wondered before: what makes them choose a given perch? Do they see evidence of mice, and simply wait for an opportunity? Or is it more random?
Today on a walk in the park I saw what looked like veins under the snow: mouse tunnels become visible as the upper layer of snow melts? That’s my guess.
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November Light
We took a windy walk today. Most of the leaves were down, and the wind blew them up into numerous eddies. I wish I could capture wind and whirling leaves in photos, but…
The other factor was the light. I love the brightness of November sun, and it was truly squintworthy today.
The only leaves left are a few brown and red oak leaves, and these golden leaves.
At one point, I stepped off the trail to photograph an evergreen grove — and discovered a deer.
She saw us but kept foraging, close to the ground. Then, she decided to lie down for a midafternoon nap.
Hope she stays in the preserve for deer season. We said goodbye… then I took my tree picture.
We didn’t see many animals, but we had the woods to ourselves and enjoyed the unsettled feeling of the tossing trees and the sound of wind.
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Stairway
Our run of lovely weather seems to have ended for now. It was overcast today, and rain is in the forecast. But yesterday was a different story.
We entered a favorite trail by the boardwalk helpfully marked with a white stripe — but the leaves nearly obscured it altogether.
We walked to the bottom of what’s usually a small waterfall, but it’s been so dry we were able to do something we’ve never done before: we climbed the falls like stairs.
The stream bed made a nice trail and provided lots of opportunity to admire the leaves and reflections.
Acorns and other nuts were falling, and the chipmunks were scurrying everywhere on the steep banks gathering them. They blend in well with the leaves, but once in awhile one held still long enough for a picture.
Other than that, we didn’t see any wildlife, other than a few warblers up too high to identify. I consoled myself as we walked along this stretch of trail by remembering all the animals I’d seen here before…
…brown creepers in early spring, yellow-rumped warblers in fall, black and white warblers and oven birds in summer, deer, salamanders, even a tiny fawn just off to the left a few years ago. It was a joy to have these memories return as we walked the familiar path.
The trail ends at a meadow with a nice view of distant hills.
We weren’t the only ones enjoying the day. There were other people in the woods, all of us with the same idea of how best to appreciate October’s bright blue weather.
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Sunday stroll
The leaves are nowhere near their peak, but that’s not to say there isn’t plenty of fall color. The light has that special fall look, too — somehow brighter and more merciless. I’m not sure why that word comes to mind, but it does.
It makes for more brilliant reflections on water, where it’s hard to tell where the real ends and the reflection begins.
We enjoyed a sunbathed walk yesterday along paths that invited reflection of a different kind.
It’s always amazing to me when the eye falls on something as tiny as this toad among the heights and colors of the forest.
So many places for little things to hide….
…and the animals are taking on their winter colors. This young deer blended in so well it didn’t even bother to run away.
We walked a little further and met another. They were both from this spring’s batch of fawns, I’m guessing, and they were very unwary.
This one walked up to us, curious and utterly innocent.
It came within 8 feet to check us out.
Finally it figured out that we weren’t familiar or promising, and bounded away down the trail.
I’ve never been approached that closely by a deer before. Hopefully this youngster wouldn’t be so slow to react to a coyote!
It was a lovely day for a walk, and this encounter was definitely a highlight.
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The falls in fall
Most of these are photos of familiar scenes. Because I’ve already taken lots of pictures here, I played with photo effects to frame the scenes or give them an added interest.
Not that this natural setting needs help… It’s a place of endless interest to me.
So many interesting curves and staircases…
…and so many interesting waterworks.
Even the puddles are interesting.
Everyone with me found it exhilarating as usual — human and non-human alike.
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Adirondack Album
We visited the Adirondacks in July. Here is just a sampling of the beauties we enjoyed.
Bog 
Distant haze 
White-throated sparrow 
Mystery trail 
Hidden art 
Broad-winged hawk 
Maze 
Roadside frill 
Crowded hilltop 
Mountaintop view -
Spring and fall
It was in the 40’s this morning, and before the fog had cleared, I went for a walk.
It was pretty quiet, and I’d reconciled myself to the likelihood that I wouldn’t see much bird or wildlife activity. But when I reached my favorite hedgerow in the upper meadow, a yellow warbler greeted me.
There was lots of activity there — so much that it was difficult choosing what to focus on, and what to ignore. A catbird got busy tattling on me — “Awake! Fire! Foes! Awake!”
There were several yellowthroats, some of them females and some of them, I think, juveniles. They tried hard to be quiet, but the scolding and rustling weren’t hard to follow.
A blackburnian warbler flitted high up in the treetops. There was a young oriole, too, and a pileated woodpecker I heard but didn’t see. But closer to me were the calls of towhees, and I was tickled to see not one, but two, juveniles.
They seemed as curious about me as I was about them.
Another large, reddish bird scolded me with authority from the bushes, and I wondered if, with its speckled breast and rich cinnamon color, it was a wood thrush. I never did get a great picture, but this one made it clear what kind of bird it was.
A juvenile brown thrasher! Its long tail and yellow eye identified it as a younger version of one of my favorite birds.
This sparrow (I’m not sure what variety — perhaps a song sparrow) looks rumpled like a juvie, but with its beakfull of goodies it may be a mother supplementing her offspring’s diet.
I’d been out for nearly two hours and needed to be getting home, so I started the long walk back to the car, determined not to linger. Head down, walking quickly, I was startled by the sound of thrashing just ahead. It was a doe and two fawns. So that’s the picture I missed — but I have the memory. They melted away into the brush.
It was cool, like the fall, and in fact the fall is near at hand. But the leaves haven’t turned yet, and with all the youngsters I saw it seemed more like spring than fall.
