Observations from 5/2/20

On Saturday, May 2nd, I finished my shift at work and decided to talk a walk in the woods behind the facility. The weather was perfect. The temperature was about 55 degrees F and there were only a few wisps of clouds in the sky. There was also a slight cool breeze that would blow periodically. Once I entered the woods and was among the shadows, I felt a slight drop in temperature. To me, the conditions couldn't have been better. My walk lasted from about 9:45 AM to 11:05 AM.

I started down an old cart path that is still generally clear but is beginning to grow in. It is covered in leaf litter and may not be overrun with plants yet because it is likely some type of gravel construction and is fairly thick. I began to walk and noticed something shiny off to my left. I decided to get off the path and poke into the woods to figure out what I was looking at. Turns out, I found half of an old extension ladder. I freed the ladder and tossed it back onto the path so I could remove it from the woods on my way out. Unfortunately, this was not the only sign of human activity that I spotted while on my walk. I then spotted some water through the trees and decided to make my way to the water's edge.

One thought that popped into my head, and often does while I am out, is the idea that while in the woods I could very possibly be standing in a spot that no other human has ever stood. Humans may have passed through the area, but may not have stood in the spot where I am currently standing and observing from. There are so many nooks and crannies inside the forest and most people tend not to stray from the beaten path. The woods can be very thick. It does not take much to deter a human and the same concept probably applies to the animals as well. I am interested by the fact that the perspective that one has while out in the woods can change dramatically by moving in one direction only a few feet. I think changing location and thus changing perspective would be a good practice to apply to an area of interest. Looking at the location from a few different view points could result in some very unique observations and might help paint a full picture of the setting at hand.

I stood there for a while, and then crouched down to give my legs a break. As I tried not to move and scanned my surroundings, I did not notice a lot of animal activity but I did notice how much "movement" there was around me. There are so many little complexities inside the forest that I assume usually get overlooked. Even a slight breeze is enough to rustle all sorts of trees, branches and leaves. This movement throws shadows all over the place. I also noticed a litany of bird calls. It was a very peaceful sort of sound. Not having much birding experience, it is not often that I try to distinguish the calls and chirps. As I did attempt to do so this time, I realized just how unique many of the vocalizations are. It seems to me that just like sharpening my observational skills, learning bird calls is very doable and probably just takes the same amount of practice. My appreciation for learning to distinguish birds by their appearance and their vocalizations is definitely growing.

Shortly after arriving at the water's edge, I noticed some movement off to my right. A male and a female Mallard were swimming slowly into my frame of view. They seemed to be swimming at a very casual place and may have been looking for sources of food. I ever so slowly raised my hands with my camera at the ready, and as soon as I did they took flight. They raised up to about eight or ten feet and immediately reversed direction to come back where they had come from. The moved about fifteen feet and once again landed in the water. As they did they began to vocalize. My assumption is that I startled them a bit. They now seemed to be weary of my presence. I was amazed at how easily they had noticed me.

As I moved on, I came across a second and much larger body of water. I walked up to the edge of the body of water and was about thirty feet from a beaver hut. As I inspected the rest of the location, I began to walk closer to the hut. Within a few minutes of doing so, a beaver came swimming in from my left. He or she came to about twenty feet from me and then submerged without making a noise. I did not experience the typical tail slap that is a common occurrence with these animals. I did not see the animal resurface and my assumption is that her or she made their way into the hut. Had he or she felt the vibration from my footsteps on the shoreline and come to inspect the source of the noise?

Any time I run across an animal while I am out in the woods is a positive experience for me. It really helps to increase my appreciation for mother nature. I am amazed at how much more I can experience in the woods when I just take a few minutes to stop and observe my surroundings.

Publicado el mayo 10, 2020 02:17 TARDE por jearn043