Off the Dry Path (part 3 of 3)

4/7/11

   

At the end of the road a path began that walked the line between the edge of the bog and an oak savannah. Here there were more signs of plant life emerging the most note-worthy being that the Redbuds (Cercis canadensis), a small tree with gorgeous red flowers, were about ready to bloom. It was also here that I was privy to a conversation between Soras, a definite identification this time. I was unable to see them despite what seemed like a distance of only 20 feet or so and persistent calling but all the same the short high pitched peeps gave the whole misty landscape, with the forest at your back, a mysterious feel.

   

The time to turn back and catch the train home had come, so with much reluctance and indignance about how short a distance I had covered compared to what I had planned to, I started the trek to the tracks.

  
 Nature every now and then has a way of toying with you. In this case the entire day had been relatively cool, to offset the body heat I was producing but all of a sudden the mist lifted, the sun came out and the temperature shot up. It was a grueling and sweaty return trip. It’s always funny, upon reentering society, to watch people generally avoid looking at the dirty, oddly dressed, and exhausted hiker sitting on the bench with a goofy smile. 

In many ways the day could be called a “slow” one by many. One of my birding friends asked me a few days before what would be the good of going out to the dunes at this time. Getting some extraordinarily amazing or rare bird would have been nice but the time of year is not very ideal and the weather was not conducive.

From a birder’s perspective there was nothing terribly interesting about the day’s trip. Not to bash all bird watchers, NOT AT ALL; I am a birder and always will be. Birds are my strongest area of natural expertise and it was birders who have set me on the path I am on now. That said, for me even without amazing finds or massive migration fall outs, this was a wonderful trip. This is the way nature runs. It always delivers in different ways that make you look at different aspects of the environment you’re in. In this case the weather had as much to do with the flavor of the morning and day as did the plants and animals.

Thanks for reading. Spring is here! See you in the field.

Edward Warden

 P.S. Don't be a ding-dong like me and try to eat the seed heads of cattails, it's SO not worth it