During my walk on the Middlebury nature trail, I listened closely to hear distant crows and the occasional rustle of American Beech tree leaves. It was cloudy and very much a gloomy day. I decided to veer off towards a river where I hoped to see signs of animal activity. The river was almost completely frozen over but the recent warm weather allowed for some water to flow down the river. I thought about where that water has been, and where it will go. I also thought about how the water that I drink everyday comes from nature and how valuable of a resource it is to us.
On this 40 degree day, I picked a spot right on the riverbank to sit. To my left was a dying, or possibly already dead, tree that was positioned at about a 30 degree angle over the water. As I admired nature’s spontaneity, I noticed that part of the tree was hollowed out. There was a nearly perfect rectangle that was most likely the doing of a Pileated Woodpecker (Hylatomus pileatus). I admired the craftsmanship of the woodpecker and it’s ability to carve a neat, rectangular hole. Next, I turned my attention more towards the trees to my right. I used my handy twig identification book to identify the trees, and I believe that they were European Alders (Alnus glutinous). As I studied the twigs, I noticed a tiny spider (Araneae) crawling up one of the twigs. The spider was barely visible and it made me think about what other tiny creatures were around me.
As my time on the riverbank was winding down, I watched the crows (Corvus) in the distance as they flew from tree to tree. I hoped to see more species of birds, preferably a woodpecker, but they did not reveal themselves. As I left the riverbank, the sound of the constant flow of water faded as the sound of cars and people returned.