Cold trail.
Cold day. Winter is cold. Main heat source went out night before last. Cold in here tonight—but not as cold as it was today on the trails of Beech Hill Preserve.
Evidence of pileated woodpeckers.
Still, it was a good hike. After the usual climb up the open (wind-whipped) hillside, Jack and I took to the woods, where we found relative comfort and musical trees. Seriously. They squeaked, they whistled, they had a rhythm section goin’ on. Standing still for a minute, I even heard a sort of low distant groaning sound. It was magnificent.
Few birds, though—nothing but a distant gull, near chickadees, and a solitary songbird that I could not ID as it zipped away down a bright snowy hillside. Might’ve been a bluebird, or a robin, or one of the hill’s flickers, even. Or some crazy winter bird that I would’ve loved to have seen or taken a picture of.
Oh, well. Tomorrow is supposed to be warmish, and my heat will be fixed soon. The world moves in circles, and everything tries to be round.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 11:30 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Herring Gull*
2. Black-Capped Chickadee
Elsewhere
3. American Crow
4. Wild Turkey
5. Downy Woodpecker
6. Mallard
*Also elsewhere
American red squirrel.
Tags: American crow, black-capped chickadee, downy woodpecker, herring gull, mallard, wild turkey
