Lower wooded trail, Beech Hill.
A sullen, overcast day. OK, maybe not sullen, exactly—more like moody, pensive, introspective. The wacky jogger made his rounds on schedule, and nine crows showed up (as usual) to collect the food he scattered. The solitary herring gull that often accompanies them did not make an appearance.
Birch bark.
I had a satisfying day of puzzle-solving time of it at my desk, but it took most of the daylight hours to get there. So it was with no small bit of expectation that I headed for the lower Beech Hill trails, with a quick stop in town. Herring gulls circling all over the place, and a single rock dove in (appropriately) Rockport Village. The sky was lowery when I hit the wooded trailhead.
And the trails were soft and muddy. Muddiest I’ve ever seen them, in fact—although I haven’t hiked there much in March or April. And running streams descended the trail down long stretches, leaving noticeable erosion. But I didn’t mind. I loved it. A fickle, temperamental wind blew up in the bare branches of the oak and maple, birch and popple. Limbs squeaked and rubbed together. Plenty of deadfall from our recent windstorms. I heard the shrill peep of a downy woodpecker. Heard the ever-present chickadees.
Met my friend Roger and his dog Zeke descending. (Zeke had been chasing rabbits, apparently.) Little snow remains up there—except along the summit end of the upper trail, where not a lot of sunlight gets through. Slushy snow, is all.
The muck, the loose, greasy footing, the thrilling portentous breezes… I love, too, the coppery, bronzy brown of things at this time of year.
Coming back down I couldn’t help but glance at a few soggy low spots on the trail where last spring I noticed the drill holes of woodcocks. And now all I can think of is how within a couple weeks I’ll be hearing again the magical, angelic flight songs of these squatty, funny-looking, much beloved harbingers of spring.
Today’s List
American crow
Herring gull
Rock pigeon
Downy woodpecker
Black-capped chickadee
Beech Hill trail.
Tags: American crow, black-capped chickadee, downy woodpecker, herring gull, rock pigeon
