Birch.
The stream out back was flowing swiftly when I took Jack out first thing. Breezy still after last night’s big blow, and most all the snow was gone. Didn’t dip down below freezing until tonight sometime.
Oak, and Monhegan.
Beech Hill this mid-afternoon was a chilly place—a good west wind sluicing down my neck and numbing fingertips. Saw a few birds, got a few nice views. But today was most notable for a subtle detail: the little broken branch that’d been clinging to my favorite little trail-side birch tree for more than two years lost its grip last night. Got to confess, that was huge.
It’s funny, in fact, how in the wake of the ice storm that took the branch in December 2013, I lamented it as a blemish on what was once such a symmetrical tree, as did others who saw my photos of the birch (a few of whom offered to prune it down). I knew Nature would take care of it soon or later, though—and over time I not only grew accustomed to it but gained an appreciation of it as a sort of beauty mark. And today, there it was lying on the ground.
Runoff.
A poignant record of the passage of time.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 2:30 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. American Crow*
2. Herring Gull
3. Black-capped Chickadee**
4. Northern Flicker (v)
Elsewhere
5. American Goldfinch (v)
6. Common Goldeneye
7. Mallard
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, black-capped chickadee, common goldeneye, herring gull, mallard, northern flicker
