Did any of you get to witness the total lunar eclipse this past week? It was too cloudy here that night, very disappointing. But my goodness, the night before that was delightful. No clouds at all and a gloriously full moon shone so brightly down upon this frozen forest that my dog May and I walked the full length of the 1/2 mile trail with its three currently live water crossings both out and back without a stumble or a splash, aided only by the lusciously luminous moon. There was a palpable timeless quality in the bright forest night. The nocturnal chorus of barred owls calling back and forth: “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?” was accompanied by an armadillo foraging through crisp leaf litter against a babbling brook background, all with a clarity that seemed heightened by the magical moonlight. Much to my [and the armadillo's] relief, May’s nose led her elsewhere when I quite closely encountered the armored but peace loving critter, and after a few minutes I moved swiftly away so as not to draw May’s attention. This was the first middle of the night walk we’ve made successfully all the way to the end of the trail. Other nights we’ve tried it we’ve only gotten partway, often due to mutual unease inspired by a cacophony of coyotes calling out their eerie song.
It is easy to tell when turkeys have been foraging in an area of forest. To facilitate food finding they use their strong legs and big feet to kick leaf litter away, baring the naked soil for acorns, insects or tender shoots. In doing so, they leave scattered mounds of leaves alongside the bare patches, bringing to mind for me an image of tiny tornados moving across the forest floor. In snow or mud their tracks are also distinctive, as their three long toes leave memorable marks. Turkeys can also be very noisy just by their loud rustling through leaf litter, but also their chatter within the flock can be raucous, and is sometimes accompanied by loud flapping of large wings. Several times during forest forays this week I have come close enough to the flock to glimpse their scurrying forms highly intent upon foraging the forest floor. Upon noticing me they most often will scatter, some running with remarkable agility and speed along the ground while others loudly flap their way upward to treetop perches in the safer sky. I’m linking here to a picture I posted of a turkey behind my cabin last spring, since I’ve not yet gotten any better photos of them, their coloring camouflages them extremely well and they are much faster than I am.
There has been a great deal of activity around the bird feeders right at the cabin enticed by this very wintry weather to come have their fill of food and drink freshly warmed water. There have also been a number of red and gray squirrels partaking of the these offerings alongside the birds. The avian visitors this year routinely include members of the following species: cardinal, chickadee, goldfinch, purple finch, blue jay, junco, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow, downy woodpecker, and red-bellied woodpecker. I love watching this wide variety of birds, and the squirrels, at such close proximity. Some of them prefer eating right from the ground while others prefer the suspended feeder. At least one of the red squirrels will sometimes hang upside down from the suspended feeder on one side pulling sides out with front paws while the birds use the other side, undaunted. Of the birds, some stay in place eating many seeds in a row while others come and go frequently, obtaining only one seed at a time then carrying it off to consume on a nearby branch or tree trunk. Especially colorful is the scene when they feed with snowy or icy backgrounds. How happy and fortunate I feel to share this special space and time with all the creatures here, I feel very blessed.
