This gorgeous warm spring weather has been so long in coming…I just can’t get enough of it! Between the sun’s pleasant rays, 81 degree temps, and a light breeze to keep us from getting overly hot, how could we possibly stay indoors? So yesterday Mark and I took another walk in Carver Park Reserve. This time we tried Maple Trail, which is a trail we took once before in late winter. I was hoping to see some Sandhill Cranes, as they’ve been seen flying that direction fairly frequently lately, but no luck there.
Most of Maple Trail winds through deciduous woodland, but one section cuts through a marshy area adjacent to the west end of Lake Zumbra, utilizing floating boardwalks to cross the wetland area. While in the woods, we spent most of our time peering up into the treetops, as Barred Owls are known to spend time in that area. Luckily Mark was looking at the trail ahead at one point,
and spotted what looked like a brilliant spark of flame in the branches of a fallen tree. It turned out to be a male Baltimore Oriole, the first we’d seen so far this year. He was very intent on foraging among the branches of the tree, and paid no attention to us whatsoever. His vivid breast blazed alternately a deep orange and a radiant gold. Quite a striking bird, wouldn’t you agree?
As far as birds went, we didn’t see too much overall, but what we did see was memorable. Besides the Oriole, we watched a Bald Eagle soaring overhead while we were crossing the boardwalk, and heard the cackling call of another eagle to the west of us at the same time. Just as we were about to step onto the boardwalk, though, we realized that the way ahead of us was blocked by a Canada Goose, standing right in the middle of the walkway, preening. We moved slowly toward the goose, trying our best to appear non-threatening. Although it glanced our direction now and then, it largely paid us no heed. We spent some time watching dragonflies darting about, but finally, after a good 10 minutes, we got close enough and the goose slipped into the water so we could pass. Once we were out of the way, it immediately popped back up onto the same spot on the boardwalk and continued preening. What a courteous goose!
A bit further down the trail, we met two Hairy Woodpeckers (pictured here) having a rambunctious disagreement as we passed by. It was very interesting to watch.
Aside from bird song, and the occasional bird sighting, we were serenaded along much of the trail by frogs, mostly Chorus Frogs, I believe (although I’m not very good at identifying frog and toad calls yet). Even though we looked for them, most
remained invisible to us, which was pretty much expected. However, I did get some glimpses of a couple of Green Frogs, such as the one I photographed here.
As exciting as all these encounters were, this walk was largely uneventful and very relaxing. We walked slowly and took our time, just enjoying the weather and the serenity of the woods. It’s amazing to me how many interesting and wonderful patterns and textures you can find, just
by looking at trees. I thought these two trees in particular were fascinating… one looks to me like a group of dancers, all pointing slipper-clad toes in a close, graceful group. The other is a scar, with an arresting design where the tree healed.
If it weren’t for the fact that we were starting to get hungry, we didn’t want this walk to end! But we eventually did make our way back to the parking area. The last thing to catch our eyes before we left the trail was the upheaval pictured below – the signs of a fresh, barely underground tunnel left by an industrious mole!
