Sunrise on the Cape October 23, 2011
Posted by Jennifer Schlick in autumn.Tags: ocean
8 comments
I rise early, stumble around in the dark, and sneak out as quietly as I can so as not to wake the others. I drive in the direction of the beach searching through the recesses of my gray matter for the instructions the Park Ranger gave me yesterday to a beach parking lot, wondering if I should have written them down. Not to worry. I arrive just in time. Pre-dawn.
Morning is my time, whether I am on the beach, in the woods, or sitting at home with my laptop and cup of Joe. I feel most alive at dawn. A few kindred spirits join me in welcoming a new day: a man who stays at the top of the stairs with his cup of Joe, a father and son who play in the gentle waves, a mom with two daughters – all three still in pajamas, a gull.
The interplay of stones and sand and water requires no color for its expression of dawn.
Or does it?
The sun climbs higher making irresistible shadows.
It will be a glorious, clear-blue day.
Cape Cod October 22, 2011
Posted by Jennifer Schlick in autumn.4 comments
It is a very long drive from where I live to the middle of Cape Cod, especially when slightly more than an hour of it must be done at 27mph (or slower). It is a beautiful place. I understand why everyone wants to go there. I can say without hesitation: I will never go there in summer. If the “off” season draws these kinds of crowds (this kind of traffic), I cannot imagine what the “high” season draws! Seems it would be brutal.
We spent a lovely few days. I had not been to a salt water shore for a very long time. There is something healing about it. I could have stayed on the sand forever exploring, watching the water come in and go out, the sun come up and go down, the shadows grow shorter and then longer again, making stone and shell collections, getting sun- and wind-burned.
I have spent the last 12 years as a naturalist. It is my job to know the names and stories of the things I encounter in the natural world and to share that with visitors. Now, I was a visitor – at a loss for what to call things. I am safe with “pebbles” and “shell” I suppose. Though a seaside naturalist would be able to tell you where the pebbles came from, the name of the species that once inhabited that shell and probably even the species that later made that shell a home base.
A seaside naturalist would know the common names of the plants that live along the shore, and probably also the undersea ones that wash up on the shore.
We watched more than one sunset over the bay. I know I become very contemplative when I watch the sun go down. This time, I wondered what thoughts were going through my kids’ heads.
Northern Saw-Whet Owl November 11, 2010
Posted by Jennifer Schlick in autumn, Bird banding, birds.5 comments
Jackets on. Headlamps on. We trudge up the steep hill behind Tom‘s (new!) house to the nets. From a small speaker comes a sound like a child playing the same high-pitched note over and over on a cheap recorder: Hoot hoot hoot hoot hoot hoot hoot hoot…
No owls at the first net check at 6:30 p.m. We return to the house for chit-chat and a tour. By 7:15 p.m., Patty is home from work with groceries, but not ready to accompany us for the second net check. Tom teases that this is a good thing, because they never get birds when Patty tags along.
Back up the hill and this time, I notice the brillance of the stars in the black sky. This time – 2 little puffballs are caught in the nets. Tom deftly removes them and places each in his own separate carrying bag and we head back down the hill.
Tom let’s me handle the first bird and I am thrilled. Wing measurements and weight are taken first and compared to a chart. Males are smaller and lighter than females. This one definitely falls in the male range. A leg gauge helps me determine the right size band. Next, a tail measurement, and a check for fat and muscle condition. Finally, we use a blacklight to look at the feathers on the under side of the wing. New feathers appear pink under this special light, older feathers look “normal”. The combination of pink and normal tells us that this is not a hatch year bird; he has more experience than that.
And now it’s picture time!
The second owl is feistier. When I try to handle him, he grabs on tight with sharp talons. He does not break the skin, but I fear he will leave a bruise. He finally releases his tight grip. Tom offers to band him. Thank you, Tom. This one is a hatch year male.
I wonder if he will mellow with age? Or are owls, like people, born with personalities that stay with them for life, merely intensifying with life experiences?
The third net check brought us nothing. I decide to head home. The moon is bouncing on the top of the distant hill – a huge orange sliver.
Learn more about the Northern Saw-Whet Owl at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website –> click here.
Read more about Tom’s owl studies at his blog –> click here.
Pleasant Walk on Chautauqua County Rails to Trails Segment November 7, 2010
Posted by Jennifer Schlick in autumn, hiking.3 comments
Saturday treated us to the first snow of the season, and it seemed like a perfect day for a hike on a section of the Chautauqua County Rails to Trails system. The boots I chose were sturdy and warm, but old and no longer waterproof. I didn’t think it would matter. The transformed rail beds are sometimes wet and muddy, but you don’t have to walk through standing water. Usually.
As we came into the clearing where the Beaver Pond opens out on the west side of the trail, we scared up a large flock of unidentifiable (to me) ducks, definitely not mallards or wood ducks, as their escape was voiceless.
And then we saw it.
Oh boy. Now how are we going to get around that?
I was ready to turn back, go to the house, stack some wood. Terry and the dogs had other ideas.
So, I followed their lead, stepping gingerly on the beaver dam, trying not to use the poison ivy-covered trees for support. I made it about three quarters of the way to the other side before I was forced to step into water that soaked through my old boots.
If only the beavers could be trained to build their dam on the pond side of the trail.
It’s a good thing wool socks are warm even when they are wet. I was able to forget about my wet feet and enjoy the beauty of the day. The air was crystal clear and there was barely the hint of a breeze. Every watery surface was a mirror.
One of the mirrors was being constantly disturbed by melting snow.
It was mostly a day for grand sweeping landscapes, but little things caught my eye now and again.
Had we a map, we might have hiked the full length of this trail; we didn’t realize how close the end of it we were. Next time, we might start at the north end and hike south to the flooded trail and back.
The Portage Trail is a spur off the main Rails to Trails system that starts in Mayville along Route 430 between Mayville’s 4-corners and the Hartfield airstrip. Parking is just to the left of the black and red Range Resources building. Bill Sharp was a naturalist and educator in Chautauqua County.
View Larger Map
According to an article in the March-April 2007 of Parks and Trails E-News (link below), this segment of trail began as a Native American portage trail between Lake Erie and Chautauqua Lake. In the early 1900s a steam-powered rail line was developed there. It was converted to an electric powered trolley in 1910. This section was dedicated to the memory of Bill Sharp in September of 2006 by the members of the Chautauqua County Rails to Trails organization.
Links
The Escape – Part II October 18, 2010
Posted by Jennifer Schlick in autumn, hiking.6 comments
Allegany SNIT Program Mystery
We neared the end of the narrow side trail and could see the wider main trail ahead. There in the branch of a tree was a one gallon plastic tub. Hmm… I wondered if it was a geocache. We took it down to have a peak. You could still just barely see that someone had labeled it “ASP SNIT.” SNIT? It was all in caps, so we assumed it was an acronym.
Inside was a laminated photocopy of a section of the same map we were using with an arrow pointing out “You are here.”
When I got home, I googled “SNIT Allegany State Park” and found that in summer of 2009 there had been a “Senior Naturalist in Training” program in the park (click here for the program PDF). I’m not sure how this tub fit into the program, but, well, there you have it. Mystery solved.
This picture didn’t turn out well because it was getting darker and darker in the woods:
Black Cherry Fruits
Have you noticed that the black cherries this year have been heavy laden with fruit? Seems like every tree I see is just dripping… and the ground under them covered with shiny little cherries. The animals are enjoying this, as evidenced by this:
Bear Scat
There were strange new things along the trail that delighted me:
Strange Fungus
This weird fungus was something I had never seen before. All jelly-like and nearly colorless. I haven’t tried to find out its name yet. Do you know? Here’s a closeup:
Weird Fungus Closeup
A little further on beech tree had lost its top… And look at the way it forced some greenery out the broken trunk in an effort to keep living:
A crown of leaves atop a broken Beech.
After completing the Sweetwater trail, we drove over to the Stone Tower for another view of the colorful hills.
Stone Tower - Allegany State Park
I feel blessed to live so near this beautiful State Park, where a couple of hours of walking can so refresh and relax the soul.
View from the Stone Tower
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An Escape… October 9, 2010
Posted by Jennifer Schlick in autumn, fruits and berries, fungi, hiking, trees, wild edibles.8 comments
Fire Tower Trail, Allegany State Park
Sometimes when the world is weighing down heavily on your shoulders, the only thing that helps is a little escape… a chance to walk, explore, breathe crisp Autumn air. A chance to surround yourself with the familiar, yet be open to the novel.
The Art Roscoe Ski area at Allegany State Park is a wonderful place for cross-country skiing in winter. Turns out, it is also a wonderful place for hiking when there is no snow.
Fire Tower at the Art Roscoe Ski Area, Allegany State Park
A side trail runs parallel to the main trail and takes you to a Fire Tower. I pushed my fear deep down into my boots and climbed the stairs, hoping for a glorious vista from the top. There were hand rails and the stairs were sturdy. Still, my heart pounded hard and my breath came in short, shallow fits.
It was indeed worth it! The view from the top was spectacular and very much justified the climb.
The Allegany “Mountains” are really a big old ocean bed that was carved out over time by melting glacier water and various other forms of erosion. When you climb up for a view from the top, you can see that all the “peaks” are the same height.
View from the Top
It was helpful to have my hiking buddy in front of me on the descent… much easier looking at his backpack than at the steep stairs that went on and on. Back on the ground, it took a while before the adrenaline left my muscles and I could relax again… and turn my attention from big sweeping views to the forest’s minutiae.
A tiny moth kept trying to hide from me under the leaves...
Most of the Sweetwater trail is wide and in winter two trails for skiing are groomed making for fast, easy skiing. Along the way we found a narrower trail that crossed Sweetwater. Always favoring the road less travelled, we took a right hand turn.
Loose and peeling bark is back-lit by the Autumn rays.
It was late afternoon and the long, slanting rays of the sun were golden, creating vibrant, colorful mini-landscapes.
The log we chose to rest on was decorated with a familiar "Icicle Fungus"
A bit further down the trail, there was an opening and the combination of “plant” life was simply delightful… Some I recognized and knew the names of… Others I recognized, but have no names for… And one brand new! (I put the word plant in quotes… because back when I studied biology the first time, there were only two kingdoms: Plants and Animals. And under that scheme… all these things would have been classified as plants…)
Lichens and Mosses
The first thing I noticed was a thick carpet of lichens – some 6 or 8 inches tall, punctuated with mosses competing for space. Tucked in here and there were mushrooms… so bitty it would have been easy to miss them altogether…
A tiny mushroom manages to pop up through the thick mat of moss and lichen.
A little trail nibble was provided by a patch of Wintergreen that was sharing the soil with the others.
Wintergreen... not the juiciest of berries... but a very pleasant flavor.
Very near the bushy-shrubby type lichens were stalks that resembled small cups on stems, decorated with a bit of red. I’m not sure if they are a structure of the the shrubby type, or a whole separate species…
This seems to match other photos I have found labeled "Lesser Sulpher Cup Lichen."
And then there were the Lycopodium…
These little "club mosses" or "ground pines" are considered "exploitatively vulnerable" in New York State. They have been over-harvested for wreath-making.
If I have seen the next one before, it was never in such abundance and so easy to investigate… It warrants several pictures…
Running Club Moss
Oh dear… this post is getting very long and there is still so much more to tell… I guess I’ll click “publish” and tell you more later…
The Conewango November 8, 2009
Posted by Jennifer Schlick in autumn, outdoor recreation.5 comments
Mike wanted to paddle at least one more time before winter. He invited Terry who invited me… Lucky me! Gorgeous blue skies, temps near or above 60.
We put in to the Conewango Creek off Route 62 between Jamestown and Frewsburg. Many thanks to Sarah who helped us with the logistics.
Mike paddled in front, Terry behind. I sat in the middle. (I’m not used to not being in control… it was quite a lesson in patience and trust…)
This section of the creek is part of Chautauqua County’s Marden Cobb Waterway Trail. We stopped at one of the leanto sites for lunch.
I took way too many pictures of leafless trees reflected in the water.
Not all of the water is this flat. Once you pass the Akeley Bridge, there are several spots where the water runs fast. It made me very nervous. (I don’t have a good track record with boating in general. For example, click–> here.) I put my camera in the dry sack during that part and have no pictures…
Still, everything went well. I didn’t get (too) wet. We didn’t capsize. There were no strange weather changes. Could this be a new era for me and boats?
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Holts Run November 1, 2009
Posted by Jennifer Schlick in autumn, fruits and berries, hiking.7 comments
Took a long, lovely walk out Holts Run in Allegany State Park. Took mostly color and texture shots for my photography class.
I was very delighted to come across Spicebush with berries!
I also ran across a fossil… way up on the steep hillside above the abandonned beaver lodge… an unlikely place!
France Brook Road October 16, 2009
Posted by Jennifer Schlick in autumn, hiking, trees, weather.6 comments
France Brook Road is a one-lane dirt road through Allegany State Park. It is beautiful in any season… but especially today after an early October snow storm.
There are several beaver colonies along this road. I stopped by one of the Beaver Ponds that I have visited before during spring and summer. There were a couple of goldenrod plants near it that looked so cool covered with snow:
The snow kept coming down… from the clouds, but also it would fall off the branches in big loud plops.
I walked further up the road…
I came upon a beaver colony that I didn’t know was there… Guess I never walked this far, and I never noticed it when I drove this road, either…
I kept thinking I saw a beaver swimming out near the lodge, but I decided it was more likely snow plopping off branches…
I took 283 photos… oh my…
Brambles and Blow-downs and Baby Beeches November 13, 2008
Posted by Jennifer Schlick in autumn, hiking, mammals.Tags: Bergman Park, Red Fox
5 comments
An inevitable condition of my age and gender coupled with a full life has left me too exhausted for romps in the woods for the last month. Today, I have a bit of time and a bit of energy.
I leave before sun-up, which isn’t very early at this time of year. Even if there were sun, the clouds are thick and gray, threatening rain and allowing very little light to reach me. I take the camera anyway.
Lolli is delighted that last night’s promise of a romp in the woods was not idle chat.
It doesn’t seem like it was THAT long ago that I walked this trail. Wild things grow fast. I adopt a strange gait using the outside of my boot in an attempt to crush down the brambles that tear at my gloves and scratch my legs through the thin denim of my old jeans.
In my effort to avoid brambles, I wander off the old trail where I must lift my heavy-clad feet high over blown down tree trunks and branches.
I find myself temporarily lost – a giant towering over a new forest of baby beeches…
The exursion makes me realize I have dressed in too many layers… and I can’t unzip my jacket, because it protects the camera. I take off my hat and enjoy the sensation of near freezing raindrops on the top of my head and on my flushed cheeks. I take off my gloves and stuff them in my pocket.
Lolli walks randomly, weaving this way and that with nose to the ground, sniffing here, there, everywhere. A rustling off the trail causes her ears to perk up and she is gone – purposefully bounding toward… whatever it was… I wonder what she would do if she ever caught up with her quarry?
What’s that flash of white on the right side of the trail up there? Deer? No. Too low to the ground. Lolli sees it, too, and makes chase.
It turns, crosses back over the trail and runs off into the woods on the left. Not quite as tall as Lolli, the fur is the color of the downed beech and oak leaves… but the tip of the tail is bright white. Red Fox.
I wonder how long I’ll be waiting for Lolli to return… and what she’ll smell like when she does… But she doesn’t keep me waiting long… and she smells just fine.
I don’t see foxes very frequently and I always feel quite honored when I do. This the second time I’ve seen Red Fox in these woods.
(I don’t have a fox photo and I hope that Flickr contact Églantine doesn’t mind that I borrowed hers.)
