When I first entered my sight, I noticed that nearly every ground level surface was covered in pine needles from the Eastern White PineĀ trees on my site. I believe that these changes occurred as a result of both of the older needles dropping as part of an annual autumnal shedding and the recent high winds. When I visited my sight last, most of the larger trees still had their leaves and many of the leaves were turning shades of yellow and orange. However, I noticed upon return that the only leaves still left on the tree were green. The trees that turn earliest had lost all of their leaves before the other trees even bean to turn. My entire site is covered either in pine needles or dead leaves, so no tracks were visible. However, I did notice other signs of life. There were a few pieces of small of scat that, upon some research, I can identify as squirrel droppings. In addition, I noticed small holes in the trees that were confirmed to be those of a female, Black-backed Woodpecker. In addition to the woodpecker sighting, I saw several Black-capped Chickadees searching for food in the understory and ground vegetation. The most exciting sighting was that of an American Mink who was hopping in and out of the Brook. I was unable to take clear pictures of the birds, but I did manage to capture a glimpse of the mink before he slipped back into the water.