Today I visited my place in Centennial Woods for the first time since last semester. The most obvious change that I observed was the large amount of snow on the ground now that it’s winter. Now that temperatures are lower than they were in November (today was about 30 degrees Fahrenheit) and it’s snowing often, the clearing looks much different. It was snowing very lightly while I was at the clearing. The deciduous trees such as oak and maple in the clearing are now completely devoid of leaves, which is different because there were still some brown leaves hanging onto the branches when I was there back in November 2020. The evergreens such as the Eastern hemlocks, Eastern white pines, and Northern white cedars still have their green needles. Another thing I noticed was that the brook was still flowing steadily underneath the snow, which I could see through two holes in the snow layer.
During my time exploring the area, I noticed many signs of wildlife activity. First, I found some tracks that went across a log over the brook. The tracks had already started to fill with new snow, so I was unable to identify what animal had left them. The prints were small and the log was not very wide, so I think this animal was smaller in size. In addition to these tracks, I found different tracks in a few different areas. There were some larger tracks leading down to the brook, some more larger tracks in the middle of the clearing, and even more tracks as I started to head up the hill on the far side of the clearing. I followed the tracks in the center of the clearing and found some urine in the snow at the base of a tree, as well as a pile of feces, and I think these may have been left behind by someone’s dog (I see people walking their dogs here often, so this is very likely). The other tracks were also filling with snow so it was difficult to identify what animal left them. In addition to my findings, I had evidence of wildlife activity when I heard multiple birds chirping in distant trees.
References
Shepherd, A. (2021). [Photographs of trees and wildlife tracks in Centennial Woods].