A UVM blog Burlington Earth Clock

I found it very interesting to go to my site once it snowed – I was very used to the vibrant green trees and lively bike path, but now that it is cold, it is quite dull. Most of the trees in my area are deciduous with a few pines here and there. I saw some Canadian geese on the shore, but other than that it was very quiet – literally. I remember going to my site earlier in the year and I could hear a dozen bird sounds, squirrels climbing the trees, and the stream flowing. I did not see any tracks in the snow; this natural area is very closely surrounded by developed homes, so I wasn’t expecting to see anything crazy. It was nice to see my spot one last time before winter break and I am excited to see it once I get back.

This was my second time visiting my site; I walked down and it looked very similar but there were a few key differences I noticed in my half an hour there. Almost all of the deciduous trees had turned yellow and orange, as seen in one of the images I posted. The brook that runs under the bridge the get to the Earth Clock was much more abundant with water than before; I could hear it running while I was sitting 20 feet away. This is most likely because of the rain we had the prior days. I noticed that there were some new birds around; ducks, Canadian geese and crows. The construction had stopped on the bike path so I was able to hear the birds and the water. It was nice to sit and look at the water while still being surrounded by trees and birds.