East Woods

The semester is over, wow. It doesn’t feel like it is. I’m so happy I chose Rock Point to be my phenology spot for second semester, and I’m so happy that I did. Watching the nature start to come alive, and practically being able to smell the life coming back was such a happy feeling. I saw plenty of buds and plenty of baby tree saplings, as well as a large amount of animal life. I saw tracks of what I’m pretty sure was a deer and a raccoon. Sadly, my phone was dead during this time, which made getting photos of the plant and animal life difficult. It also made it difficult to check the bus schedule or get an Uber, but at least I got my steps in for the day. Nature and culture are heavily intertwined here. Rock Point is a beautiful natural area, and whenever I’ve been there (except in winter) there is clear signs of human life. It is a commonly trafficked place for anyone looking to have a fun afternoon, and holds incredible importance in the culture and history of Burlington. It’s importance can also be seen by the fact that we had an NR1 lab here haha. I don’t feel like I’m a part of my place, because I’m not. I’m a visitor in this home, and I greatly appreciate being able to spend this time here. To close out this post, since my phone died at Rock Point I’m adding some photos I took when I went to the Salmon Hole a few days later. I felt weird not posting any photos.

During this “four-day BioBlitz” as worded by the Phenology Blog guidelines, I explored the UVM campus, the Intervale, and Centennial Woods. My most memorable observation was easy, I saw a beaver at the Intervale. I looked over and saw a big blob sitting on the opposite bank, and then saw it slowly move into the water and begin swimming. My most memorable and favorite observation by far, perhaps of this entire blog. Sadly, I had a bad experience with iNaturalist. I tried to upload the photos last night before the due date, but kept getting greeted with error messages, and was never able to submit my photos. So I didn’t love the app itself but the challenge was an incredibly fun experience. The photos I tried to submit to iNaturalist are below. What I found interesting when looking at the other participating cities was just how vast nature is, and that even near populated cities around the world you can find little pieces of that nature if you just look hard enough. It’s kind of heart warming.

A trip to Rock Point is always a welcome one. Seeing the life spring out of the plant life with the warmer weather is uplifting, and it’s definitely nice not to be sliding around all over the frozen rocks. With the warmer weather, animals no longer have to find shelter away from the cold, and animal life is ever present in this beautiful natural area. During my trip there, I saw a few signs of animal life. Birds were loudly singing, I found a pile of scat that I’m pretty sure belonged to a raccoon. I also saw a garter snake slithering on by, they’re my favorites to see. Coming back to Rock Point was a fun experience, it was a nice boost of serotonin to see all of the wildlife coming back out with the coming of spring.

I walked around multiple places for this blog post. The waterfront and Rock Point. At the waterfront, bird life was prominent. I noticed a group of pigeons flying, as well as seagulls and a few feathers here or there. I also found some tracks, and while I can’t clearly identify them I believe they’re from a long tail weasel. The prints look similar enough, and the space between each set of tracks leads me to believe it’s a small weasel of some sort, but I can’t be sure. And while at Rock Point, I stumbled across a turtle shell! I’m assuming this turtle has been dead for a little while now, but it was really interesting to see and photograph.

Edit: I went to Salmon Hole this week not Rock Point. I’m making this little note because I realized I put the wrong location down past 9pm and I just wanted to make sure it is known that I did this on time and was just a little bit stupid.

With the new semester, I’ve decided to choose a new phenology spot. I chose Rock Point, a beautiful natural area I visited once before for a lab, and once on my own time. I wanted to get to know it more, it is an absolutely breathtaking area that I undoubtedly want to continue exploring. To get there, you walk all the way down Main Street until you get down to the waterfront, where you then take the cement walkway about a mile. You then turn right into the camping area, and continue straight onto Institute Road. After that, you turn left onto Rock Point Road and continue straight for about a half a mile, passing the Rock Point School on your left. Continue to follow the path until you eventually reach the trailhead, and you’re there. It’s about a 4 mile walk from my dorm (Davis).

I had an amazing time at Rock Point, it’s so nice to be back in Burlington. Rock Point was basically completely frozen over, it was honestly pretty dangerous and I would not recommend going right now. But, I had a lot of fun, and I saw some tracks! The top photo is a picture of bunny tracks, and the photo below I’m pretty sure belongs to a raccoon, but I could be wrong. I also saw some scat, but my phone had died so I didn’t get a picture of it. The animal life in Rock Point is persevering, despite the heavy snow!

The human history of East Point, my phenology spot back home, is incredibly rich and interesting. Human impact here can be found dating back to the early 1700s, as it was used during the Spanish American War as a signal and mine system and later for experimentation of radio-controlled ships, aircraft and defensive torpedo batteries. After this, it was then used by electronic companies that used the site for the development of powerful searchlights in the mid 1700s, and was abandoned during the 1800s. However, the site was then used once again for war, this time during World War II. Gigantic coastal defense gun batteries were stored here during this time, while the U.S. Navy operated a magnetic loop and radio buoy station there. This was dismantled after the war ended, and in 1961 the land was purchased by Northeastern University. Northeastern still owns the land to this day, and it is used for marine research and studies, as there is a rich and diverse ecosystem below the waves in Nahant. The human history of East Point really is incredibly interesting, and it’s neat to see how the use of space has progressed over time.

East Point is an amazing location, it’s a beautiful spot of wilderness overlooking the ocean. It makes me happy to be back home, and I knew this was going to be my new phenology spot. I must say, it is so different than East Woods, my spot back in Burlington. There is a large amount of shrubs and other small woody plants, I always get caught in thorn bushes. There was also a large amount of boxelders and a few white pines, but aside from that nothing similar. There were however, other tree species that I recognized to be River Birch, Wood Hazel, and Smooth Shadbush. In regards to animal life, there are plenty of coyotes roaming the area. Aside from them, squirrels, and a few local bird species, there’s not too many animals that attempt to make a home out of the rocky cliff face and often traveled path. If you walk a little ways down from where I was sitting, there is actually a Northeastern University Marine Science Research Center. They’ve turned a large portion of the area into pavement and buildings, further scaring off any animals that might attempt to call this place home. Thankfully, if you walk past the facility and scale a little cliff there is a beautiful little cove to sit in. The wildlife in this area is beautiful, it’s a serene cute natural area that I have loved my whole life.

Here is my event map! It was a pretty eventful day at East Woods, saw 2 little critters which is always fun. I’ve definitely noticed some changes over the time I’ve spent here, mainly the leaves. Many of the leaves on basically all the trees in the woods have fallen, as is expected with the coming of fall. Aside from that, things just seem to be a bit less active. I didn’t hear as many birds or see as many insects, and I only found one newt this time, compared to the usual 3 or 4. I’ve really come to love and enjoy this place and it’s beauty. And to finish off this post, I leave you with an original poem.

East Woods, serene and lovely

As the trees stand tall above me

Where the sparrows chirp and chatter

And the critters run, pitter patter

In all of its beauty and grace

I really love this place

I’m so happy I found this place, it’s now one of my favorite places to just sit and relax. It’s so beautiful, and sitting on a log in the middle of the water with little fish swimming around me is one of the best feelings I’ve ever experienced. It’s so calm here 🙂