This past week we went to the Intervale for NR1020 lab, part of which gave us the opportunity to track and explore the surrounding trails. We sat in one spot for a while and watched a woodpecker, and I also decided it would be a good time to observe for my phenology project.
The spot we sat in was right on the edge of the river and on the side of a trail. We watched a Pileated Woodpecker peck at a tree for bugs. There were already several holes in different spots on the tree from the bird hacking away at it before. The way it hopped around the side of the tree was kind of funny but also impressive. Its talons must be sharp and strong.
We also observed some ducks swimming by up the river. For a while the ducks were just sitting on the edge of the ice, watching the water go by. Then one by one they climbed in and swam upstream.
There were also some mouse tracks(not in the picture below) around a pile of metal scraps nearby. The pile of metal seemed strange, so I asked about it. I learned that Intervale used to be a junkyard before it was turned back into a farm – which I thought was an interesting step in its history. It certainly contradicts what the land represents today and provokes some thought about how and why land use shifts.
