01/27/24 2:00pm 35 degrees F
Centennial Woods
For this new year, I wanted to change up the location of my phenology site so I could gain a wider understanding of the natural areas of Burlington. For how close Centennial Woods is, I realized I had only been there maybe twice before, so I liked the idea of exploring this land that I felt I have under appreciated.
On the walk through Centennial I was met with a very icy path. This made it a bit difficult to navigate my way down the trail. Next time I visit I’ll put in my hiking boots rather than sneakers. After a couple minutes of walking I came to a stop, noticing some animal tracks that stood out. I wanted to try and figure out what they were, and as I looked around I thought it was quite a nice area I had found, dominated by some Red oaks and Eastern White pine. There was snow but it was patchy from the rain we have had in the last 24 hours. There were a few fallen Eastern white pines in the area, which are shown on the map as they cross the path. I did draw them in a way that makes them look larger then they are in reality.
After consulting my handheld guide, I thought the tracks might belong to a coyote given the size, shape, and lack of human footprints in the area aside from my own.
I found some smaller tracks in the process of mapping out the layout of the trees. These were smaller and more difficult to identify, since the print was less defined. My best guess is that they are from a gray squirrel.
