After weeks of being away from the spot not much has changed. The hardwoods still have no leaves, the ground is still covered in snow, and the birds have not yet completely returned. Chickadees are still the majority of animals I see with gray squirrels coming in a close second. The biggest change is the scattering of branches and trees on the ground that had fallen after the ice storm. We lost many hemlock branches and a red maple tree.
The bud identification in my spot can be rather difficult. Most of the trees that have not been taken down by snow or ice are too tall to be able to see the buds. However, the yellow birch (betula aleghainiensis) buds are lower to the ground, and the long fuzzy cigar shapes stick out like hundreds of small bushy tails.
There are limited animal signs in my spot, a few squirrel and rabbit tracks here and there. However, on the way to the spot there are a plethora of tracks and signs. I found raccoon tracks running along the side of the retention pond, beaver tracks and feeding coming and going into the pond. Also deer I’ve seen deer tracks and and scar running from grove street all the way to my back entrance. Fox tracks criss cross all of centennial woods. However, all of the fox tracks I’ve followed end up in the cattail and phragmites marsh where centennial brook meets grove street. There I’ve seen fox tracks hunting mice, and continuing along the woods into people back yards. The woods in the winter open up like a book.