100 yards before I enter Centennial Woods there was an eruption of sound in a planted Norway spruce stand. The red squirrels were chattering, the chickadees were chirping, and the blue jays were blaring. All this commotion could not have been for me. I paused and looked around for the blue jays and spotted a Coopers Hawk perched silently and still half way up the spruce. After five minutes of franticly snapping away with my camera the bird leaned tensed and jumped to another branch. I thought it was just being difficult, but on closer inspection I saw that it had killed a poor unsuspecting fowl. For the next hour I sat still and watched in astonishment as the Hawk picked apart the bird.
It is mostly on the way to my place that I see the most interesting wildlife. There is a tall white snag I call the pileated pecker post near my entryway to centennial woods. Here, as the name suggests, Ive seen a pileated woodpecker twice!
However, there is still evidence of woodpecker habitat in my actual spot. I noticed the deep furrows running vertically along a white pine while and inquisitive red squirrel was in front of them staring at me.
The other signs that wildlife are using my place as a habitat are my frequent sightings of cardinals, robins, blue jays, and sparrows.
The composition of birds I see is beginning to change. I do not see as many robins as I used to, nor do as many blue jays come to my spot. Along with these changes in wildlife I see changes in the flora. The young beech tree that shone a bright yellow the first week I sat and observed has lost all of its leaves. The ferns that used to cover the ground have browned, yellowed, drooped. The soil is now completely covered by pine needles. The tall skinny paper birches still hang on to their leaves though, along with the black cherry trees and the buckthorns lining the marsh.
Your hawk pictures are amazing! was thinking about you this morning when TWC showed pictures of the snow on Mt. Washington i NH. Made me think how much earlier winter is coming for you than the rest of us.
would love to get an explanation of the sit spot. Email if you get a chance.
Nice first entry. October 23 is your great grandfathers birthday – John Christopher Coates.
Nature is red in tooth and claw.