My visit this week was especially pleasant because the weather was lovely. It was about 60 degrees and sunny, a big change from my last visit.

The first thing I noticed entering the woods was that the ground had a higher level of leaf coverage. This confused me because I couldn’t tell where the leaves were coming from; most of the trees were in the same state as last week. I think they were from the Northern Red Oaks because they are quite tall, and while they are still holding their leaves, if you wait and watch one, it won’t be long before you see a leaf break free.

Norway Maples are hanging on. It’s been quite windy lately, especially today, and the leaves looked a little abused, shriveled by this and by the cold.

American Beech trees are stubborn! Some are a little more bare but for the most part they cling to their leaves.

I made extra effort to look up, and while I couldn’t spot any nests, I spotted two small birds in my spot’s iconic dead tree. A small piece of bark fell near me as I sat, and I looked up to see the little guys working away to find bugs.

Maybe my favorite part of this visit was that I spotted a Pileated Woodpecker! It hopped around on a tree across from me, looked at me for a few seconds, and flew away from me and the trail.