For this post, I journeyed with two of fellow NR 02 friends. We started on campus and went downtown to the waterfront area, where a handful of birds could be observed, like some American Robins and a handful of black-capped chikadees. The robins were flying in swarms, filling up the trees along the city. The waterfront was a winter wonderland, with the lake frozen enough to walk on. I appreciated the sheer size of Lake Champlain for a second. We then headed towards the South End, where there is less of a natural aspect and more city-like, but beautiful nonetheless. On our walk, more robins flew our way, with a few curious American crows. Towards this point in the walk, we were near The Intervale, where I spotted a lovely male blue jay with his colors shining against the sun. There were squirrels and chipmunks all around the city, especially at the Intervale and the Waterfront. Finishing up our walk back to campus, we found a multitude of dog tracks and a cool set of what possibly could have been raccoon tracks. The weather out was beautiful, with the sun hitting against the snow on the sidewalks and the chatter of strangers walking around. I noted a mix of maples, ashes, and oaks around the city, as those were most noticeable to my eye. I have used the iNaturalist app before for hikes, and it is really helpful in identifying plants I didn’t know that I was curious about. \
