The new area that I chose to study for my phenology blog was located on the banks of Otter Creek near the Middlebury Falls in Middlebury, VT.

The creek was partially covered in ice still, but there were stretches of open water. The current was fast and the water was discolored and cold.

This area of the creek has no development on its banks directly. A quarter mile upstream from this spot there are businesses that line the Southern bank and a bridge that crosses the creek a few hundred meters below the falls. The trail that I took to reach this location seems to have been made by one of the residents on a hill a few hundred meters from the river bank. It does not seem that there has been any development since then, but based on the size of the trees in the area I would guess that the natural history of this area involved some clear-cutting in the past.

The birds that I was able to identify in this area were as follows: American Robin (turdus migratorius), American Crow (corvus), Tufted Titmouse (baeolophus bicolor), Canadian Goose (branta canadensis), and Northern Cardinal (cardinalis cardinalis). The cardinals that I saw were in what I assume was a mating pair—they stayed close to a nest and returned once they decided I was not a threat.

For the woody plant species in the area I was able to identify Basswood (tilia americana), Black Cherry (prunus serotina), Striped Maple (acer pensylvanicum), and Green Ash (fraxinus pennsylvanica). Something that surprised me was the absence of conifers in the area.