This week, instead of returning to the sliver maple grove, I made an expedition into Centennial Woods in hope of finding some evidence of wildlife in the area. This trip would’ve been amazingly successful, I’m sure, had there been any snow or non-trampled mud to find tracks or scat in. Unfortunately, however, almost every day this past week had temperatures that peaked in the 40 and 50 degree ranges and so almost all of the snow which could have been found on the ground just a few weeks ago has melted. Because of this, I regret to write that I was unable to find any identifiable wildlife tracks.
What I was able to find, however, was an astonishing amount of woodpecker holes in the dead trees which line a good portion of the Centennial trails. Although I saw no physical woodpeckers, much less and tracks produced by them, this is evidence enough I suppose.
As I navigated the trails, moreover, I also recognized the calls of chickadees and sparrows – a sure sign that there are plenty of birds in the area even if I cannot physically see them.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a complete blog post without the mention of a cool fungus that I found on my visit. I have yet to identify the specific species of this one, but I did find that, upon touching this fungus, if feels almost solid.
I do hope to explore Centennial, or even the Silver Maple Grove, again in the next coming weeks when the snow has returned to find wildlife tracks and maybe even a den!