For my second blog posting of the semester, I went for a rainy run down to the waterfront. The squirrels froze when I ran by, and up above them their nests, as well as different sized bird nests, were exposed from the lack of foliage. The landscape is still very muted, the trees, reeds, grass, and leaf matter on the forest floor are all brown. I did see little shoots of daffodils popping up in the exposed dirt along the pathway which was exciting!
The further I ran away from the ECHO Center, the less buildings I saw and the more trees and reeds became the predominant scenery. Right before the skate park, there is a marshy area with reeds and cattails, and hailing me from within this miniature forest came the telling springtime calls of a redwinged blackbird.
I recorded the red-winged blackbird on the iNaturalist app, and found the app to hold a wealth of sitings, from spiders in sinks, to coyotes and cats. I also used the Merlin Bird ID app, which was incredibly helpful for me, discerning which birds I was hearing.
I recorded the birds in the same spot where this photo was taken, and as you can see the ice that has been consistently casing the shoreline these past few weeks is starting to soften and break apart.
Seeing changes in the natural world is a good reminder that life is always moving and changing. Hearing the birds brought me out of my school stupor, and pulled me into a place of deeper observation. This past week I’ve been feeling the need to escape from school stress lately, and returning to this observation, the seeking out of bits of nature and wildlife that aren’t always obvious to the quickly moving person, has been really wonderful.