This last Sunday of January, exploring the eastern Woods towards the end of the day, I heard the Great Horned Owl a hundred feet away across the dry ditch. At 5 o'clock I was wandering, purposefully off trail and looking for hidden new things. I was by the giant bur oak that had washed out and fallen eastward across the Wash. The owl was in good full view in a tall juniper. I sank down and rested my head against a large rotten log on the steep bank behind me, pulled out binoculars to watch the bird and thought what life was like for the owl. After initially observing me, the owl regally looked away to the southwestern horizon. The setting sun blazed and lit the owl's eyes. I could see their glint through my binoculars. I wondered what the owl was thinking as it began its 'day' with twilight approaching. The dry wash below it would be a good open highway where it could fly low through mostly unobstructed space. Maybe there was a family of mice along the wash the owl had tried for earlier. Maybe it was considering returning to places where it had been successful before.
I wondered if the owl had a map of the Woods with regular flight routes repeatedly taken.. a personal interstate or branching routes that all the birds of the Woods knew.
A brave wren with 'attitude' was chirping, scolding and hopping from perch to perch in the Wash below the owl. It was probably safe because of its size and also the surrounding brushy cover of tangled vines.
The owl scarcely paid any attention to the wren although I think it did have a look at me.. and probably decided that I was a little to big for its dinner. I sat and enjoyed the peace of the Woods contemplating the higher branches of the big pecans and elms and sugarberries. These upper boughs are the dominion of the owl and its avian compatriots. I wondered how well they knew the upper branches of these trees. Throughout my quiet half hour with the owl, it barely seemed to take notice of me. But when a barred owl called 200 m WNW from a big pecan tree, the great-horned owl quickly reacted with a turn and brief stare.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Snowy Woods and southern dogs
Beautiful snow this Sunday morning from dawn to noon, 3-4 inches. Afternoon was below freezing but snow was clearing, so at five I went to the SW gate of the Woods, to see what tracks I would find.
Along the South boundary trail there were no tracks for 100 m or more.. maybe one squirrel. Then there was a well worn but otherwise hidden thoroughfare heading south under the fence. It looked like it might have been raccoon. Further east, at the main break in the fence, there was the principle dog entry and I was sad to see from abundant tracks, that they were still here. I crossed south through the fence and found the five young dogs together on the east side of the new trash station. They ran off around to the front and entered the station to forage in the bags along the west wall. I followed them to the entrance and stomped my foot. They ran barking back north and east into the Woods. We have to get those dogs out of the Woods. At the fence break by Carpenter's G-0 post there were again lots of tracks including one that looked like a bobcat. . rounded pads and no nails.
With the sun setting I wandered north back into the Woods.
Leaving the southern portion of the Woods I encountered the first deer tracks. The snow is a great recorder of wildlife activity showing the hidden routes that the animals in the Woods know and use. Sometimes they use the cleared trails. Sometimes they have their own ways.
The deer tracks all through the Woods seemed like mostly young deer. I wondered what impact the dogs were having in suppressing wildlife.
I found no evidence of dogs north of the dune. Most of the deer tracks stayed north of the dune.
Beautiful time to be in the Woods with snow outlining the dark trunks of the trees. The glowing sunset colors lit up the Woods reflecting from the white forest floor.
Along the South boundary trail there were no tracks for 100 m or more.. maybe one squirrel. Then there was a well worn but otherwise hidden thoroughfare heading south under the fence. It looked like it might have been raccoon. Further east, at the main break in the fence, there was the principle dog entry and I was sad to see from abundant tracks, that they were still here. I crossed south through the fence and found the five young dogs together on the east side of the new trash station. They ran off around to the front and entered the station to forage in the bags along the west wall. I followed them to the entrance and stomped my foot. They ran barking back north and east into the Woods. We have to get those dogs out of the Woods. At the fence break by Carpenter's G-0 post there were again lots of tracks including one that looked like a bobcat. . rounded pads and no nails.
With the sun setting I wandered north back into the Woods.
Leaving the southern portion of the Woods I encountered the first deer tracks. The snow is a great recorder of wildlife activity showing the hidden routes that the animals in the Woods know and use. Sometimes they use the cleared trails. Sometimes they have their own ways.
The deer tracks all through the Woods seemed like mostly young deer. I wondered what impact the dogs were having in suppressing wildlife.
I found no evidence of dogs north of the dune. Most of the deer tracks stayed north of the dune.
Beautiful time to be in the Woods with snow outlining the dark trunks of the trees. The glowing sunset colors lit up the Woods reflecting from the white forest floor.
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