Tuesday, April 12, 2011

A Walk in the CT Woods

1. Barn_kathiesbirds Barn in the Connecticut Woods 3-15-11

The old barn in the woods stands silent as I walk

through quiet trails, my footsteps softened by forest duff,

leaf litter and pine needles

wet from the winter’s snowmelt.

2. Woodpecker holes_kathiesbirds 

I hear the cry of a Pileated Woodpecker,

its voice mocking me with laughter as I try to find the bird

but all I see are feeding holes in pines

3. woodchips_kathiesbirds 

and woodchips on the ground beneath the tree.

4. RSHA_kathiesbirds 

And then another voice pierces the cool gray sky

a scream above the forest

as the Red-shouldered Hawk flies by,

over and over again it circles and cries

5. RSHA_kathiesbirds 

then lands in a tall pine and,

looking back over rust colored shoulders,

6. RSHA_kathiesbirds 

fixes me with its eye

and I retreat

deeper into the forest.

Wandering down a hill

it is hard to soften my footsteps now,

as twigs snap and crunch beneath my shoes

I feel clumsy and awkward and wonder

if I had moccasins and walked on tip toe, would I be silent then?

would I be able to become part of the forest

and blend in?

7. Deer scat_kathiesbirds 

I find evidence of another mammal—deer scat in the duff,

but this quiet creature slipped away on delicate hooves

long before I found this

8. Pool_kathiesbirds 

I have come down here to this quiet pool, a puddle really of melted snow,

a vernal pool perhaps?

It is still too cold and early for salamanders and frogs,

but not for owls! Though it is the middle of the day

I hear its call,

“Who cooks for you?” the Barred owl cries!

I scan the tall pines over my head

I look for this bird among the branches and needles,

thick and green

but I do not find this elusive bird

and now its voice is silent.

9. Moss_kathiesbirds 

Nearby the moss grows thick and green on a coffee brown stump,

while titmice and chickadees call from the woodland,

and trees still waiting for the warmth of spring to swell the buds,

and spread their leaves,

like me they wait

10. woods_kathiesbirds

to welcome the warblers.

And that’s…

My World Tuesday!

14 comments:

  1. And a beautiful world it is that you describe and have wonderful photos as proof!
    Happy Bird Migration Dear Kathie!

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  2. And what a world on Tuesday! Very nice.

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  3. What a wonderful walk - such loveliness in photos and words.

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  4. What a great post! Love the photos, too!

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  5. Thanks for taking on your walk! Lovely!

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  6. All I can say is, WOW! I so love your world because I am a nature-lover myself! I have my My World with Mango entry for the first time. I hope to see you in my page! :)

    And also, I'm going to follow you here. I hope you can do the same for me, if you don't mind. :)

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  7. A lovely post. I feel like a noisy monster as I walk through the woods, seeing evidence of the inhabitants who are looking at me from their hiding spots.

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  8. And yet another lovely walk with you. The "barn" looks like my kind of place to listen to the woodpeckers (didn't realize they made such Huge holes) and watch the hawks soar. That image in flight is Awesome, love the detail. When I see the moss covered stump I wish I was tiny enough to walk in that kind of forest. Thanks once again for taking us along Kathie.

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  9. Great post, Kathie! Looks like the Pileated was hard at work on the tree. Love the hawk shots. Thanks for the walk, it was a good day. Happy birding!

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  10. Hi Kathie

    I really enjoyed being able to follow your walk. The photos and your narrative worked perfectly together and really gave a sense of a wood poised to welcome a new season.

    Regards
    Guy

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  11. Enjoyable post, Kathie. You made me see my brown/beige woods with new eyes. I can't wait for it to show some green though.

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  12. Lovely, Kathie. I felt like I was walking right beside you...

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  13. Thank you for the walk in the woods Kathie. I've never been in that area but with your words & photos I felt like I was. Enjoyable!

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  14. Hey everyone, this was a fun post to write as well as experience in the first place. I am so glad you all enjoyed it! I have been going crazy watching birds and off-loading photos. I have been tryinbg to get caught up on my blog posts and I am trying to get caught up on my visits now! Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog and leaving me comments! I sure do like it!

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Welcome to my nest! I hope you will enjoy spending time here with me and the birds. Thank you for your comments. I will try to get back to you as soon as I get back from counting more birds.