Winter’s Walk

All it took for Betsy and me to be out the door on a chilly day was Joe to say that he just thought he heard an owl in the water garden.  I have not seen or heard an owl on the property for years and the prospect of spotting one made me bolt out the door.  As we all walked down the path we discovered a variety of animal tracks crisscrossing everywhere, evidence of an active nightlife at Blithewold.  The trails of footprints in the snow tell stories of wanderings for food and possible encounters with other wildlife. 

Once in the water garden our eyes darted from tree to tree without a sighting of an owl, when I heard a shore bird calling.  It was then that I was surprised by seeing the shoreline with as low a tide as I have ever seen it.  This dramatic low tide was the day after the super snow moon and it revealed a wide expanse of the tidal shoreline.   The water was as smooth as glass with a variety of shorebirds making their distinctive calls.  I had forgotten all about the search to see an owl being so taken with the beautiful water scene.

This week there have been more bird calls indifferent to the weather.  Two red tail hawks circled with calls over the Idea Garden long enough for every creature on the ground to hear them. However, off in the distance, I did see one dive quickly downward for something.
The chickadees have been particularly voicing their presence along with a loud wren singing joyfully over and over. 

A winter’s walk provides signs that the natural world is there waiting for spring to come just as we all are.

Click here to view Gail’s video of the Super Snow Moon’s Low Tide.