Nature Note: A Naturalist's Travels Through Nature

It's always wonderful to find a place where you can relax outside. After having lived in central New York for just over a year, I finally feel like I've found a natural area I can call my own. When I lived in Massachusetts, my sacred place was a bend in the Sudbury River along a trail on Heard's Conservation Land in Wayland. After a half mile walk through mowed fields and old farm hedges, I reached the edge of the thicket. The gnarled trail was often muddy due to its proximity to the nearby marsh and in the late summer, it was bordered by goldenrod, vetch, and asters. Sudbury River, Wayland, MA in 2014 As you continued along the trail, tree roots provided chances to trip and ensnare sandals, while low hanging branches gently brushed the top of my head. Occasionally, an overzealous one would batter me in the face as well, but after navigating this gauntlet, you would be met with a wonderful view. The river is old. Lazily it travels along the marshy edges, while red-w...

I had the great fortune of visiting a wonderful preserve yesterday in search of warblers and spring migrants. As this month marks the main passage of spring migrants in the Mid-Atlantic region, I have decided to do a big month to try and see as many different warblers, for as many points as possible. I made up an arbitrary point system where common species are worth 1 point, harder to find species are worth 3 points, and life birds are worth 5 points. I also added in the possibility of seeing Brewster's and Lawrence's Warblers for 10 and 12 points respectively. As of this morning, I have 9 points after seeing 9 species over the past two days. In the morning, I visited an excellent birding area called Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve, located near my favorite artisan town of New Hope, PA. As I exited the car, birdsong surrounded me. The sweet, squeaky notes of a Black-and-White Warbler ( Mniotilta varia ) rang down from one of the nearby trees, while a Blue-gray Gnatcatch...