Written by Kennedy Zittel, Naturalist
Fall is my favorite season. I love the cooler weather (but not too cold), the beautiful fall colors, and the variety of birds that can be seen. This time of year we conduct fall migration bird surveys across the preserve, giving us valuable data as to what species use our preserve as a migratory stopover site. These surveys also offer us a reason to get outside and slow down, a calming break from an otherwise busy fall season. This week I went out to almost all of our trails for my survey points, and was in awe of the beauty that I found on all of the trails.
Black Cherry Trail has the most beautiful fall colors of all the trails this week, with oranges, reds, and yellows filling the canopy where the chickadees sang. With each soft breeze, a few colorful leaves drifted to the floor below, adding a new layer that crunched under each step I took. Woodpeckers and nuthatches flew tree to tree, filling the air with their chirps and calls. The green moss and lichen seem to stand out even more this time of year, adding pops of color on logs, rocks, and on the side of the trees.
The flowers that filled Blazing Star Trail this summer have almost all gone to sleep, leaving only a few coneflowers, asters, and goldenrod behind. A few sleepy bumble bees clung to the flowers, covered in the morning dew, waiting for the warmth of the rising sun to warm them up for another day. The once vibrant green prairie grass has faded to beautiful shades of yellow and orange, waving in the breeze as the meadowlarks sang from their cover. A turkey vulture soared overhead while some bluebirds called from a nearby fence post.
As I walked through the cedar tunnel on Conifer Trail, I watched fox sparrows hop amongst the fallen pine needles and cedar leaves, whose orange-brown color matched the bird’s feathers almost perfectly. The deep greens of the conifer trees contrasted so nicely amongst the golden yellow of the beech tree leaves. A pileated woodpecker’s laugh-like call echoed through the changing forest, while the leaves of the birch trees drifted to the forest floor.
The willows and dogwoods along Willow Trail were covered in the glistening morning dew, and as I walked by revealed that they were also covered in a large flock of sparrows. White-crowned and white-throated sparrows seeped and chirped from their shrubby cover. Dark-eyed juncos have returned to the preserve, back from their summer breeding season in Canada. Their soft grey feathers fluttered amongst the red dogwood branches. As I neared the boardwalk, a cottontail rabbit zigzagged across the path.
During this time of year there seems to be no wrong trail to choose, as each one offers its own beauty in a changing time of year. I hope you can head outside and enjoy the beauty that fall has to offer soon, and take the time to slow down and catch your breath (both figuratively and literally) during the often busy fall season.