My eyes watch for the movement of the forest as I sit calmly on my perch. The longer I sit the more I can see and hear. My eyes track movements and my ears seek out foreign sounds. This is how I came to see the many things this swath of forest has to offer. Chipmunks scurry everywhere. Over bushes through the cracks and trees and into their holes. Two have a battle in front of my eyes. They fiercely leap at each other in the blink of an eye scurrying over branches and leaves to reach their opponent before backing away. Black Starlings are everywhere turning up patches of leaves presumably looking for food. The area I am observing is one where the path is temporarily closed. Nature has truly taken back what is theirs. This directly relates to The World Without Us. The bullfrogs are free to sing their song as loud as they want and the deer are free to roam. Robins, finches, and sparrows are able to fly and land freely. Suddenly, movement in the tree above catches my eye. It is a hummingbird! Later, in a flash of movement, something reaches the bird feeder beside me. It’s a pileated woodpecker. I only get a glimpse of its beauty before it flies away.
The marsh on the other side of the center is truly a land of birds. As I watch, the only non-aviary creature that I catch a glimpse of is a chipmunk. A flock of geese flies overhead showing off their perfect V-formation. Robins, sparrows, and mallard ducks fly over the shifting mass of reeds. Suddenly I see a lot of movement in the reeds. It is a female mallard and her chicks. It brings me back to one of my favorite childhood books, Make Way for Ducklings. The ducklings are extremely cute. I am glad to have come to the center.
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