In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Each day of the year I will post something here about nature. It may be any format, a photo, video, audio, sketch or entry from my nature journal. It could be a written piece. Each day I will connect to nature in some way and share it here by the end of that day. You can keep up-to-date by subscribing to the RSS feed or be notified by email. See all the 365 Nature posts.
June is also 30 Days Wild and I’m participating again this year.
A return to routine today and a shift in perspective from the mountains to the city where I went on my usual rounds through the arboretum. The Barred Owl chicks I saw first on Day 158 were nowhere to be seen, but the crows led me to one of the adults. They were harassing the owl and I only saw it a few seconds before it flew off with a trail of crows behind. At the nesting snag all I found of the chicks was a feather that I believe came from them.
I was more fortunate at the Cooper’s Hawk nest and when I first arrived I found a small white head poking up above the edge of the nest. Like the last time I saw the chick on Day 158, it was only visible a short time before retreating to the depths of the nest and although I waited another 10 minutes or more, it never peaked out again. During the entire time I was there I didn’t see or hear either of the adults.
On my way back I saw some movement in the shrubs and a raccoon clambered up a tree trunk, disturbed by me and a pair of walkers coming from the other direction. I stopped to watch the raccoon, but the other walkers were oblivious and kept walking. As I watched, the raccoon watched me and climbed higher up the tree before stopping and watching me again. It never once stopped looking at me except to climb higher, even as I walked away I could see it still looking at me and watching.
