Last week I enjoyed a leisurely walk by myself (which is a real luxury for me these days). Usually my walks were all about aerobics and getting my heart rate up, but today was just a gem of a day in the midst of so many dreary ones, so I made the best of it. I decided to take my time and just breathe in all the sights, sounds, and smells and let my senses soothe me in the moment. I also allowed myself to remember what I heard, saw, smelled, and touched, just like when I was a kid walking through our woods, which was my own personal "sanctuary" away from my crazy family.
The day was perfectly cloudless, sunny and warm, maybe with the softest bit of a breeze blowing, if any. As I neared the end of the driveway, I decided to walk in the direction of the creek than runs through our property and under the road through a very large culvert, large enough to let cattle to walk through, apparently. Stopping there, I watched the spring water coursing through our pasture, under the road, and to the other side of the road, where the creek continues on to some other destination. Funny to think that someone from the zoning department classified this creek as "navigable". What were they thinking, that perhaps we were planning a ship yard on our dinky little pond or something? I'd like those zoning guys to come and try to navigate anything larger than a paper boat here...
I peer over the steep embankment where the water is coming through on the neighbor's side where they pasture their horses and cattle. I am fascinated by the sparkling crystal clear water bubbling over large smooth rocks, singing it's way along--I never grow weary of that sound! I know in a few months when the weather warms up, that water won't be so crystal-clear anymore, due to warmer temperatures and cattle promoting algae growth. I think I see water cress growing in the ditch, the first green among all the dead, brown grasses left over from last year. I intend to check it again to notice how much it has been growing.
On my way, I first hear it...is it a coot? I see near the base of a dying spruce tree, some odd-looking bird, but it's a ways off, so I strain to get a better look. Hmmmm...looks like a small prehistoric dinosaur called a pterodactyl with a long pointy beak. I watch and listen, and it seems to be drilling with its beak into the dying spruce tree. Normally, that's a woodpecker, but this thing is huge! We have lots of birds here, probably due to the fact that we have the creek and a pond on our place, but this one is new to me. I start walking back to get a closer look, and the thing takes off flying, it's wings flashing black and white and flying a bit awkwardly. It lands in a large oak tree near our house.
So, I think I have had a good look at it, and when I go inside, I search the net to find that it is a pilleated woodpecker. Those of you who are young enough to remember Woody Woodpecker would see the resemblance--a huge bird, as far as woodpeckers go. I never cared much for that obnoxious cartoon character, but I think I could get used to this Mystery Bird, as his personality doesn't resemble his counterpart, Woody, at least in my opinion. Now I'm thinking I must be old to be joining the bird-watcher's guild. That's okay with me, and I hope I never get too old to learn something new!
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