November woods

Today, I found myself alone with the freedom to do whatever I wanted. Isn’t that wonderful?

I chose to go for a walk — and right away it was apparent that I wasn’t the only one in the mood for a stroll.

It was chilly — around 45 degrees and breezy. The air was full of dry leaves spinning against the blue sky, and it was impossible to be quiet on the crackling carpet.

I know — the scene is one I’ve posted before, but it never fails to delight me. The brilliant November sun made it even lovelier this morning.

I passed by a hillside that sees more light now that the leaves are mostly down…

…and visited a favorite stream.

What is the official name of the goldenish-reddish color of these leaves?

When the leaves fall, secrets are revealed: wasp nests, bird’s nests, gray squirrels no longer hidden under the canopy.

There were many birds’ nests, and I took pictures to try to identify them with the girls. This one might be a rose-breasted grosbeak nest; I’ve read that they are so thinly made you can see through them.

I saw eggs on leaves too, and tracks in the mud — almost all deer tracks. Besides these ground discoveries, the treetops showed me various birds — chickadees, cardinals, and cedar waxwings.

I heard a woodpecker thunking a tree and hoped it might be the pileated I’d seen back in the summer in these woods, but I never got my eye on it.

I was plenty chilled when I got back to the car, but quieted inside the way such a walk almost always achieves. It’s such a blessing to have places like this to go. I need to remember to thank the people who maintain these preserves.