A white ball of fur exploded up over the hill, out of the woods to my left, and across the trail in front of me before I realized what it was. A very frightened eye on the side of its head glanced up at me as it disappeared into the thicket to my right. It was then I registered what it was – a …
Sally's studies
Sally’s Nature Studies: Winter Wind
The wind is talking to the trees this afternoon. High above the forest floor, the green boughs of the pines and hemlocks are reaching way out and waving to one another; the bare maple branches are swinging and knocking into each other; and the dried brown leaves still clinging to the beeches and …
Sally’s Nature Studies: Christmas Ice
The ground is frozen beneath my feet. The leaves are stuck to the ground, forming a slick, hard surface, occasionally pushed up into a misshapen pile from the hoar frost underfoot. The sky above is a brilliant blue, solstice sunlight streaming through the leafless trees. Patches of snow and frozen …
Sally’s Studies: Penobscot Pond Reflections
The pond was busy today. Tucked in a high knoll between Bald and Penobscot Mountains, surrounded by hillsides of grainy rock ledges and a waterfall of trees, the breeze skirted across the water and cooled my hot hiking body. The early afternoon sun was brilliant, so I sat in the shade to enjoy the …
Sally’s Studies: Flocking Chickadees and a Prospecting Pileated
Flocking Chickadees Suddenly I was surrounded. I stopped, stood still. A flock of chickadees moved around me in waves like the sea gently moving towards shore. Several dropped down to the ground, others flew into the center of a small fir, others arched high into the trees -- each one searching for …