Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Where we often walk

The dogs and I often go for walks in the nearest parts of the Northumberland County fields and forests owned by the same people who own the wee farm house where we are currently living. The trails are quite lovely and I thought you might enjoy seeing some portions of them this morning. The trees often block the sun and we've walked in the rain without getting wet.
The forest floor is littered with cedar rails from very old fences now demolished by nature and their age. There are also huge stones rising out of the earth and surrounded by vegetation - some I can identify some not.

There are rocks, streams and swamps among the trees, and lots of poison ivy in some spots - to be avoided by me if not the dogs.

It's mostly a mixed bush cedar, pine, hardwoods of maple, both hard and soft, and poplar, aspen, birch, typical for Ontario. But always full of birds and new things to see - flowers that have opened in unexpected places, tracks of deer, turkey, fox and coyote pacing the trail we follow. The dogs always find these very exciting.

Some of the paths are obviously used by people in golf carts and kids on bikes ride through them as well. The trees sometimes arch overhead making tunnels to explore.

Streams that trickle all year have small bridges for people and wheels... ferns abound in many spots and in others, many different kinds of vegetation.
And finally
some days we walk into a field with a platform high in the air that has been occupied by osprey for many years. This one whistles alarms at the three of us as we walk below, then rises on huge wings and flies over the forest calling for its mother or its mate to help drive us away... the call sounds to me like a person whistling for its pup and always amuses me.
Do you have some place nearby that is wild and wonderful to explore every day? I think we're pretty lucky and you are too if you do...

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