At the beginning of our walk at 8:05am it was a cool 67 degree's and not a soul was on the trail. As we began our walk onto the trail it was evident the birds had been fluttering about undisturbed and uninterested in us adventuring in there playground.
Within minutes of the walk we were greeted by a pair of Downy Woodpeckers that were working on there tactical maneuvers diving through the woods from tree to tree chasing each other as if they were synchronized swimming. More likely it was a parent teaching it's young.
Further along the trail we passed through a section of the old railroad bed that had been cut through the ledge with great walls of rock on both sides of us. This area normally has water dripping from the stone and moss growing on the walls, but today they were only damp at best.
Signs of fall are already becoming evident as the leaves are beginning to fall and turn yellow and brown. Wear-as it has been so dry this summer it would lead one to believe the fall colors this year are going to be short lived as most are falling without any color.
The chipmunks and squirrels appear to be preparing for the coming months, as they are darting in and out of the trail collecting the acorns that are dropping from the trees. It may just be my imagination but wildlife seems to be desensitized to human interaction. They have no fear anymore of us and almost seem to be daring us to try and bother them.At about the halfway point of our trip this morning as shown on the map below there are bodies of water on both sides of the trail. Once again the telltale signs of a dry summer have become terribly obvious as the lily pads are choking out each other attempting to stay wet in the vanishing water. The levels are down a good 12-16 inches below the normal levels this time of year. The frogs are plentiful and everywhere in the shallows of the two ponds, and jumping from lily pad to lily pad without falling through due to the density of the pads. In some areas the pads are so thick that they are pushing each other up out of the water.
Even with the drought conditions on the water the area was bustling with life. While on site today there were a number of Belted Kingfisher's, Great Blue Heron, and Swallow's galore. The Kingfisher's were scanning the ponds for small fish and the Heron's would call out to each other occasionally. I was quite surprised that I did not see any snakes along the banks today sunning but it was a bit early and the sun wasn't very high in the sky. Being cold blooded they lay in the sun to soak up warmth usually in the height of the sun.
There was no sign of the hawks that frequent the area, but that is probably why so many chipmunks could be seen. They tend to stay in there boroughs when they sense they could be somebody's lunch. There is always something to see along the trail, it is paved and is very accessible for bikes, wheelchairs, roller-blading, jogging, dog walking, and just plain walking. More information can be found at: windhamrailtrail.org
The Rail Trail PDF can be found at this link: Trail Map
Get out and enjoy the weather while there is still time. Fall will be here soon then old man winter will be knocking on our door.
Have fun!
- Dave
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