The weather this November keeps surprising me. It keeps being so nice. Lately I've been putting in a lot of extra hours at work, so yesterday I took off and went hiking instead. If you've never been to Baltimore Woods in Marcellus, NY before, I definitely recommend it. If you need big attractions like waterfalls or lakes, this isn't that kind of experience. Instead, it provides a nice hike through fields and woods and offers a nature center with art shows, animal specimens, and a very friendly staff.
Every time I spend a few hours exploring nature I am always surprised by what I find. The highlights of this trip included a beaver lodge and dam (that totally flooded out one of the trails), a flock of Red-winged Blackbirds, a cool beetle, some curious chipmunks, and a wasp's nest.
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| Washed out trail caused by Beaver Dam |
Coming upon a large flock of Red-winged Blackbirds was a real treat. I love watching and listening to red-winged Blackbirds whenever I'm near a marshy area. During the Fall and Winter, however, this species changes their habits. They start to build large flocks, some of which number in the thousands, and move to different types of habitats. The flock yesterday had a few hundred (by my estimate) birds, and they were all hanging out and flying around in the trees above my head. They were mostly Blackbirds, but there were Grackles in there, too. My girlfriend and I thought it was so fantastic that we stopped for 10 minutes or so to photograph and watch and listen to the birds. I took video showing the birds flying around the trees. Please check it out if you are interested.
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