Stopping By Woods

Fontenelle Forest, in Bellevue, Nebraska, has always held a special place in my birding heart; I grew up in a house at its southern edge, and the place and the people I met there are what made me a birder. One of my favorite experiences as a young birder was to arrive there early on a snowy morning.

I arrived just after a lackluster sunrise today; snow still lay deep and heavy, and the cold and the quiet recalled long-ago days when I could sneak out before school, hoping to be the first to break new snow and to add my tracks to those of the woodland creatures.  I was greeted by familiar voices, Tufted Titmice chanting from the trees, Wild Turkeys gobbling from the slopes, and Fox Squirrels churring and chucking in the tree tops. A pair of Carolina Wrens buzzed at me from a brush pile, finally giving me great looks; they are one of those birds whose warm colors are best appreciated against a snowy background. I was hoping most for Red-headed Woodpecker, and sure enough, it wasn’t long before one revealed itself, at first huddled silent against a snag, then growling faintly as it swooped to a lower perch nearby. Just like old times.