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I've not posted for a while, but not for lack getting out. I think I logged more hours in the woods through August than at any point in my life since childhood, mostly in the form of early morning walks, some of which extended into significant rambles. One of the stunning things about this province is how quickly you can shake off society and get out there. Though I live in town, I'm able to roll out of bed before the sun's up and into the woods with minimal fuss or travel, have a great wander, and still get to work before too much of the morning has slipped away. And rarely do I encounter anyone else while I'm out there. This morning I was up on the South Mountain near Sunken Lake, walking my dogs in to Little River Falls. I like it up in there -- very like the terrain I grew up on in southern NB. Anyway, this morning the woods hosted many warblers I haven't seen since spring, so it looks like migration is underway. In a few spots it almost seemed like the leaves were starting to fall, because I was constantly catching little bits of movement -- warblers -- in the peripheral range of my vision. I'm an idiot with warblers so my identifications are all tentative and I'll keep them to myself. The Chickadees and bluejays were also quite active, and at one point I had a nice long look at a thrush in a fur tree. A couple of red-eyed vireos seemed to be singing back and forth to each other across the woodsroad. There were red squirrels travelling high in the trees, as usual, and my dogs (a lab and a collie mutt) actually stalked and flushed a ruffed grouse in some underbrush. No sign of the deer that was leaving prints in the soft mud last month, but August's crazy mushroom boom seems to continue. The vanguard of the red maples are starting to change colour, and some of the ferns are going rusty -- confirming that summer is winding down. Anyway, nothing earth shattering in any of that, but there it is. Life's made of many small moments and many simple things whose significance does not require our acknowledgment -- but boy, it's great when it dawns on us to pay attention. Andrew Steeves Wolfville, NS
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