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This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0240_01C95862.AA5D2480 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable SATURDAY MORNING - LITTLE RIVER FALLS I couldn't scare anyone else out of bed to come with me, so I settled on = one of the dogs for company and drove up on the south mountain for a = walk into Little River Falls. It was -8=B0 and calm with the sun = creeping up. Frost is finally settling into the ground, making the wet = woods road under my feet cry CRACK-CRACK-CRACK and making me despair of = seeing anything much in the woods until I could get off the road and = onto the leaf litter. I saw lots of the usual suspects like CHICKADEES, = RAVENS. The dog flushed two RUFFED GROUSE. Most of the activity was high = up in the tree tops where the first rays of sun were reaching in and = warming some birds to song, and there were a few things which I saw that = I knew only that I did not know exactly what it was. In the ground, = frozen in the mud and what remained of the snowdrifts, some big COYOTE = tracks, with a few days old scat full of what looked like rabbit fur. There's a spot on this walk where hardwoods dominate and where I often = encounter woodpeckers. I could hear one pecking as I approached and = started hunting for it, but after five minutes of intermittently = listening and changing my position, I still couldn't see it. Where the = heck was it? The woods can bounce sound in funny ways on a cold morning. = I let my binoculars hang round my neck and shoved my hands into my coat = pockets to warm my fingers as I listened. I leaned back against a = battered spruce tree. When I did, the pecking I was hearing with my ears = also vibrated in my shoulder. Huh? My woodpecker was in the very tree I = was leaning against. I walked back a ways and looked up, and I could see = movement up in the very crown of the tree where the first rays of the = sun were striking the spruce. I never did get a clean look at it, so I = can's say which species it was. Everywhere the earth was wet and turned-up along the road, the frost had = pushed up delicate, vegetable-like crystalline fibers of ice, like = finely spun glass. Their shape, stance and crook of these formations = reminded me of Indian Pipe, and in the dawn light they took on an = otherworldly quality. When you break them off with your hands, you can = separate the fine strings of ice momentarily before everything collapses = in the heat of your fingers. Andrew Steeves Wolfville, NS ------=_NextPart_000_0240_01C95862.AA5D2480 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.6001.18148" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV> <P align=3Dleft>SATURDAY MORNING =97 LITTLE RIVER FALLS</P> <P align=3Dleft>I couldn=92t scare anyone else out of bed to come with = me, so I=20 settled on one of the dogs for company and drove up on the south = mountain for a=20 walk into Little River Falls. It was =968=B0 and calm with the sun = creeping up.=20 Frost is finally settling into the ground, making the wet woods road = under my=20 feet cry CRACK-CRACK-CRACK and making me despair of seeing anything much = in the=20 woods until I could get off the road and onto the leaf litter. I saw = lots of the=20 usual suspects like CHICKADEES, RAVENS. The dog flushed two RUFFED = GROUSE. Most=20 of the activity was high up in the tree tops where the first rays of sun = were=20 reaching in and warming some birds to song, and there were a few things = which I=20 saw that I knew only that I did not know exactly what it was. In the = ground,=20 frozen in the mud and what remained of the snowdrifts, some = big COYOTE=20 tracks, with a few days old scat full of what looked like rabbit = fur.</P> <P align=3Dleft></P> <P align=3Dleft>There=92s a spot on this walk where hardwoods dominate = and where I=20 often encounter woodpeckers. I could hear one pecking as I = approached and=20 started hunting for it, but after five minutes of intermittently = listening and=20 changing my position, I still couldn=92t see it. Where the heck was it? = The woods=20 can bounce sound in funny ways on a cold morning. I let my binoculars = hang round=20 my neck and shoved my hands into my coat pockets to warm my fingers as I = listened. I leaned back against a battered spruce tree. When I = did, the=20 pecking I was hearing with my ears also vibrated in my = shoulder. Huh?=20 My woodpecker was in the very tree I was leaning against. I walked back = a ways=20 and looked up, and I could see movement up in the very crown of the tree = where=20 the first rays of the sun were striking the spruce. I never did get a = clean look=20 at it, so I can=92s say which species it was.</P> <P align=3Dleft></P> <P align=3Dleft>Everywhere the earth was wet and turned-up along the = road, the=20 frost had pushed up delicate, vegetable-like crystalline fibers of ice,=20 like finely spun glass. Their shape, stance and crook of these = formations=20 reminded me of Indian Pipe, and in the dawn light they took on an = otherworldly=20 quality. When you break them off with your hands, you can separate the = fine=20 strings of ice momentarily before everything collapses in the heat of = your=20 fingers.</P> <P align=3Dleft></P> <P align=3Dleft>Andrew Steeves<BR>Wolfville, NS</P></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_0240_01C95862.AA5D2480--
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