Walking in a Winter Wetland

The Darby Creek Wetlands

Over the past year or so, I’ve been spending a lot of time exploring Darby Creek Metro Park. This park is convenient for me, but also simply a huge place to explore various different habitats with tons of wildlife. Although the restored wetland area initially seems a bit dull when compared to forested trails along the river, the wetlands are actually an incredibly vital environment for native species. I discovered this patch of Darby Creek early last year, and repeatedly visited to see the many bird species that came through each season. Now that a whole year has passed, I was excited to further discover the wetlands’ winter wildlife.

Watching the Sun Rise

While I’m not quite sure what possessed me to go walking so early in the morning, that’s exactly what happened this past January- and I’m grateful for it. Anyone that knows me knows that I am not- nor have I ever been- a morning person. Yet, viewing the sun rise over the park was such an enchanting experience. In fact, I’ve since taken several more sunrise walks because I did enjoy it so much.

I arrived at Darby Creek’s wetlands before sunrise, while the sky was just beginning to lighten. As soon as I opened my car door, I could hear the sound of coyotes singing out in the fields. This wasn’t news to me, as I’ve encountered coyote scat and paw prints in the wetlands before, and have even heard them from other areas of the park. However, this was probably the closest I’ve been, although I still didn’t catch a glimpse of them. I chose to stay close to the parking lot on this adventure, and stood atop a small hill that’s often used by birdwatchers. Despite not seeing much wildlife on this particular morning, I was still dazzled by the frost-covered landscape, the glowing sunrise, and the wildly bewitching music howling across the wetlands.

Finishing Up at Indian Ridge

Once the sun had fully crossed the horizon and the coyotes quieted down, I decided to venture to the Indian Ridge section of the park. Indian ridge is a forested area with several trails, and I’d had luck with finding winter birds there in the past. On this trip, I was fortunate to see a Pileated Woodpecker fly overhead, a Brown Creeper climbing a tree, and a few other species. When returning to my car, I also found a few White-Tailed Deer enjoying their breakfast by the parking lot.

Sarah Throckmorton