Wander in the Woods

An Overdue Adventure

These past few months have seen me stuck in a rut, so to say. Between the holiday season and not-so-great weather, I haven’t had many chances to get outside…And the few times I have gone out, I’ve had poor luck with finding birds and not getting many good photos. Then, we got a bit of snow last week, and I was just itching to get back out on the trails. After feeling a bit discouraged from my last few attempts, I realized that I just needed to lower my expectations. Instead of heading out with hopes to see specific birds, I should return to simply taking nature walks where the only goal is to be present, observe, and enjoy the nature around me.

The Icy Creek

For this outing, I decided to explore the forest right along Big Darby Creek. Personally, I think the woods are enchanting in the snow, and I’d been wanting to revisit a certain spot on the river. One of my favorite photos from 2023 was Morning at the River, and for this year I’m planning to shoot that same location throughout the seasons to practice my landscape photography. However, due to the ice and higher water level, I was unable to shoot from the same angle. Regardless, I tried photographing from different angles and still managed to walk away with a few images. During this time, I also spotted a tiny Winter Wren (a lifer for me) hopping around on the opposite riverbank. The whole area was very pretty in the snow and it’s quite a peaceful place to hang out.

Birds Emerge

Eventually, I felt it was time to move on. I replaced my hand warmers and got back on the trail. Things were uneventful for a while, but then birds seemed to be everywhere, all at once. The quiet and cold air was suddenly full of chirps and birdsong. A Carolina Wren appeared right in front of me. Woodpeckers were knocking on the trees. A family of Eastern Bluebirds flitted about in the trees next to me.

I spent some time enjoying the liveliness of the forest even on such a cold day. While snapping photos, I watched how the birds continued to forage in the snow. Groups of American Robins would sit on the frozen edge of the river, drinking water from holes in the ice. I happily watched a Hermit Thrush come out of hiding along the creek bank.

After a while, one of my favorite woodland birds showed up: a Pileated Woodpecker. They are the largest woodpeckers that we have in Ohio, and I am always excited to see them. I often struggle to capture good photographs, because they are always too far away or obscured by branches. This time, a female Pileated Woodpecker flew to a tree just across the creek and directly in my view. I hung around, watching all of them until my hand warmers wore off, and decided it was time to head home. On my way back to the car, I encountered a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker (which made for 5 total woodpecker species seen on this walk) and then a few more birds near the park’s birdfeeder. All in all, it was a wonderful (albeit cold) walk after being stuck in a rut for the last few months. Hopefully, I will be able to get back out again soon, and have more good luck!

Thank you all for reading my stories here on the blog. If you like my nature photography, make sure to check out my Facebook page as well. I’ve also started up a couple of new blog series to focus on photography tips and birding information, in case anyone is interested in starting out on their own birdwatching or photography journey.