Waterville Times: Take A Walk, Read A Book
Originally published on July 21, 2021.
E.H.Williams Nature Observations July 19th, 2021
The photos below are mostly from today, July 19, with a few from the past two weeks; they show what to look for along the trail. Thirty species of birds were singing this morning, with song sparrows, indigo buntings, common yellowthroats, and catbirds being quite common. A spotted sandpiper, belted kingfisher, and juvenile wood duck were active on the pond. A week ago, a baby killdeer and protective parent greeted walkers to the trail.
Flowers open now include soapwort, Queen Anne’s lace, woolly mullein, bindweed, beebalm, pokeweed, tick trefoil, and yellow and white sweet-clovers. Spotted knapweed has started to flower – very pretty but a noxious invasive. The summer is passing quickly as it always does, and honeysuckle, chokecherry, and red baneberry have all started producing brightly colored fruit. Tussock moth caterpillars are hanging on silk threads from overhead branches.
An information kiosk is a new addition to the trailhead! It has an excellent map and trail rules, and in the future we may add a list current nature sightings to keep trail walkers informed of what to look for. You may see orange topped stakes along the trail edge; these stakes mark distances from Dugway Rd, with the number on each telling you how many hundred yards you have come (e.g., stake 10 is at the pond, which is 1000 yards from Dugway).
E.H.Williams Nature Observations June 27th, 2021
Much has changed along the trail during the month of June. Multiflora rose had just started to flower in early June but now is finished; all the other flower photos below are from today, June 27. Our local breeding birds keep singing, and the birds shown below are all regulars (June photos). A beaver is active in pond 10 every day, and a green heron is often there, too. The sighting of the month, however, was a nesting ruby-throated hummingbird!!! (thanks to Carol Adams for finding it) – a wonderful sighting. In several places, cabbage white butterflies are “puddling” on moist soil where they can take up sodium. The current KT challenge for each of you is to sit on each of the four new benches now in place along the trail; doing so will let you observe nature in four different habitats…
E.H.Williams Nature Observations June 2nd, 2021
This update shows what is in flower now – all flower photos are from 1 Jun – with bird and butterfly observations from the past two weeks. As always, you can see much along the Kirkland Trails! Dame’s rocket and chervil are the most abundant flowering plants, but look for the white flowering shrubs: red-osier dogwood, nannyberry, and mapleleaved viburnum. Several butterfly species can be found flying in sun-lit open areas. Tree swallows are nesting in one of the field boxes north of Dugway; I was repeatedly dive-bombed by the parents on Jun 1. Hooded warbler was a nice sighting yesterday. Two green herons are regulars at pond 10, and a wood duck was on pond 17. Watch out for baby chipmunks along the trail!
E.H.Williams Nature Observations May 12th, 2021
Much is happening along the Kirkland Trail. The May 1 update focused on late April wildflowers, but a surge of incoming migrant birds, especially warblers, has appeared during the first week of May, so this update focuses on birds. Most abundant are yellow warblers and common yellowthroats, along with red-winged blackbirds, song sparrows, goldfinches, cardinals, and catbirds. The distinctive songs of warblers can be heard along most of the trail, including the “wichety wichety wichety” of yellowthroats, which are the “official” birds of the pandemic – they wear a mask and stay at a social distance! I’m including these photos from the trail in the past few days to show you what you can see for yourselves.
Keep an eye on the pond at marker #10; recent sightings at the pond have included green heron, spotted sandpiper, belted kingfisher, mallards, and (always) Canada geese. Tree swallows and barn swallows fly over the fields around Dugway. Rose-breasted grosbeaks are in the area, and indigo buntings will soon be along the trail. Pheasants, chipmunks, rabbits, and painted turtles live there too.
E.H.Williams Nature Observations May 1st, 2021
Spring is here, and much is happening along the Kirkland trail! All the following photos and observations were from the afternoon of May 1. Most noticeable are the spring specialties: abundant red and white trilliums, marsh marigold, sharp-lobed hepatica, spring beauties, and blue cohosh. Adding to the display are shadbush, 3 species of violets, golden Alexanders, purple dead-nettle, speedwell, and myrtle (aka periwinkle, Vinca). And more are on the way!
Birdlife is abundant, with song sparrows and red-winged blackbirds singing all along the trail. Recently arrived species included brown thrasher, tree swallow, barn swallow, ruby-crowned kinglet, and chipping sparrow. Belted kingfisher and pheasant have been loudly announcing their presence. Other birds making an appearance are great blue heron, red-bellied woodpecker, downy woodpecker, white-throated sparrow, northern cardinal, house finch, goldfinch, mourning dove, red-tailed hawk, blue jay, titmouse, robin, and (of course) crow. Soon we’ll add warblers.
Also seen along the trail are painted turtles, cabbage white butterflies, and ever-present chipmunks. A beaver lodge is visible, and both leopard frogs and American toads have been singing. Although the fairies themselves have been elusive, fairy houses have reappeared along the trail north of Dugway as well as south (the north trail beyond the open field is a lovely, more intimate trail). Emerging leaves add a lace-like green to the spring forest, making this prime time for a trail walk in the woods with much to see and enjoy.
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Thanks for a successful work day!
Our knotweed cutting and raking work day was a great success. Thanks to everyone who helped by loaning tools or working at the site or both. The day began cool but sunny, and thirteen students from Mrs. Callaghan’s Environmental Science class came to work. The work crew, students and Mrs. Callaghan and KT members, got a great deal done in the hour and a half that the students worked. There are now piles of knotweed stalks gathered along the side of the trail awaiting the next work day (when the stalks will be burned).
Again, many thanks!
Gerry
E.H.Williams Nature Observations April 9th, 2021
Spring is springing, and we’re delighted that it is! Hepatica is fully open now along the trail; it’s the first wildflower to follow skunk cabbage, which opens up very early in low wet areas. Bird life is more active now with abundant red-winged blackbirds and song sparrows. Mourning cloak butterflies have been flying along the trail during the past few warm days. The photos below (except the fairy houses) are from the trail in the past few days. This coming Wednesday (April 14) morning we will return the fairy houses that we saved from the trail before snow started flying last fall. We’ll leave them at the Dugway Rd trailhead for families and kids of all ages to reinstall wherever they want along the trail. Although the far part of the trail was disrupted last November by widening, the entire 1.9 mile trail from Dugway to Deansboro is in very fine condition now for walking, biking, running, birding, and enjoying the outdoors.
E.H.Williams Nature Observations September 20th, 2020
The summer is winding down quickly. The latest plants to flower, all nice additions, are blue-stemmed goldenrod and crooked-stemmed and panicled asters, along with beechdrops, a non-green parasite on beech roots. Fall is the season for seeds and fruits, and you’ll see many. A number of plants have been flowering for a long time now and have remained conspicuous in September (see the bottom row) but are fading fast. Since late April, I’ve identified 146 plant species along the trail (with the flowering phenology of most; ask if you’re interested).
Bird life is much quieter now, although catbirds and crows regularly announce their presence. Pheasants and turkeys have been sighted on the trail, while fall warblers (northern waterthrush last week) dart in and out, preparing for migration. There are always things to be seen along the trail, but this is the last nature update for 2020. Keep using the trail and keep your eyes open! Let me know what you see.
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E.H.Williams Nature Observations August 24th, 2020
A few plants that have been in flower for many weeks remain conspicuous along the trail in late August – goldenrods, soapwort, Joe-Pye weed, chicory, spotted knapweed, and Queen Anne’s lace – but new flowers keep appearing, too. Some are attractive – spotted and pale jewelweed, smartweed, sunflowers, and different asters – but several of the newly flowering plants are quite dull in appearance, including pigweed (lamb’s quarters), ragweed, and (nasty) Japanese knotweed. Be careful touching nettles! Horse balm is abundant in the glade (#14), and fruits like those of pokeweed are developing.
Bobolinks and red-winged blackbirds have been numerous around the beginning of the trail, and goldfinches and catbirds are ever present. Yellowthroats and yellow warblers are present, too, but less conspicuous than they were earlier. Pheasants have been spotted around #10. Look for dragonflies and butterflies, too. Conditions along the trail are definitely those of early fall.
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