There's a fenced bird refuge about half a mile from our apartment, and I've been trying to visit almost daily. Of course, migration season is pretty much past, so year-round residents are mainly what's visible, but it's terrifically peaceful and pleasant to just stand quietly, listen, and watch.
Sometimes, there seems to be nothing at all, besides the low squawking of newly fledged starlings and the chittering of swallows. Other times, the trees seem busy with songs and calls, even if I can't spot much with my binoculars.
I'm easily satisfied. Yesterday, I was pretty delighted to catch the acrobatics of a black-capped chickadee in a nearby tree, and a turtle sunning itself on a log. I have been anxiously hoping to see raccoons (I have spotted at least one family of them in previous years), but not a hint of them so far. Chipmunks have been some consolation--we've missed these charming creatures since we left Columbus (where our generous bird feeding activities supported the propagation of multiple and vast generations of chipmunks in our back yard)--they skitter across the mulched paths around the sanctuary and sometimes favor us with their loud chip...chip calls.
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