Wondering

 

Sitting beside the stream watching leaves fall from the trees on a comfortable 77 degree day, I stared at the clear sky and wondered. Both windows were open in the car and the slight breeze that came through was refreshing. Leaves skid past leaving the dried sounds of fall behind them. The surrounding trees are a combination of green, yellow and brown. The high grasses alongside the stream are wheat colored, bent over and dying. Scattered between them are the high dark brown remnants of once green and flowering stalks.

    The stream is low and the reflections on it are mirror like. This is where I come to relax and to forget about the turmoil of the world. It is a place that is quiet and soothing. The just barely audible sounds of the steam hide the other noises of society; airplanes, cars and trucks to name just a few. It is a perfect spot to sit, read and contemplate.

    Sitting here I can hear the leaves falling through the trees and occasionally I hear a branch join them on their way to the ground. Insects buzz around but the birds are all silent today. Stalks of Goldenrod bounce back and forth when the breeze increases. It’s a wonderful spot! Occasionally I see others here, fishermen standing in the stream attempting to lure a fish onto their hooks or walkers on the paths beside the stream. Dog and their owners enjoy the area also.

    The reason I am wondering is that when I pulled into the spot this morning I saw that there had been some other visitors since I was there last.  Brown paper bags were scattered around filled with landscaping debris. Some logs had been dropped off also. I counted 23 of these large bags tossed in piles and thrown over the hillside by the stream. Trash, left behind by… I don’t want to print the words that come to my mind.

    I have never understood why people would toss trash along the roads, parks and overlooks. Why would they destroy this beauty?  I’ve seen it so many times and I’m sure you have also. It is nothing new, it is a continuation of destruction, ruining the beauty that most of us have come to love. It is especially bad when it happens to a place you are familiar with, a place you frequent, a place you cherish!

    In the past I have hiked for miles to visit an overlook or a waterfall and found empty cans of beer lying in the woods along with snack wrappers and cigarette butts. They carried them in, why can’t they carry them out? People clean up after their pets and then leave the bags beside the trail, do they think the “rangers” will come along to pick up after them or do they just not care?

    I’ve been to pull offs near streams with nice views of the creek below and found piles of trash dropped off by someone, old TVs, bags of clothes, garbage, and pieces of construction debris. I’ve seen entire trees tossed over the hills on back roads after having been cut down. Didn’t these people’s parents explain to them about littering? How about preserving the wilderness or even more important, respect for others? I can only guess not.

    They needed a cheap place to drop off their trash and here was a deserted spot. No thoughts were given to anyone else, only that they could toss it before someone saw them.

    I find it extremely frustrating. I have seen this before at this very site. Someone always cleans it up, I don’t know who but I’m indebted to them. A large trash can sits close at hand but people still drop their water bottles and candy wrappers on the ground beside it. The carcasses of “out of season” deer slowly dissolve, adding a foul smell to the air until only bones mark their final resting spot, just another of the many things discarded near-by.

    Nothing can be done unless someone sees them doing it. Police can’t prosecute without solid evidence. Is it a sign of the times, “I don’t need to follow the rules”? I just believe it is people with no care for others, people who have never been told about respecting other people’s property. People with no empathy, people that needed to get a stern talking to by their parents!

    We can only hope that eventually they realize what asses they are, and clean up their act, for both us and even more importantly, the wildlife that live here!

Playin' Hide-N-Seek with the Heron

The day was cooling off as the evening approached. A little bit of exercise and some fresh air seemed appropriate and so I headed over to one of my favorite spots, the stream in Hampton Township. The sun was getting lower and the sky had a nice shade of blue, the trees were bright green where the sun still lingered.

    Pulling into the road leading down to the creek, I had to slow to a crawl to allow a couple small fawns and their mother to cross the road. The two young deer took one look at my car and jumped into the woods while the doe stood her ground, staring at me, daring me to do anything. I slowly passed, not six feet away and wished her a good night before continuing on. 

    I parked the car and started my stroll down the road. In the distance I could hear someone cutting their grass but other than that, it was quiet. No cars were on the road and soon the lawnmower shut off, all was still.

    I crossed a small rise and saw the cars of a couple fishermen. One could be seen in the creek trying his luck with a fly rod. I moved over to the railroad tracks which parallel the stream, being careful not to kick any stones, attempting to be quiet. I was watching the stream, searching for the heron that frequents the area.

    Taking my time, slowly working my way past bushes, he was nowhere to be seen. I came to a path which leads down to a flat beach and as I started down it, I saw the heron take off, flying upstream. I went down to the creek and looked for him but he had flown out of sight.

    Returning to the tracks, I backtracked a bit and returned to the road. There is a small swamp which often acts as a hide for all sorts of birds, this would be the midpoint of my walk. I could hear bull frogs calling as I neared the overgrown path which leads to its edge. Walking quietly, I kept an eye on the trees growing in the area.

    A huge dead tree sits on the edge of the muddy land encompassing the swamp. There in its branches, I saw the heron. The dim light made his chest, legs and neck look the same as the dead wood of the tree. The camouflage was perfect, if I hadn’t been looking for him, I would have walked right underneath him.

    I raised my camera slowly and he took off, dropping into the tree covering with a few squawks, effectively hiding himself from my lens. He was on his game tonight, or maybe I was just too slow, either way, he had won again!

    The swamp was mostly dry, what was covered with water a few weeks ago was now a thick mud, the water laying further out, barely visible. I stood and listened to the frogs awhile and searched the trees for my feathered friend. No other birds could be seen or heard. I returned to the road and headed back towards the car.

    Nearing my car, I saw another deer. Thinking it might be the doe and her fawns, I prepared the camera to get a picture. When I had a clear shot, I saw that it was a young buck, standing in the shadows of the hillside. He was watching me. A picture wasn’t worth attempting, the best shot was the one I retained in my memory. The two of us stood still, staring at each other, about 30 feet apart. He decided he had enough and turned and leapt off into the darkness.

    I walked over to the car and returned home. It was a great walk. Fresh air, a nice cool time of the evening. I saw four deer, two of which were fairly new to the world. I was serenaded by frogs singing in the swamp. I had watched a fisherman enjoying the pleasures of a quiet stream and got a couple quick views of “my buddy”, the heron. He had bested me tonight...but there is always tomorrow! It was another wonderful summer night in Pennsylvania!