TAKE AN UNPLUGGED WALK IN THE PARK

Take an “Unplugged” Hike at the Park by John Canoles

Fall in Cromwell Valley Park is a wonderful time for nature enjoyment and appreciation. The beauty of the autumn leaves is a colorful backdrop to many more sights and sounds of the season. Unfortunately, I think that many people miss a lot of the small magic of nature. I often see people doing what I call “distracted hiking”. Though perhaps not quite as dangerous as distracted driving, many hikers and outdoor enthusiasts are missing out on a lot of the subtle magic of nature. Busy in conversations, checking social media, or listening to music or meditations through ear buds that block out the natural sounds, these people are outdoors enjoying themselves, which is good, but they are distracted from their surroundings.

There are so many small sights and sounds to enjoy. The small chip-chip call of a cardinal hidden under a pile of vines along the edge of a forest or the thin whistled “seep” of the white-throated sparrow as it sits perched on a tangle of drying goldenrod. Sometimes, even in fall, the white-throats will sing a full “old Sam Peabody, Peabody Peabody” or a shortened and somewhat mournful “old pea”.

The thinly whistled “old pea” call of the sparrow is easily distinguished from the bold and rich call “drink tea!” of the eastern towhee. This call being shortened from the more specific admonition of their full song, “drink your tea!”

These calls and songs are just part of the soundtrack of fall. Perhaps more subtle than the bold spring songs when territories are established and mates are courted, these small communications are meant to be communications between the birds as they move through their world.

Less subtle are the clucks and churrs of the red-bellied woodpecker and the resounding “wuk wuk” call of the pileated woodpeckers. Blue jays, known for their stealthy presence during breeding season, are in full voice come fall, imitating hawk calls, proclaiming a loud “jeer” or making their decidedly unmusical “squeaky gate call”. The small, but mighty, Carolina wren will also add their “tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea-kettle” song and a variety of rattling and buzzing alert calls to the symphony of the underbrush.

If the mild temperatures of fall linger, you might still catch the call of a cricket or, on really warm afternoons a confused spring peeper or gray tree frog.

As the colorful leaves of fall dry, even they create a new song for the forest. Gone is the gentle swoosh of the wind as it sweeps through soft supple leaves of summer. Come fall, they rattle and scrape against one another. Once released from their lofty perch they drop earthward, often noisily bouncing of branches on their path. Once on the ground the dry leaves are rarely earthbound and cool fall breezes blow them into rustling chaos. It is not until damped by a rain that the finally lose their sound provoking crispness.

 

Leaf sounds aside, leaves also create visual spectacle whenever a cloud burst of leaves gets whipped off a forested ridge, sending out a plume of multi-colored leaves like confetti over the valley below. You might miss that if you are Googling “show me good places to see fall foliage”.

As fall slides toward winter the soundtrack of the landscape will change but will remain something to be experienced and enjoyed. So, take some time to unplug and disconnect from the virtual world and reconnect with the real world, the sights and sounds of nature. You may find that living in closer contact with nature will be more soothing and distracting than Instagram, Facebook, or Spotify. When you hear a loud call of the blue jay, the thin whistle of a white-throated sparrow, or a tiny squeak or rustle whose origin is unknown you will feel just that much closer to nature and your wild neighbors.

John Canoles, Cromwell Valley Park Council member