Trail Talk: Birds on the trails

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I mentioned in the last Trail Talk about the absence of birds, but on Jan. 5 I saw a flock of 130 starlings near the garden waste site on Hydro Line Road. I have also seen a very large flock of gulls in a field. At our bird feeders, numbers and species are down, except for a visit by 14 mourning doves, ones that so far have missed being killed by hunters.

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Deer tracks have been rather sparse; only a couple have been seen in Hullett, none on the Front Road or Woodland Nature trails, several in the Morris Tract and a couple in the Clinton Conservation Area, which is unusual for that trail. The most common tracks are of squirrels, but I have also seen tracks of wild turkeys, rabbits, foxes and raccoons.

There was a large turnout for the Sunday afternoon hike in the Hullett Sugar Bush, with 18 out. Fortunately, we did not meet any hunters  – rabbit hunting is still permitted there – but we met several dog walkers. There seem to be more weekend hikers who prefer afternoon rather than morning hikes.   A study by Dr. Capra at the University of California found that the more Neanderthal genes you have, the more likely you are to be a morning person.

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In the Maitland Woods, there were a few windfalls that were being cleared on Monday.  At the #6 boardwalk, there were many skunk cabbages coming up even through the snow.

Notes:

Reminder that the Lobb trails are now closed to the public

Saturday, Jan. 27, at 1:30 p.m. Hike or ski the John Goldie Reserve. Contact Con Melady at 519-524-8730 to pre-register and for details about location and carpooling.

Sunday, Jan. 28, at 1:30 p.m. Another chance to ski or hike the John Goldie Reserve with Con Melady. See details above.

Friday, Feb.2, 7:30 p.m. to 8: 30 p.m. The annual Candlelit walk in the Maitland Woods. Hike at your own pace; trail closes at 9 p.m. If you have any candle lanterns or wish to help put the candles out, please contact Con Melady at 519-524-8730

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Sunday, Feb. 4, at 10 a.m. Hike the Falls Reserve. Contact [email protected]. This is a Level 2-3 moderately paced hike of about two hours

All participants taking part in the Maitland Trail events should sign the waiver for 2024, preferably the online version.

Tuesday Trompers meet at 9 a.m. on Tuesday to hike for about an hour. If you wish to be on this email list, send an email to [email protected].

Uneven Hikers hike for 90 minutes to two hours on Wednesdays or Thursdays; contact Patrick Capper.

Both groups meet at 9 a.m. and are open to non-members provided they sign the MTA online waiver.

If you have questions or something of interest for Trail Talk, email me, Patrick Capper, at [email protected].

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