Walking with Nature: Walking the Gateway Wetlands in December

            December days have varied greatly this year, from well below freezing to the low 40s. From sun to fog to rain to snow.  The Gateway Wetlands are interesting in any kind of weather, but I especially enjoyed walking there on the afternoon of December 18.

            The sun was out, casting interesting shadows on the ponds. The breeze blew dry leaves across the snow along the walk. As I stood on the dock by the back pond, a small leaf fluttered down like a brown butterfly and flitted its way to the far shore.

            I thought about the turtles and frogs that have burrowed into the mud under the water, and looked for signs of life. I saw footprints across large and small ponds and on the creek near the bridge, behind the beaver dam. I couldn’t get close enough to identify any of them, so I speculated on what creatures had inspected the Wetlands after the last snow.

            Various plants are still dropping their seeds into the snow—planting their offspring, and promising a green spring.

            On the 18th, it was warm enough that some of the ice on the ponds had thawed, leaving interesting designs of water, ice and prints (see photos). Just think of the ponds as art galleries and you may see beauty you would otherwise miss.

            The Wetlands were quiet. Most of the time I heard nothing but muffled sounds of traffic on I-355, and wind ruffling the leaves that still cling to the trees. Suddenly, I thought I heard birds twittering. I took off my earmuffs to be sure. Much to my surprise, there were forty or fifty birds in the bushes near the path around the next bend. I could not get close enough to get clear photos or make a definite identification. Three birds landed, one after another. Since they were on the back side of the bush, I didn’t realize they were on the same thin twig, until a fourth bird decided to share their perch. The twig swayed and bent down. I was surprised the birds did not fly away. A fifth bird joined them, and the twig bent even more. None of the birds was standing straight up, but for the time, they stayed in place. This circus act was repeated as another bunch of birds landed on an adjacent twig. I was not in a position where I could get a good photograph, but I’ve filed the picture in my mind and smile whenever I “look at” it.

            Every season has its own beauties. As I walked—and wrote about—the Gateway Wetlands during each month of 2013, I always found something to enjoy. I recommend that you check it out sometime.

© Wilda Morris