Not real winter with 45F temps but it is the end of December and the last walk of the year for me. I also like the way the title sounds.
From the Gosnell Big Woods parking lot, I walked to the entrance trail to the Small Meadow. I notice the patch of privet at the bottom of the trail. Maybe I can do something about this before it gets bigger. I brought the binoculars but have not seen or heard a bird as of yet. On the connecting trail over to the Big Woods, I am depressed by the state of the hemlocks. I think we are going to lose all of them to the hemlock wholly adelgid. Seems like it was only a few years back that I heard about this threat and now the hemlocks are gone. On a brighter note, I get to the Big Woods and am once again impressed by the big Tulip tree and the stupendous Oak shortly after entering the Big Woods. Pretty walk through the woods to the exit back to the north end of the Big Field. I walk around the 50+ acre mowed field and finally see two robins fly over. On the south side of the field, I notice the small elms. We seem to lose one of these every year or so. Right now, there are four eastern bluebirds using them to hawk for insects on the ground. Delightful.
A pleasant walk of 40 min and 1.8 miles.