the Way of the Turtle

2 Mile Walk in the Albany Pine Bush
Thursday, April 30, 2009

After getting my car's NYS annual NYS inspection I ended up with very little time before I needed to be at class... so I decided to go for a short walk rather than spend time gearing up for an equally short run. Stopped at the Pine Bush Karner Barrens (near the Discovery Center) since it was on the way to class and walked a couple of less-travelled paths through the woods. Trees and bushes are starting to green up, which is nice to see after months of brown and grey, and the ferns are starting to unfurl. The weather folks around here have been saying we've had a very dry spring so far, and I had lots of evidence of that... spots that are often flooded this time of year were either dry or just a bit muddy, and one of the ponds I passed has become more of a wetlands with a stream along one side.

Surprisingly little wildlife today... though I did see a couple of ducks back in the woods and caught a brief glimpse of some of the first ducklings of the season before mother duck hustled them way.

JMH