January 21st. A midday walk west from from Leonard Bridge Road to the power lines half way to Route 207. I first walked this section roughly 16 years ago when it was unrestored. The surface was a swamp littered with abandoned cars and trash. Restoration raised the trail and dealt with drainage.

 

Further west, the trail is elevated with views towards Lake Williams on the left.

 

Damaged Gray Birch (Betula populifolia)...

 

...studded with Birch Polypores (Piptoporus betulinus).

 

Scouring Rush horsetail (Equisetum hyemale)...

 

...showing segmented stem and cone-shaped fruiting tip.

 

Beaver dam and pond as I approached...

 

...the power lines.

 

On the return walk east, I took a closer view.

 

 

 

 

 

Remarkably, it's still common to find lumps of boiler slag left over from the steam era.

 

I heard, then saw a male Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) at work.

 

(The red stripe near the beak is black in females.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 26th. Back at Raymond Brook Marsh. Twentyfour degrees.

 

 

 

 

 

This Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapilla) was the only bird I saw.

 

An old Oak Apple Gall. The round hole is where the Cynipid wasp that made the gall emerged. Bird that pecked the top was too late for a snack.

 

Ice forms on the little exit stream.

 

 

 

 

 

Looks abstract to me.

 

More conventional (but boring) views.

 

 

 

February 3rd. Two days after a major storm, the parking areas and trail are reasonably accessible.

 

Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) on open water near Old Colchester Road.

 

I count 16 ducks in this photo.

 

They soon took off.

 

 

 

A few people out on skis or walking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Green foliose and grey crustose lichens on bark.

 

You have to work a bit to find color - especially green - at this time of year.