Chuck and I were back in the Rocky River Reservation today. It’s very familiar territory for us. We started from the parking lot at the marina just at the base of the hill when you head down into the valley from Lakewood. We followed the paved path that winds along the parkway. If you stay on the paved path, it stays near the road. Every now and then it approaches the river or turns away to skirt an open field with baseball diamonds and soccer fields. It’s a bit busy with runners and bikers and dog walkers.
So, as we walk, I look for little dirt paths the lead away into the woods. We found one today that took us to the left of the paved walkway down towards the river and then through woods thick enough to feel remote even though we were just off the beaten path.
The river is low now and there were long stretches where we walked along the stony basin. This brought us close to the stately herons and flocks of ducks navigating the current. Eventually, we climbed back up the bank and found ourselves swallowed up by the green canopy and heavy undergrowth. We must have been the first on the trail because we kept walking into spiderwebs strung across the path. I noticed so many of them today, little silvery bullseyes scattered through the forest.
Eventually, we had to head back up to the road. I didn’t expect to see much before we got back to the car, but a little movement in a tree near the trail caught my eye. I quickly turned, focused and snapped a picture of the bird on the trunk. When I looked again to see what it had been, it was already gone. I figured it was a woodpecker, but only when I got home did I realize, I’d snagged a young red-bellied woodpecker. His little head and gray and fuzzy instead of vibrant red and it has the slightly disoriented look of a young critter starting to find its way on its own.
