Yesterday, I felt I just had to get out and go to Presque Isle. The migration should be in full force or close to it and I didn’t want to miss it. My husband doesn’t get home in time for us to go on walks so I decided to go by myself.

I brought my point and shoot camera, my camcorder, my binoculars, water bottle, Bird Identification book. I was especially looking for Baltimore Orioles. I just love those birds and they have been spotted already. The speed limit in the park is 25 MPH. I was going much slower and looking for movement of any kind of birds in the bushes or in the trees. I stopped at several of the pullouts and parking lots and scanned everything with my binoculars. Nothing. Robins. Nothing. I listened. It was like totally quiet. I kept driving to the backside of the park near the trail head of Dead Pond Trail. I parked and got out and listened. I heard a bird that had a really clear throaty sound but couldn’t find it. I saw a few Yellow Warblers.

Here’s the thing. I am afraid to hike in the woods by myself. (too many scary movies) I knew the birds were in the woods, though I have always spotted plenty along the side of the road before. This day was different and it was kind of cold. I parked across from the lighthouse at the Sidewalk trail head. You can see a long way on that path so I felt safer. I don’t think I’ve ever read of anyone getting attacked on one of these trails in the park so this was all in my head. You know, there’s always a first time. I brought my hiking stick.

I got my large waist pack on with my camcorder (not one of those little jobs of today), camera and ID book, water bottle and binoculars. It was heavy. My word, my poor husband has to carry twice this much when we go for a hike and never complains about it.

I walked in about 100 yards, stopped and waited. Thinking the birds would come back if there were any. Frogs made a really musical song which almost made me tap my foot. There were different kinds of frogs and kept different beats. It was great! I could see the flickers but they flew before I could get close enough. A chipmunk got surprised, must not have noticed I was there and when I walked again he went off screaming like an idiot. A Hermit Thrush was in the brush and wasn’t far. The binoculars brought him in really close and I definitely could make an identification.

I went further and heard faint yelling and screaming of what sounded like two people coming from the lakeside which wasn’t far away. I wondered what it was. Was people just horsing around? It sound like a woman screaming, like being eaten by something, and then the yelling voice of a man. I heard what sounded like the same thing and it happened the same way in intervals. Oh, that movie was filming on the next beach over. I had passed a bunch of parked cars and a ranger car just up the road a bit from the trail head. Either the screaming was part of the movie or someone was nearby trying to disrupt it (or someone was getting eaten) :-)

On the way back to the car I detoured a bit down the Marsh trail. I saw the eagle making passes in the sky ahead. A rabbit on the path froze in his tracks. I returned to the car and drove around to look at the eagles from my usual vista. I passed a couple of birders with their scopes out that had been there since I first entered the park looking at some bird up in the trees. There must have been some special bird worth being there for hours. I wanted to stop and ask but thought better of it.

My exercise consisted of a few-hundred-yard walk. My car was on empty and I had to find a gas station. I was disappointed with not finding any new birds on this “hike.” I guess I’m not much of an alone person. I like hiking with my husband. I like sharing the surprises of what we see or hear. Luckily, he’ll be on vacation in the near future and we can spend all day out hiking and fishing.