Less than a mile from our house, the university has a research park built on a few hundred acres that used to include farm land, timber, and a few houses.
From 1908 until 1981 it housed the state tuberculosis sanitarium. The sanitarium building later was converted into the primary biological agents research lab in the state, the lab that analyzes everything from rabies samples to anthrax. Through the trees you can see some of the buildings still on the campus, as well as the train track that was put in to transport patients and supplies to the sanitarium.
The sanitarium building was torn down a couple of years ago upon the opening of a new hygienic lab, one which has state-of-the-art HVAC and storage, among other handy features. Besides this new building, the campus holds a hydraulics lab that does research for the U.S. Navy, a few other state-run labs and offices, and an incubator office complex that helps get new research and application companies going.
And still, there is open land on the campus to explore. Tuesday morning we walked down a path and back into the trees, away from any sign of buildings just hundreds of yards away.
We walked downhill slightly as visual contact with buildings faded away, leaving scenery mixed of trees and open greenery. There is no mowing back here, so the grasses grow up naturally, mixed with short wild flowers. In this photo you can see the infiltration of garlic mustard weed along the fringes of the path.
We stopped for a moment to listen to a turkey, a few yards away in the trees. Jim saw her a few days ago. Today we didn't get to see her, but she sounded like the turkey recorded here.
Crossing a plank bridge, we saw water bubbling out of the ground, perhaps sourced by a natural spring.
A new bird called to us, a new song. Listening to the change in song as it continued, we recognized it as a catbird. If you haven't heard catbirds before, imagine a pure clear tone, changing song frequently, improvising like a jazz singer. Recordings can be found on this page. The last two provide examples of the "mew," a standard the catbird sings, and the reason for its name.
Most of our birds were hidden today, but besides the turkey and catbird, we also saw cardinals. Squirrels bounded up and down trees, making as much noise as we did.
Along the timber line, wild raspberry bushes clustered. We'll go back when there is fruit, to make sure the birds don't get all of it.
We turned with the path to head back. The phlox glowed in the sunlight filtering through the trees.
Stopping to admire a tall walnut, we heard another bird, a call unfamiliar to us. We watched as a small bird skipped from the top of the walnut to the top of a nearby tree, hiding from us but continuing to call. We could see the underside was orange, but its elevation and the bright sun kept us from seeing its colors more clearly. Watching, listening, we tried to identify it. Again it eluded us, flitting to another tree. Our necks were craned upward, trying to get a good look. The song was repeated again and again, interrupted occasionally by soft chucking.
After several minutes we left it, determined to look it up when we got home. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology again was invaluable in helping identify by song. The Baltimore oriole's "slightly atypical" song on this page was a good match for what we heard.
As we headed back toward the buildings, Jim noticed this ladder traversing the barbed wire fence. We wondered its purpose, since the fence ended only a few feet away.
With the sanitarium opening more than 100 years ago, we felt like we had a small walk through history and into a more natural time and place.
Thanks for joining us on our walk. What are you seeing in your yard and your neighborhood today? Be sure to let us know where you are located.