#suny-esf

I do NOT!!! 😆

I know at least a little bit about all of those things. But my focus was in Conservation Biology. I especially like learning about biodiversity, ecosystem restoration, ornithology, and things like that. But even within my favorite topics, there's a LOT that I don't know! There's just so much to learn within the environmetal field that you can literally spend lifetimes learning and still only know a small portion of what there is to know. It's about the entire Earth, after all.

So if you're reading this, there's a good chance that you have a wealth of knowledge that I don't have. That's why I think it's so important for us all to learn together as a COMMUNITY. We're all on our own separate, but collaborative, learning journeys. I like to guide people towards having a deeper connection with nature. But as part of being that guide, I'm still learning a lot all the time, too!

It is not very cold today. The sun provides some modicum of warmth. The wind lightly caresses my ears as opposed to the biting cold I have gotten used to. I think about how tolerant I have become of the cold since I first moved here from Seattle three and a half years ago.

I noticed right away the chalk graffiti. It reads: Honor Peace, Love Life.

Above the railing, there is a tree with red berries. I like the way the redness of the berries contrasts with the white of the snow and the blue of the sky. I take pictures.

I lean over the fence and see three plastic bags on a bush. They wave in the wind like sails. For random trash, their spacing seems very regular. I see more trash nearby as I keep going further toward the harbor. I am not happy to see such a large pile of trash in a public park.

The steps to the harbor are both very wide and covered in snow that is, at least, an ankle deep. Going down them seems treacherous so I avoid them. Instead, I make my way down a small hill that would be grassy if it was not winter. Instead, it is covered in deep, crunchy snow. I am glad I am wearing my snow boots. Ahead of me, a man sits at the edge of the harbor fishing.

I walk to the Onondaga Creek bridge and see a family of mallards. I take a video of them. Below me I see tracks in the snow. They look like they might have been made by deer.

As I keep walking, I nearly slip on a patch of ice, cleverly hidden by the small dusting of snow that fell last night. I sit on a brick red bench.

It is quieter on the bench than it was on the bridge. I can no longer hear the ducks. Instead, I only hear the wind, the dull roar of freeway traffic, and the occasional crow call. Sometimes, the traffic noise is punctuated by the beeping of trucks or rail horns. Otherwise, it is very peaceful. I had hear the tree branches sway softly and it looks like their shadows are waving hands. The wind creates waves on the surface of the lake.

As I sit, I see occasional groups of about three to four birds, gulls I suspect, fly overhead. They fly parallel to the river.

On the way back to my car, I see a single crow sitting in the branches of a tree.

_________________________________________________________

Time: 12:45-1:15 PM

Temperature: -4 degrees celsius

Weather: Sunny

Animals seen:

- Mallards

- Gulls

- Deer (tracks)