Peace and Quiet

I didn't realize how much I was looking forward to Spring until I left my apartment this morning. I haven't been to Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge in months and I missed it terribly.

Up before dawn, I checked the battery in the camera, filled the water bottle and hit the road. It's a little under an hour from my door to the calmness of the Refuge, and at 6:30 a.m. the roads are never busy. Double bonus for waking up early!

I knew the hummingbirds were on the way north, but I didn't know what to expect today.  As usual, I was not disappointed!  My first sounds of the impending spring season: red-winged blackbirds! They have a song that's unmistakable, almost an off-key trill that, I admit, takes some getting used to. But hearing that greeting can mean two things: Spring is nearly here and more of my favorite birdies are not far behind.

I spent about an hour-and-a-half in the Refuge this morning driving around the lake, watching the fishermen cast their lines, earlier to rise than I am. Mostly, I was listening to the sounds of peace. Eight hours a day, five days a week, I am bombarded with noises from police and fire scanners, relaying bad news, tragedies and sometimes horrors I'd rather forget. And if it's not the scanners, it's the televisions tuned to local news where broadcasters share crime stats, money matters and education shortfalls. By Friday, my brain is begging for a break.

So today, with the blackbirds singing, cardinals chirping, even a hawk calling from someplace I could not see, I found some relief from the vitriol.  I drove comfortably with the windows down, breeze in my hair, listening to those sweet sounds of nature. No obnoxious alarms going off, no worries that the next tone might be more bad news. Just simple chirps and the click of my camera. Bliss!

American Coots

American Coots (they have crazy big feet, but I couldn't get a good pic)

Mallard double date!

Mallards

Cedar Waxwings (one of the coolest looking birds around, IMO)

CLICK HERE to check out more of my favorite birdie pics!   

W.C. Johnson Park

I felt sort of like Memphis riff raff this morning as I drove a little too close to the SUV in front of me on Houston Levee in Collierville. The speed limit was 40 mph and I could not figure out why on a Sunday morning with little to no traffic we were not doing 50. Eye roll.

I was on my way home, eager to sit down and check out the photos I had just taken. Today was my first visit to W.C. Johnson Park. I saw a few pictures online and I knew there was supposed to be a pretty scenic boardwalk through a dense wooded area, but I didn't know what to expect.

I was blissfully surprised!

It's a little more than two miles out and back on the boardwalk, the entrance near the back of the park. Right away I noticed how peaceful it was at 7am on a Sunday. Only a couple of walkers were up early with me, strolling to the sounds of robins, cardinals and red-bellied woodpeckers. The sun wasn't fully risen, and the trees still hung on to their summer foliage, though a few were looking bare under the canopy.

Under the shade, the first thing I encountered was a short bridge taking me deeper into the woods. 

The boardwalk was well-maintained with benches here and there. I ran into everyone from runners to dog walkers to nature enthusiasts like me. One man pushing a little girl in a stroller stopped to chat and asked about the coolest thing I'd seen so far. I told him I was intrigued by the "poka-dotted tree."

Onward I walked, taking it all in. The views were stunning, the sounds relaxing, even the smells were fresh like wet grass. 

The path winds from the park toward the Wolf River where I stopped and sat for a few minutes.

I finally found a place to get off the boardwalk where a dirt path cuts through the woods. But venturing out does not come without warning! And there were a couple of moments when I realized they weren't kidding...

Once I made my way back to the beginning, I realized I'd missed something. A gorgeous gazebo sits right on the banks of the swampy area in the park, another perfect place to sit and take it all in. From there I could hear the calls of a pair of hawks nearby.

I can't say enough good things about this short walk in the woods! Everyone I encountered was friendly, the surroundings serene. I can't wait to visit again!

W.C. Johnson Park

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