I’ve been watching a pair of Bald Eagles at Independence Oaks County Park. It’s one of three eagle nests I have been casually monitoring in our area since the first week of November. Eagle-watching is a perfect way to start a sunny late autumn day. The chances are very good that today will be no exception.
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Until last week more than a year had gone by since my last hiking adventure at 4,481-acre Kensington Metropark. Kensington is one of 13 Metroparks in Livingston, Macomb, Washtenaw, Wayne and Oakland counties managed by Huron-Clinton Metroparks, our regional park agency. Those parks cover almost 25,000 acres of land and according to the Metroparks website, they serve over 7.3 million visitors a year. As for the name Huron-Clinton, that’s because our Metroparks are along the Huron and Clinton Rivers.
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The golden month we call October is over but what a marvelous month it was to hike, cycle, paddle a kayak or canoe, sit in a lawn chair amidst falling leaves, or just embrace the beauty of nature while walking along a lakeshore. I did a bit of all of that; perhaps more lawn chair sitting in my arbor than I care to acknowledge. Here’s a look back at October.
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Early October is an exciting time to explore nature’s way and enjoy the crisp days of autumn in Oakland County, or wherever your travels may take you as the kaleidoscope of leaf colors unfolds. It’s the season to embrace the quickening pace of nature as days shorten, leaves cascade downwards and mosquitoes vanish. If you walk slowly, stop often, look and listen, and keep your eyes scanning, every twist and turn on a trail brings discoveries even if it’s a trail you trek frequently.
A few weeks ago I was on one of my usual slow-paced nature-embracing solo treks around Crooked Lake at Independence Oaks County Park. The park is only a few miles from me, and it has been my go-to location if I feel the desire to get outside and meander without driving very far. I usually walk around that lake several times a week with no particular goal in my mind, beyond a wish to be outside.
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Autumn has arrived. The exact moment of the Autumnal Equinox occurred on September 23 at 2:50 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time. On that day we had equal amounts of day and night. Hours of daylight are ever so slowly decreasing and will continue to do so until the arrival of the Winter Solstice when days once again begin to lengthen.
There is a noticeable quickening of the pace of nature and although the temperatures are above the norm it’s the decreasing hours of daylight that set the pace. The dawn of autumn is one of my favorite times to explore our parks, walk our trails, or just set up my lawn chair and watch and listen to nature’s way. Here are just a few signs of the season that bid farewell to summer and greet the splendor of autumn in Oakland County.
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