A speck in time: The miracle of our connection to nature

A speck in time: The miracle of our connection to nature

A cold north wind blows through the curtains of the bedroom. I pull the duvet quilt up a little tighter around my shoulders and wiggle back into my warm cocoon. Visions of red-legged mallards with their wings cupped and their feet dangling down fly through my dreams. As they begin their final descent into the decoys, my hunting partner John and I both switch off the safety mechanism on our shotguns. One low mallard whistle on the call, and they commit to the spread.

The Golden-winged Warbler

The Golden-winged Warbler

The golden-winged warbler (GWWA) is an early-successional species whose songs have captivated many. Vermont is currently the only New England state that hosts a population of these unique and beautiful birds, which require a special habitat of sparse trees and shrubs, with an understory of grasses and forbs, all adjacent to a forested area. In addition golden-wings are ground-nesting birds and prefer hardwood rather than softwood trees.