Draped across a scenic gorge just south of Columbia, the Gans Creek Wild Area is a 750 acre refuge of forest, immature woodlands, meadows and cedar glades. On this first day of recovery from the recent winter relapse, I headed down to the preserve, equipped with my binos, as usual.
There seemed to be little rebound from the big chill. Though the topsoil was thawing and the trails were muddy, there was a winter-like silence on this early afternoon. Greenery was limited to the cedars, patches of moss and scattered outcrops of grass. The occasional feeding group of chickadees and titmice provided some background noise, which was dominated by the rustling of last year's oak leaves, dangling from barren limbs. The distant drumming of woodpeckers could be heard from time to time and a pair of pileateds moved among the mature forest atop the gorge. Cardinals and a lone mockingbird fed in the cedars while a trio of turkey vultures drifted above the limestone bluffs.
Though my visit was planned to check out the sights and sounds of this sprawling woodland, the highlight proved to be in the skies overhead. Several flocks of snow geese, no doubt delayed by the massive winter storm, headed north on a southerly breeze, restoring my faith that spring is nigh.
