January 7

So, here I am hiking on an earthen nature trail while listening to loud noises of passing cars, sirens and low-flying planes. It’s late morning when I make my way around Madrona Marsh Preserve, a wildlife habitat in the heart of Torrance California, a city of 150, 000 south of Los Angeles. The air is cool and calm under a gray sky as I glance through a tall, wrought iron fence at the concrete jungle that surrounds this land. What a contrast to my weekly wanderings in the hushed landscapes of rural Mid Michigan. At the start, I notice that neither the California Towhee foraging for bugs nor the bee pollinating a Bladderpod blossom seem to be bothered by the traffic noise. Serenaded by a siren, I follow the perimeter trail past an open meadow where Canada Geese are grazing and a Black Phoebe is perching. Nearby, I pause in amazement to observe the colorful plumage of a perching Allen’s Hummingbird. Also, far in the distance and far up a leafless tree, I spot the silhouettes of a flock of Cedar Waxwings. Soon I come to the edge of one of many ponds where I see some Northern Shovelers, a Coot and a Mallard drake. Continuing on the perimeter path, I catch sight of a tiny Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, camouflaged against the underbrush. Near the end of the mile long circular trail, I pause to listen to the familiar sounds of Redwing Blackbirds hiding in the tall reeds. After finishing the hike, I make my way back to the car, pleased to have been to a place where humans and wildlife can not only co-exist but also thrive. Urban property like this is important as a sanctuary for wildlife as well as a place where city dwellers can commune with nature.

Old year sets

New year rises

California hike

Welcome surprises

No dormant fields

Or ponds that freeze

Flourishing wetlands

Trees with leaves

East or west

No matter where

Nature’s wonders

Are waiting there

D. DeGraaf