Today is sublime and the light that illuminates the forest this morning is dappled and green. Taking my time as I have nothing but time I do a slow deliberate crawl along the Creekside Trail. Familiar like an old friend this trail offers something new every time I travel along it. Carol, the kids and I did a lot of hiking together when they were younger and this trail was one of our favorites. The Creekside Trail has always been one of my go to’s when I’m in need of a forest bath and some time alone to think.

I peel off a long, narrow bay laurel leaf snap it in half and inhale its pungent aroma. Tiny wildflowers, lemon yellow and easter egg purple, dot the sunnier parts of the trail. Butterflies, mainly swallowtails and Painted Ladies, corkscrew through the air on their helter skelter trips. It’s all a riot of green, so many different shades, such an abundance of species: ferns and poison oak, wild rose and sorrel close to the ground, bay laurel, madrone and coast live oak trees reach towards a robin’s egg blue sky. And the birds! (I tallied seventeen different species today). Spotting birds in the forest requires careful observation, a keen ear and patience, all of which I have in spades today. One of the things I love most about birding is that it forces me to slow down and get into a very Zen-like head space. Today, even common and familiar species like juncos and acorn woodpeckers look magnificent to me. The hissing twitter of the Bewick’s wren, the meow-like call of the white-breasted nuthatch and the ratcheting voice of the spotted towhee are the soundtrack to this glorious day in May.

Through my binoculars I track a Painted Lady until it lands on the sunlit branch of a downed tree, immediately a western fence lizard appears and the butterfly leaves, only to return seconds later to the same spot. Sensing its chance the lizard lunges but it’s a split second too late, it tumbles to the ground and the butterfly lives to see another day. Catching a glimpse of the prey/predator relationship is a rare occurrence that happened today because I’m in the moment, eyes wide open and ready for any experience that comes my way.

I emerge from the dappled light of the forest into a large open space flooded with sunlight. Brown hillsides dotted with large oak trees surround tiny Bullfrog Pond. The pond is olive green, ringed with cattails, coyote bush and small trees. I’m met immediately by the mellifluous trills of redwing blackbirds, their coal black feathers offset by a single brilliant red/orange patch on either side of their wings. These birds make such sweet music! I sit for a while and enjoy the concert, sunning myself like a lizard. A pair of Canada geese waddle past me with half a dozen goslings in tow. They’re past the “toddler” phase but still have down covering the tops of their head and neck. I take a few steps closer and mama goose, in no uncertain terms, lets me know that I’ve gone far enough. She steps towards me, snapping her beak and curling her neck up and down. A goose attack isn’t in my plans for the day so I quickly move on.

There’s a nice breeze today, whipped cream clouds sail across the blue dome, occasionally blocking out the sun. It’s a dance as old as time itself. A pair of tree swallows lands in a bush very close to where I’m sitting. The male is a stunning bird, its bone-white breast is contrasted by electric blue-green feathers on top. I rarely see these birds at rest, they’re usually in the air performing acrobatic twists and turns and Kamikaze dives. It’s a real treat seeing them up close.

I continue my slow walk around the pond, breathing deeply and taking in the tableau of subtle beauty that is all around me. There’s an easy flow to this day that doesn’t happen very often, everything is exactly as it should be and I’m free of judgement and expectations. I the day wash over me as I stroll on.