Friends of the Brickyard Trail

Hello, Brickyard Trail friends! Sorry I haven’t been very good about posting in recent months. I hope to get better about that in 2021. It has been quiet lately on the trail, with fewer critters than usual. There are still a good number of birds, including ducks in the creek, woodpeckers, robins, chickadees, hawks, and others that stick around through winter. Sometimes you’ve gotta train your eyes to see the tiniest details. For example, have you ever noticed interesting col...ors in the creek near the bridge? This morning they were particularly spectacular. Here’s what Peggy said: The rainbow sheen on the creek this morning was the most beautiful I've ever seen. This is a naturally occurring phenomena caused by bacteria which are transforming minerals to other chemical forms. When the rainbow sheen is disturbed it breaks into platelets (as opposed to oil sheens which quickly try to reform). Isn’t nature amazing?

Hello, nature enthusiasts! Brighton and Rochester, NY Owling has two events this week that they shared with us. Tomorrow night there is an owl walk at Gosnell Big Woods Preserve in Webster at 7:30 pm, and there is another owl walk at Brighton's own Buckland Park this Saturday at 4 pm. Check out their page for more info and links to the events themselves.

Those who missed the last owling event or who went and would like to attend another, you are in luck! There is another event happening tomorrow. Please note that this one is NOT at the Brickyard Trail and is being held at Whiting Road Nature Preserve Park in Webster.

Check out Rochester Owling's first owl walk on December 21st on the Brickyard Trail! Be sure to check out Brighton and Rochester, NY Owling's Facebook page for more details!

If you were walking along the trail recently and saw some piles of branches, that was the work of some awesome Girl Scouts who helped clear out some of the invasive species. Thanks so much for helping keep our trail beautiful!

It was unseasonably warm for a while here in Brighton, New York, and many have really been enjoying the warmth and sunanimals and humans alike. This morning was quite chilly on the trail, though, and Peggy captured several frost-lined leaves. Here's a smattering of our photos from the last week. Happy trails! Photos by Peggy Dempsey and Fran Reed.

Brickyard Trail enthusiast and frequent visitor Joan Weetman recently lost her glasses on the trail and said the following: "On Sunday I lost my prescription glasses on the Brickyard Trail, so I posted notes in plastic bags at both ends and today I was thrilled to find them in my plastic bag at the Elmwood end! I had rewalked the entire trail on Sunday with no luck. Thank you to the kind person who looked for them and found them!!" I'd like to echo this thanks to the person who found them and returned them, as well as to anyone else who looked for Joan's glasses. This is just one excellent example of kindness in our community. :) - Fran

There are some really nice fall colors on the trail lately. Here are some photos from the last few weeks. The biggest excitement is the migratory birds passing through. All photos by Peggy Dempsey or Fran Reed.