Fallen

The in-between season is fast approaching full-blown winter in the western Catskills. Most of the mountain's leaves have left, fleeing the soft- and hardwoods that provided thicketed cover for area wildlife.

Puddle ducks - Blue- and Green-Winged Teal flocks have long left the area. The East and West Branches of the Delaware River are becoming devoid of waterfowl who have raised their young atop the pristine waters, fed and fattened by sub-surface aquatic plants, supplemented with an occasional fish dinner.

Wood Ducks hang around a bit longer, feasting and fattening up on an abundance of fallen acorns, seedlings of the mighty Oak.

Mallards, Pintails, Merganzers and Black Ducks trickle-travel south through January when the arrowed pattern of  Canada Geese also become a distant memory.

Their sky-honking chorus is an aerial Morse Code passenger-check system in their pre-programmed flight path.

The end of the in-between season peaks with the annual changing of the Larch, when the un-noticed Tamarack trees, seasonally invisible, crowded, clustered and over-shadowed by their evergreen brethren- needle their way to center stage outfitted in glorious gold. 

The hearty-nature of young conifers may soon be tested by deer enlisting their assistance in removal of velvet from their antlers.

Deciduous leaves have fallen, leaving the understory exposed. 

What remains is a preview of what's to come.

*Between hikes, Lillian Browne writes about the environment, politics, crime and business in Delaware County. She is a NYS licensed outdoor adventure guide exploring the world around her, one step at a time, with her dog - Charlie.