Unseen World: Wildlife Encounters in the Field

When I talk about the Rock River, there are generally a couple of different responses that I tend to hear the most. Some people are unsure of where it is, while others only know it for its status as an impaired waterway, or through the work of organizations like Friends of Northern Lake Champlain. Then there are others: people who say that it’s a great spot for gathering minnows, or it’s one of the best places in that part of the state to see a certain species of bird. To me, the Rock River has become a place of great natural beauty and unexpected encounters.  

A young Red-Tailed Hawk perched near a water sampling site

There have been multiple occasions where I didn’t even have to go looking for wildlife- instead it found me! On a recent field day, I was walking through the forest to one of our more remote sampling sites. The greenery was thick there, and it could hard at times to tell exactly what was around. At first all I heard was the chatter of birds and the cracking of twigs under my own feet. Then off in the brush, I heard a loud crashing. Startled, I looked towards the direction of the sound and saw a large deer barreling through the woods only a couple of feet from me. As quickly as the deer had appeared, it vanished off into the forest.  

Though you may not always see wildlife, there can often be clear signs of their presence.  On another sampling outing, I was at the base of a large bridge on the main branch of the Rock River.  I looked down at one point to adjust my footing as I was collecting a sample and saw something odd on the bank nearby: It looked like a pile of grass that had been mounded up, and there appeared to be mud or animal scat covering the grass. After a closer look, I could tell it was scat covering the mounds, and that it was full of what looked very much like pieces of crayfish or fish bones. The combination of what was in the scat and how it was placed told me all I needed to know- this was an otter latrine! Though I’d never seen one while sampling, this was a clear sign that they were there and had been for some time.  

There are countless other moments that stick out in my mind, like standing in a field of grass taller than I am, listening to the songs of Bobolinks and Meadowlarks, or watching small fish navigate the currents and leopard frogs wait in the shallows. I’ll never forget the sights and sounds that I’ve experienced while working in the Rock River. It’s become a place that I deeply care for and hope to continue acting as a steward for.