Neill and I went on a walk in the Bulkeley Hill Preserve this week. The property is 130 acres with several marked trails to meander through the forest. The Colchester Land Trust is the steward of the property. And part of the reason it was important to preserve this land is because it holds important headwaters of the Eightmile River and supports a variety of wildlife.

When we rounded a bend on the trail we were looking off to our left and wondering what a certain area was—a swamp or marsh of some sort? As we joked about stumbling onto the Dead Marshes on our way to Mordor we began to hear a cacophony of birds. Not kidding, these birds were LOUD.

The symphony began to sound. My trusty Merlin app revealed that the singers were: gray catbirds, red-winged blackbirds, eastern warbling vireos, tufted titmouse, northern cardinals, chipping sparrows, red-eyed vireos, red-bellied woodpeckers, northern yellow warblers, chimney swifts, and palm warblers.

We human beings can be self-centered, thinking that life is all about us.
What I find moving about a simple walk through the woods or quiet time in nature is that it puts everything into perspective.
We are one part of the whole of creation God loved into being.
What a gift.

Love,
Pastor Lauren

Cover Photo by Dmytro Koplyk on Unsplash

Chipping Sparrow Photo by Tyler Moulton on Unsplash

Thursday Thoughts 5/14/26