Even on a cold, winter’s day with snow covering the frozen ground, nature is waiting to offer you something you need. You’ll discover what that is if you go.
Having locked myself indoors for several days to get some work done, I realized I was getting crabby. Quite crabby. So I got on my long underwear and 40-below-zero boots and went to Lyons Woods in Waukegan. I discovered it’s quite warming when you say yes to nature in winter, especially when you need it the most.
I went there with a purpose, to find white-winged crossbills, very rare birds seen at Lyons Woods for a couple of weeks. My husband Steve came along with a long-lens camera hoping to capture a photo of the pink male with the white wings and crossed bills.
As soon as I entered the trail bordered on both sides by tall Norway spruces and other evergreens, my heart felt lighter. There was a sense of being out in the wilderness, away from life’s worries. The coldness seemed to shake the concerns out of my body.
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We heard a couple of crossbills fly over, but didn’t see any. The day was not spoiled in the least, because soon we met a few fellow nature lovers, some who had come to look for the crossbills, others who wanted to experience nature’s peace.
One man wearing a huge camera around his neck said when he has a day off from work, he goes to nature. He’s been at preserves from northern Lake County, to Montrose Harbor in Chicago, and to Mokena. He told me a good way to remember his last name is to think of the McDonald Woods Preserve in Lake County.
We talked about how long-eared owls sometimes have been found at Lyons Woods, and he said he found his first one just last week at Deer Grove Preserve in Cook County. Mr. McDonald showed me the picture and it was sublime. The owl looked right through me with its yellow irises, black pupils and rufous facial disk.
I could tell Mr. McDonald wanted some time alone with nature, so I bid him goodbye as he headed down the trail. I later learned his Instagram handle included the words “nature is my solace.”
Just then, an elderly woman named Lisa from Waukegan came to the woods to search for the crossbills. While she, my husband and I stood at the preserve’s entrance, a group of about 11 birds flew over our heads giving the distinctive calls of the crossbills. They flew away over the road to who knows where. We then spent time talking with Lisa about the wondrous birds and nature in the north woods we’d all seen at different times.
Then a man named John, also with a camera, appeared. He was looking for the crossbills, too. He received an impromptu natural history lesson of the bird, as my husband explained how crossbills pry open cones to get at the seeds inside. John found some Norway spruce cones on the forest floor, brought them to my husband, and delighted in observing where the seeds were ensconced and seeing signs that a crossbill may have been eating some of those seeds. John had a lovely smile. In fact, he seemed to be smiling the whole time he was there, walking among the spruces and picking up cones to examine.
A woman from Lake Forest joined us, also wanting to see the crossbills. We engaged in conversations about owls, warblers, how cold it was, hawks and more. Sometimes, one of us would point our binoculars up at the copious cones on the spruces looking for birds. Then we’d stop and chat. It was the most peaceful I’ve felt in a long time.
Another flock of crossbills flew over our heads, but none ever settled on a branch to give us a close view while we were there. Really, that did not matter. In fact, a young man who had just seen the crossbills the other day pointed out exactly where they were, practically eye level in a barren deciduous tree about 10 feet away from where I was standing.
I could have been jealous or covetous, but instead I looked at the tree, imagined I saw the birds with him and reveled in how warm I felt on such a cold day.