July Nature Notes (2 of 5)

18 July 2025.   Maintaining Sight Lines in a Place that wants to be Forest

One of the challenges for wildlife watching in the pasture/meadow setting of Soggy Bottom Farm is in maintaining open sightlines for seeing into areas where wildlife might appear.  The dampness and mild weather of this place encourages exuberant vegetative growth which, if controlling action is not taken, will return these grounds to their forested native state.  If we desire to see what is going on around us in this setting, we need to establish and maintain open corridors for sightlines.  Without regular pruning and brush removal, the brushy invasion which precedes the establishment of the native forest will soon move into open areas and obscure whatever visual paths have previously been created.

And, so it is that I need to regularly cut back encroaching brush to keep our sightline over the hayfield open.  Last week, I was doing just that and as I finished the task and looked down the sightline across the hay field to check for a clear view, there, standing at the end of the sightline, i.e. at the transition where the hay field meets the forest, stood a magnificent bull elk.  It was as if the elk was waiting to suddenly materialize on cue when I finished.  

Now, this may not be such a remarkable occurrence as from time to time I see elk moving through the property as they briefly appear in openings between scattered stands of brushy cover.  But, these fleeting sightings are rare occurrences and I have never before seen an elk out in this particular hayfield.  It was the manner and timing of his appearance that astonished me in this instance.

Luckily, the elk held its pose just as I first saw it, giving me time to get my camera and take the picture that accompanies this set of notes (Fig 5).

fig 5

I have seen this elk on other occasions; it is one of four bulls that have visited the farm this summer.  It is distinguished by the remarkable growth of antlers on its head.  With all its points and projections, this is not a typical antler structure.  Because of this, I have come to call this bull: “Cluster Head.”  Being that it was early July when the picture was taken, there will be even more growth over the next month and a half.  If I get a picture after full antler development, I will add it to these notes when it is obtained.