Vigilance
A faint crackling of leaves on the forest floor carries through the undergrowth. Although hardly audible to human ears, the sound is nonetheless picked up as important auditory information by the forest’s other inhabitants. It could have simply originated from a group of voles, scurrying about in their usual way just beneath the leafy surface. Perhaps it was a lone blackbird hopping along and picking up leafy debris in its search for prey. Yet, you never quite know and vigilance is key, especially if predators might be lurking around.
The sensitivity of forest animals to subtle cues from their environment, be it faint sounds or smells carried by the wind, is one of the more challenging aspects when trying to observe them. We stride around the forest as silent as we can, dressed up in camouflaging clothes and all, trying to see, but sometimes forgetting that we ourselves are seen, smelled, and heard almost as soon as we cross the line of trees that separates our worlds.
The rarity of encounters of woodland animals for any sustained period of time also imbues these events with a near-mystical quality. A few seconds of eye contact leave an intense imprint that lingers on in the mind for long after the event has passed; with the best encounters being those where neither party is pushed beyond its comfort, a short, respectful, curiosity-driven, examination and exchange of views.