Riverbend to Great Falls (10/24/08)

It's been a long time since I've been to Riverbend Park, right up the road off of Georgetown Pike. It's one of the Mathias family's favorite places to hike, so I decided to see what there was too see on this lovely section of trail along the Potomac River. Once again it was a beautiful fall day (we've had so many this year!) and I was excited to GET OUT THERE!

I began by the Nature Center, followed the trail around a detour where there was some conservation work being done by the river, joined up again with the river trail by the Visitor Center and then followed it all the way to Great Falls and back. Turns out the reason the Potomac runs so slowly here (perfect kayaking place) is because there is a huge bend in the river (hence the name Riverbend!) and, just like when you turn a corner in your car, the river has to slow down to make the turn.

I remembered to bring my binoculars today and was rewarded with a sighting of a Double Crested Cormorant (as I found out from a lady who was birding just a little ways down the river). Turns out it's a terribly common bird, but I was excited nonetheless. The smart bird lady showed me a wonderful, compact (cute and little!) bird book that she had purchased in the Visitor Center. Deciding that it was high time I learned about some birds, I did the same on my way out

While I was in the Visitor Center, I was talking with a couple of the staff folks. I asked, kinda joking but kinda not, how do you get a job in a place like this?? The female naturalist was happy to indulge my curiosity! She told me about a program through the Audubon Naturalist Society where you can take a continuing ed certificate program to become a naturalist. She said that the best thing to do was to volunteer along the way and often times jobs will open as a result.

As I was driving home, I was thinking about what a naturalist's job entails: learning about and being in the outdoors, teaching others (especially kids) to love and appreciate the outdoors, doing research... what's not to like?!? So I looked up the program online when I got home. WOW! Too cool! I'm in. Taking Intro. to Ornithology starting in January! See for yourself at http://www.audubonnaturalist.org/default.asp?page=557