I was out walking around the arboretum the other evening enjoying the cool air and a slight breeze as the day was coming to a close. I was walking along the incense cedar trail and could hear the ethereal notes of brown creepers flowing through the forest. I stopped to listen and saw one swoop down to the base of a tree. I watched it for a little while as it sang and moved around on the furrowed trunks of old incense cedars looking for food. I lost sight of it in the waning light, but I could still hear it singing in the canopy. Suddenly it swept down to the base of an incense cedar in front of me. It went up the tree and came to a small cavity in the bark where a tree limb used to be. It hopped into the entrance and perched there. I watched as it sat there looking around. After about five minutes or so, I saw it nestle a little more into the old knot hole. I occasionally saw it gently close its eyes for a moment and then reopen them. I began to wonder if this was where this brown creeper was going to spend the night. I decided to sit down, wait for night to fall, and see if it stayed. I watched it over the next forty-five minutes or so, occasionally glancing up to see if it was still there. The last time I looked up there I saw that it had tucked its head inside, and I imagined that it had nodded off to sleep. So I said goodnight, quietly stood up, and walked on to go home and do the same.
