A Perfect Fall Day in the Woods

Headed out for a birding adventure!

Mia and I enjoy all of the seasons that Maine has to offer. They each have their benefits for us in the great outdoors. Though, out of the four seasons we experience, fall is probably our favorite. The cool air is refreshing. The smell of the woods takes on a crisp, earthy flavor. The colors and textures give us more to explore. And the residents in the woods scurry about in preparation of winter, giving us the opportunity to change our normal forest pace from moving to explore, to exploring from a seated position.

Perfect bird hunting road!

Today, Mia and I decided to head into the woods for a bird hunt. The other great thing about fall in Maine, is the availability of options to partake in during the beginning of hunting season. Right now, we can hunt partridge, woodcock, ducks, geese, and turkeys. Because Mia is still learning to sit still and quiet in the woods, we headed out in search of partridge. Noise making, and walking would eventually flush a few up for us, so this was a perfect sunny day hunting activity. I also brought my mouth diaphragms along in case we did want to sit and call a few turkeys.

Mia listening to a partridge fly away from her presence!

Mia and I headed out on a newly found partridge road. As we got far enough away from the road, I loaded the shotgun with ammo. As soon as I made the motion to pull up to chamber the first round, Mia promptly plugged her ears, ready for a shot. Because she has sensory processing disorder, foreign objects, in this case ear muffs, are not always welcomed on Mia's person. But, because she's been in the woods with me since day one, and have slowly introduced her to the world of hunting, she always remembers that when the gun goes up, her ears get plugged.

We walked along this road for only a few minutes before we scared a partridge away. It was behind me, beside Mia, where she had started to walk off of the road and into the woods. She stopped, and put her right ear to the noise of the bird taking off. When I told her that it was a partridge, she smiled and got very excited, and then left the road to explore the woods. As we were meandering along, we scared another partridge, and Mia took immediate notice. Realization sank in that SHE was making the birds fly away. Mia then took on the job of a bird dog, and searched relentlessly for another one to see if it would fly away!

Mom, that turkey call is great! Do it again!!

After an hour of hide and seek with our feathered friends, Mia and I sat down to try to call in a turkey. This part of outdoor exploration has been a long road for Mia. Because she's so sensory based, constant motion is just another way for her to gain sensory input, so sitting still is super hard for her. UNLESS, mom has a turkey calling diaphragm in her mouth! We sat for an hour calling for these big birds. Mia loves the sound of turkey calls, and every time I stopped, she pointed at my mouth and smiled, "do it again mom!" I imagined her saying. Every time we heard a russle of leaves, or a snapping branch, Mia looked in it's direction. Though I can't be 100% sure that she knew exactly what we were calling in, I am sure she knew that we were looking for something to cross our path.

Oh, what was that noise?!

We headed further into the woods in search of more partridge after Mia had her fill of "turkey mom", and she was able to seek out a few more birds to scare. She shrieked with delight every time one flew away from her. This was a great lesson in cause and effect for her, and will eventually lead to future hunting and life skills all around!

We navigated back to the road, where we found a nifty little "bridge". Mia was very intrigued by this unique structure, and stood at it's edge watching bright red and orange leaves floating over and through it, and further away into this little brook.

As we waled further, a woodpecker drilled into a tree right next to the road. It seemed undisturbed by our presence. Mia clicked her tongue in response to it's "tap tap tap" noises. We watched chickadees flit around in search of food and warm sunlit branches. We saw chipmunks running in and out of rocks, and tree trunks. Mia was excited to see all of this life around us, and watched these little beings with wonder as they moved around us.

A cute little "bridge", and my cute little Mia.

There's no denying that Mia is happiest when we're spending time out in God's country. Spending time together is our greatest benefit. But seeing Mia become more confident in her abilities to maneuver through the woods, watching her sense of independence grow as she explores things on her own, and seeing her joy in connecting to our natural world, are her biggest benefits. Here, she learns things that carry over out of the woods, and I feel that each lesson brings her one step closer to overcoming the effects of Autism.