A brief snow flurry brought a glimpse of true winter today.
It didn’t last long, barely long enough for these photos, which is the best kind of snow. Pretty while it’s falling, fun to play in for a few minutes, and gone before your toes get too cold.
Today we walked one of our favorite trails at First Landing State Park.
We heard a report, shortly after arriving, that two Bald Eagles had been spotted there this morning. We missed the eagles, but did see a number of egrets.
As usual, I tried in vain to photograph the trail’s smaller birds. I missed Eastern Bluebirds and Chickadees, White-throated Sparrows and Brown-headed Nuthatches. I missed Pine Warblers and Downy Woodpeckers. The only one I didn’t miss was this wren.
I believe it’s a Carolina Wren, though it was not singing a typical Carolina Wren song.
I’m very curious to hear from more experienced bird watchers. Is this a Carolina Wren? If so, is this a typical call variation?
Now that I’m home and at my computer, I find myself wishing I had stayed out longer. If our forecast holds, the next few days will be too cold for comfort. I will be trapped indoors with a frightening stack of neglected bookkeeping. I might be forced to start another crochet project or organize the archives. Work on an unfinished manuscript. Fake an illness. Anything to avoid starting the taxes…
The yard seems blissfully unaware of next week’s weather forecast, which calls for overnight temperatures in the teens and highs barely above freezing.
Perhaps the yard knows more about forecasting weather than our current computer models? The roses, pear tree, and hydrangea have roused from their winter slumber, as have the tulips and hyacinths.
(This is the same hyacinth that I photographed earlier this month…)
It’s not just the plants. A swarm of hoverflies invaded the yard today.
And the winter flocks of robins have broken up. They chirp testy challenges to each other as they forage, defending larger and larger spheres of territory. Last week, seven or eight birds happily shared the pear tree’s branches. Today, there was only one.
The weeds needed mowing yesterday, which shaved off an entire crop of blooms. A few escaped the mower’s blades, mostly those growing in the iris beds and cactus pots.
While photographing weeds, I noticed the old cactus seems to have produced some kind of seed this year. Would I get a new cactus, if I planted it?
Finally, I considered washing the windows today, but decided to put it off again. They aren’t completely opaque, yet…
I’ll get to it later this week. Maybe.
More sun today, and much warmer. We chose a new path, one that cuts through a residential area before joining a series of nature reserve trails.
The reserve is heavily managed along these trails. We saw evidence of selective tree removal and a pair of unnaturally straight drainage canals.
The area seemed somewhat barren of wildlife, though I suspect today’s lovely weather had lured heavier traffic to the trails than usual. Perhaps the constant flow of joggers, bicyclists, dog walkers, and groups of hikers contributed to the conspicuous silence from the trees.
We saw a few flocks of chickadees, and plenty of sparrows foraging in the underbrush, but no woodpeckers or warblers, and no waterbirds.
Back in the car and on our way home, we spotted another hawk hunting in a small field. We turned around again, and once again I wasn’t able to get a very good photo. The hawk was perched just beyond my camera’s comfort zone.
Each time I get one of these “nearly” photos, it makes me eager to try again. I’m already looking forward to tomorrow’s walk. The forecast calls for one more day of warm sunshine before winter’s next frosty pass.
Today’s sun made the air seem warmer than it actually was.
We took a long-ish walk through Red Wing Park, where we heard more birds and animals than we saw.
A cluster of early blooms reminded us that spring isn’t all that far away.
I found several sunlit doorways.
On the way home, we circled a field three times after spotting a pair of hawks. I didn’t get a very good look at them, nor a very good picture. I thought, at first, that they were Cooper’s Hawks, but maybe they were Red-tailed Hawks? Is there a way to tell for certain, using only the information in this picture?
I’ve really missed the sun, and I hope it decides to stay for a while.
Rae Spencer 