The Nature Corner

Nature Notes ~ Early May

The Merry Month of May has arrived! Everything is vivid spring green and all flowering pink and white. Frothy, feathery greens. Daffodils still and dandelions dot the grass. ****************************************** Cherry tree is blossoming, so time to watch for orioles and warblers. ****************************************** Spotted the first dragonfly on Saturday! ******************************************

Nature Notes ~ Earth Week

Happy Earth Week! Go hug a tree! :) ****************************************** A female brown-headed cowbird is in our tray feeder right now. She and her mate return every spring. ******************************************

Nature Notes ~ Mid-April

Gorgeous spring week here: highs in the upper 50s and sunny. Today we might hit 70 degrees! ****************************************** Just spent several minutes trying to photograph an enormous woodpecker at the feeders. I have to look him up in the bird guide to be sure of his id but he visits rarely - and is so skittish. I took pictures from where I sat at the table (through a window and window screen) so who knows if the pics will come out. But I knew if I tried to get up close to the window he'd vamoose. ****************************************** Blooming now: forsythia, crocus, daffodils, dandelions, a few flowering trees. ******************************************

Nature Notes ~ Early April

Street sweepers are circling the neighborhood - another clear sign of spring! :) 

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Gray skies, light rain - becoming heavier through the day. Opening Day has been postponed till tomorrow.

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So much happening in Nature just now, I can barely keep up! We've had nightly visits by a skunk (scrubbing around under the birdfeeders) and found skunk scat in the same area. One night we woke to terrible screeching in the woods - and only because we've heard it before at this time of year did we not panic - we think something was mating. The mourning doves are acting all frisky with each other - we found a freshly hatched egg beneath the stand of pine trees out back. I say fresh because there was still - don't read this if you are squeamish - bloody membrane inside. Definitely a dove egg, from a quick google search. A family of blue jays comes to the spruce tree every day - the babies are larger and fluffier than the parents and squawk like crazy for food. The juncos are still around as of this morning, but their days are numbered here. These snowbirds will head north pretty soon. Oh, and the goldfinches! So many goldfinches at the feeders these days; they're feathers are turning vibrant yellow. We can hear the peepers in the woods daily now. Our vernal pond is teeming with life. Crocus is all over the yard and my mum's daffodils are in full bloom. Trees and bushes are covered in buds, looking ready to burst. Temps. have been on the cool side (high 40s through mid 50s) with an occasional day near 60 degrees. On the milder days we'll see a lazy wasp float by and OH! Yesterday we had a bright orange butterfly flit through the yard. :)

Nature Notes ~ Early April

Street sweepers are circling the neighborhood - another clear sign of spring! :) 

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Gray skies, light rain - becoming heavier through the day. Opening Day has been postponed till tomorrow.

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So much happening in Nature just now, I can barely keep up! We've had nightly visits by a skunk (scrubbing around under the birdfeeders) and found skunk scat in the same area. One night we woke to terrible screeching in the woods - and only because we've heard it before at this time of year did we not panic - we think something was mating. The mourning doves are acting all frisky with each other - we found a freshly hatched egg beneath the stand of pine trees out back. I say fresh because there was still - don't read this if you are squeamish - bloody membrane inside. Definitely a dove egg, from a quick google search. A family of blue jays comes to the spruce tree every day - the babies are larger and fluffier than the parents and squawk like crazy for food. The juncos are still around as of this morning, but their days are numbered here. These snowbirds will head north pretty soon. Oh, and the goldfinches! So many goldfinches at the feeders these days; they're feathers are turning vibrant yellow. We can hear the peepers in the woods daily now. Our vernal pond is teeming with life. Crocus is all over the yard and my mum's daffodils are in full bloom. Trees and bushes are covered in buds, looking ready to burst. Temps. have been on the cool side (high 40s through mid 50s) with an occasional day near 60 degrees. On the milder days we'll see a lazy wasp float by and OH! Yesterday we had a bright orange butterfly flit through the yard. :)

Nature Notes ~ Mid-March

3/18/09 We are inching nearer and nearer to Spring ... the goldfinches are yellowing up and the song sparrow is trilling its spring song. There are crocus shoots all over the yard and buds all over the treetops. ****************************************** This week we will visit a Maple Sugaring Farm for our March Nature Club meeting. I'll take lots of pictures to share with you all! ******************************************

Nature Notes ~ March comes in like a LION!

3/1/09 Well as you can see from my post last night, March is expected to arrive as a LION this year. Early this morning it is just gray and still. Cold and cloudy. Ten to fifteen inches are on their way for today-tonight-and-tomorrow. The birds are already at the feeders stocking up. :)

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3/2/09 Snowstorm! And a cold week ahead.

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3/4/09 Woo-hoo! We're going to hit 30 today!! Lol. Actually, the BIG news is we could get close to 60 over the weekend! See, that's the thing about March - yes, we can get snow, and yes, it can be brutally cold (case in point, yesterday) but 50 and 60 degree days are the norm, too. I'm sensing some snow melt in our future! :)

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3/9/09 After a wonderfully warm and spring-like weekend, we are hit with yet another snow "event." Today we'll get 3-5 inches of new snow. It seems every time we get our lawn officially and completely cleared of snow, it then promptly snows AGAIN. This week temps will be close to 40 so we might see a little melting before week's end.

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3/12/09 Last night we had a surprise visit by a skunk! We were watching tv with the kids when the motion sensor light off our deck went on. Bookworm looked first and in a completely calm manner stated, "Oh. It's just a skunk in the yard." Of course we all clamored over to the sliders to see. He was too fast for me to get a shot. I believe this is the time of year when skunks begin their courting.

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The goldfinches are starting to turn yellow!

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Nature Notes ~ Late February

2/18/09 Fairly cold today. The sunshine is dwindling as storm clouds move in. We are expecting snow and rain overnight.

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2/19/09 More snow fell overnight - just an inch or so, but enough that everything is white this morning.

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2/25/09 There has been a hawk around the past few days. He's swooped into the birdfeeding area, to perch on a branch just outside our windows. I think it is a red-tailed hawk - but whatever he is, he's enormous! So far it doesn't seem he's gotten anything. He flies off as soon as I approach the windows.

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We had a robin on the front lawn yesterday, hopping about in a patch where the snow had melted. He even got a worm!

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Nature Notes ~ Early January

1/9/09 Don't forget to howl at the Full Wolf Moon tomorrow night! :) ******************************************* Cold here today (what else is new?) and there is more snow on the way. Maybe 6 inches over the weekend.

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1/7/09 Ice and snow moving through the area today. Afternoon plans are cancelled and we'll be staying in keeping warm.

******************************************* I am so glad I filled all the feeders yesterday - they are packed this morning! The red squirrel is here, munching away in the tray feeder and making menacing sounds at the big gray squirrel one feeder over. A large starling just appeared near the top of the spruce tree and had us scurrying for the field guide before we realized what he was. Nothing brings out the birds like a snowstorm ... ******************************************

1/2/09 Cold, gray and did I mention cold? A flurry or two today.

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Nature Notes ~ Late December

12/31/08 It's the calm before the storm ... at 7 a.m. the sky is gray and still, but the air feels heavy with impending snow. 5-8 inches are predicted by nightfall ...

******************************************* Before everything gets covered in snow again, I'm going to sneak outside this morning and take pictures of the yard. I want to start a garden planning notebook and pictures of the bare bones of our property will be helpful as we plan what we want to grow where. ******************************************

12/30/08 Soooo windy and cold today! We had a dusting of snow overnight, and there's a significant snow "event" coming tomorrow. Good thing we'll be in tomorrow, watching the snow fall and getting ready to ring in the New Year. :)

****************************************** We've had a large hawk visit the feeders a few times over the past couple of days. Our feeding area is pretty sheltered so he hasn't been successful in his hunting. ******************************************

12/27/08 A cloudy and damp weekend - tomorrow should reach 60 degrees! Our snow cover is disappearing pretty quickly.

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12/24/08 It's going to rain today (blech) but the weatherman says our snow cover will hold. Tomorrow will be sunny and cold!

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12/21/08 Happy Winter Solstice!

****************************************** SNOW, lots of snow, and plenty of birds at the feeders. It feels just like Christmas around here. :) ******************************************

12/19/08 Just a few days shy of the Winter Solstice here and we are bracing ourselves for a BIG snowstorm! We might have 8-12 inches by tomorrow morning. A quiet Friday for us - nowhere to go, just stay in all cozy and warm - signing Christmas cards and baking gingerbread cookies. And watching our birds of course. :)

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