Subtle Signs of Spring

Last week, after a long hard winter, I noticed some subtle signs of spring which brought hope that this winter would soon be over.

It seems the birds are the first to know spring is near.  One evening last week, snow geese flew overhead.  They had been flying back and forth to the fields to feed all winter, but this time was different.  They were flying much higher than normal.  Their migration north had begun, but I was left with questions.  Why did they leave so late?  Normally they leave sometime in mid February, but here it was, one week into March and they were finally heading to their summer breeding grounds in Canada and points north.  Did the harsh winter have something to do with it?  It is thought that day length is the cue to migrate, but there must be other cues as well.  Perhaps the geese were delayed due to snow covered fields that did not allow enough weight gain to take on this long journey.

As I watched the geese leave I wondered, which bird was the first to decide to leave?  And why did they wait until nearly sunset to head out?  My husband postulated that it was the female who nagged the male all day until he finally decided to go!  I think that is a bit anthropomorphic.  And will they travel just a short way and stop, or will they fly on through the night?  Their behavior bothered me because I would never leave on a long journey just when nightfall was descending.  I guess I was being anthropomorphic too. 

But these nagging questions prodded me to research the migration.  But I found no answers.  I'm just left with the silent hours now that the noisy flocks have left.

This mystery reminds me of the poem by Rachel Field, "Something Told the Wild Geese".
                                   Something told the wild geese
                                   It was time to go.
                                   Though the fields lay golden
                                   Something whispered, "Snow".

This time, I think the whispering was "Spring". 

Will my questions ever be answered?  It doesn't matter as long as the migration of the geese brings the hope of spring  soon to come.  Subtle signs that bring great hope.

A Time to Die

Yesterday seemed like spring had finally come to the midwest.  After the harshest winter I can remember, temps would top 80 degrees.  It was time for a walk along the familiar trail to see what had changed while I was experiencing "cabin fever".

One of the first things I saw along the trail was this dead shrew.

It was dried up and had probably died under the piles of snow and ice that only recently have melted away.

Farther along the trail I approached our deer head area.  These heads, the result of a chronic wasting disease project, had provided food for many animals during the winter.  We had seen hawks, bobcat, fox and others near the area.  And the smell had now dissipated.  Much of the flesh had either rotted or been eaten leaving some bare bone exposed.   The skulls would soon be used to mark the trail.

 Finally, I approached the house and our bird feeding station only to discover a dead opossum under one of the feeders.  When I had seen it only a couple of days ago, it had seemed sick.  This animal almost made it through the roughest part of the year---but not quite.

My hike this day reminded me that there is a time for all things.  Winter had been a time to die for many of the inhabitants of our woods.  I look forward to spring....the season of renewal.  Surely it can not be far away.

When is an Owl Not an Owl?

It has been said that people should learn a language at a young age, when it is supposedly easier.  I think that also applies to the "language of nature".  Bird songs are a good place to start.  My young granddaughter knows at least 12 bird songs and she is not yet three years old.

How did this happen?  She was fascinated with my books that play the bird songs.  She played them over and over.  But that is not the amazing part.  She can also identify birds outside, in nature, with none of the other clues the book provides. 

When she visits our house, my favorite activity is to watch the birds with her.  She can identify by sight all of the birds that come to our feeder.  But she can combine what she has learned in the bird call books with what she sees at the feeder.  She'll say, "That's a chick-a-dee-dee-dee", mimicking the sound the bird makes.





But what about owls?  She doesn't say, "That's an owl." She will say, "That's a Barred Owl," or "That's a Great Horned Owl."  It is not that she can identify things, but that she can appreciate the differences...the diversity in nature.  To me, that is one of the first steps in nature appreciation.  There are many adults that can not recognize the difference, and who call all large owls "Hoot Owls".

Go to the Journey North site to hear both owls.  They are quite different.

So when is an owl not an owl?  When we recognize that there are different types of owls.  The diversity in nature can be appreciated by all..whether we are three, 33, or 103. And recognizing that diversity is an important step in nature appreciation.

My Cat is a Groundhog

As this super cold winter drags on, I don't think my cat has been our of the house in weeks.  This cat, usually a nocturnal hunter, has been curled up asleep...day and night...like, well, a groundhog.

 
The most active he becomes is occasionally opening his eyes to look out of the window.  Normally he would be switching his tail ready to pounce on anything that moves.  This time, he seems to be uninterested in the birds, squirrels and other creatures just outside his reach.  Maybe he is looking at the snow cover--unusual to persist this long in our climate. Maybe he is thinking that it is not fit for "man nor beast" outside.  And maybe he is right!




While he may not technically be hibernating, I think my cat has the right idea.  I would love to just curl under the covers and wait til spring...til the groundhogs emerge again.  Maybe someday soon we will all--groundhog, cat, and me-- be active again.

One Good Thing About Winter

This year it seems that winter will never end.  It is one snow and cold event after another.  So I decided to look for the silver lining.  I wanted to create a list of 10 good things about winter....

and if you can think of others, please let me know.  But I only came up with one.  

In winter, we in the midwest get a chance to see birds that only occur here in the winter....like the Short-eared Owls.  These medium sized owls are really not that distinctive in appearance.  They are mostly mottled brown and have a large round head, like most owls.  They have much smaller tufts of feathers....that create the "ears"...than the Long-eared Owl.  In fact they are hardly noticeable.  But what is distinctive about these owls is their "floppy" flight.  With long wings, they fly close to the ground in open grasslands, flapping almost like a bat.





photo from Wikipedia

Each winter I visit the reclaimed strip mine ground of the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Illinois to catch a glimpse of these owls as they hunt in the fields at dusk.

http://www.cvaltd.com/site2/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/World-Shooting-Complex-1.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This year I was not disappointed.  The owls had returned.  I counted about 6 or 7 of them as they swooped around the car and came to rest on the lamp posts around the complex.  As the last rays of sun hit the earth, I rolled down the window to get a better look.  I was surprised to hear something that sounded like a dog barking.  Braving the cold, I kept the window down for several minutes to locate the sound.  Finally it occurred to me; it was the owls!!

This distinctive sound was such a treat.  The  Short-eared Owl bark was new to me, and I love learning new things about nature.  Perhaps, the 10 good things about winter should be the 10 new things I have learned about nature...that seems more doable to me. 

10 new things I learned about nature this winter:
1. Short-eared owl bark
2. Visual image of eagles on ice...see previous post "Where is the Best Place to Eagle Watch"
3. Blue Jays mimic Red-tailed Hawks...see previous post  "Bird Song Wonders"
4. Bobcats live in a tree stump on my property...see previous post "Sub-Zero Hike"
I'll work on the rest of this list.
 

So maybe winter isn't that bad after all.  Still, I can't wait until spring because I'm sure I will learn many more things as I get outside more.  Until then, I have the list to complete.

A Wildlife Adventure to Remember

Many people go to Puerto Vallarta for the "wild" life.  It was the wildlife that attracted me.  And I was not disappointed.  I saw whales...humpbacks...many of them, close up.  And dolphins jumping the waves behind our boat.  But the most amazing wildlife adventure was my sea turtle experience.  I was fortunate to be sitting on the beach as new hatchlings drew a crowd of interested tourists.

 I watched as these creatures fought their way over the sand, leaving behind the distinctive tracks.


I would later see tracks all over the beaches of this area.  These tracks were quite large, about 3 inches wide, but others were half the size.

Finally the hatchlings reached the ocean, surrounded by a large crowd of humans rooting for their survival.  Some well meaning people were picking up the turtles and taking them to the ocean....clearly a violation of the posted regulations.  But we all wanted to see these animals "make it".





I felt an inner joy as I saw the turtles, finally, after the long struggle in the sand, reach the ocean.

Here is where I thought the adventure would end.  But I was wrong.  Later I walked the beach and discovered information signs about the turtles--3 endangered species--that nest here. 

I also saw the turtle sanctuary, right in front of big condos and time shares. 

The sanctuary digs up known turtle nests and relocates them--to protect them from all the dangers of beach development and use.

These nest relocations are dated according to estimated hatch date, fenced and shaded to protect the eggs.  It takes as little as 45 days between eye laying and hatching with some species of sea turtles.




Again, I thought this would be the end of our turtle adventure.  But the next day, in almost the same place and about the same time, I was witness to another hatching.  This time the hotel security and a turtle worker (and parasail vendor) were on the scene quickly.

I was there before the others arrived and noted a small (about 8 inch) conical depression in the sand, with several dark spots.


Soon a nose and mouth became visible.

As I watched the struggle to emerge from the under the sand, the turtle worker, security, and lots of tourists arrived.




The worker quickly dug around the nest releasing almost 130 hatchlings.

 

As he dug, he counted the animals and placed them in a tray.  They were to be collected and released later that night--to avoid the daytime bird predators that might gobble them up on their long trek across the beach to the ocean.

Finally, at a depth of about 12-14 inches, the large leathery egg shell remains were visible.

After all the turtles were dug up, the egg shells were replaced and hole filled in.  This hatch was headed for shelter until nightfall.

Human intervention has helped them to avoid some dangers, but many dangers remained.

As I watched the sun set that evening, I was hopeful that, even though the dangers were many, these ancient creatures will survive to come back to these beaches for many years to come and that more people would be fortunate enough to have a wildlife adventure like mine.

Learn Tree ID Like a Two Year Old

As I look out over our woods, I think back to the many walks I have enjoyed with my grandchild. In the last year, she has learned to identify trees and become a budding naturalist (no pun intended).

Last March, when she was not yet two, we took walks in the woods, and I (or her grandfather) pointed out things we observed along the path.  The trees were always there, so we repeatedly pointed out certain species of interest.  I know that young children use their senses to explore the world, so I pointed to a tree and invited her to touch it.  She recoiled at the thought, so I did not press it.  Rather I tried to encourage her to touch it by touching and marveling at the feel of it myself.  "It is really bumpy," I said. Still she would not touch it.  As we walked the trail, I stopped at other "bumpy" trees to feel the bark.

Fast forward to this December.  At just two and a half years of age, we walked the same path.  It was she who pointed out the trees.  "Look, bumpy trees," she said.  She eagerly ran to the tree to touch it.  As we continued, she ran to more and more "bumpy trees", each time touching the bark.  These trees are hackberries, and she could identify them perfectly!

I smile to think how much she had grown in nature in such a short time.  She is a budding naturalist for sure!

Next time we go on our walks, we will have to find another texture...maybe we'll explore the shagbark hickories.  Will she call them flaky trees or shaggy trees?  I know that one day she will learn the real common names for these species.  For now I am content with the names she is using.  Maybe they are better names anyway.