Daily Observations
I took advantage of a relatively uncluttered schedule today and went for a walk. A friend showed me where some pine trees were growing in an unusual setting for around here. We ended up wandering around a little bit between the Cross Trail and Gavan Hill Trail before doing the upper Cross Trail.
Weather: Despite the snow on the ground, today actually felt spring-like. The though it was below freezing last night, sun was up this morning when I went to a meeting and it quickly warmed up. I think the high temperature was in the 40s, but with light winds and the sun reflecting off the snow, it felt pretty warm. In the afternoon some clouds did come in and it started snowing this evening after dark.
Birds: There was a Winter Wren just up from the interesection of Gavan Hill Trail and the Cross Trail. Mostly we heard it’s chirps, but it did break out in song for a few seconds as well. This is the first wren I’ve observed since sometime last Fall.
There were several times we heard Chickadees, Kinglets, or Creepers. We never did see them, so I’m not exactly sure which they were.
Other Notes: I had not realized that there were actually quite a few cedars and pines in the second growth stands along the lower parts of Gavan Hill Trail. There are pines in the middle of the stand, very uncharacteristic for this species that is usually only found in and around the edges of muskegs around here.
We stopped and investigated a couple of different rocky outcrops. There was a pretty amazing diversity of lichens and (mostly) bryophytes. I brought my tripod and stuff for taking macro photos, but forgot my macro lens. I think those will be good places for getting photos of some of the bryophytes.
Daily Observations
Spring Break is now over, and I haven’t been out much the last couple of days, mostly just walking between various buildings on campus.
Weather: Despite the snow still falling, it is seeming more like spring (or so my inner-optimist tells me). The temperatures are warmer during the day, squalls move through with sun shining between them, all these things I associate with spring. The main difference is all the snow still on the ground.
Birds: I saw the first shorebirds I’ve seen since January today. There were several Black Turnstones and Surfbirds out on Sage Rock. They were on the outside of the rock, so I couldn’t get a very good look at them.
The Song Sparrow was practicing a little more vigorously in front of Fraser today, but still he wasn’t belting out the big song. I also heard a Song Sparrow practicing in front of NPH yesterday.
There continues to be a lot of eagles and gulls around. The gulls of especially can be flying in flocks throughout the day. I guess they’re moving from one spot along the shoreline to another, but I’m not sure why.
Other Notes:
I read about something being called the Blogger Bioblitz (see more here). It’s basically a variation on the theme of a Christmas Bird Count. In this case the goal is identifying and counting as many different species of all kinds in an area over a certain time period. The area can be large or small, depending on the what’s being looked at and who is doing the looking. I’m planning to participate and have at least one other person who will as well. We’ll try to get others involved, including students, and any one else who thinks it sounds like fun.
