Muriel’s First Signs of Spring – 3rd Evening Walk – April 18, 2017
As we arrived at the quarry a Turkey Vulture did some fancy maneuvering and nearly met us head-on. have his mind on something else, I hope. Probably a frustrated hunter, after a bad day.
A quarry may not seem like an interesting destination….but the trail beside the quarry can produce many interesting things..
The garden of plants and shrubs and flowers that Nancy and Joan Rosebush and her troop of volunteers planted several years ago
is not yet displaying its summer growth, but soon we need to search.
There were some brief calls off to the the east that sounded like Sandhill Cranes . Nothing in sight though.
A Canada goose has taken over a very tiny island on the quarry property and appears to be settling in.
The tall pond grass is beautiful right now and echoed the Spring Peeper calls as we returned along the trail.
All evening there was a medley of music from the robins and the Red–winged Blackbirds and the Song Sparrows.
It was one of those evening where the sounds were subtle and could easily be missed…. The Hairy Woodpecker, the Wilson’s Snipe,
the American Woodcock, a Leopard Frog, Meadow larks and and Chorus frogs.
Sharp eyes saw some activity along a ditch which produced a Kingbird and a Tree sparrow and best of all
——– A Palm Warbler ……….
A first warbler this spring for most of us.
A small hawk ( unidentified) seemed to be having a late supper out in the field,
and then two Great Blue Herons flew over , probably heading home after a long day fishing.
I’ll bet they are happy to see all that open water.
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After spending the winter with us, this American Tree Sparrow |
This Palm Warbler is passing through, from its wintering grounds in ? Cuba to nest on the Northern Shield or the Hudson Bay. |
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| Photos by Heather Ewing, Donald Macdonald, and Howard Black | |||
