A Naturalist’s Journal

Had a picnic lunch and took a walk with Marilyn Webb Neagley and two of her women friends today. They came to see Bob’s Museum, so we walked around here–up to the pond, on up to the Thinking Bench, across the wet trail above the pond, and back to the Museum. We saw a TROUT LILY in bloom and what I think was a WIND FLOWER (WOOD ANEMONE), but I need to check my wildflower guide.

Saw the FIRST SHADBUSH in bloom along the back roadsides between here and Williston

7:00 a.m. Heard my first HOUSE WREN OF THE SEASON this morning. Bob saw the FIRST ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK at the Museum feeders today. I saw the flock of WILD TURKEYS along I-89 again this afternoon.

10:15 a.m. Beautiful sunny day: Heard a BROWN CREEPER and CHICKADEE, caught a glimpse of a LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH near my Root Handle, heard the GOSHAWK and a BLUE JAY, heard and saw a BROAD-WINGED HAWK. Noticed FALSE HELLEBORE coming up along the brook. Around the beaver ponds I saw a CROW and a RAVEN and heard a SONG SPARROW, PHOEBE, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, NUTHATCH, GOLDFINCH, and ROBIN. Saw a MOURNING CLOAK BUTTERFLY in the White Pine Meadow. Total of 15 birds for this year’s Audubon’s Birthday
Walk. LATER, on my way to Shelburne: Saw lots of COLTSFOOT IN BLOOM along Sherman Hollow Road and some MARSH MARIGOLD IN BLOOM closer to Shelburne. When I got home I finally noticed a DANDELION in bloom in my own yard. It was under the living room window near the front door growing right up against the foundation.

FIRST TREE SWALLOW OF THE SEASON perched on the wire across from the house. 3:00 p.m. Sunny, clear, and warm: Discovered quite a nice bed of WILD LEEKS right near my side yard, at the beginning of my Dogleg Boundary Trail. Saw a SMALL BAT flying around near chute where I cross the brook when I’m hiking down this way. I recently read  that if you see a bat flying around in broad daylight, it might be sick, but this little bat didn’t look or act sick. Maybe I just startled it since no one except me ever comes down this way. The RATTLESNAKE PLANTAIN leaves are looking good. Maybe I’ll see a flower bloom this year? We’ll see. Saw two big RED TRILLIUMS with fat buds almost ready to open. The red petals are already visible. Also saw two lonely WHITE HEPATICAS in bloom.
As I wander here in the early spring woods, I realize that the Earth knows what it’s doing and would do just fine without us. But I’m here too and want to feel welcome as I wander along quietly, wondering and jotting down my eternal notes on it all. I think wandering and wondering are definitely approved activities for human beings, and I just discovered a new sitting rock right here, which confirms that I am welcome in this place where I have paused to think these thoughts. So this rock, which I’m sitting on right now, will henceforth be my Welcome Rock–to go along with my Hanging Around Tree and Root Handle along this same trail. 4:05 p.m.: I’ve just arrived at the Nature Center’s chute and can hear PEEPERS peeping loudly from the lower beaver ponds. As I reached the top of the big rock at the Observation Pool, I encountered a beautiful metallic green beetle. Henry’s cows are lying down in the late afternoon sun. Saw a MALE WOOD DUCK on the beaver pond just above the bridge to the Heaths’ back meadow. The BEAVERS managed to cut down a sizable ASPEN that was growing on the steep bank of the back sugarbush. The work looks recent. A KINGFISHER flew over just as I was approaching the main crossover from the back to the front sugarbush. Spotted a PHOEBE on the far side of the crossover–TWO OF THEM. There’s a CANADA GOOSE in the water near the beaver lodge. I just heard a YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER–FIRST OF THE SEASON. DUCKWEED is just starting in the Hemlock Swamp, and MARSH MARIGOLD LEAVES are coming up. Heard TREE SWALLOWS twittering overhead as I approached the far side of the swamp.

Saw a FLOCK OF TURKEYS along I-89 again. They were in approximately the same place, but the flock seemed smaller today.

Saw a FLOCK OF WILD TURKEYS right beside I-89 between South Burlington and Williston–not far from where the cars come onto the I-89 from I-189. It was a sizable flock.

Saw TWO FOXES just below the Nature Center. My first thought was they were pups, but I need to check my field guide to see when fox pups come out of their dens. I’m remembering that the dead pup Cindy found right about where I saw these two was hit by a car around the 4th of July. One of the foxes I saw was dashing off the road to the left, the other to the right. I’ll bet they were doing something–playing? sunning themselves?–right on the road before my car came rumbling down the hill in front of the Nature Center.

11:30 a.m. 47 degrees and sunny: Decided to hike up to Bob’s pond. When I got there I flushed 1 WOOD DUCK, but 4 others stayed. Then that foursome flew up, and I saw 2 more standing still way down at the far end of the pond, where Bob scatters corn in the shallow water. So there was a total of 7 (maybe 8?) WOOD DUCKS hanging around the pond at midday. When I walked on up into the woods, I saw SPRING BEAUTIES FLOWERING along the main logging road. I first noticed them where my own wild LEEKS are coming up. Heard and saw a FUSSY FEMALE HAIRY WOODPECKER. Also saw a BROWN CREEPER creeping up a tree. It flew off, and a little later I heard a BROWN CREEPER SONG. Heard and saw a WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH. It was calling in a “yank-yank, yank-yank,” two-note pattern, but then it flew off and I could hear it calling in a longer 5 or 6 note pattern. A BEECH TREE has fallen down over my Leaning Rock, which makes it kind of a messy hideout. With a little clearing out of small branches and twigs, I think I’ll still be able to enjoy leaning here and listening to the woodland sounds, one of which right this minute is the lovely sound of dead beech leaves rustling in the breeze. Spotted a YELLOW VIOLET IN BLOOM and TRILLIUM LEAVES WITH SMALL BUDS getting ready to open.

10:15 a.m. Cold, gray, overcast day. I heard a SAPSUCKER drumming on the metal chimney cap, first on my house, then on the Museum. I can hear WOOD FROGS “quacking” from the pond behind the Museum. I think I saw a PINE SISKIN just as I was starting down the Brook and Garden Path to sneak down to my bridge. Are they still here in mid-April? Saw a GRAY SQUIRREL in the woods behind my Retreat. Heard a BROWN CREEPER in the woods near the far end of my Retreat.
Ran into the GOSHAWK over by my old cabin in the woods! It scared the heck out of me by flying low and right straight at me, kek-kek-keking loudly as it flew. It drove me away for sure. I ran out of the clearing and up into the woods on the steep slope that leads up to the back boundary. It’s still harassing me as I’m taking a little breather before I dash up to the top of the ridge. It really doesn’t want me anywhere near my old cabin. Not far from the steep part of the trail near the first plateau, I found some TRAILING ARBUTUS IN BLOOM–pink ones. Found some others close by that are still in bud. I can’t seem to smell the sweet and delicious scent I associate with the FIRST TRAILING ARBUTUS FLOWERS OF THE SEASON. Heard a noisy flock of birds that I thought might be EVENING GROSBEAKS. Finally saw one, and it was indeed a grosbeak. Also saw a tail-twitching PHOEBE while I was scanning the trees. As I was wandering around looking for birds, I chanced upon a big healthy bed of WHITE ARBUTUS and finally got a whiff of my favorite scent of spring. Heard a PILEATED WOODPECKER somewhere close by but couldn’t see it. Heard a BUMBLEBEE flying around but never saw it either.

12:10 p.m. I’m sitting on Poet’s Rock, where I can hear a BARRED OWL calling from the far hillside. A few minutes later, a BARRED OWL started calling from just below where I’m sitting. I wonder if it was the same one that maybe flew across? Or was it a different one calling back? Ah the mysteries that continue to fascinate me. Found  more WHITE ARBUTUS blooming along the trail above Poet’s Rock. On my way up to the Moultroups’ LEEKS, I spotted some RUFFED GROUSE FEATHERS strewn around on the logging road. There were enough of them that I figure something killed it and maybe ate it here? There were more feathers here and there up the road. Was a predator maybe dragging it up the road?

12:50 p.m. Finally got to the LEEK BED. SPRING BEAUTIES are in bud but not blooming yet. LEEKS are about as tall as my pen. I picked some for supper. Heard a BROWN CREEPER close by while I was picking.

1:35 p.m. It started raining, and I headed downhill toward home. DUTCHMAN’S BREECHES just starting to flower near the big Wildflower Rock just above the top of Lawrence Lane. I noticed a few HEPATICAS starting too.