This weekend, I had the opportunity to visit my phenology spot once again (or more like 2.5 weeks ago, as I am very much not writing soon after the 16th of April). The Intervale was becoming much more green, with so many plants just starting to sprout out of the ground, and it made me so excited for spring and summer. It also seemed to be prime time for boxelder buds – they looked so cool!
I was also thrilled to be able to spend some time identifying several birds. The birds that I successfully identified are as follows: pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus), tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor), American goldfinch (Spinus tristis), black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus), song sparrow (Melospiza melodia), red-bellied woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus), and northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). I also spotted an eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), and eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus), although I was regrettably unable to get photos of them. But, I was able to catch a photo of what I think is a mourning cloak butterfly (Nymphalis antiopa).
Additionally, the conditions at the Intervale were perfect for some mud tracking! While the dog tracks tend to obscure the large majority of tracks at my phenology spot, I was able to spot just a few tracks that I believe are from a common raccoon (Procyon lotor)! Unfortunately, in my excitement I forgot to add something to show the scale of the tracks…oops.
