Changes Since Last Visit
Since my last visit in late January, the biggest change I noticed was how much the ground had thawed out. We are moving towards mud season in Vermont, so the ice that covered the path in January has entirely melted and left behind a lot of mud that got all over my white Converse! The mud would have been nice if I could see any tracks or signs of amphibians, but alas I did not. The state of the vegetation has remained the same. I have yet to really see any buds begin blooming on the trees or bushes, and the evergreens needles remain ever-so consistent. As you can see in the pictures above, the Eastern White Pine in the background on the right side has not changed at all throughout the months. Another change I noticed was the wildlife activity. It was much noisier and bustling with activity in March than it was back in January. I love seeing the animals come back out for spring. It reminds me that spring is a time of rebirth.
Bird Activity
I loved going outside and forcing myself to pay attention to the sounds of the birds. It also made me realize how much it feels like spring when the birds chirping even though it is so cold. I was on my way back from a run a couple days ago when I saw a little bird fly and land in a tree and I stopped to take a photo because it was the first bird I had really noticed since the vernal equinox. On my way to my phenology spot I saw a really large bird fly up to one of the Red Oaks, perch, and then fly away as I got closer. I think it was a hawk of some sort, but I couldn’t get close enough to tell. However, I was able to snap a photo of it as it flew away. Once I was in the grove of trees I heard lots of different bird calls and saw little birds flying around. I can’t recognize bird calls very well, but I think the one I got a photo of was a Mourning Dove. Their calls are very distinct and I grew up hearing them in my backyard when spring started to roll around. Here are some audio clips of some of the bird calls I heard:
Buds
I did not notice any changes to the buds that were present in my site. The twigs all appeared to be the same, but I could sense that some of them were on the verge of blooming. For example, the common buckthorn twigs in the photo have small buds that are preparing to bloom. As for the trees in my site, I could not see any buds.
Spring has Sprung?
Perhaps I was not dressed in the best clothing to go stand outside for a long period of time, but it was extremely cold. It is hard to believe that it is technically spring currently. I am glad that the wildlife continue to act like it is spring even if it is really cold. Not only did I hear several different bird species I also saw two or three chipmunks running around which means they have emerged from their hibernation. I also got to witness a squirrel dig up an acorn from its stash and eat it which was so cool. It never fails to amaze me how much more I notice when I just take 10 minutes to sit and silently watch nature exist around me.