Moving in to March there are a variety of new things to spot around the Burlington and lower Winooski Watershed. A prime example, driving the phenologic changes, we see now is the fact that it is 4:30 pm and there is still ample sun coming in from the sky to warm the ground and put the green back in the Green Mountain State.
An early riser this flower has already poked through the surface getting ready for spring. This is one of the first truly green things that I’ve seen this early spring.
One change that I have noticed over the past week especially on the warmer days are the number of birds that are out and about. Consistently it seems that they are more active. Which in my mind could be a result of several reasons. More birds could have moved back in to the area with the increasing daily temperatures. Or that the winter residents no longer need to conserve as much energy as possible to make it through the cold winter nights. Also, it could be the start of the mating season for some birds making them more apt to show a presence.
Under a similar but different note. Compared to the fall and late summer where so many leaves still hang in the trees it is far easier to spot the birds nests that dot the upper branches of trees. A couple of examples below.
I am not sure what type of scat this is but I found it while walking around a park. There is a high likely hood that it is a dog.
To finish it off there were a number of trees that have begun to sport buds out on the tips of their branches.
