Odds and ends of spring

Nell's Hill, April 28, 2013

In addition to the redbuds, assorted other spring activities are taking place around the cabin. Wild turkeys are more common than deer at the moment. I hear the toms gobbling every morning, and hardly a day goes by that I don’t see turkeys parading in some field or another. Turkeys fly across the road in front of me, and people who’ve never seen a wild turkey before are seeing them this week.


Several summer residents have appeared as well. I’ve heard the first eastern towhees of the season and seen the first brown thrasher. A few warblers are trickling through, but never yet when I’ve had binoculars in hand.

My photo today shows the fuzzy trees of spring. Fuzzy is how I think of them as they are starting to leaf out. The photo was taken on Sunday, as it’s been raining, foggy and overcast since then. I’m not complaining about that. April hasn’t brought many showers this year, and the year’s precipitation is already running more than two inches in arrears. The drizzle of the past two days won’t erase that, but at least it’s helping a little bit.

Rue anemone must be at its peak of blooming right now. The forest floor is covered with the tiny white flowers around my cabin. It’s a very good year for them, at least if the numbers I’m seeing are any indication.

I’m still waiting for the local geese to hatch their clutches of goslings. So far I haven’t seen any of those, and the females are still hugging their nests. The female blue jay is also on her ratty nest of twigs and sticks full-time. She hasn’t been on the nest for more than a week yet, so she’s barely halfway through incubating her eggs. I am guessing that they will be due to hatch about May 9 or 10. The goslings should be out before that, likely within the next week.