Living in the forest in late March and early April is a quiet time and one that I enjoy and look forward to every year. For a few weeks, if I am lucky, there is this lull that seems to take hold, if only briefly.Winter is over, the big parka put away for another year. Being outside is easier again. The snow cover is gone, and even though I only had a few inches of it this year, a few inches is all that’s needed to make foot travel a bit complicated.
Spring is not yet here. At least, the full blown part of spring isn’t here yet. The majority of the migrating birds have not yet arrived. New growth hasn’t started yet. In fact, the nights are still fairly deep into the 20’s, though the days tend more and more towards 50F.
In the mornings, I hear a few robins sing, but the loud dawn "Hallelujah" chorus with many species is still weeks away. In this particular spring, rain hasn’t yet added its notes to the quiet around me. The winds of winter that made even a normal winter temperature feel frigid have calmed.
This morning the forest is still, the birds quiet. It’s like the forest is at that point between the inhale and the exhale of breath. Even the crows are quiet. They are not still, and move from perch to ground and back again. Watchful and alert but waiting, perhaps, for something else to make the first sound.
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4 comments:
Quiet crows…sounds almost like a paradox, except that every so often the come slipping in here too, along the river, silent as shadows. Crows can be sneaky when they want, and more than any other bird I know, hen they're so uncharacteristically quiet, they actually appear furtive, up to no good, or at least waiting and looking around for something…
I guess I didn't realize how much colder you are up there on Roundtop. Nights here have been in the 40s; yesterday low-70s—though today it is raining and not supposed to exceed the mid-50s. Still, spring is creeping northward.
Griz: crows can be furtive and sneaky. And as smart as they are, I do think they are doing it on purpose, which does lead you to think they're up to no good, like a quiet toddler. You just know that's trouble.
Some of your winter temperatures were colder than mine, so I think our two areas are simply different and not always comparable.
Carolyn H.
Hi Carolyn, I just found your blog on my own blog's followers list. So happy to make your acquaintance! It will be fun to compare the progress of Spring as it arrives in our different locations-- you on a mountaintop in Pennsylvania, I in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, much to the north. Even up here, it's well on the way. By the way, how did you come to find me? It's amazing to me how we connect with nature lovers all over the country.
Woodswalker: i'm not sure how I found your blog--possibly through the Nature Blog Network, which is a fun place to wander through when I have a little time. I love the Adirondacks, though I can't get there nearly as often as I like, so I likely picked up on that when I was trolling for more good nature blogs.
Carolyn H.
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