Sunday, March 25, 2012

Tracking Spring 2012

February 23 - Red Winged Blackbirds return
March 1- Peepers (pond frogs)
March 2 - Robin and Swans
March 6 - Killdeer
March 8- 13 deer (although they are a year round presence, this is the largest I've seen the herd)

Every spring I play a game of tracking and journaling the wildlife that return in the order and preferably with the exact date I witness them.  I adore wildlife and treasure the wet springs if only for the new and rare species I've seen.  Although 2009 was truly a flooded mess; with our barn and most of our land a lake around our house and the ducks and geese swam along our driveway and fish swam in the back yard, it was the year I saw a Belted Kingfisher female diving for fish in my backyard.  It was also the year that I saw Hooded Mergansers and a pair of Teall Ducks for the first time!  It was also the spring that granted me the gift of watching a bald eagle survey our land and ponds for dinner.

I keep an adorable little nature journal handy to track the dates and species spotted and pass a few moments sketching some of them. 


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