Nature Journal
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| Friday, March 19, 2004 | ||
 In
New England, the bald eagles are now migrating from coastal waters
back to their breeding habitat near inland lakes and rivers.In the spring, they wait until the ice starts to break up on inland waters before beginning their movement. |
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Since fish are a major part of the eagle's diet, some ice-free areas of water must be available in order for them to obtain food. |
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| Tuesday, March 16, 2004 | ||
| Haven't
seen or heard one yet myself, but the American
woodcock has been spotted in some locations in New England. Also, flocks of geese have been seen flying north. No sign of them in my immediate area though. I probably won't see them for a while now, since it's gotten colder today and it's snowing at the moment! |
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| Saturday, March 13, 2004 | ||
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 It
was windy in the woods today.I'd hear the roar of a gust of wind coming from a distance. And, before long, I'd feel it blowing past me. A pair of white pines made a squeaking sound as their branches rubbed together. In each spot I sat in the woods, the wind had a distinct song. Where there were mainly hemlocks, the sound was very different from what I heard in areas containing mostly deciduous trees. And in areas of mixed evergreens and hardwoods, the wind made yet another type of sound. |
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| Wednesday, March 10, 2004 | ||
| Have
been seeing the wild turkeys again.
A group of ten of them were feeding out behind the house the other
day. The deer are also out and about, now that a lot of the snow is
gone. The goldfinches are back at my feeder after a long absence. They're starting to sing their spring song. The red-winged blackbirds are returning from the south. They've been seen as far north as northern Vermont. |
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| Sunday, March 7, 2004 | ||
 I
found this ice formation in the woods yesterday. There were quite
a few similar ones. When water seeps over and through rocks, it forms
these curtains of ice.When water seeps into a crack in a rock and freezes, the ice expands and forces the crack to become larger. This allows more water to enter the crack, and this water then freezes and expands. The |
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 process
continues over the years until therock eventually splits apart. |
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| Thursday, March 4, 2004 | ||
| I've
been seeing a flock of crows near
the house just about every day recently - sometimes twice a day. They
fly in and gather in a couple of trees. After a period of cawing and
moving from branch to branch, they fly off. This morning, I heard a bird song that I haven't heard for a long time. The bird sang its song just a couple of times and then it was gone. Though I recognized the song, I don't remember what the bird is. It's likely a newly-arrived migrant, but I'll have to wait to hear it again to know for sure. |
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| Monday, March 1, 2004 | ||
 I
heard the call of the pileated
woodpecker this morning. Heard it a couple of times last week,
also. With the warmer weather we've had the last few days, all of
the birds have been singing more - especially the tufted titmouse.Yesterday I saw many, many deer beds in the woods - more than usual. Other years I had seen some in that area (which has |
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| quite
a few hemlock trees), but not nearly as many as this year. Perhaps
they're moving out of the deer yarding areas early, due to the warmer weather and melting snow. |
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