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March 22, 2004
So, spring has finally sprung. I know that's true, even though it's going back down into the twenties tonight, because I saw my first flower today. Don't ask me what it is, just a little white flower growing out from under a log.
Another sure sign of spring is that the vultures are back in town. I caught sight of a turkey vulture Saturday, but didn't get a close enough look to say for sure. Today I wandered down to Big Bone and there were four or five of them circling around the lake.
Now Saturday, which was officially the first day of spring, actually felt like spring. Today, it was a might chilly, with a high predicted at 39. But it was sunny. I don't care if it doesn't feel like spring, if it's sunny I gotta get out and take some pictures. It doesn't matter that I'm still hacking and wheezing from my cold. Sunlight's supposed to be good for a cold, isn't it?
So I headed up to the lake at Big Bone. I really do mean up to the lake. You go up a big hill to reach it from the parking lot. If you're not hacking and wheezing when you start out, you will be by the time you reach the top.
When I got up to the lake, there were a bunch of little black and white ducks floating on it. They weren't doing anything, just floating. Most were asleep almost the whole time I was there. These were some new ones I'd never seen before. They weren't the liveliest bunch, but I watched them a while anyway, trying to gather enough details to look them up in the book later.
They turned out to be ring necked ducks. The black and white bill is what made the identification for me. According to the book, they're not normally in this area. They normally winter further south and their usual range is up around the Great Lakes and Canada. These guys must be on their way back north. No wonder they were sleeping all day. They just flew into town and, boy, were their wings tired!
The ducks weren't the only critters of interest. There were a couple of mallards and some Canada geese. I kept hearing crows most of the afternoon, but never actually saw them. I got a couple photos of a cardinal and a bluejay to add to my March List, along with the vulture & ring necked duck. I also replaced the old Canada goose picture with the better one I took today. I saw a nuthatch, but couldn't get a picture. Oh, well, I got one Saturday. There were even a couple deer lurking in the woods, watching me and trying to figure out what I was up to. They were pretty sneaky, but I managed to get a picture. Well, a picture of a deer ear, anyway.
The view from the hill
The creek that feeds the lake
Canada Goose
Mallard
Two Mallards
Cardinal
Big noisy bird