March 27

Thursday, Remi and I hiked at Forest Hill Nature Area. The early morning weather was cloudy with a temperature of 32 degrees and a mixture of light snow flurries and snow pellets being pushed by a stiff south wind. I stood at the crest of the hill to view the western landscape and recalled this same vista a year ago. Passing Mallard Marsh, I noticed a half-dozen male Redwing Blackbirds spaced out around the frozen pond, perching and singing to establish their nesting territories. Continuing through Bobolink Meadow, I noticed the snow had disappeared from everywhere except the trail. Approaching the entrance to North Woods, I couldn’t help but see a few catkins sprouting from branches of the Silver Maple trees. Hiking west through the woods, the forest floor remained fully snow covered crisscrossed by several deer tracks. Exiting the woods, I glanced at Succession Field, compared to a year ago and turned west where I spotted a fresh deer carcass just off the trail. I followed the trail into South Woods and stopped at the edge of Swanson Swamp to hear a few male Redwings staking out their territories. Exiting the woods, I arrived at Sora Swale which remained ice covered. Heading south, I scared up a herd of 14 deer that ran east out of Sora Swale toward Frog Fen. Turning east on the trail, I glanced south at the neighbor’s field of corn stubble where I counted another dozen deer. Approaching Frog Fen, a dozen geese flew above me in formation. I turned south, passed Brady Cemetery before I turned north and hiked through Native Grassland to the edge of Grebe Pond where a noisy pair of geese were walking on the ice before taking off. Approaching the barn compared to a year ago, I saw a few male Redwings perched on cattails along the pond edge. I passed the barn where a mixed flock of sparrows and cowbirds huddled in the vine-covered tree next to the Observation Deck. Finally, we made it to the car for the trip home.

March makes its final stand

Deep in a cattail marsh

Pond won’t give up its ice

Weather remains harsh

Amid dense, barren trees

Sheltered from a windy chill

Patches of melting snow

Vestiges of winter linger still

From the silence of a forest

A welcomed sound is heard

Hail, harbinger of spring!

Hail, redwing blackbird!

D. DeGraaf