April 1

Tuesday was a good day at Forest Hill for a hike with my dog, Remi. The early morning weather was cloudy with a temperature of 45 degrees and a steady wind out of the southeast. At the crest of the hill, I gazed at the western landscape that was devoid of snow after a recent thawing period. I descended the hill and paused at Mallard Marsh to hear several male Redwings announcing their presence. Passing through Bobolink Meadow, I approached the entrance to North Woods where I saw and heard my first Killdeer of the season flying high overhead from north to south. I turned south and headed toward Willow Wallow where I was pleased to see my first Song Sparrow of the season perched high in a tree singing its melodious song. At the pond, I turned west and entered Succession Field where much of the trail displayed a labyrinth of mouse tunnels that had been previously hidden by the snow cover. Following the trail along the edge of North Woods, I stopped to view the deer carcass that I discovered last week and noticed most of it had been eaten by scavengers. Continuing along the edge of South Woods, the trail remained covered with snow and ice. I arrived at Artist Overlook where I spotted a nesting pair of geese on Sora Swale anxiously waiting for the ice to melt. Continuing on South Trail, I noticed on the snow, the unique, cylinder-shaped scat of a Raccoon. Proceeding toward Frog Fen, I turned around to view a welcomed, patch of blue sky to the west. I turned north at Frog Fen toward Reflection Hill where I spotted another harbinger of spring, a Burrowing Crayfish crawling slowly across the trail. At the top of the hill, I counted three nesting pair of geese walking on the ice of Grebe Pond while a pair of Mallards took off from a small pool of open water on the northwest corner. I descended the hill and continued toward the Classroom Building where I noticed my first Grackles of the season, a half dozen or so as they flew among the Aspen trees next to the pond. Finally, we got back to the car for our trip home.

Seasons are changing

Some ice is still there

Ground is still hard

Fresh is the morning air

Morning sun peaks thru

Mostly silence around

Nature begins to wake

With a special sound

I welcome your tune

From a leafless tree

Song Sparrow of spring

You’re singing for me

D. DeGraaf