May 1

It’s around noon as I watch the Salt Creek water flow under Blanchard Rd. near the village of Shepherd. This water course (stock photo) that I plan to explore, from beginning to end, over the next several weeks, starts as a drainage ditch, 6 miles west of here, curves south to north where I stand and then meanders northeast for 17 miles as it finally flows into the Chippewa River. It’s partly sunny with temperatures in the low 40’s as I hike north, trying in vain to video record a fast-moving swallow as it swoops near the water. Fortunately, it perches on the far bank where I see it’s a Rough-winged swallow. Unlike most swallows, these birds are not very social and do not nest in colonies. They are named for the ridges of hooked barbs found along the outer edges of their wings, though these serrations are smaller and less barbed on female birds (stock photo). These swallows feed almost exclusively on flying insects, intercepting them with a low, gliding flight over water or open ground. In the fall, most populations migrate to Central and South America, though warm areas such as the Texas Gulf Coast and southern Florida host populations year-round. Moving along the lush bank, I notice a patch of Dead Nettle. The name “dead nettle” is a little misleading since it comes from its apparent resemblance to stinging nettle, minus the sting.  However, there doesn’t seem to be any resemblance at all. Continuing north, I catch a glimpse of a male House Finch and blossoms of a garden flower, called Grape Hyacinth that most likely escaped from a neighbor’s yard. After pausing on a high bank to hear a male Redwing Blackbird followed by a Common Crow, I enter a woodland where I spot a female Redwing Blackbird. On the muddy ground, I notice a few Woodland Violets and some fresh deer tracks, while overhead, I observe male flowers of a Box Elder tree swaying in the breeze. Up ahead, I come to some wetlands where the Blue Jays welcome me and the pond scum (blue-green algae) is blooming. Crossing over to the other side of the creek, I pause to look at and listen to the flowing water as it heads northeast. Also, I’m surprised to see a fresh beaver stump. Heading back toward the car, I spot the branch of a Multiflora rose shrub displaying reddish, disfigured leaves due to Rose rosette disease (RRD). The disease is caused by a virus transmitted by feeding of microscopic mites. Defoliation and dieback are common and susceptible plants may die in two to four seasons.  

 

Fresh tracks

On the trail below

Hard to tell

I think it’s a doe

In the meadow afar

A pace to her walk

Ears perk up

From the one I stalk

She stops and stares

Through a morning haze

Whitetail of spring

I admire your ways

 

D. DeGraaf