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Chipmunks
These little guys are so fearful of being seen. If only they could be quieter, they’d have better success. But first it’s the chipping out of vocal warnings from their roosts, and then it’s the frantic scrabble of little claws on bark that gives them away.
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Protective mother
This leucistic redtail has been sitting on her nest for some weeks, and now she appears to be feeding young.
Instead of being nestled down into the nest, we see her sitting more erect, as she is in this picture. Often she’s on the edge of the nest, peering down, probably giving tiny bites to tiny beaks.
It’s interesting to see the fresh greens she has apparently added to the nest. I know Big Red did the same thing in the Cornell hawk nest we observed a few years ago too, though I’m not sure what the purpose is.
It’s been awhile since I’ve seen the male, so I hope he’s all right. At this stage, there’s plenty for both parents to do.
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Spring flowers
Gaywing 
Trillium 
Rue Anemone 
Violet 
Coltsfoot 
Trout Lily -
Mrs. Junco
The light was poor, but I couldn’t help trying to get a photo of this junco nesting in the artificial wreath at church. She must handle stress well, as her home is right at the main entrance…
and she is perpetually watched by a fake bird almost exactly her size.
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White hawk nesting
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Salamander Season
We discovered yesterday that we’d completely missed a chapter of spring. It seems early, but there were lots of signs of the season advancing, including salamanders cruising about among the dead leaves in one of our favorite pools.
Eggs had already hatched into plump tadpoles.
Some frogs were floating about. This one’s trying to remain incognito, and she almost succeeded in getting stepped on.
There were various signatures of creatures who were out and about and carving their names on trees.
The wind had left its mark too. This tree had been split in two and turned into a drinking trough.
And this was one of many that had been plucked up by the roots.
We saw some kinglets, and a few geese squabbling endlessly over their own patch of pond. We also saw a new beaver lodge, and lots of signs of the beaver’s activity on trees along the bank:
It was sunny and mild, and the green was just starting to show in the landscape.
On the whole it was a thoroughly enjoyable walk! Even though our winter has been unusually mild, the sight of new growth always marks a welcome change.
A friend tells me this flower is called coltsfoot. It’s one of the earliest spots of color to be seen in the mud along the roadsides. -
Ghost Story
We’ve been keeping an eye out for the leucistic redtail in our neck of the woods. Our sightings are fleeting, but we’ve accumulated enough of them to construct a narrative at this point.
Usually the hawk is far away, and she has a knack for choosing unphotographable areas. We call her Marley, after the ghost in A Christmas Carol, because of her whiteness. We think of her as female because she is larger than the more typically colored redtail we see her with.
See what I mean about unphotographable areas? Cropped in, though, you can see that this is a pair of hawks.
Lately, we’ve been seeing Marley near, and sometimes perched on, a nest.
So it looks like her story goes something like this so far: Marley has paired up with a male, and she is getting ready for nesting season. We’re not positive yet that she’s actively using it, but if so this is by far the most unusual nest we know of. We look forward to observing whatever we’re able to see over the next few months without scaring her away from her maternal duties.
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Watkins Glen
Though it was absolutely mobbed with people, its spectacular falls, heights, depths, darknesses, brightnesses, grays and colors were on display. It was great that so many people were out appreciating the wonders of a state park on a holiday weekend. I heard wonder expressed in many languages, by people of all ages. It was well worth the trip on a prime fall weekend.
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Roadside Splendor
We are at, or just past, the peak for fall color here. I’ve been struck lately, driving from here to there, how amazing this country is. One doesn’t have to pay to see its beauty, or travel far, or even get out of the car to see it.
We are blessed.
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Countryside
