My Favorite, For Now

Fauna discussion disclaimer: I am not a naturalist and have no expertise in ornithology. I look at birds a lot, though. 

The big birds are on the river: eagles, red-tailed hawks, great horned owls, barred owls, vultures, geese, herons, ducks (a big bird? idk). These are year round. Of the big birds, osprey and great egrets show up in early spring. 

Everybody loves an eagle sighting, but I guess the osprey is my favorite. At least my favorite at this very moment, but you know how that goes. 

While it may seem that I am about to go into a list of birds I have seen (or heard - thanks, Merlin!), let’s skip that part and just say that there seems to be more and more bird activity as we get into March. Yes, it’s warmer and the days are getting longer so I guess one would expect an increase, but it could also seem like there is more bird action because of the bird desert that was this January (so cold!) and most of the winter. 

Writing about the return of the birds has me thinking about the eastern wood pewee and its hail-like call. 

That’s my favorite now.

Those aren't birds.

Tree-Bud Explosion

There were a few days in the 50’s last week and everyone around here was beyond themselves thinking that the cold may be over. OK, so it’s not International Falls or anything, but this winter has seemed a bit harsher than that in recent years. Spring is on the mind.

But, we’re back in the windy 30’s - a reminder that we have some time to go before we can get the Chaco’s out. 

However… the snowdrops and crocuses are hitting the scene and there are hints of emerging greenness here and there. Part of this movement is the tree-bud explosion. It hasn’t happened yet, but one of these days I’ll go out and the trees will suddenly have volume in their canopies. 

At the moment, the trees are bare, though there is evidence that the buds are on, but they just haven’t opened. But they will. In what is seemingly an overnight process, the trees along the Conestoga will fill the lattice that has been empty throughout the winter and the forest will have volume. 

And we’ll be that much closer.

Explosion in the sky - not the trees... yet.

FOMO

Last month it felt like I went out nearly every night of the full moon week. This month, I made it out once with the moon. High moon early in the evening at 97% on February 10. 

It was pretty sweet, but… the blue-ribbon moon night was Wednesday, February 12 - the full moon. It was huge and when I saw that thing up there, I wanted to go. Alas, I watched the moon float above Lancaster City as I went out for something to eat. 

Strange to think that with the number of times that I go out that I would have feelings of FOMO from time to time. What’s happening out there? Maybe something crazy! Yes, of course, there is something crazy happening out there, there always is, but I know that I’ll get out there tomorrow or the next day or tomorrow and the next day.

Something's happening out there!