Views
- A chipping sparrow greeted me at the trail head behind Gifford House.
- Blossoming trees were to be found throughout the woods.
- Even a gray spring day feels warmer with the promise of a maple's red glow.
- I can't believe that the Old Gravel Pit is Still flooded.
- A woodpecker's been at work here, but I'm not sure which one...
- As I came out to the road to the Fern Glen, daffodils and flowering trees stood in the falling mist.
- Amongst the daffodils were pussytoes, one tenented by a beedy eyed ant.
- Shadbush blossoms are actually pink before opening to white.
- Red trillium is definately red.
- Good thing I checked as I went to brace myself for that photo: a millipede of order Polydesmida was just poking out from under the leaves.
- Down at the pond, a resident painted turtle was poking its head up seemingly to say, "Got milk?".
- It took a few flips through the field guide to refresh my memory of miterwort.
- And as I went to brace myself for that photo, I had to avoid another creature: a caddis fly - I think.
- Brown creepers trilled as I traveled the Cary Pines Trail towards the "Appendix".
- Ferns were erupting through the gravel banks.
- What's that on the next pile? A wallet!
- As I stood there studying it with binoculars, a pair of wood ducks hiding under the banks below my feet could bear the tension no more and made a break for it.
- Two Louisanna water thrush were unperturbed farther off toward the center of the stream; a black & white warbler landed right in front of me unconcernedly; and a yellow-throated vireo passed high above, probably oblivious to me. A nice stop at the Appendix, indeed.
- I continued across the foot bridge, noting the soft but passable footing, and made my way along the Wappingers Creek Trail.
- Even the dull eye cannot help but notice some of the spring flowers such as: round-leafed yellow violets, toothwort, rue anemone, and dog violet.
- The trail through the Old Pasture is always too short.
- In the middle of the Sedge Meadow Trail was a recently vacated, pure white egg shell.
- Finally, something new at the Old Oak: garlic mustard, the invasive alien... Oh well, it's still something new.
- And that's why I like Spring.
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Birds
- 2 Wood Duck
- 1 Mourning Dove
- 2 Eastern Phoebe
- 1 Yellow-throated Vireo
- 1 Blue Jay
- 3 American Crow
- 5 Black-capped Chickadee
- 3 Tufted Titmouse
- 1 White-breasted Nuthatch
- 2 Brown Creeper
- 1 Carolina Wren
- 19 American Robin
- 1 Pine Warbler
- 5 Black-and-white Warbler
- 2 Louisiana Waterthrush
- 2 Eastern Towhee
- 4 Chipping Sparrow
- 6 Field Sparrow
- 3 Northern Cardinal
- 1 Red-winged Blackbird
- 14 Brown-headed Cowbird
- 2 House Finch
- 3 American Goldfinch
- 1 House Sparrow
Plants
- Dog violet
- Miterwort
- Pussy toes
- Red trillium
- Round-leaved yellow violet
- Rue anemone
- Shad bush
- Toothwort
Insects
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