An Amazing Spring(?)Bird Walk!

A 35-degree morning with wind and clouds wouldn’t be the conditions that I would have chosen for our Annual Spring Bird Walk.  Under such conditions, surely both people and birds would choose to stay hunkered down in their warm “nests” rather than expose their bodies to this winter-like wear and tear!  If only we had moved the walk up a week or two to take advantage of the unseasonably warm weather, or perhaps moved it back a week or two in hopes that May would bring more dependable warmth.  That’s what I was thinking on Saturday night.

One of our little Chickadees

Then came Sunday morning, which was made of the stuff of a Christmas Bird Count.  Even the Juncos seemed confused as to their destination.  North?  South?  But then something magical happened.  The people started to filter in, hot coffee in the hands of most.  First, our friends from My Little Chickadee Birding Store (www.mylittlechickadeellc.com) with beautiful Suet & Seed Gift Bags for everyone.  Within minutes, every last registered participant showed up, in spite of the weather.  Our leader from the Valley Forge Audubon Society, Vince Smith, arrived with scope in tow, looking as enthusiastic as ever to potentially catch a glimpse of a spring migrant, or even a Blue Jay, as Vince seems in awe over every bird, showing equal respect to each and every species.

You lookin' at me??

After an interesting and informative introduction by Vince, the group finally made it off of the driveway and onto the woodland trail, where even the slightest protection from the cold wind made a substantial difference to our shivering bodies.  As Vince pointed out, the early Warbler migrants have been relatively quiet so far this season, despite the earlier warm spell.  So we proceeded, not expecting too much.

In the end, the bird count was nothing to scoff at, although not quite as high as last year.  Here it is:

Vince and our grandson, Eric, comparing notes

• American Crow
• American Robin
• Chipping Sparrow
• Blue Jay
• Northern Flicker
• Eastern Bluebird
• Dark-eyed Junco
• Northern Cardinal
• Red-Bellied Woodpecker
• Red-Tailed Hawk
• Tufted Titmouse
• Turkey Vulture
• Downy Woodpecker
• White-Breasted Nuthatch
• Carolina Chickadee
• American Goldfinch
• Canada Goose
• Yellow-Rumped Warbler (yeah!)
• Eastern Towhee
• Cooper’s Hawk
• White-throated Sparrow
• Palm Warbler (LIFER!!)
• Song Sparrow
• Common Grackle
• Mourning Dove

The total for the walk:  25.  Truly not bad considering the conditions.  Also, the Palm Warbler was a first for many in the group, so that made any physical discomfort well worthwhile!  Come to think of it, though not wanting to sell short the Palm Warbler, the people who participated were the real bonus of the event.  Not only were there a bunch of  special people we already knew, but there were also quite a few new friends who came into our lives for the very first time yesterday.  I’m finding out very quickly through our work with Beaufort’s Run that the individuals who appreciate the beauty of their natural surroundings and place a high priority on getting out there in those surroundings are all incredibly kind, caring people!  What wonderful conversations we all had over hot … well, warm …. coffee and muffins after the walk.  It really made my day and made it apparent that this will be one of many such gatherings at Beaufort’s Run.  Not only was it a successful bird walk, it was also food for my soul. [tweetmeme source=”beaufortsrun” only_single=false]

 

Preparing for the Spring Bird Walk

Yesterday was spent cleaning up all of the sticks and debris that resulted from our snowy, sometimes windy, winter.  I want to make sure the place looks as nice as possible for our 2nd Annual Spring Bird Walk in a few weeks.  It’s exciting to think that the daffodils may still be in bloom for the event.   Last year’s walk was early in May, a bit too late for the daffodils and too early for some of the other plantings.

Mr. White-throated from the 2009 Spring Bird Walk

Not only that, but the 2009 Spring Bird Walk was marked by very chilly, rainy weather!  Ugh!  Well, not really “ugh” – we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves despite the conditions plus the birds were actually out in droves!  Our guide, Vince Smith of Valley Forge Audubon, tallied just over 30 species on that nasty weather day!  So, needless to say, we are very excited to find out what’s out there this year.  We’re hoping that the weather cooperates, but even if it doesn’t, we’ll bring our umbrellas and, at the very least, have a nice wet walk with incredible people!

Now for the cool things that I saw during my cleanup!  So far we have some Spring Beauties, Bloodroot and daffodils popping up throughout the woods.

Some of the first daffodils of 2010

Blood Root! A welcome woodland flower!

The cleanup is far from over, but if I continue to find these beautiful little treasures while “working,” I really can’t consider it “work”, can I??!  I’ll be posting more about the upcoming bird walk, so stay tuned.  If, in the meantime, you’d like more information on that event, please visit our website http://www.beaufortsrun.com.

Welcome Back, Spring!

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Just Get Out!

Can somebody tell me where the kids are? Okay, it may be cold. It may be snowy. But where are the kids?? When we were young, didn’t we go outside in the winter and play in the snow? This all started running through my mind yesterday. I was outside for a bit, and all I could hear was the sound of …. silence. No laughter. No yells. Just silence. It struck me as odd because, after all, it was a school holiday, so the kids were all at home. Also, the sun was out and the temperature was rather mild, at least compared to some of our previous February days.

Get out and make a snow face!

One of our favorite books is Rich Louv’s “Last Child in the Woods.” I was already aware of “nature deficit disorder” prior to reading this book, although, in my mind I had never termed it as such. We highly recommend this book, as it puts our kids’ lack of outdoor time into perspective. Whether directly or indirectly, minimizing quality time at play amidst nature has a negative effect on our society. So many of the health issues of our time, both mental and physical, are caused by stress and lack of physical activity. This needs to change. Could the problem be that in an attempt to protect nature we are forgetting that we, too, are a part of it? How will our children learn to appreciate their earth if they are too scared, or too busy, to explore it?

Get out and Geocache!

We are looking forward to playing an important role in the movement to get kids outdoors and away from their tv’s, video games, etc.  Come this Spring, we intend to lead a 4H Club named “Just Get Out” for home-schooled kids in our community. Here they will develop a relationship with the trees and the soil. They will learn the role of the birds and all of the other “critters” in the circle of life.

We will teach them that we are not separate from, but one with, our surroundings.

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