Peter Peter Peter

This morning, it was the titmouse's turn.

I listened to some other recordings on Youtube and the Cornell site--it's interesting to hear differences in the speed and pitch of songs of individual birds!

Okra time

A slight departure today: pictures of the okra-planting process.

Christina River

A few things I learned at DEEC today while walking around with a class from Easter Seals:

1.) One barn swallow can eat ten thousand mosquitoes in a day.

2.) Bachelor beavers often live in burrows rather than dams. They cut down whole trees and drag them to the bottom of the river--the "cooler" keeps the trees greener longer, so the beavers can eat them all winter.

3.) Binoculars are fun.

The river

Buds

Whatever this is (or was), poor thing (meadow vole?)

Angry hawk

A hawk has been making a fuss in the trees behind my apartment all afternoon. The call starts at about 40 seconds into the one-minute recording.

Weather note

This is the back of my car in the Middletown Starbucks parking lot, 1:50 PM, March 26. Springsicles!

DEEC Walk

Today we walked around the Dupont Environmental Education Center marshes. In addition to the things pictured, we saw Northern Pintail ducks, Mallards, Green-winged teals, Canada geese, a Marsh Harrier, American robins, a Northern Cardinal, a Song Sparrow, and some Red-winged blackbirds. We also heard a killdeer. 

And it's not even spring (at least, it doesn't feel like it).

Native hibiscus (marsh mallow, but not the kind you eat)

Red twig dogwood

Egg case of native mantis

Beavers got these trees

Hard to see, but the plants with the feathery fronds are wild rice!

A very pregnant American toad in one of the labs

A bald eagle outside the Center--its mate is up on the top of the pole to the left.

You still can't see the mate in this picture. I need a better camera!

Spring in the wings

Skunk cabbage in the snow