After a five inch snow fall a few days ago, a night of rain and rising temperatures created the expected results, MELTING SNOW.
Despite a persistent, but light mist, I opted for a morning bird walk.
Birding activity was very slow along the river trail, with only a few birds observed flitting high up in the trees.
After a mile or so, I became aware of rustling noises in the undergrowth, but the noise makers were tricky to find.
The snow had melted in some spots, leaving dark areas in the surrounding snow-covered vegetation.
Locating the busy birds was a challenge.
I could see birds flitting across the bright snow patches, but then, they seemed to vanish into the melted areas.
After a bit, my eyes adjusted to the contrasting backgrounds, and I was able to find the birds as they settled in the exposed areas.
What did I find?Well, not much if I were counting species, but on this fairly quiet day, a trio of Song Sparrows playing hide and seek in the vegetation added a smidgen ofexcitement to my walk.
It was fun to watch them and to observe how the exposed, snow-free vegetation provided camouflage.
The sparrows were much more visible when they were pecking around with the snow as background.
Guess it does not take much to amuse me, eh? Continuing down the trail, I came to an area of fallen trees, most of them victims of winds and storms, from many years ago.
Today the logs were half covered with snow, the contrast of light and dark another example of what makes finding birds difficult.
Fallen trees and decomposing logs are great habitat as well as one more variety of camouflage.
Birds find a thousand crevices and shadows in a dead-fall of trees and logs.
Whenever I find this type of area, I tarry for a while to watch for wren activity.
Today, my patience was rewarded, and after a few minutes I detected movement.
I was able to see and identify a Winter Wren, Troglodytes troglodytes, a truly delightful little creature.
The diminutive size and tiny stub of a tail are all the field marks necessary to identify this species.
Somewhat secretive in nature, it is fairly easy to locate this species, if the habitat is right and you are patient.
Once found, Winter Wrens are fun to observe.
Petite, lively and seemingly very curious, they poke under every log and pile of branches with tiny, stubby tails quivering with excitement.
At least that is how I perceive Winter Wrens anyway.
As I watched the wren scampering around, I heard the familiar "tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea-kettle" of our resident Carolina Wren, Thryothorus ludovicianus.
Larger than the Winter Wren, whose size measures 4 inches, the Carolina Wren is 5 ½ inches.
The larger size, bold white eye-stripe and substantial tail allows easy identification, even before you are tipped off by the vigorous and cheerful song.
For a misty, slow morning it turned out to be a charming and interesting bird walk.
Certainly nothing earth-shaking, but peaceful and serene.
Considering it is December, and only a week before Christmas, I would say an hour or two of peace and serenity is just what the doctor ordered.
Good Birding.
Despite a persistent, but light mist, I opted for a morning bird walk.
Birding activity was very slow along the river trail, with only a few birds observed flitting high up in the trees.
After a mile or so, I became aware of rustling noises in the undergrowth, but the noise makers were tricky to find.
The snow had melted in some spots, leaving dark areas in the surrounding snow-covered vegetation.
Locating the busy birds was a challenge.
I could see birds flitting across the bright snow patches, but then, they seemed to vanish into the melted areas.
After a bit, my eyes adjusted to the contrasting backgrounds, and I was able to find the birds as they settled in the exposed areas.
What did I find?Well, not much if I were counting species, but on this fairly quiet day, a trio of Song Sparrows playing hide and seek in the vegetation added a smidgen ofexcitement to my walk.
It was fun to watch them and to observe how the exposed, snow-free vegetation provided camouflage.
The sparrows were much more visible when they were pecking around with the snow as background.
Guess it does not take much to amuse me, eh? Continuing down the trail, I came to an area of fallen trees, most of them victims of winds and storms, from many years ago.
Today the logs were half covered with snow, the contrast of light and dark another example of what makes finding birds difficult.
Fallen trees and decomposing logs are great habitat as well as one more variety of camouflage.
Birds find a thousand crevices and shadows in a dead-fall of trees and logs.
Whenever I find this type of area, I tarry for a while to watch for wren activity.
Today, my patience was rewarded, and after a few minutes I detected movement.
I was able to see and identify a Winter Wren, Troglodytes troglodytes, a truly delightful little creature.
The diminutive size and tiny stub of a tail are all the field marks necessary to identify this species.
Somewhat secretive in nature, it is fairly easy to locate this species, if the habitat is right and you are patient.
Once found, Winter Wrens are fun to observe.
Petite, lively and seemingly very curious, they poke under every log and pile of branches with tiny, stubby tails quivering with excitement.
At least that is how I perceive Winter Wrens anyway.
As I watched the wren scampering around, I heard the familiar "tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea-kettle" of our resident Carolina Wren, Thryothorus ludovicianus.
Larger than the Winter Wren, whose size measures 4 inches, the Carolina Wren is 5 ½ inches.
The larger size, bold white eye-stripe and substantial tail allows easy identification, even before you are tipped off by the vigorous and cheerful song.
For a misty, slow morning it turned out to be a charming and interesting bird walk.
Certainly nothing earth-shaking, but peaceful and serene.
Considering it is December, and only a week before Christmas, I would say an hour or two of peace and serenity is just what the doctor ordered.
Good Birding.