Not so quiet anymore

Hi all. There's definitely signs of spring in the air. So far, last weekend I noticed 1 Killdeer flying above, but this was up in Ramsey.
Yesterday at the center, we had a nice vocal Red-Winged Blackbird visiting. That's the 1st one I have seen thus far. Also, there was 1 Painted Turtle already out of hibernation basking in the sun on a floating log. That was surprising. I did not expect to see a turtle this early. I am still waiting for my Robins to show up. Last year they were 1 week early and arrived on Feb.29th of '08. I haven't seen any yet this week.
Overall, I have noticed an increase in songbirds, such as an increase of Sparrows (who are currently building a nest in my AC unit), flocks of Starlings and Blackbirds. I saw one rather large flock of Crows yesterday over Dumont. There had to be about 25 of them.
I am attempting to keep an eye out for any migrator dcuks, but we haven't had much luck with them at the center the past couple of years. Only one Common Merganser was seen last spring. It's a bit early, but I will keep an eye out for our resident muskrat too. He/she should be popping out soon.
One family have been fishing already, even with a small patch of ice on the pond, and they landed a few Bluegills already.
So, the critters are stirring and slowy arriving back into the area. I will post anything new I obvserve over the course of this upcoming week.
Take care all everyone!
~Anthony

Wintertime - Quiet Time

Hi all. I found myself dying to get outdoors yesterday since the weather was favorable. A 3 day weekend indoors is not my cup of tea.
My daughter & I visited the nature center yesterday, and it turned out to be a gorgeous day with the sun out and not a cloud in the sky. The breeze subsided, and it was just plain quiet. It was unusually quiet. There were not many birds around, and the ducks were enjoying their little swimming hole in the stream near the road. A decent layer of ice still sits afloat of the Ruckman pond.
It was also my intention to get a nice campfire going, just enough to remove the chill from the air. We had a handful of visitors who parked themselves in some chairs. They simply relaxed and took in the blaring sun and quiet time. There was one small group of 'geocachers' that ventured out into the woods, but I think they were the only ones out there. Plus, the trails are still a bit on the muddy side. They apparently came across a small herd of deer while out there too. Thankfully the deer stay in the woods most of the time. I say that since I had an entire herd run out in front of me while driving through Haworth on Valley Rd. Luckily I noticed the leader out of the corner of my eye and managed to stop in time...... The poor creatures just have no where else to go.
Anyhow, as much as I dislike the winter I find I enjoy my visits to the nature center a little more and truly appreciate being there during winter visits since it's like a 'treat'. The other seasons I am there all the time and maybe take those visits for granted. It is just nice to sit and relax and soak it all in during the quiet season. I highly recommend this for anyone suffering the winter blues. Just get out of the house, go to the nature center and enjoy the scenery. If we have a campfire going, by all means stop & visit. Many hikers appreciate that outdoor fireplace after a walk. :) Bring along a hot chocolate or coffee, and the quiet time is that more enjoyable.

Well, that's enough from me for now. Just though I'd share some thoughts on winter visits at the nature center. Have to take advantage of the quiet time now since we have a fairly busy spring ahead of us. We have a couple of events and plenty of trail work to do.
Enjoy everyone!
~Anthony

Wintertime

Hi all. Wintertime is my time to play around on the PC more. ;) Don't get outdoors as much as the warmer weather. Although, on a somewhat warmer day (35 degrees) there's always something to see at the nature center. For instance, a few of us witnessed a Merlin Falcon last week and a couple of weeks back a pair of foxes roaming the grounds. You never know what interesting wildlife will show up! Plus, it's always nice to sit back and watch our little winter visitors like Juncos, Cardinals and Chickadees at the bird feeders. Our local resident ducks and geese always enjoy the company too. ;)

Anyhow, the idea of starting a blog site was thrown at me, so we're going to experiment a bit for the time being to see how this works out.
Any suggestions or ideas are always welcome. That's what blogs are about!
See you on the trails!
Anthony~~