Sit Spot & Spring Signs - February 29, 2020

February 29, 2020 8:58 a.m.

Sit 399 : Brush Pile W : Mostly Clear 

-16° (-22°) W 11-17 kph 79% humidity 

Cardinal,

Blue Jays,

Crows,

Chickadees,

Dogs barking in distance,

Extras:

Red-tailed Hawk,

Juncos,

White-breasted Nuthatch,

Woodpecker drumming,

Black Squirrel,

Red-bellied Woodpecker 

4 Canada Geese flying west @ 6:30 p.m 

Photo Site #2 East Willow

First Pussy Willow breaking out of its winter bud

Trembling Aspen buds are also opening

Half Sit Spot - February 28, 2020

I had several errands to do in town today so I got home late. The wind was blowing hard; the temperature was dropping; and the sun was going down so I cut my sit spot time in half in order to get it done before it got dark. As expected, I heard almost nothing during the time I was out. There were fewer birds at the feeder today also for some reason so there is not much to report for the sit spot and extras today.

February 28, 2020 6:08 p.m.

Sit 398: East Pond : Cloudy

-5° (-14°) sw 39-48 kph 79 % humidity 

(Train, Jet, Traffic noises),

Wind in trees,

Branches clicking in wind,

(FedEx Express flight 764...)

Extras:

Cardinals,

Chickadees,

Mourning Doves,

Goldfinches,

Juncos,

Downy Woodpecker.

Photo Site #1 - East Pond at dusk today

Sore Head & Sit Spot - February 27, 2020

Other than being 2.5 cm shorter and having a headache I came in from the evening dog walk about the same as I was when I went out. I wish I would learn to keep my head up when walking so I would not run into low branches. I really cannot remember how many times I have bumped my head on various things just above eye level but not above head level.

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February 27, 2020

Sit 397 : Brush Pile W : Partly Cloudy with blowing snow 

-6° (-15°) w 37-50 kph 84% humidity 

Wind in trees,

Tree branches clicking together 

2 Silent Eastern Bluebirds 

(Traffic noises, Train) 

Goldfinches,

(Jet),

(United Airlines flight 2350...),

Extras:

Rabbit by east pond

White-tailed Deer on south ravine trail

Crows calling,

Blue Jays,

Cardinals,

Chickadees,

Juncos,

White-breasted Nuthatch,

First Pussy Willow catkin starting to poke out

Lots of deer, coyote, rabbit, & squirrel tracks in the snow

Photo Site #4 - North Ridge Trail

Snow tracks of a Goldenrod in the wind

Sit Spot - February 26, 2020

February 26, 2020 8:55 a.m.

Sit 396 Brush Pile E Cloudy with snow 

 -1° (-5°) ne 13-20 kph 99% humidity 

Crows,

Blue Jays,

(Jet, traffic noise)

(FedEx Express flight 1747...)

(Snowplow backing alarm)

White-breasted Nuthatch,

Extras:

Red-winged Blackbirds @ feeder

Cowbird @ feeder

Cardinals,

Mourning Doves, 

Goldfinches,

Juncos,

Black Squirrels.

Photo Site #3 - West Meadow Viewpoint

At one time this morning there were 14 Mourning Doves and 3 Red-winged Blackbirds under our bird feeder and 1 Blue Jay on the feeder.

Sit Spot - February 25, 2020

I was at Plan B Organic Farm in the morning and had an appointment in Ancaster in the afternoon so did not see many birds today.

February 25, 2020 5:23 p.m.

Sit 395 : Brush Pile W : Cloudy 

+2° (-1°) ne 9-14 kph  95% humidity 

(Jet, traffic noise, Train)

(Alaska Airlines flight 410...)

Unidentified chirps 

Canada Geese,

Extras:

Red-tailed Hawk,

Cardinal singing @ 5:40 p.m.

Before sunrise - Cardinal, Blue Jays, Crows, 

   and White-breasted Nuthatch calling 

Chickadees, 

Goldfinches.

Photo Site #2 - East Willow

Sit Spots, etc. Sunday & Monday, Feb 23-24, 2020

Our internet was down yesterday. Things seem to be working today so I hope I can get this uploaded...

February 23, 2020 9:27 a.m.

Sit 393: Brush Pile W : Partly cloudy 

+1° (-4°) s 17-26 kph 69% humidity 

Cardinals singing!

(Jet, Traffic noise)

Crows calling 

Blue Jays screaming,

(JetSuite Air flight 307...)

Woodpecker drumming,

(Train)

Extras:

Cardinal singing before sunrise again 

Also before sunrise: Calls from Crows, 

     Blue Jays, & a Canadian Goose

One bird call sounded a bit like a Red-winged           Blackbird, but I am not sure. Only one call, one time,

Turkey tracks on S.Ravine trail

9:45 Carolina Wren singing behind barn

Chickadees,

Mourning Doves,

Red-bellied Woodpecker,

Black  Squirrels,

Grey Squirrels.

Photo Site #4 - North Ridge Trails

According to my app from Wolfram, there are this many airplanes in the air around us. I am not sure of the distance but it is hard for me to believe there is so much traffic in the sky.

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February 24, 2020 8:28 a.m.

Sit 394 : Brush Pile E : Partly Sunny 

 +1° (-3°) sw 15-23 kph 85 % humidity 

White-breasted Nuthatch,

Blue Jays,

Crows,

(Jet, traffic noise)

(United Airlines flight  449),

Red-winged Blackbirds calling!

Extras:

Mourning Doves,

Canada Geese  @ 5:20 p.m. & 5:40  headed west

Cardinals,

Red-bellied Woodpecker,

Grey Squirrels.

Photo Site #1 - East Pond

1 of 2 flights of geese

More Flowers & Sit Spot - February 22, 2020

This is a close up of one of the cultivated Witch Hazel flowers. It is called 'Westerstede'.

Above is one of the more amazing little "weed" plants that grows almost all over the world. I saw some on a mountain in the Northwest Territories a few years back and I saw it in Italy, France and England on visits. Here in southern Ontario, I have found it blooming during every month of the year and even a few times under snow when I knew locations to dig for it. It is the Common Chickweed; stellaire moyenne in French or Stellaria Media in Latin.

February 22, 2020 4:37 p.m.

Sit 392:  Brush Pile W : Clear 

+2° (-4°) sw 28-37 kph 72% humidity 

(Jet, traffic noise, Train)

(American Airlines flight 1580...)

Eastern Bluebirds,

Wind in trees,

Trees creaking,

Extras:

Found Wild Turkey tracks 100m East of Sit Spot 

Then flushed one about 150m on

Crows calling in a.m.

Cardinal singing spring songs before sunrise

Blue Jays,

Chickadees,

Mourning Doves,

Goldfinches,

White-breasted Nuthatch,

Red-bellied Woodpecker,

Black Squirrels,

Grey Squirrels,

Red Squirrel.

Photo Site #3 - West Meadow Viewpoint

Wild Turkey Tracks

First Native Spring Flower & Sit Spot - February 21, 2020

I was excited to find the first real native spring flower early this afternoon.  I always start looking in early February these days in hope of finding it in bloom. It blooms in very wet, muddy places near water and can be very messy to find as the weather gets warmer; however, it is a plant that can melt its way through ice and snow so now is a good time to look and not be so muddy. Yes, it is the Skunk Cabbage and is one of the stranger "flowers" to be found. Below is a look at a plant that has melted its way through the ice but is not yet flowering.

Close to this plant, I found a set of several others that were flowering.

The way I check for flowering is to poke my littlest finger down into the spathe to see if I can get any pollen on my finger.

As you can see, I did get pollen,

Below is a photo looking into the spathe where one can see the pollen on the spadix.

Skunk Cabbage (aka Eastern Skunk Cabbage)

chou puant

(Symplocarpus foetus)

February 21, 2020 5:57 p.m.

Sit 391 Brush Pile E  Clear 

-2° (-9°) SW 30-43 kph  59% humidity 

Wind sighing through the trees,

Tree branches creaking & popping in wind,

(Jet, traffic noise)

(JetSuite Air flight 307...)

Extras:

Rabbit by old chicken coop 

Blue Jays,

Cardinals,

Chickadees,

Mourning Doves  

Goldfinches,

Juncos,

Starlings,

Red-bellied Woodpecker,

Grey Squirrels.

Photo Site #2 - East Willow

Beckett Walk & Sit Spot - February 20, 2020

Fleur-Ange and I attended the Beckett Walk today at Pinehurst Lake Park. The trails wandered up and down through thickly planted pines and circled in ways that I could not keep in my head. The map below is from my Garmin watch, downloaded after I got home,  and shows how we circled about and got lost at one point. Well, not really lost as we did find a map but it it difficult to read maps when you do not know what direction you are facing . . .

February 20, 2020 5:27 p.m.

Sit 390 : Brush Pile W : Partly Sunny 

-6° (-12°) nw 17-26 kph    51% humidity 

Saw one White-tailed Deer as we got to Sit Spot 

(Jet, traffic noise)

(United Airlines flight 2065...)

Extras:

Blue Jays,

Cardinals,

Chickadees,

Mourning Doves,

Goldfinches,

White-breasted Nuthatch,

Red-bellied Woodpecker,

Black Squirrels,

Grey Squirrels,

Red Squirrel.

Photo Site #1 - East Willow

Sit Spot - February 19, 2020

February 19, 2020 8:35 a.m.

Sit 389: Brush Pile W, Mostly Cloudy 

-4° (-11°) NW 24-36 kph  76% humidity 

Blue Jays,

Crows,

White-breasted Nuthatch,

Dogs barking in distance,

Wind in trees,

trees creaking,

Extras:

Cardinals,

Chickadees,

Mourning Doves,

Goldfinches,

Juncos,

Downy Woodpecker,

Red-bellied Woodpecker,

Black Squirrels,

Grey Squirrels,

Red Squirrel,

4 White-tailed Deer on South Ravine Trail in p.m.

Photo Site #4 - North Ridge Trail

Sit Spot - February 18, 2020

I was gone half the day for my usual Tuesday volunteer job at the Plan B Organic Farm so I did not see many birds at our feeder nor anyplace else.

February 18, 2020 5:15 p.m. 

Sit 388: Brush Pile W : Cloudy 

+3° (-3°) w 35-54 kph  75% humidity 

Wind in trees,

Tree branches clicking together,

Crows,

Extras:

Rabbit & Squirrel tracks in snow 

Chickadees,

Goldfinches,

White-breasted Nuthatch,

Black Squirrel.

Photo Site #3 - West Meadow Viewpoint

Sit Spot - February 17, 2020

February 17, 2020 9:49 a.m.

Sit 387 : Brush Pile W Sunny!

-5° (-9°) N 9-14 kph 79% humidity 

Eastern Bluebirds,

Rabbit,

Crows,

Chickadees,

White-breasted Nuthatch,

(Jet,traffic noise)

Extras :

Both Cardinals & Chickadees singing spring songs 

Blue Jays,

Mourning Doves,

Goldfinches,

Downy Woodpecker 

Black Squirrels,

Grey Squirrels.

Photo Site #2 - East Willow