Spring Equinox at the Aerie

Officially today is the First Day of Spring. So, of course, we had a dusting of snow on the ground when we woke up at the Aerie. (Really, really getting tired of this!)

The winds blew from the south most of Wednesday bringing warm temperatures (mid-40s)and keeping the worst of the weather, that drenching rain that moved trough Ohio, to our northwest. The rain did inch into the area sometime around 8 PM while we were over at the Audubon meeting in Wellsboro. It was still 43 degrees and raining hard when we hit the sack around 10 PM. During the night the temps dropped down to 30 degrees after the winds shifted around to come from the north. The winds are still howling out of the north as I write and there's lots of clouds with the threat of some snow showers today and tonight.

The Redpolls and the Evening Grosbeaks are still with us, although I think there are fewer Redpolls than there were a couple of days ago. That might be due more to the open fields and edges for them to find seeds in than the fact that they have started to return to their Arctic homes. With the strong south winds yesterday, it would have been an ideal time for them to head out. Birds always appreciate the help of a good tail wind. We've seen flocks of geese over the last week heading north despite the fact that the lakes around here are still pretty well frozen solid. I can only assume they (the geese) are heading from places like the St. Lawrence, Lake Champlain, Lake Erie or some other large body of water they "know" to be open.

We've had some new visitors to the bird feeders.

Starting about a week ago we've had a pair of raccoons showing up every evening just after dark. Sometimes one will climb the old telephone pole to get sunflower seeds from the big feeder I've got hanging there but mostly they're just doing what the daytime turkeys do--scratching among the seeds that have fallen to the ground. I'm guessing that last night the larger of the two went up the pole and sat on the hanger. That weighty 'coon caused one of the screws to snap ad the entire feeder crashed to the ground. They probably enjoyed the seed once they got over the shock.

Two nights ago, I shined my flashlight out there after the sun went down expecting to see my two masked bandits only to see a nearly pure white face and silver gray body of an opossum. It was hunkered down at the base of the telephone pole picking up seeds. Totally undisturbed by the beam of light I shone in its face, it just kept right on eating.

Other than the rabbits in the lawn (not enough green there for many of them to be showing up. but when that changes--hoo-boy!) and a a doe with her two yearlings walking through every so often and the five tom turkeys (who only show up when it's nice out) and a few stray cats and the neighbor's super friendly free range, roaming hound, Molly, we haven't had many mammalian visitors.

I can do without the bear showing up again, but I'm sure he will be here soon and I'll have to start bringing in the feeders at night. And we haven't seen any skunks, which is fine by me. Of course, the ground hogs haven't made their real appearance yet. (Phil hardly counts as he had to be dragged out of his den on February 2nd)