Saturday, April 19, 2008

At the Bolt Hole

I drove up to the Bolt Hole yesterday where someone has turned up the heat. It got to 75 degrees under the clear blue sky and nearly all the snow is gone. There are only pockets of the white stuff where it drifted or was blown or slid off the roof into shady areas.

The birds seem to be a few weeks behind the Aerie and north-central PA. Robins have just arrived and the woodcock are still doing their mating flights in the twilight. One sounded like it was peenting and twittering just outside the window last evening and only shut up when an owl started "who-whoing" just across the yard. (Survival of the species depends upon, well, surviving to mate as well as finding one!)

Speaking of survival, there are no mice at all anywhere to be found. I'm sure the owl and a couple of weasels and the fisher cat that have been around have something to do with that.

Despite the pools of water left in most of the little depressions from the melting snow, the frogs and spring peepers haven't started their noisy serenade. I'm sure if the weather remains warm, they'll be out in full force soon.

The dial-up service seems slower than usual so expect reports to be few and far between. (I did get to follow most of last night's Mets-Phillies game, however. Let's go Mets!)

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