change of weather

I was hoping that the drastic change of weather -- a front bringing a north/northwest wind and a big drop in humidity behind it -- would shuffle the deck. But it was pretty much the same species in the 'migrant trap' this morning with young Song Sparrows seemingly everywhere, a nice flock of Black-capped Chickadees in the lead and several Downy Woodpeckers -- a male, a female and one or two youngsters -- jumping from the phragmites up to the tree trunks beyond. Further up at the head of the marsh, a pair of Great Crested Flycatchers, a young Baltimore Oriole (yellow with wingbars) and two or three Common Yellowthroats were active along with Gray Catbirds and other familiar local residents.

Right in back of the migrant trap is a semi-open area just at the point where the pine and oak trees come in. This spot is covered with the shells of Ribbed Mussels, Blue and Spider Crabs and even (alas) part of a Box Turtle carapace. Unlike the neighbor's dock, this does not seem a likely hang-out for gulls so it is probably the Raccoons that are bringing up their culinary treasures to this spot to be devoured. I have never seen these beasts in this area but our Raccoons are highly nocturnal and I rarely see them out of the trees in the daytime.

The latest wildflower to blossom is Germander or Wood Sage. This member of the mint family, with its pretty little flowers -- they look a bit like miniature orchid flowers -- has two major stands on the property. The one near the head of the marsh is slightly back in the woods and is already coming into full bloom while the even larger stand just back of the pond has not yet begun to bloom. This latter is evidently a more exposed position with a slightly cooler mini-climate that delays the floral display.

Eric Salzman