clear, dry, sky-blue

Beautiful, clear, dry, sky-blue morning. The Red-eyed Vireo is still with us -- assuming it's the same bird and not a succession of visitors. So are the White-breasted Nuthatches although the family seems to have split up. Common Yellowthroat singing away but not the Yellow. On the creek, a Mallard mom with one little duckling. I'm trying not to be sentimental about this (the Mallard isn't even an indigenous species around here; it was introduced by hunters to give them something to hunt after the Black Duck was nearly wiped out). But what happened to the other dozen ducklings?

In spite of the lack of any hint of rain, dew or humidity, there was were two Box Turtles right out in my path. I've seen more Box Turtles this spring than I usually see in a year.

I made a mistake in my last piece on flowering plants in our vicinity. I listed Multiflora Rose which may be blooming somewhere but not here just yet. The big white low loopy flowers that are all over the place -- notably at the edge of rough tangles -- are the blossoms of Rubus Blackberry and hopefully the forerunner of some lucious wild fruit.

More on flowers as soon as I can tear myself away from the birds.

Eric Salzman