Tomorrow we’re supposed to have another snow storm blow through our area once again (am I hearing an echo?)… we’ll see what actually happens. But in the meantime, today was beautiful, sunny and warm, and there was no way we were going to stay indoors! So we opted for a wander along a portion of the eastern loop in Carver Park.
The trails are becoming drier, with rapidly shrinking patches of snow and ice, but 
there are still some icy sections that are quite tricky to manage, particularly in the woodland. In some areas we made our way through crusty snow that reached halfway to our knees. In other places, the snowmelt running under a layer of slushy snow caught us off-guard and we ended up a bit wet. But it was such a lovely day, and the woods were so peaceful and stunning, we didn’t mind any of that!
The stream of melting snow running down the ravine shown here, veers to the north when it hits the path, trickling alongside it for a short time before covering the trail in a thick sheet of ice. The moving water beside the trail was obviously 
under snow cover earlier, but the icy snow is now receding, leaving fingers of patterned ice bridging the water. I’ve never seen ice quite like this, it was fascinating to examine closely, the patterns are so intricate and delicate.
I was also fortunate to notice an unusually colored wooly bear caterpillar just before it sluggishly moved across the snow and tumbled over the edge of a footprint my husband had just made. I rescued the little guy and left it in a more
protected spot. I don’t think I’ve ever seen coloring like this before, almost blonde with a darker rusty area only near the glossy black head – it was quite distinctive and handsome!
I have to admit that I’m somewhat of a birder, although I’m not out every weekend and I don’t often chase rarities. I am certainly interested, though… I do go out birding sometimes with friends, and I have made more than one trip to look for a single, unusual bird. I even have a life list, I just don’t spend a lot of time working on building it. Most of my love for birds is channeled into things like volunteering to care for disabled captive raptors, or engaging in avian field research. But, having said all of this, whenever I’m outside I always spend a significant amount of time looking up, noticing which birds are around me and listening for the calls of birds I can’t see. Today was a busy bird day in the forest, and we spent quite a lot of time watching and listening… we heard Black-capped Chickadees and White-breasted Nuthatches, as expected, as well as a couple of American Crows. We also followed the comings and goings of at least five dozen American Robins. We spotted a couple of Hairy Woodpeckers, and a Blue Jay flew across our path. Deeper in the woods we could hear the high-pitched calls of Cedar Waxwings.
It was also a good day for spotting larger birds, particularly raptors: We noticed a Bald Eagle, a Rough-legged Hawk, and a pair of Red-tailed Hawks circling above us at 
various times. Another Red-tailed Hawk surprised us when it burst into the air from the ground, carrying dinner in it’s talons; and not too far from that sighting we found the Rough-legged Hawk (presumably the same one spotted earlier), at rest atop a willow. And lastly, we spent a little quiet time watching from a distance as a pair of Trumpeter Swans glided along and browsed in a mostly-thawed pond.
Regardless of whether or not it snows here tomorrow, today was a day I’m very happy that we took full advantage of in terms of enjoying the warmth and sun!