Happy Earth Day! Today was a beautiful day here in Minnesota, and after the blizzard we were dealt last weekend, this weather is very welcome indeed!
As it happens, today was my day to care for the raptors at a nearby nature center, so the walks we took were with a Merlin, a Red-tailed Hawk, and a Barred Owl. Each bird enjoyed a walk of 30-45 minutes (well, my husband and I walked…the birds got a free ride on my wrist!) – the total distance for us was a little over 2 miles. During those walks we visited a lakeshore, some prairie, and quite a bit of woodland. Over the trails we did have to deal with some muddy patches, but overall things have begun to dry out very nicely over the last few days, so it was pretty easy going. Everywhere we walked we were greeted with signs of spring…finally!
It was an especially good day for birding. We were excited to spot some of the migrants that had been delayed by last week’s blizzard, or were caught up in it. We saw Tree Swallows, American Robins, Fox Sparrows, American White Pelicans circling overhead, Sandhill Cranes, Ospreys, a Great Blue Heron, and American Kestrels, along with some of the usual sightings like Red-tailed Hawks, Black-capped Chickadees, Northern Cardinals, White-breasted Nuthatches, Canada Geese, a Bald Eagle, and several species of woodpeckers.
Overall it was just lovely to be out enjoying our first really warm day of the season, and it was a perfect Earth Day! After our walks my husband, Mark, and I met my mother for dinner, and we discussed some of the ways folks are reducing the use of plastics, such as foregoing plastic straws, bringing reusable tote bags for groceries rather than accepting plastic bags, using containers from home for restaurant leftovers. One of the most obvious causes of plastic waste buildup is disposable plastic water bottles, it seems I see them everywhere! Instead, I recommend buying a permanent (reusable) water bottle and keeping it filled yourself. There are so many ways in which we can help ease the stresses on the environment, and quite a few can be found in the links I supplied on my Earth Day 2018 page – the page can be accessed here, or in the drop-down menu off the Trail Markers tab. I will leave this page up, since I do believe it should be Earth Day Every Day!
I hope you’ve all enjoyed Earth Day, whether you got involved in an event, a roadside cleanup, or just got out and did some forest wandering of your own!
“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.” – Rachel Carson