The Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis). Measures in at 3.1 to 4.7 inches in length. Mighty small and actually the smallest Wren in North America. They’re only here in my part of Virginia in the winter and they normally frequent areas more dense than I have here. It’s wonderful to see one and I’m not surprised to find it at the birdbath since they enjoy being in riparian areas.
While they’re here in the winter they are still determined to eat insects, spiders, and pupae but will resort to eating small berries and seeds.
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I’m delighted to say and a bit surprised that it will be occurring again in what seems such a short amount of time — next monthRuby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) will be arriving again. The tiny clowns of the avian world.
My first sighting last year was on April 17th when three of them made an appearance. A few days before that date, this year, I’ll put out a feeder filled with syrup.
And let the show begin!
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One of oodles of trips out to the Southwest. Its terrain so different. Its natural world so captivating.
This, a trip up Mount Lemmon. Seeming so extremely high compared to my East Coast mountains with an elevation of 9,159 feet, it is the highest point in the Santa Catalina Mountains.
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Yesterday was the first day of meteorological spring. Too bad, that means winter is winding down and coming to an end. Last night though there was a low temperature of 15º. Winter is still holding on. At least so far.
In the gardens around my cabin there are no native plants in bloom. I do have blooms but they are not native. Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) and Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis). Both are easy to control. Winter Aconite is said to be invasive in ideal conditions but I obviously don’t offer the flowers ideal conditions since it, over many years, has shown no indication of spreading at all. I also have some Hellebore (Helleborus), also not spreading at all, over many many years. They are in bud but not blooming quite yet.
But inside the cabin, I do have some blooming LEGO Daffodils that are soon to be native. LEGO is building a manufacturing facility in Chester, Virginia, which is scheduled to open in 2027. Super!
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A Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescensa) showing its zygodactyl toe arrangement.
Woodpeckers, Owls, and Parrots all share the same sort of foot structure. They have zygodactyl feet. Two toes facing forward, two toes facing back. This allows these birds to more easily climb, grasp, and manipulate.
More common in the bird world are anisodactyl feet. These are feet with three toes facing forward and the fourth toe facing back. Many birds that have anisodactyl feet, such as Robins, Blue Jays, Hawks, and Chickadees. Perching birds.
And by the way, happy first day of meteorological spring!
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Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) active in my vernal pool today. Males making their distinctive clacking sound to attract females. They are the earliest frogs to emerge from their winter shelters to begin mating. I see them even before Spring Peepers (Pseudacris crucifer).
Their tadpoles develop over the course of two to three months. If they sense their vernal pool is in jeopardy of drying up, their development will speed up. The life span of the Wood Frog is about 3 to 5 years.
What a delight to have them!
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This one, quite a bit easier to tell which species of Sparrow it is, in comparison to the Song Sparrow (Melospica melodia) and the White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) which I mentioned in my post yesterday. The Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina).
Only the male Song Sparrow sings. Its song is described by the National Audubon Society as a “Thin musical trill, all on 1 note like the whir of a sewing machine.” Oh I adore that description. Being a quilter, I know the sound of a sewing machine very well.
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The Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) is indeed a master of camouflage blending in with dried grass near the birdbath. Not at all striking in its coloring, streaks of gray and brown.
The Song Sparrow is well represented throughout our continent. They’re said to be “the most common and widespread sparrow in North America.” Here at my cabin though I don’t find them here with any extremefrequency. Just every now and then.
Their song, noted in their name is represented by a mnemonic, Maids-maids-maids-put-on-your-tea-kettle-ettle-ettle. Not nearly as easy to remember as many other bird mnemonics.
I’m still working on remembering it.
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This evening my friend the Barred Owl (Strix varia) came by for a visit again. They’re solitary creatures so I assume it is the same one that I’ve seen four times since the beginning of the year. There have been other sightings too, over time, though I’m really focused in on this beautiful creature now.
Owls have feathers that allow silent flight. Of the flying birds of the world they are one of the quietest species. Their primary wing feathers are comb-like. This shape enables less turbulence and therefore less sound as the owl flies. This allows the owl to surprise its prey and also enables it to hear and locate its prey as it flies.
I’m going to be paying more attention to what is going on outside my cabin. More sightings of the owl?
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I enjoy seeing American Beech trees (Fagus grandifolia) in the winter. They’re deciduous trees but don’t drop their leaves until spring, giving my woods a scattering of soft brown patches everywhere. And if it snows, those soft brown leaves turn into snow cones hanging from their branches.
This past Saturday I attended a Woods & Wildlife Conference organized by Virginia Tech and learned lots of things including that our Beech trees are under threat, facing a decline and slow death from Beech Leaf Disease. This disease was first discovered in Ohio in 2012, and the cause, a nematode, was just recently identified.
This disease has now been found in 13 states, Ohio, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, West Virginia and the Canadian province of Ontario.
In the spring signs of Beech Leaf Disease make themselves visible on new leaves which will have dark bands between lateral veins of the leaves. Saplings will die within 5 years and mature trees tend to take longer to succumb.
We’re losing so many of our precious trees. Research is ongoing with no solution yet. Please keep up that research and figure out how to save the Beech trees. We need that research.
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