geopsych

View from the lake path toward the north launch on Wednesday morning. I love the trees in early spring, full of leaf buds.

I forgot to mention that I saw this turkey on Wednesday, just walking through the grass all by itself.

I checked on the blue heron rookery yesterday and it’s shocking to see how few nests there are this year. Last summer’s drought that dried up creeks and ponds must have starved a whole generation of herons. It will take a while to rebuild the population and that will depend on fish populations rebuilding too.

As the rising sun lit the willows and the ridge I finally heard a brown thrasher singing its idiosyncratic song. It’s the background chatter on this video and includes a lot of double sounds, phrases repeated once before it moves on to a new sound. Spring is in his song!

Crown imperial fritillary. These things get tall and bloom fast. It’s impressive.

Where a stream goes into the lake.

I took this picture and then my phone bricked for about 45 minutes.

On the lake path.

Trout lilies, Erythronium, first ones I've seen in bud. Most haven't put up buds yet. This set is always the first in the woods to start.

I didn't see the birds I was looking for today but I saw this flycatcher friend. I think it's an eastern phoebe. They're cutest on cold days like this when they puff us and look round.

Cherry blossom time is starting at Nazareth Borough Park. If you’re nearby and thinking of visiting for it, give it a week or two. Some haven’t started opening. The forsythias on the other hand is right now.

Grape hyacinths by the stream.

17th of January and 8th of April

if you even care ;-)

I couldn't get out at all yesterday due to tasks. Today the plan is to look for cherry trees in bloom, towhees, brown thrashers and hermit thrushes plus any other birds that may have arrived recently. It's going to be windy which is not great for seeing birds but you never know.

I had a surprise visitor to the back garden: a male purple finch! I know that some people may find it difficult to tell these from house finches which are extremely common but this is a species I see only rarely. They don't come into town very often. Welcome, friend!

The hellebore is still blooming. It’s so lovely.