Wednesday, March 21, 2012

I was bummed when I got out of my meeting and realized I would get home too late. Ah well, another night to go look for the woodcock. I did however see a frog crossing my driveway. I braked and stalled the car in my excitement and concern for hitting it. He continued across the drive within the frame of my headlights and entered into the vernal pool that is right on the side. I got out the BIG flashlight and wandered along the side of the drive checking out the pools. They are like a reverse archipelago of islands around my property. I did not see the frog, or any others, but I did hear one peeper, and the woodcock did do one flight dance while I was out. I guess I could have gone to look for the bird with the flashlight, but other creatures were attracting my interest.
This morning, I went out a bit earlier than I have been. As I was cutting through the woods to get the dog, a white but spotting brown, hare belted down the path toward me. We were both taken aback with our inadvertent near collision. But the rabbit scooted off and left me in its dust. The geese were honking profusely from the beaver pond, and a murder of crows flew overhead. The dog seemed to be very intent on smells, that for a while I could not discern. Then I got a whiff of that telltale musky smell of skunk, which must have passed by at some point not long before. Near the falls, I heard a rustle, and saw two deer cross the path, followed by three more. I continued to hear noises on the left from where the group had emerged, but did not see the other or others, until I took the turn that would take me along the river back to the house. I got one very small glimpse of movement, and that was all. I know I have mentioned not seeing deer tracks in the snow, and to keep me honest they waited to come around again after the snow was gone. If I had taken the time to look, I probably could have found their tracks in the mud, but I had the day’s obligations ahead of me.

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