Signs of Spring

[Shawn & Paul Jacobsen]

We went for a walk at Bald Hill today, choosing to do our usual route, which is do a loop from the Oak Creek Drive parking lot onto the gravel path immediately to the right, out through the fields which eventually brings us past the barn, to the paved path and back to the parking lot.  On the way, in the woodsy section where we crossed Mulkey Creek we saw the first blooms of Indian Plum.

When we then approached the part of the trail where there are woods coming down from Bald Hill on the right, with the off-leash area to the left, we found fresh bark chips on the ground.  I hadn't seen these yesterday when I walked the same route.  Looking up, we noticed that the bark had been stripped from a few hardwoods, up high on the trees.  By all appearances, only the bark had been removed.  I looked for but did not notice holes in the trees, which I thought I would see from woodpeckers seeking insects.  Perhaps a squirrel pulled off the bark, but why?  The pieces on the ground were all similar in size and shape - roughly 1 x 3 inch, or maybe even a bit smaller.  I wish I had taken pics.  

Back at home I heard and saw a red-winged blackbird calling high in a douglas fir.

Yesterday I saw two turkey vultures over our house.

Paul

Just north of Bald Hill, Corvallis

[Shawn & Paul Jacobsen]

Yes Jim, 

I think you have it.  This makes sense.

Thanks!

Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
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From: Jim Fairchild <j...@alderspring.net>
Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2023 11:21:30 AM
To: 'Shawn & Paul Jacobsen' <spjac...@hotmail.com>; mid-vall...@googlegroups.com <mid-vall...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: RE: [MidValleyNature:6972] Signs of Spring

 

When you say fresh bark chips, were they stripped at the cambial layer from the tree?  Western gray squirrels in spring will find thin bark where the sugary sap is moving through the cambial growth, usually up in the growing portion of the canopy.  The size pieces you describe is what we have seen them leave on the ground below douglas-fir trees, often a bit later in the spring.

Jim Fairchild

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[Randy and Pamela Comeleo]

Like these found under a Doug-fir tree in our yard this morning.

Randy (and Pam)

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From: "Shawn" <spjac...@hotmail.com>
To: "Jim Fairchild" <j...@alderspring.net>, "mid-valley-nature" <mid-vall...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2023 11:40:13 AM
Subject: Re: [MidValleyNature:6973] Signs of Spring

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mid-valley-nature/IA0PR11MB732966BB8B541C95E80D8F0DA2BC9%40IA0PR11MB7329.namprd11.prod.outlook.com.