March 2015
Two roads diverged in a wood. Photo: Diana Lee
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. — Robert
Frost
3/1 March started gray, quiet and snowy all
day long. The spring sun was hidden from view
and it felt like January. The month did not come
in like a lion, but it was not warm like a lamb
either.
3/2 An article in the local paper said
“coyote sightings are on the rise in Putnam
County … a Carmel man walking his dog Tuesday
morning reported observing a coyote in a wooded
area near Lake Gleneida.”
3/4 It was warm enough today for snow to
melt in the raindrops. All that water created
huge puddles on the roadways. With another
plunge in temperature predicted, there will be
lots of dangerous patches of black ice on Kent’s
roads.
Bluebird home available – immediate occupancy.
Photo: Beth Herr
3/5 Last night: a snow-covered landscape
that provided its own light at midnight and a
glimpse of movement outside back along the edge
of the woods. I looked out and saw my first-ever
gray fox here. I’ve seen them elsewhere but not
here. A stunning-looking, light-footed traveler
trotting across the snow pack. What a treat! I
noticed its shorter legs and impressive tail
compared with red foxes I’ve seen more often.
Enough snow light even to see the beautiful
gray-rust shading. — Anne Swaim
3/5 Snow, then rain, then snow again.
Another wintry day in March. Sigh.
A cross-country ski sounds nice. Photo: Beth
Herr
3/6 Yesterday’s snow did make for great
skiing at Fahnestock State Park today. The
dazzling crystals of snow balanced by a
deep-blue sky highlighted the beauty of this
public treasure. Canopus Lake, frozen solid and
crisscrossed by ski tracks, was also
investigated by four-legged creatures who left
their perfect-register tracks as they meandered
in search of food.
White is pretty but green would be a nice
change. Photo: Beth Herr
Going out to eat. Photo: Beth Herr
3/7 Bright and sunny with a warming trend,
aaah. Skiing in the Great Swamp was a dream –
smooth, wide, flat – skis fly like a magic
carpet ride.
3/9 From the Journal News today:
“Wildlife rehabilitators say that animals –
mainly waterfowl, owls, hawks and some mammals –
are under serious stress due to the cold winter.
Two months of snow cover and brutal bouts of
arctic air are endangering wildlife … animals –
mainly waterfowl, owls, hawks and some mammals –
are under serious stress. Many have starved
because their food sources have been covered
with snow and ice and the water they need to
survive has been frozen.
“‘It’s been a really hard, long,
cold, desperate and brutal winter for wildlife,’
said Taffy Williams, a wildlife rehabilitator
from Yonkers. ‘A lot of raptors, hawks and owls
are being found dead.’ Animals have been
foraging in places they usually don’t – risky
places such as urban streets or sun-warmed banks
along parkways.
“‘Anything that’s looking to
graze, that includes deer, they’re having a hard
time,’ Williams said. ‘The winter’s been really
hard on shore birds and birds of prey and also
song birds. They look on the ground for seeds
and any kind of grazing material. A screech owl
injured by a car in Pleasantville was also
emaciated, a goose and mallard duck were found
starving near the mostly frozen Bronx River, and
a red tail hawk, now on the mend, was found near
the reservoir in Yonkers.’”
Hoping for an early spring after
this winter but one thing’s for certain – I will
not be able to plant peas outside on St.
Patty’s day as the garden is still covered with
at least a foot of snow. — Lou Tartaro
3/14 This morning I was walking over to my
neighbor’s house to feed the cats and I heard
the ubiquitous call of a red-winged blackbird
from the marsh within the dense fog and freezing
rain. — Little Pond, Patterson
3/15 Reports trickle in: killdeer have been
heard, mergansers and wood ducks have been seen
in meltwater pools, and eagles are nesting.
3/18 We saw a raccoon at the bird-feeding
area for the first time this year. — Doris and
Anne Balant
3/20 Spring began today. At 6:45pm, the
vernal equinox arrived. But Mother Nature had
other plans, dropping three inches of snow. All
the recently melted openings were covered again,
and a collective sigh was heard.
3/20 The red-winged blackbirds have arrived
at Dean Pond’s wetlands, and flocks of robins
warble their “cheerio” despite a snowy scene. —
Ralph Szur
3/20 Woodcock (mating dance) on Whangtown
Road. Red maple buds swell, the mountains begin
to blush. Skunk cabbage melts its spathes
through the snow.
See? Spring really is coming! Photo: Beth Herr
3/22 Looking out the window as the western
sky turned from purple to black I was struck by
the celestial silver jewelry of the moon and
Venus. — Dave Ehnebuske
Silver in the night sky. Photo: Dave Ehnebuske
3/23 Here is what we saw at our feeder
during the Cornell Feederwatch program — Doris
Balant and Anne Balant-Campbell
Sightings
and numbers from Cornell Feederwatch |
Late
February-March 2015, Whangtown Road, Town
of Kent |
0 |
Junco |
30 |
Mourning dove |
4 |
Blue jay |
3 |
Chickadee |
5 |
Goldfinch |
12 |
Pine siskin |
3 |
Titmouse |
1 |
Nuthatch |
5 |
House finch |
1 |
Song sparrow |
1 |
White-throated sparrow |
1 |
Red-bellied woodpecker |
1 |
Hairy woodpecker |
2 |
Downy woodpecker |
1 |
Yellow-bellied sapsucker |
2 |
Rusty blackbird |
2 |
Cowbird |
1 |
Grackle |
2 |
Starling |
15 |
Red-winged blackbird |
7 |
Canada goose |
2 |
Cardinal |
Reports are of largest
number seen during two consecutive days of
counting in the period 2/23–3/23. |
Seen, but not at the feeder:
red-tailed hawk, Cooper’s hawk, pileated
woodpecker and barred owl calling. |
3/24 Several mammals are picking up their
activity levels: we heard a fox
barking/shrieking. A short time later, several
coyotes came up much closer to the house than
normal and howled for quite a while. — Doris
Balant and Anne Balant-Campbell
3/25 Robins appear. These are robins from
the south (T. migratorius) that we
consider the harbingers of spring. The robins
you see in winter have not migrated north too
early by mistake. They have come south from
Canada and are a different subspecies, T. m.
nigrideus. They are uniformly darker or
blackish on the head, with a dark gray back with
slightly more red underparts.
Flock of red-wings singing in
the Great Swamp. — Doris Balant, Anne Balant
Campbell
3/26 Foggy and warm though it looks quite
wintry with every bit of air and ground a
bleached, colorless white.
3/26 I couldn’t resist looking in down at
my pond tonight to see if any sallies are moving
to their mating pond. No salamanders yet but …
found this guy. No peepers or wood frogs, but
I’m happy with finding a greenie! — John Foley
Didn't expect to find you here! Photo: John
Foley
3/27 Heard my first woodcock! — Dan
Aitchison
3/29 Despite the melting snow, we have not
seen any skunk cabbage as yet, and our aconite
is still iced in. — Doris Balant and Anne
Balant-Campbell
3/30 As the snow melts, voles’ tunnels are
exposed.
“These tunnels were excavated in
the snow next to the ground in what is referred
to as the subnivean layer. They lead from
sleeping areas to known sources of food, and are
advantageous to both mice and voles that travel
in them – they provide thermal insulation by
protecting them from the wind and cold, and they
keep these rodents hidden from predators. Carbon
dioxide, which builds up in the subnivean layer
from animal respiration as well as CO₂ released
from the ground, escapes through ventilation
shafts, or air vents, that lead up to the
surface of the snow.
“Voles stay in these tunnels as
long as the snow is deep enough not to expose
them, finding food in the form of plants, seeds
and bark from bushes and shrubs as they dig
through the snow. This winter has provided
voles, mice and shrews with an extended period
of protection, as hungry barred owls attest
to.” — from Naturally Curious with Mary
Holland
3/31 The last day of March mirrored the
long winter: ice still covers Dean Pond and Lake
Carmel. Even deep Lake Gleneida is solid still.
At day’s end large heavy snow flakes fell all
afternoon. The sun sets so much later, the
catkins lengthen and buds swell, but Old Man
Winter lingers.
In April:
- Take down the bird feeders. To prevent black
bears from visiting backyard bird feeders,
fish and wildlife departments in New England
recommend taking down birdfeeders from April 1
through December 1.
- Note the full “Grass Moon” on April 4
- Don’t miss the peak of the Lyrids meteor
shower on April 22
- See the constellation Pleiades in the west
just after sunset
- Watch for bumblebees and chevrons of geese
heading north
- Listen for spring peepers, wood frogs and
the first warblers
- Be alert for frogs and salamanders crossing
the roads on rainy nights
- Get ready for the arrival of the shadflies
- Look for trout lily and shadbush blooms by
month’s end
May 15 Deadline
Approaches for
Kent Nature Almanac Photo Competition
A lone sentinel guards a misty landscape.
Photo: Beth Herr
Grab your camera and capture the nature of
Kent. Send your best images to enter a juried
photo competition. The winning photos will be
exhibited at the Kent Public Library for the
month of June and will be included in the Kent
Nature Almanac. Beautiful scenery is easy to
find in our town. Abundant biodiversity awaits
in Kent’s lakes, cliffs, forests and backyards.
Focus your camera and capture the beauty.
A maximum of three submissions per photographer
will be considered for the show. They will be
judged on artistic merit and how they express an
aspect of nature in Kent. Explain where and why
you took the photos. Recommended photo size:
1920 x 2400 pixels or larger.
Send to: herr...@comcast.net
The deadline for submitting images for the
competition is May 15, 2015.
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