It turned out to feel a little cooler than I imagined, but still, it was so nice to be at the park.
The leaves aren't out yet, so still easy to spot any birds hanging out in the trees. The lower gardens had robins, a few tree swallows, white-throated sparrows, chickadees and blue jays. There was a lovely hermit thrush flitting about along one of the paths.
The soccer field had several robins and a flicker poking around. Down by the vernal pool was an Eastern phoebe, red-winged blackbirds, cardinals and white-throated sparrows. The bloodroot colony there is alive and well with buds that will open when the sun comes out. A Carolina wren sang from the trees nearby.
The river hosted many of the same but also included song sparrows, another hermit thrush, juncos, a hairy woodpecker male, downies, cardinals and mourning doves. A red-bellied woodpecker purred from across the river.
I have to say, in all the years I have been going to the park, I have never seen so many trees and branches down. I'm sure these more frequent "wind events" that we never used to have, are a big contributor. The water level of the river is way down and the areas that normally fill up with water in the spring are dry as a bone. We have not had the kind of snow and rain that is normal for this area.
However, it is a very special place, and especially during this year of COVID, it is a great respite from all of the world's problems. Nature just keeps on going and is a pleasure to take part in.
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