MAR 16 - The hands are back

Post date: Mar 16, 2014 3:56:01 PM

I have a giant gap in this journal due to broken wrists last summer- way behind me now.

2014 is a new year, and I am committed to record wildlife observations and bloom times, especially for year-over-year for comparison in the small ecosystem that we support.

The forecast for 2014 is a late spring, I have to agree with a -4 degree windchill today, coupled with snow covering much of the woods and prairie.

Nevertheless, spring is in the air, with warmer sun, and small patches of ground peeping through; occasional days of thawing, we will get there.

Migrating birds are beginning to appear- and I expect journal entries to be more frequent with the return of the use of my hands ;-)

Best local bird observations, so far, were bald eagles and whooping cranes flying over the McHenry Dam area this month!

Best local animal sightings are a flock of 18 wild turkeys living in our neighborhood, feed by a neighbor.

Best they feed off the surrounding natural environment, but the extra food may have helped them survive the winter of extreme cold temperatures and 72 inch snowfall.

They love roosting in the white pines for which our neighborhood is named.