April 3, 2009

I returned from my latest business trip to California last Monday night.

This morning I was delighted to hear my first-of-season Louisiana waterthrush, during our morning hike around the property. Jane and I walk this every day when I am home, if there isn't something else that interrupts it (like sheep shearing Wednesday) or the conditions are not too inclement, as they were yesterday. Louisiana waterthrush is probably in my top ten, so far as favorite "yard birds" go. I simply love the song, and they nest in our deepest hollow near "Valhalla Falls," a small cascade where the officially unnamed run (we sometimes call it Das Rheinchen) tumbles over the Upper Mercer Limestone. For many reasons this is a favorite corner of the property.  Last year I heard the first waterthrush on March 31, the same as the previous year (this is also the earliest date for the nine years), so April 3 is a little later but not statistically significant.

We also flushed three wild turkeys during this morning's hike.

Just for the record, the first phoebes were March 19.

Juncos are singing, as is just about everything else that is present.  I love this time of year, when the birds tell you where they are and what they are.

All the expected species are present, except I haven't detected any woodcocks yet, as I didn't last year either. It may be due to my schedule, repeatedly interrupted by one-week or two-week business trips. Maybe I just missed them, or maybe it is something else. It seems like perfect habitat, and I have had many marvelous crepuscular experiences, listening to them and watching their flights in the back successional fields in years past.

I believe that we have a farm property that is for the most part friendly to nature. We have been here on Flint Ridge since the summer of 2000, and in that time I have developed a pretty good sense of the place, the species to expect and the rhythm of the seasons. This is an average piece of Appalachian Ohio, but I like to think the awareness of nature here is above average. Our farm, Valhalla Acres Fiber Farm, has undergone many changes in nine years, as we experiment with what works and what doesn't. There have been changes in the composition of the bird species as well, and it is interesting to contemplate whether our activities have had an impact, positive or negative. It is a destination for the many migratory species that nest here, but it is not a "trap." So I usually read about my favorite local species elsewhere in the state before I see them here.

Bob Evans
Geologist, etc.
Hopewell Township, Muskingum County

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