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Home > Blogs > Birds and Butterflies > Archives > 2009 > March > 17 > Entry
Looking Up or Down: A Spring Dilemma
It is often a dilemma to know which way to look in the spring along our trails at Germantown MetroPark. This March 17th morning was a case in point. While walking along the Green Trail near the Nature Center, we were attracted to woodpecker calls with the resulting debate to decide it if was fast enough to be Flicker or slower like a Pileated. (We did not hear the characteristic “Q” to make it a Flicker or the longer laughing jungle sound to make it a Pileated but then birds seem to like to provide some mystery in our lives). In any case, Skip thought it was a Flicker and he is good with his calls so I was content. We were out on the trail to document our first sighting of Harbinger of Spring, a small white spring wildflower peaking up between fallen oak leaves. It was there and we cut back up the hill looking for more signs of Spring. We saw Spring Beauty and Sweet Cicely leaves showing and we also checked for Box Turtles which we saw emerging from the soft woodland soils in this area two years ago. Suddenly we spied two Garter Snakes getting warm in the sun. Lisa and Skip handled them gently and then let them go. Skip and Lisa also found a nice Red-backed Salamander under a log which kept us looking down admiring the beautiful wet skin. As we passed the pond, just so the birds could have a final say, a Fox Sparrow began his song which caught Skip’s ear; a slower melodic song for a sparrow. You don’t often hear them sing in these parts as they will be leaving soon for their northern mating grounds.
We picked up some trash that had escaped visitors along the boardwalk as a way of saying Thank You to the woods for giving us such an enjoyable morning. Spring is hear and calling to you all to visit the trails. Don’t worry about seeing the trails on an earlier walk, the woodlands change quickly and you can’t go too many times at this time of year; fresh discoveries happen everyday.
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