Abe’s Arboretum Adventure Series – 3.29.2021
TEMPERATURE: 36 degrees F
WIND: 11 mph, from the South
BIRD SPECIES: 26 (https://ebird.org/checklist/S84328435)
It was cloudy to the east and clear to the west to start the morning, but the sunshine peaked out and warmed me from the high winds coming from the south. After a week of mostly cloudy days last week, Sunday and today’s sun has been a welcomed change of pace!
The marsh is still brown and leafless, but today I found emerging plant life for the first time. There was a Pussy Willow tree blooming (pictured – I was tipped off to this by a Groundswell Conservancy nature update ) this morning – I’ll be looking for spring ephemerals on the marsh floor as April rolls around. Despite a lack of greenery, the birds are still active and arriving from their winter homes (they are the true snow birds). Since last Monday, I’ve seen first of the year (FOY – cool birder acronym for you to use) Green-winged Teal (3 of them), Blue-winged Teal (2), Common Merganser (2), Common Loon (1, Lake Wingra), Red-breasted Merganser 2, (Lake Wingra), Swamp Sparrow (1), and Tree Swallow (8). The American Robins have really stepped up their singing game in the last week, and the Cedar Waxwings (pictured) have been posing in the sunshine for me the last two mornings. I also posted pictures of American Coots (black bird with white bill), and Sandhill Cranes.
See you next week,
Abe
If there is anything you’d really like to know about the marsh next week, share your comment and I can look for it!