By Way of Explanation

Just consider me the missing blogger. Between the recent trips, a busier spring work schedule, computer trouble, preparing a house for rent in Buffalo and anticipating a move to Texas, I just haven’t had time to comment on the arrival of birds, or flowers or all things spring like here on the Cape. And I miss doing that. But time is what it is, a limited commodity, so I apologize for not getting to this.

My original goal had been to share the sights and sounds of my walk around the bog through a Cape Cod year, and I guess I did achieve that. I often think if anyone wonders what’s happening in May on the Cape, well its fairly similar to last May on the Cape so one can access those entries. What I should start to chronicle is how one resets ones mind from nature in New England to the natural world of the southwest deserts. I have bought all the books, Birds of Texas, Reptiles of the Southwest etc, but haven’t gotten around to really studying them. Mainly because denial is the state I seem to most enjoy. The housing market being what it is, with luck I will get to stay on the Cape a little longer even if my husband does need to start his job by mid-August.

A quick run down on what my walks have featured each day for the last few weeks is watching the leaves unfold under a rather constant cold and gray sky. We have been unseasonably chilly, and “misty, moisty” has been a pretty constant condition here. I keep placing seeds in the ground that are either just rotting away or considered home delivery to the insects that might be eating them. I feel for the nesting birds that have had to keep eggs and chicks warm through chilly damp days and search for insects that would rather hunker low than fly about. Bee’s aren’t exactly buzzing about in hordes due to the cold and yet, and yet, leaves unfurl into their many varied shades of green, moss sends up its spore capsules, and the forest floor is littered with Starflowers and Canada mayflower.

In my neck of the woods it is pretty much still stealth mode for crows and blue jays. No garrulous cawing or jay chatter, just silent trips and sideways glances as they head to their nests. Chickadee’s are flitting in and out of their respective nest holes and only come to the feeders at dusk for a recharge of their own batteries. I always wonder if they switch their diet to insects more once they are gathering them for the nestlings. “One for me, one for my chick”, etc.

The bog also has seen the return of every type of Flycatcher from the early Phoebes to the Great Crested and the pugnacious Kingbirds. If you want to know where anyone’s nest is, just watch the birds come out and go on the attack of any crow or hawk that happens to fly by. The days of the “duck du jour” on the bog have ended and no, that mallard never did return to the nest that was right beside the trail but probably found a more suitable place and although I watched the eggs thinking this is an easy meal for someone, no one seemed to have them on their meal plan, so they remain to this day.

I had the good fortune to see my resident box turtle sauntering down my trail, large as life, and another winter weathered. I was on my way to work so didn’t get to stop and watch how it would negotiate all the fallen trees along the path but detours are probably part of its daily life. I think they might amaze us all with what they can get up and over. So the regulars are back in place, spring or the feeling of spring may end up being a day or two event before summer is upon us, but as my future life will involve tons of unrelenting heat I am not complaining about cool temperatures.

Again, know that I miss these “walks” that we share, but will get to them when I can, and at some point will have to reinvent this as “New England Naturalist goes West” and we can learn together about the resilience of life in a drought stricken state But not just yet. No, not just yet.

P.S. In my usual technologically backward way, I can't seem to get my pictures to save or come up with this new laptop I am using, bear with me, I will eventually when there is more time, get the hang of it! Pat