catloesje@hotmail.com

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May 17 2008
One of the best things about a rain shower is stepping outside after. Birdsong reached another level yet. On my walk, I can see and hear; Robins , Juncos, Chickadees, White winged Crossbills. And again I meet a Yellow-rumped Warbler, I find them surprisingly easy to spot. They seem to specially sing for me and hang around till I clearly see them (through binoculars) and can learn their song. It all smells lovely fresh. And at 'moose skull lake' The ice is almost gone, To see a body of open rippling water, that size, certainly stirrs me. Four gulls today, they actually stand, in pairs, on the only piece of ice left, on the east side of the lake, where the water flows in. And a male Ring-necked Duck joined the pair of Barrow's Goldeneyes.
'The Mountain' suddenly looks green around it's rocks. And on the path more crocuses are blooming and Death Camas is coming up. On the path through the the swamp, there are Louseworts coming up and Bearberries blooming, the little urn shaped flowers are deliciously sweet. For us botany sticklers ;It's the Arctostaphylos rubra. When the sun comes out everything is sparkling. As I am checking the Birch sap today, trying to stem its flow for now, which proves more difficult then I thought. Any suggestions? I do visit the little meadow, which I like to name as it is special in being small and circular, and the only one around like that. The coltsfoot is blooming. Petasites frigidus, I will find out which one of the four. And in the little pools of water, some beautiful red,with yellow leaves are sticking out; Rumex occidentalis, the Western Dock.
In my book of observations, I read here that Mary Whitley and I on April 29 saw the yellow flower of The snow Potentilla (potentilla nivea). I actually went back the day after, to positively identify it. I don't think I wrote about that, I found a few plants of them on the ridge (esker), facing south, north of the swamp on the north side of 'moose skull lake'. That day, April 30 2008, was I think the last day for this year, I crossed the lake over the ice.