Guest Post by Barbara Paff
Some thirty years ago, Barbara Paff began keeping a nature journal, detailing the pleasures of rural living in Rice Township, Sandusky County, Ohio. During those years, Barb was a librarian at the Hayes Presidential Library/Archive, while her husband, the Rev. Richard Moe, was pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, then located at 3077 County Road 170 in Rice Township. They lived in the parsonage on the south side of the church. In 2004 they moved to Barb’s home town of East Lansing, Michigan, where she continues to enjoy gardening, albeit in a much smaller urban space…but still with plenty of wildlife.
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Jan 3 - On New Year’s Day, after 3” of rain, the creek flooded almost up to the road, leaving a dead pumpkin in Jim’s pasture, along with piles of sticks and other flood detritus.
Some of the mornings and evenings lately have been so still that you can hear a bird’s wings as it flies overhead–even small birds. The flocks of Canada geese sound like a rope whipped in circles. Saw a coyote again, early morning, as before.
Strange weather for January—vacillates every few days, from 50 degrees to 15 degrees, and back again. Can’t be good for plants. Forsythia bloomed this past fall—lilac buds are ready to pop now—rose bushes may not survive even with heavy leaf mulch.
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| Flooded Fields Courtesy of Barbara Paff |
Jan 4 - More rain, 1-½”, still raining, 55 degrees.
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| Flooding Courtesy of Barbara Paff |
Jan 8 - Cold, with NE wind and flurries. Feels more like January should. I’m uneasy when it’s too warm and no snow. One nice thing about all this rain (for me, not for the farmers) is that it’s too wet to plow, so the fields around us still have cornstalks to soften the landscape, and a bit of corn for the doves and geese to glean. Looks the way winter fields should look!
Jan 12 - Real snow and bitter cold this week, and I found out the mourning doves are out there. Counted about 20 at the feeder this morning. Before, hadn’t seen more than one or two. Hearing a lot of geese lately, too—wondered all fall where they were. The snow this week also brought us a pair of cardinals and numerous juncos. Have not seen the wacko male cardinal who pounds on windows, though—he was around until recently, thwacking the panes.
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| Junco Courtesy of allaboutbirds.org |
Jan 14 - Yesterday they were cutting dead trees at Spiegel Grove, and dislodged a raccoon who was undoubtedly cozily nested for the winter—I wonder how many weeks’ worth of stored fat hibernation energy it lost in escaping and trying to find another safe place? At least it seems likely there’ll be food available in the grove, even just corn or birdseed.
Jan 15 - Today there were 3 redwing blackbirds at the feeder, at least 4-5 weeks earlier than I’ve ever seen them in the 10 years we’ve lived here. Usually it’s late February.
Jan 16 - A killdeer, in January? Saw one fly up out of a field at dusk tonight. Seeing lots of geese—odd they weren’t around in Nov-Dec when corn was picked.
Jan 22 - Lots of geese today, circling, landing, circling again. Walt’s unhappy that they’re eating (and killing) the winter wheat sprouts—green salad, to them! Too much gray weather—Black Swamp weather, we call it—rained all day again. But on clear days, the sun is higher—stays light out until nearly 6 pm!
Jan 31 - Very windy since Fri., but so sunny today it seemed like spring (40’s). Tulip and daffodil tips are up, on north side of the church. Not many birds at the feeder—must be finding food elsewhere when there’s no snow.
Feb 6 - COLD again—a touch of snow. The air was full of diamond dust all day. Full moon tonight, skating between the clouds. Somebody has dug a burrow under the front window…somebody small-ish. Not a woodchuck, anyway.
Feb 7 - Today I found a vole in a tree—a dead vole, to be sure—in a 2-foot spruce, about 18” up, lying on its belly on top of a branch. Dropped there? (How likely is THAT?) Not a likely place for a nap—nor a likely hiding place! Strange. Lovely day, 40 degrees, though the wind was sharp. I took Gabe for a walk up around Jim’s pond, and he couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t let him run out on the ice (it looked pretty thin), so he bit off pieces and chewed it instead. Yup, it’s what retrievers do…
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| Vole Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons |
Feb 15 - Wrong about burrow under the window. Creature moved a chunk of cement. Could well be a woodchuck! Snow on the way—they say up to 6” by a.m. and another 6” tomorrow. I’m supposed to be at work, and my car has a flat tire. I hope at least “the electric” will stay on, so we have heat and water.
Feb 23 - Sort of snowed in. This whole last week‘s been Winter….snow, sleet, more snow, and COLD Still some ice on trees, and definitely on everything else. Gabe has noticed that something has burrowed under the window. Paw prints like a human foot, only fat. Coon or possum? Don’t know if it’s still under the bush or just its scent, but Gabe is fascinated. Anyway, it isn't in the original burrow, and it can’t be digging far in this weather (10 degrees).
Feb 24 - New bird at the feeder—a horned lark. We saw them once before, several years ago, also during a bitterly cold, windy spell with a lot of snow. Couldn’t see the “horns” on this one, but the markings are very distinctive. Last time, there was a whole army of them, and they marched along looking for food, in synchronized choreography.
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| Horned Larkspur Courtesy of allaboutbirds.org |
Mar 5 - Another ice and snow blast yesterday, after some “springlike” days. Power out for 13 hours—lots of birds and bunnies at the feeder—the lark pair disappears when it’s warmer, but they were back yesterday!
Mar 8 - Thousands of geese—in the sky, in the fields—I watched 6 swans with one flock. Hmm, isn’t it “6 geese a-laying, 7 swans a-swimming”? Well, this was 6 swans—white, long necks, black feet and bill. My books say probably whistling swans. Thought maybe snow geese, but their necks were so long—can’t find a good description of snow geese.
Lots of cowbirds at the feeder. The earth seems poised for spring… Haven’t seen redwings again, though. One of these mornings they’ll be out there shrieking with that piercing SCREEK!
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| Whistling Swans Courtesy of G Johnston Photos |
Mar 9 - Looks like another year for sick raccoons—had to call Walt this a.m. to shoot one that was huddled against the parish hall, shivering. It didn’t even try to run from Gabe (who was a good boy and left it alone when I told him to).
Tonight at dusk, I saw several small flocks of swans flying low overhead—they sound quite different from geese, not quite as strident, and their wings make a different sound from the whistling of goose wings—there’s a kind of “burr” in it. I think that now I could tell them from geese even if they were really high—their necks are so long, and they fly with necks extended.
Mar 11 - Saw a BIG flock of swans today. Flying against a backdrop of “cloudy and snowing,” they are like ghosts. Their bodies almost disappear into the grey, but their graceful necks show up, and their wings, being whiter, seem to shimmer rather than flap. Reminds me of an illustration somewhere in a children’s book, which I assumed at the time to be a fantasy rendering. (Maybe Hans Christian Andersen?)
Redwings are everywhere now, and at the feeders. Gotta find out when to put up bluebird and wren houses.
Mar 27 - Fog. Seems like weeks of it. Depressing. The good news: bulbs and other things are sprouting, sweet peas, rhubarb, etc. A pair of cardinals is nesting in the big pine. Did I mention that song sparrows and white-throated sparrows have been back for weeks?
The sad news: someone dumped a box with a litter of half grown kittens on the road—the mother was hit and killed, and the kittens stayed huddled together by a post, waiting for her to come back, I guess. They didn’t run from me, but were watchful. Fed them—they were REALLY hungry—took them home, but had to take them to our vet. They will probably be put down, but at least won’t freeze or starve, or be eaten. The little black and white one was so scared, she cowered—her little face haunts me. Why are people such utterly cruel and irresponsible jerks??
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| Daffodil Sprouting Courtesy of Barbara Paff |
Mar 29 - Found 3rd kitten, in the corncrib—longhaired, gold and white with amber eyes, very affectionate, not at all afraid of Gabe. Called the vet. The other two had been adopted, and they thought they knew someone who’d want this one, so I zipped him in to the clinic. Very grateful to them for providing this service to the Humane Society, which has no shelter.
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| Scilla Courtesy of Barbara Paff |
Apr 4 - The man who delivered our new table said he saw a bald eagle take a fish out of Jim’s pond, just across the road! Yesterday Rich saw what he thinks was a heron with a light-colored head. Hmmm… Saw 2 cock pheasants strolling on the turnpike last Sunday—we rarely see or hear those.
Heron Flying over Field of Corn Stubble
Courtesy of Barbara Paff
Apr 7 - Warm enough (50’s) for yard cleanup—I’ll be aching tomorrow!
So much illness around-not winter stuff, but elderly friends requiring surgery.
On the bright side, we did see the sun for a few hours today, and a lovely full moon last night. There are grape hyacinths and at least one tulip coming up where the well was dug up last year and I thought all the bulbs were lost!
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| Grape Hyacinth Courtesy of Barbara Paff |
Apr 12 - We’re easily entertained. When the ad comes on TV with the pizza delivery man ringing the doorbell repeatedly, we say “Come in!” and Gabe rushes about, trying to decide which door to wag at!
Apr 13 - Saw a kingfisher—first time in several years. Scilla and spring beauties blooming, forsythia too (but only 3 branches at the bottom, because birds picked off all the buds higher up…I watched them during the winter). Somebody has filled the bluebird house with grass—don’t know who—nobody’s in there when I peek.
Apr 20 - Violets blooming, south end of house, purple and white. I miss the big clump of white ones that used to be by the well.
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| Violets Courtesy of Barbara Paff |
Apr 27 - Last Fri. was glorious, sunny and 60’s—I had the whole day to myself, got lots done, most of it outdoors. Next day ACHING, but it was worth it. Dogtooth violets have leaves but no sign of flowers. Lunaria blooming—didn’t know they came so early. Grass thick enough to mow—looks like summer, but still cold. Foggy this a.m., looked eerie and lovely when the sun broke through, like a volcano land, with wisps of steam rising from the fields and fencerows. Chlorinated the well—hate that job, but if I do it myself I can at least decide WHEN. It takes quite a while to drain off the bleach and empty the water heater.
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| Lunaria with Seed Pods Courtesy of Barbara Paff |
Apr 30 - Dogtooth violets–one is blooming, finally, and they must be multiplying—there are at least a dozen plants!
Lovely, perfect day—we took “vacation” and went to Crane Creek. Lots of birders there, mostly “older,” and friendly. Watched tadpoles, yellow and other warblers, blue-gray gnatcatchers, hundreds of geese, and a frog. Plus other birds we couldn’t identify. Rich had heard from Ray and Jane Grob that the geese had goslings, but we never saw even one. Herons, egrets, but no goslings. Lots of ducks, muskrats, and a herd of carp boiling around in a shallow, swampy area (spawning). Big ones, 18-20” long.
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| Dogtooth Violets Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons |
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