"Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt."
― John Muir
Despite an overcast and cool weekend with intermittent showers, Sue and I made our way to the Pheasant Branch Creek Corridor on Saturday to pick up a few year birds. As soon as we stepped out of my RAV, I caught the call-note of an Eastern Phoebe and quickly spotted it. Shortly after that, I heard, then saw, my first Yellow-rumped Warbler of the season—a very drab one. The corridor was alive with Golden-crowned Kinglets—likely arrivals from Friday's warm temperatures and strong southerly winds. Other birds included Fox Sparrow, Brown Creeper, Tufted Titmouse, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, American Robin, Blue Jay, American Crow, American Goldfinch, Song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Red-tailed Hawk, and more.
In just a couple of weeks, the stark, monochromatic landscape of the creek corridor will undergo a dramatic transformation. Bare branches will burst with fresh green leaves, and the once-muted understory will become dense with ferns, wildflowers, and tangled vines. The quiet, open spaces will be filled with the songs of warblers, vireos, and thrushes, while the air will hum with the activity of bees and butterflies. What now feels like a skeletal forest will soon resemble a lush, vibrant jungle, teeming with life at every turn.
Earlier in the week at Barneveld ...
The Nature Conservancy conducted a prescribed burn recently, and at least this spring, it was done early enough to avoid scorching nests and eggs. Eastern Meadowlarks have been back for a few weeks now, though it's mostly the males staking out territories. I understand the reasoning behind these burns—fire plays a crucial role in maintaining prairie ecosystems by reducing invasive species and recycling nutrients. But I still think it's overdone. When prairies are burned too frequently, insect diversity takes a noticeable hit, impacting the very foundation of the food web. Fortunately, in this particular prairie, TNC tends to rotate the fields they burn, giving some areas a reprieve each year. Still, I can't help but wonder if a less aggressive approach would better balance habitat management with biodiversity conservation.
A beautiful sunset (Friday evening) at Pope Farm Conservancy ...
This was before the crappy weather!
All images © 2025 Mike McDowell