I try to go into the wild every day, if only for a short time. I live in a wooded area with a pond out back. There are hardwood forests, scrubby fields and a river nearby with beaver sign—gnaw marks and wood chips. I usually see something interesting. I’ll let you know, right here. Sometimes I might go on a tangent (see last two posts) and rant about some other subject. But we’ll do the daily reporting most of the time. Today I saw a flock of Robins. Now there’s nothing rare about Robins; they’re common. But I always think it’s unusual that they don’t migrate any more. They used to, when I was a kid. By November they’d be gone. Now they congregate in great numbers, especially in the woods. I never realized they were social until I saw this. I’ve seen them in deepest winter. Snow Robins, we call them. And their plumage is paler. Last winter’s surprising stay-over bird was a Great Blue Heron that I saw walking on ice. Another example of gradual climate change, I guess. Tomorrow I’ll look for the little Pied Billed Grebe that turns up on our pond from time to time during migrations, and I’ll let you know what I see.
