ENHS Nature Trails February 2003 Article 5

Sounds and Signs of Spring
by Reida Kimmel

The red tailed hawks are back in our valley, soaring and calling above us. Several days ago I was driving down the road with a friend and a large red tailed hawk flew up from the ditch beside the road. The bird flew so close to the car I feared we would hit him. It seemed as if I could see each individual feather highlighted in the brilliant sunshine. As suddenly, he was gone, leaving only his shadow on the road ahead of us.

The amphibians are quieter harbingers of spring. On the warmest days of this unusually early spring we have heard both red legged frogs and Hyla calling briefly. The red legged frogs call from wet places in the woods, so I hear them frequently during my afternoon walks. For about a month, we have been encountering newts on the trail, heading to water to breed. The resident Ambystoma gracile (Northwestern Salamander) are appearing everywhere about the farm, just asking for trouble. The first one I found was under one of the sheep's feeder pans. It got a "ride" to the pond's edge. Not long after, a second Ambystoma showed up outside the chickens' door. Our chickens eat mice, so I worried that the big grey-brown salamander would seem a tasty morsel. Off to the pond for that guy too! Finally, the most foolhardy salamander of the season so far, appeared in the path between the arena and the horse corral, a path traversed many times daily, often at top speed, by our horses. Of course Reida's taxi service took that one to safety. Sometimes I wonder if word is out in the amphibian community that joy rides are obtainable free every morning from the crazy lady in the green jacket. Now if I could only do something about motorcycles and paintball wars, spring would be perfect...

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