Trailside Observations on A Late Winter Stroll – Part Deux

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I decided to return today for another hike at Dwaas Kill Nature Preserve following our recent snowstorm overnight on Friday.  Much like Friday’s pre-storm weather, today also featured filtered sunshine and balmy 40 degrees.

I walked along the identical path that I enjoyed on Friday and, first up on this visit, I once again flushed an owl in the same location as where I had observed the Great Horned Owl on Friday. This time, however, I was able to get a photo (but not a very good one – see for yourself below) of this inquisitive bird – it was as curious about me as I was of it.

Barred Owl (Strix varia) on large limb right of tree trunk just above center of photo

As I continued along, I also noticed that the “snow fleas” were again out today, but in far fewer numbers than on Friday.

Snow fleas @ 8x magnification

Near the end of this trail and not far off of it, the adjoining lowland is part of an extensive floodplain along the Dwaas Kill. I had noticed a few muddy spots and gave them a closer look in hopes of finding the season’s first wildflowers in bloom. Success!

Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) – first bloom of the season!

As I began my return trek to the parking lot, I noticed a recognizable lump on a large limb about 2/3 of the way up in an Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) tree, which appeared to be about 150 feet tall. (Again, not the best photos, but I hope you can “see” who I came upon.)

Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) is large dark spot in upper center of photo;
lighter brown color are its quills, head is facing to the left.
Another view of this Porcupine;
its rump is against the tree trunk and its quills are visible along its back – head is facing to the right.

Since I had not seen any of its tracks on Friday or today, I suspect this visitor has taken up residency here for the foreseeable future – likely at least several weeks. Based on the little amount of scat at the base of this tree, this Porcupine has not been here very long.

I’ll be making nearly weekly visits to this trail segment starting at the end of the month and continuing throughout this growing season as I am inventorying the wildflowers along this new trail. When I’ve completed the inventory, I’ll update my wildflower field guide for this location. As I make my return visits, I’ll be watching to see how long this critter maintains its residency here high above us human trespassers passing through its new neighborhood.

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