2011 Sampler of Nature’s Treasures
With only three days left of 2011, I decided to look back through my Nature Narrative postings. The articles and photos depict many treasures of nature that were discovered throughout the year. I hope you will enjoy this sampler from 2011′s Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall, and I wish you a Happy New Year filled with nature’s treasures.
Winter
On this frigid February 1st, the outdoor thermometer reads -9 degrees F. The backyard pond is frozen except for a three-foot circle of open water surrounding our circular pond heater. Overnight, a mix of light snow and sleet sprinkled the icy pond, creating a surface like frosted glass.
The smooth snow covering the front and backyard remains untracked all day. The usually active mammals – rabbits, squirrels, fox, deer and occasional bobcats – are nowhere to be seen. The only wildlife visible on this below zero day are birds, their feathers fluffed to trap extra air for insulation.
- Cedar Waxwing photo by Winston Walker
Five American Robins fly to the pond in late morning, gathering around the small circle of water. After dipping their beaks into the water, they tilt their heads back to swallow. Soon, they are joined by two Cedar Waxwings, elegant winter visitors to our neighborhood. I note their sleek, gray feathers and back-swept crest. The Waxwings look like they are wearing a black mask and a cape hemmed in red, black and yellow threads.
This brief glimpse of winter’s Cedar Waxwings reminds me of Henry David Thoreau’s quote, “Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.”
Spring
Late this afternoon I took a short walk through our neighborhood park. Except for the sound of the brisk March wind, it was very quiet. As I headed south into the stiff breeze, I zipped up my hooded jacket and cinched the hood tighter. I noted very little bird activity. Perhaps they had sought shelter from the wind, just as I had for most of the day.
When I turned northward, with the wind at my back, I pushed back my hood just in time to catch sight of a majestic bird that seemed to revel in the wind. A Red-tailed Hawk was soaring about 200 yards above me. With its wingtips outstretched, it faced directly into the rushing wind, buoyed by the moving air with no need to flap its wings. The motionless hawk seemed suspended from the blue sky by an invisible thread. Then, with a slight turn, it became an untethered kite and flew out of sight.
Summer
Late summer—still and quiet. Such a change from midsummer when the natural world took advantage of the longest days of the year. Just a few weeks ago, robins constantly patrolled the grass looking for food for their hungry nestlings, and spotted towhees seemed to sing all day long. Now, all the nestlings have grown up, and the birds no longer wake us up before dawn with their bubbly songs. Though warm weather still lingers, the change in bird behavior signals that summer days are fleeting and fall is already beginning.
Yellow and purple are the colors of late summer and early autumn. Traces of yellow are emerging in the deep green leaves of summer. Dotting the hillsides of the foothills are two late-blooming wildflowers—bright yellow Golden Aster and purple Blazing Star.
As I walk slowly through the wild edges of our open space park, I am contemplating change and transitions. Then, a flickering shadow shades my eyes and patterns my sleeve. For a moment, I am in the shadow of a butterfly. For only a moment.
(In appreciation to my brother Winston Walker for the Swallowtail Butterfly photo he took yesterday, not yet knowing the topic of my article.)
Fall
It simply appeared, yet was already over six feet long by the time I first noticed it. It had already overtaken the side of the compost and looped through the overturned wheelbarrow. A pumpkin vine. The volunteer vine was growing in an out-of-sight corner of our yard, on the north side of the house between the garage and the fence.
For a couple of years, we tried to grow a pumpkin, carefully choosing the sunny side of the yard, but to no avail. This volunteer pumpkin took advantage of extra moisture near the compost, and quickly grew toward the direct sunlight on the east side of the house. Soon it spilled out into the aspen grove. The racing vine was an organic regatta with velvety sails for leaves.
By early October, one of the pollinated yellow flowers produced a perfectly round, green pumpkin about the size of a basketball. A different volunteer vine (that was almost identical to the pumpkin vine) produced decorative gourds that looked like miniature hot-air balloons.
With the threat of 20-degree weather, I harvested the green pumpkin and the globe-shaped gourds. The gourds have decorated our kitchen for the last six weeks. The green pumpkin has slowly ripened into a warm orange color, and now decorates our doorstep for Thanksgiving.
- Pumpkin Photo by Author, Melissa Walker
On Frozen Pond
On this frigid February 1st, our outdoor thermometer reads -9 degrees F. The backyard pond is frozen except for a three-foot circle of open water surrounding our circular pond heater. Overnight, a mix of light snow and sleet sprinkled the icy pond, creating a surface like frosted glass.
The smooth snow covering the front and backyard remains untracked all day. The usually active mammals – rabbits, squirrels, fox, deer and occasional bobcats – are nowhere to be seen. The only wildlife visible on this below zero day are birds, their feathers fluffed to trap extra air for insulation.
Cedar Waxwing photo by Winston Walker
Five American Robins fly to the pond in late morning, gathering around the small circle of water. After dipping their beaks into the water, they tilt their heads back to swallow. Soon, they are joined by two Cedar Waxwings, elegant winter visitors to our neighborhood. This is the first time I’ve seen them this year. With my binoculars, I note their sleek, gray feathers and back-swept crest. The Waxwings look like they are wearing a black mask and a cape hemmed in red, black and yellow threads.
This brief glimpse of winter’s Cedar Waxwings reminds me of Henry David Thoreau’s quote, “Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.”
Photo Credit: Thanks to my brother Winston Walker for his beautiful photo of the Cedar Waxwing perched on a Crab Apple branch.
Three Bobcats, a Fox and a Squirrel
A scrabbling sound was the first indication of unusual activity in our backyard. I rushed to the window just in time to see the blurred motion of a red fox jumping up our fence, then turning 180 degrees to jump down and run in the opposite direction. Almost within reach of the fox’s tail were two bobcats! They pursued the fox for about 50 feet, and then abruptly stopped when the fox jumped out of our yard. Then the bobcats leisurely stretched out on the grass, yawned and were joined by a third bobcat. The fox was lucky that the bobcats gave up the chase, at least for today.
Bobcats lounging
The bobcats relaxed in the sunny part of our yard for about two hours, then roused themselves to drink from our backyard pond and to play in our pond’s filter tank. They looked liked overgrown housecats as they tussled in the tank. Then, one of the bobcats began scratching on an aspen tree, stretching upward 34 inches (I measured the next day), and dragging its claws down the soft bark. According to Timothy Mallow in his article Bobcat Ecology, “the vertical scratches made by the bobcat’s claws leave a visual marker and also leave a scent on the tree that originates from sweat glands in bobcat’s paws. Bobcats maintain and defend their ranges with the use of territorial markers, such as tree scratches. The home range of a female bobcat averages 2900 acres.” That is more than twice as large as Garden of the Gods Park (1367 acres).
Bobcat drinking from backyard pond
Bobcat scratching aspen tree
Bobcats playing in filter tank
The backyard bobcat drama lasted all day. By mid-afternoon, I noticed a fox squirrel at the tiptop of an aspen tree, anxiously flicking its tail and chattering. Half way up the same tree was one of the bobcats! When the squirrel jumped into the top of an adjacent aspen, the bobcat slowly backed down the tree trunk, then turned and jumped to the ground. I thought the hunt was over. But no, the bobcat looked up, located the squirrel and proceeded to climb the second tree. Then I observed that a second bobcat was patrolling the top of our back fence, near the squirrel’s tree.
At this point, I guessed that the squirrel would outlast the bobcats in patience and would remain at the very top of the tree until the bobcats left the neighborhood. I decided to check back in 5 minutes, but by then, I had missed the action. There was the bobcat strolling through the backyard with the lifeless squirrel in its mouth.
As the successful predator settled down to eat its prey, the other two bobcats watched neighborhood birds from the vantage point of our deck and took another nap. The three bobcats finally left our backyard in the late afternoon.
Bobcat sitting on our deck
The bobcats are probably three of the four kittens that were born in our neighbor’s yard last spring. Although the mother bobcat and her four kittens left their den in early July, neighbors occasionally saw one or more of the bobcats during the fall. Just last week, in mid-January, one neighbor saw all five bobcats – presumably the mother and the almost-grown kittens – parade across her deck in single file following the lead bobcat that held a dead squirrel in its mouth. The bobcats will soon deplete the easy prey in our neighborhood and move on to another part of their home range. Sometime between now and May, when the kittens are almost a year old, the mother will “evict her kittens from her home range.” Until then, we fortunate neighbors may glimpse the “wild kingdom” in our own Westside Colorado Springs neighborhoods.
2 young bobcats nuzzle, creating a mirror image
Bobcat jumping off our deck
Photo Credits: All photos were taken by author Melissa Walker.
“Always Something New to Discover”
Ten months ago in one of my first blogs, I used a quote from my favorite nature writer Ann Zwinger. The year 2010 marked the 40th anniversary of her classic natural history book, Beyond the Aspen Grove, still my favorite. I chose my nature blog’s tagline “always something new to discover” from Ann’s words:
Beginning to know these mountain acres has been to discover a puzzle with a million pieces already set out on a table. Occasionally a few pieces fit together and we gain another awareness of the land’s total pattern of existence, of its intricate interdependencies, enhanced by knowing that the puzzle will never be completed. There will always be something new to discover… (From Chapter 1, Beyond the Aspen Grove)
As I write today, a snowstorm has settled over Colorado Springs and every shape outside my window is now etched in white. With 2010 drawing to a close, I am reflecting on the turning seasons of this year and thought I’d share a few of my favorite Colorado discoveries with you, with homage to Ann Zwinger.
Sandhill Cranes and Sunset, Sangre de Cristo Mountains, late winter
Northern Flicker, late winter
Bobcat with two of her four kittens, late spring
Alpine Tundra Wildflowers: Alpine Forget-Me-Nots and Dwarf Clover on the west slope of Pikes Peak, mid-summer
Golden aspen leaves paint the mountainsides in autumn
Snow-covered Backyard with pond, aspen trees and tall stalks of teasel, early winter
Happy New Year!
Photo Credits: Cranes, Bobcats, Wildflowers, Aspen and Pond by Melissa Walker; Flicker by Les Goss
The Bobcat Is Back
After a two-week hiatus, the Bobcat is again ranging through our backyard. We have seen it four out of the last five days, including today. Last Saturday the Bobcat was rolling around in the tall grass in our aspen grove; on Sunday, it was drinking from the filter tank of our backyard pond; yesterday it was carrying its prey – a fox squirrel – in its jaws; and this morning it simply ambled through the backyard sniffing the air. In my April 22 blog “A Bobcat in the Backyard,” I expressed my wish to see the Bobcat again. That wish has come true. Seeing the magnificent Bobcat reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:
“Those who dwell among the wonders and mysteries of nature
are never alone or weary of life.” by Rachel Carson
Bobcat in Backyard Habitat, photo by Les Goss
And A Heron in the Pond
After seeing a bobcat in our backyard, the next morning I watched the aspen grove outside our window, hoping to see the elusive cat again. Clouds obscured the sun and blustery winds still held winter’s chill. Our rain gauge measured a quarter-inch of rain from overnight showers. Observing the backyard from the comfort of my house was a luxury. At midday, my vigilance was rewarded – but not with a bobcat. Instead, a Great Blue Heron graced our landscape.
Great Blue Heron in backyard pond
Standing knee-deep at the edge of the pond, the regal bird cautiously surveyed its surroundings but never seemed secure enough to strike at one of the fish. At times when the heron was motionless, it seemed to disappear behind the dried flower stalks. After a few minutes, the stately visitor gathered up its wings and flew away.
Fortunately, the heron stayed long enough for my husband Les Goss to capture it on video. To watch a two-minute video of “our” heron surveying the area, then flying away, visit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCUzLDAYFHQ.
Heron wading in backyard pond
According to Ken Pals, park naturalist at Fountain Creek Nature Center, there are at least four heron rookeries in El Paso County, Colorado. The closest rookery (collection of nests) to our backyard pond is located six miles away. The nests are in tall cottonwood trees along Fountain Creek, near the intersection of Interstate 25 and South Nevada Avenue. The herons must not be too bothered by the traffic as they have successfully nested near the Interstate for several years. They usually return to the same trees every spring. Perhaps the heron will return to our backyard pond this spring or summer for a more successful “fishing trip.”
Continue Reading »
A Bobcat in the Backyard
On the afternoon of April 16, the clouds were darkening. Even though it was only four o’clock, it seemed much later. Anticipating rain, I glanced out the window to see if any raindrops were puncturing the smooth surface of our backyard pond. No, not yet.
Just as I was turning away, a movement caught my eye. Suddenly, a furry leg stretched up out of the pond’s filter tank. Then two triangle-shaped ears appeared – ears with pointed tufts. A bobcat was in our backyard!
Backyard Bobcat
My heart began to race. I watched the wildcat stand up and slowly stretch just like a house cat. When it climbed out of the tank I rushed to get my camera. Luckily, the bobcat was still in view, warily weaving a path through the edge of our small aspen grove. Then it disappeared into the thicket.
Bobcat blends into its surroundings
I’ve occasionally heard of bobcats being sighted in the Pikes Peak foothills. Yet, for the many years that I have been hiking, backpacking and watching wildlife in Colorado, this was the first time I’d ever seen a bobcat. I hope it won’t be the last. Continue Reading »