March 2, 2013 A Woodpecker After Snow

The temperature hovered around 32 degrees with wet snow falling.  By mid morning, it had stopped.  The sky was full of great puffed water color clouds, white and heavy with gray rain, the blue peeking through.  A small Downy Woodpecker was hopping and pecking on branches by the trail.

At home I found a little notebook from the summer of 2001 in which I had written down the birds I had seen while sitting on the back porch at dawn drinking my tea.  Here are a few of the notes:
 "6-24-01:  Clear, chickadees, tufted titmouse, cardinals, squirrel in bird feeder.
Rain in the night, ending at 6:00 am, constant low rumbling thunderstorms.
6-30-01 Fair, warm, blue jay at the bird bath, brilliant mountain bluebird.
7-20-01 Rain off and on, cardinals, chickadees, titmouse, yellow goldenshower roses, coral honeysuckle, trumpet vine, fushia
8-9-1 going to be hot. 25 to 30 geese honking loudly flying over
8-11-01 hummingbird, great blue heron flying squawking  across the dead trees,
dead female cardinal in picnic shelter, American goldfinch
8-17-01 Amazing male cardinal (?), colored like a parrot, blue feathers on his back, at the bird feeder for a long time in the evening about 8:00 pm after a short rain storm and a beautiful rainbow: I could see both ends!
8-25-01 Last night I heard the hoot owl.  A hummingbird only feet away at the butterfly bush
9--10-01 Cloudy, rain during the night, fog, 2 great blue herons, squawking at the moment of dawn, hummingbird, cardinal, chickadee, geese flying over down the creek
9--17-01 cool and clear before dawn, black dark, bright stars, the big dipper, titmouse, wisps of clouds
9-24-01 Rain, gentle all night. I have reseeded and put fertilizer on the lawn. Heron squawking and rising just before dawn.  Heavy downpour at 7:00 am."

I remember that in the mornings, I would hear the squawking at the moment of the breaking of the light of dawn. A while later I would see one or two great blue herons rise into the sky and fly overhead.  In time, I connected the squawking with the pair of herons.
When it gets warm again this year, I plan to go back to my little book and begin to record the events of dawn again.  Perhaps the herons still cry and fly out in their morning ritual.  Once I saw a red winged black bird and once a painted bunting.