The Craftiest Workshop

We have only experienced three springs on our new acreage but I am starting to really get a feel for when the weather changes. Seasonal changes in weather lead to changes in bird, animal and insect activity as well. There seems to be a fairly short window in both fall and spring where conditions are the best for spending long periods of time outdoors. I was reminded this week that spring is better than fall in the sense that it is about new life and creatures returning. Every day you can see new signs that spring is really here.

I spent 3-4 hours outside this week almost every day. The early morning temperature hovers around 0° but by afternoon it is around +15°. I dress in layers, removing a layer as the temperature slowly rises. I never feel too cold or too hot. Most days the sun is shining and there are big clear blue skies with white puffy clouds…a perfect backdrop.

It is wonderful to see birds returning from the south. The geese have been coming back for a good two weeks. On Thursday I heard sounds that were new; new in that I hadn’t heard them all winter. I said to Chris, “I think it’s a Robin.” Sure enough, following it around for a few minutes, it staying high in the trees, I used the Merlin Bird ID to confirm. Seeing that first Robin in spring warms my heart. Yesterday, while walking outside, we heard loud honking coming our way and a small flock of trumpeter swans flew directly over our heads. Grande Prairie is known as Swan City.

Our small group of Ruffed Grouse has been here all winter. I sometimes stumble on one, scaring it, walking around on a sunny winter day. This week the male Ruffed Grouse has begun trying to attract a mate. Each day it goes to a fallen log, hops up and begins drumming. This was the first time I had seen the drumming happen even though I had heard it many times. The grouse begins to turn in a circle and it begins to puff up its wings. After a few turns it begins to flap its wings so fast that it creates a drumming sound. If you turn up your volume you will hear the drumming. You can just make out the wings moving if you look closely. Every time I got any closer it would get angry and run away clucking.

As the snow is almost totally gone, the insects have slowly begun to emerge. I see stray honey bees out on the budding trees. Some of the moths/butterflies that have been hiding all winter have begun fluttering around. I even managed to capture this ladybug walking around amongst this weed at the base of one of our hazelbert trees.

While the insects may be out and about, they are slow and sluggish. No mosquitoes or wasps trying to bite me or horseflies circling my head. It is just a prefect time to encounter bugs of all sorts.

Although I see squirrels and deer almost every day from afar, they seem to be expanding their exploring zone. The deer have been coming into the yard to munch on anything green that is starting to come up (mostly weeds and crabgrass). We spied three of them just last night when we came home from watching a play in town. I caught this squirrel sitting in a tree right in front of me as I was walking on my trail through our forest. He thinks I won’t notice him if he stays perfectly still. I usually talk to him and then he chatters back but moves a bit farther away. He is quite a character.

The Blue Jays, Chickadees, and woodpeckers that have been around all winter become less noticeable. They start to focus on breeding and eating all those sunflower seeds that they stored over the winter. Perhaps they feel threatened by all the other birds that come for the summer. I will soon see and hear the Warblers, Flickers, Wilson’s Snipe and all sorts of sparrows.

What am I doing outside for hours at a time with no weeds to pull, berries to pick or grass to cut? I am clearing brush. There are trees that have fallen over in strong winds but they never make it to the ground and end up killing other healthy trees. I take the deadfall out and create piles of trees and branches. We have stands of willows that have aged out and simply need to be pushed over and piled. I love the work but it will take years. Every time I clear a small area, I smile and do feel like I have accomplished something.

I have a few more weeks (I hope) before temperatures shoot up past 20° or smoke settles in from spring wildfires. I plan to spend as many hours outdoors working in the bush while I can and marveling at the every day changes in nature.