Spring Ushered in with Symphony and Bird Songs

Last Saturday, I ignored the gorgeous weather for the most part. The morning had me working at the UMD Gear Swap and Saturday afternoon I curled up in a comfy chair at Amazing Grace with my laptop. I was actually hoping Sunday would be a little cloudier, a little less abuzz with people running around outside, and a little more conducive to me enjoying the woods in peace. Little did I know that Saturday was merely a prelude to the 51 degree, practically tropical, weather we had on Sunday.

I spent Saturday night in a cramped but comfortable seat at the DECC Auditorium, listening to the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra for the first time. I was there by myself, trying to pick out my friend Jillian’s singing from the 200 other singers in the DSSO Chorus. This was complicated by the gentleman sitting next to me who peppered in insights throughout the performance (“that rug is for the trombonist’s spit!”).

On Sunday afternoon, I made my way to Mission Creek Trail to study for my Field Interpretive Techniques mid-term and search out some quality time with nature. Mission Creek is off 131st Ave. West in far west Duluth and well worth a visit. Despite the gorgeous weather, I was able to enjoy two hours there all alone, with only the birds to keep me company.

Pulling out my binoculars, I picked out some common species: Black Capped Chickadee, Red-Breasted Nuthatch, American Crow. In the distance, I heard a woodpecker tapping away but wasn’t able to see him.

I walked along the trail, sinking shin-deep into the snow with every other step. It was strange that deer seemed to use the trail as much as people, based on their tracks and the branches that had been shorn off from their feeding. I used my winter trees identification key to ID their food sources as Mountain Maples and Quaking Aspen; few trees lacked signs of deer attack. I followed Chickadees as they hopped up and down a White Spruce.

Walking along the trail, I was excited to hear the creek below. I didn’t realize how much I had missed the sound of running water. I couldn’t remember the last time that I had heard it outside in Duluth.

As the sun began to set, I made my way back down the trail with cold, wet feet from plunging through the snow. I heard the woodpecker again and was able to trace it to a tree 100 feet off the trail. Narrowing in with my binoculars, I identified it as a Hairy Woodpecker. After watching it work for a few minutes, I pulled out my iPod and loaded up the iBird Explorer Pro application.

I played the Hairy Woodpecker call and, after a few repeats, the real Woodpecker flew closer to me and started to make semi-panicked chirps. It was hard to tell if it was trying to meet my virtual Woodpecker or if it was frightened by it and feeling territorial. It looked around nervously and circled my location a few times before flying off.

Getting back to my car as the sun went down and feeling warm in only my fleece got me excited thinking about more spring-time walks and searching for wildlife. Duluth has excellent parks for this sort of thing and hopefully you have time to get out over the rest of the semester.