Well, the best-laid plans, as they say…April 28, I fell and fractured my sacrum. After spending a few very painful days in hospital, I learned that there’s no repairing such a break; I just have to wait 3 months or so for it to heal.

I’ve missed a week of this blog and thought this accident meant a very long hiatus in “This Week at Bear Creek” since I won’t be walking in the park until sometime late this summer. But I’ve come up with a plan which I hope meets with your approval. Since I’ve walked in Bear Creek and taken photos there for so many years, I have a huge library of photos. And since the photos are dated, I know when various creatures have appeared there in the past.

So my plan is to provide you with a photo guide to what to look for every week (or two, as able), based on past Bear Creek springs and summers. And perhaps some of you, along with Dr. Ben and my husband Reg, will tell me what you saw and I can pass along that info as well. So, here we go:

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 MAY 10- 16, 2015

Two glamorous birds arrived in our area this week.   Both the male and female Rose-Breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) alighted in the park this week – and both are stunning. Since they sing from high in the treetops when leaves are just bursting forth , they’re not easy to spot. Listen for a melodious mixture of high and low notes that’s been described as “a Robin who’s had voice lessons.” Here’s one I saw at home on May 8 a few years ago.

Like the Seven Dwarves, the female grosbeak whistles while she works, building her nest, which isn’t common for female birds. With her heavily-streaked breast and the bright white line above her eye and necklacing her throat, the female grosbeak can be mistaken for a female Red-wing Blackbird. But “grosbeak” is an appropriate name; these birds have short, heavy beaks. I’ve spotted them over several years in the eastern side of the woods, near the marsh. Here’s a link to the female’s appearance:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/rose-breasted_grosbeak/id

And here’s another for their sweet song:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/rose-breasted_grosbeak/sounds

The other glamorpuss that’s just arrived is the Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula). The male’s eye-popping orange, black and white plumage is unmistakable. The females usually are more yellow than the male’s brilliant orange but they become more orange each time they molt. When they arrive from Central America, they are looking for quick energy and love fruit – but only dark red, orange or purple fruit. (Very particular birds!) That’s when they come to backyard feeders filled with grape jelly or half an orange. When raising young, they hunt insects for the protein they need for themselves and their nestlings and are less visible. So here’s one singing its melodious whistle high in the trees near the center pond and then a closeup as one horns in on our hummingbird feeder.

Maybe with luck, you’ll see them building their sack-like nest right at the tip of a branch very high off the ground, literally rockaby-ing their babies in the treetops.

Dr. Ben saw an amazing 35 separate species on a Bear Creek bird walk last week! And what a group! 8 different warblers and many of them were seen by sitting quietly on the boardwalk just off the playground early in the morning. Here’s one of them who graces the wet areas of the park all summer.

It’s the Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas), a small masked bird who usually hangs out near the center pond or marsh. If you can’t see it, you can hear its distinctive “Witchedy-witchedy-witchedy” call. Have a listen:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/common_yellowthroat/sounds

One of my favorite fisher birds arrived this week too, the Green Heron (Butorides verescens). Ben saw a pair posing quite calmly in a tree at the center pond. Like other herons, it’s a very patient fisher. It stares intently down into the water until it spots its prey – a small fish or frog. And then dives headfirst into the water – Gulp! – And it’s gone. I saw this one at the center pond last fall :

You may notice groups of young Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata) hanging around in the bushes on the north side of the park, giving each other a hard time, jumping from limb to limb, darting through the trees, and generally acting like teenagers. I’ve just learned young blue jays don’t breed their first year but form groups and practice courtship behavior. Here’s an adult blue jay who seems to be looking a bit askance at all their silliness.

The strange and wonderful buds of the Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata) are pushing their way through the branches. Keep an eye out for them on a tree whose distinctive bark makes it a special feature of Bear Creek.

The May Apples (Podophyllum peltatum ) have unfurled their umbrellas and can be found in groups underneath tall trees in wooded areas all over the park.

Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) sits proudly inside his green lectern all over the woods. Being a native plant, these little preachers should thrive after this spring’s prescribed burn.

A tiny, early butterfly is fluttering through the grass right now. Spring Azures (Celastrina ladon) are easy to spot with their lavender blue wings and whimsical black and white striped antennae. When feeding, they fold their wings upward so that the drab gray undersides will make them more inconspicuous to predators.

Coming Attractions

A native beauty, the Large-Flowered Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum), has pushed its trio of leaf-like bracts through the soil and have unfolded their showy white petals.  Look for them to the west side of the boardwalk on the eastern side of the center pond and to the west side of the Eagle Scout bridge as you enter the western woods. They usually bloom in Bear Creek a bit later than elsewhere.

Watch this coming week for the lavender carpet of Wild Geraniums (Geranium maculatum). Ben tells me that with this warm spell, they should start blooming quickly. Here’s how they looked last year in the second week of May but there may be more this year after the prescribed burn.

So I may be housebound, but we still can share the beauty of Bear Creek Park. I value your input, so please, fellow nature lovers, lend me your ears – and your eyes!