Yesterday afternoon Irvine’s naturalists ventured out into the woods to collect sap from our maple trees (it’s still maple sugaring season here!). Even though a lot of the snow we received in February has begun to melt, there are still parts of Irvine’s property where the snow is at least 6” deep. However, the days have started to get noticeably longer, the temperatures are rising ever so slightly, and there’s just this feeling in the air that spring is just around the corner.
As we hiked down to the maple trees tapped in the lower, wetter part of the property, curiosity led us further into the woods. I was search for one of the earliest signs of spring- blooming skunk cabbage. Eastern skunk cabbage is a wetland plant that, later in the season, will have larger cabbage-like leaves and a produces a foul odor (it is an aptly named plant, that’s for sure!).
Even though the days are cold and gray, there’s still plenty of nature out there to experience. One of my favorite parts about the winter is that I seem to have an easier time spotting some of my favorite creatures- raptors. With the leaves off of the trees, it is much easier to spot a hawk perching on a branch. This is even easier when we have snow and the brownish bird is set against the white background.
Recently, local birder, Keith Costley spotted a Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) at Irvine Nature Center. Though these birds have been spotted in some of the surrounding areas, this was the first confirmed sighting on the Irvine property. Red-headed Woodpeckers are among the more rare woodpeckers in this area.
People often confuse the Red-bellied Woodpecker for the Red-headed. While the Red-bellied does have a streak of red down on much of its head, the Red-headed looks like his entire head has been dipped in red paint.
Recently, local birder, Keith Costley spotted a Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) at Irvine Nature Center. Though these birds have been spotted in some of the surrounding areas, this was the first confirmed sighting on the Irvine property. Red-headed Woodpeckers are among the more rare woodpeckers in this area.
