A Tom Fans His Tail

Wild turkeys are gobbling before dawn from the Mitchell fields along Bald Hill Road. We hear them as we walk the dogs just at daybreak. The males gobble, strut, and fan their tails. Morning commuters slow to watch.

A few hours later as I drove to a meeting at the Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge I saw more turkeys. Actually one male, displaying on the road. Two cars ahead of me had already slowed to watch. As I approached the tom he fanned his tail for me too. Then Kodi barked from the back and the turkey gathered in his wings and tail and slinked into the underbrush. Not the reaction he was hoping for, but there were no hen turkeys in sight.

 

Wood Anemone

The anemones emerged this week in the moist soils at the edge of our woods. The delicate, dime-sized, white flowers dot the forest floor, set among deeply lobed and toothed leaves. It is the first woodland flower that we see. They spread around the base of trees, remaining bright until mid-summer when they die back. This white buttercup brightens our woodlands while much is still brown.

A Threesome

Our friends are on their way to Costa Rica for two weeks of cool birding. Their dog Teak is staying with us. He's stayed with us several times before. Though on his last extended visit he tore an ACL in his knee. Teak started limping on the way back from our morning walk, the last morning before Phil and Carolyn arrived to take him home. He'd just finished running and leaping after a frisbee, repeated many times. It was days later, when his limp did not improve, that we all learned he'd torn a ligament. Surgery followed and he recovered nicely. But Teak was a young guy and the vet said he might be prone to joint problems.

Teak, now 7, grew up with Aria and Fargo. He is an exceptionally sweet and gentle large (100 pound) German shepherd. Aria, Fargo, and Teak were best friends. Fargo is gone. Aria is aging, but still lights up when Teak comes and he reciprocates with happy moans and gentle nudges. And now there is Kodi, the one year old.

Twenty-four hours have past since Teak arrived and he and Kodi have become fast friends. When Kodi gets rough, Teak bares his big teeth, opens his big mouth wide, and snarls if necessary. Teak is a bit of a baby (as Shepherds are known to be), so sometimes he complains loudly if Kodi bites or pounces too hard. We also wince, hoping that Teak does not tear another ligament on our watch!

Note to Phil and Carolyn: happy birding -- not to worry, all is well! Just look at the pictures.

So, we have a threesome for just under two weeks. They are three happy, gentle dogs. Kodi it seems, like Aria and Teak, could not hurt a flea. He sits quietly to receive a dog biscuit and takes it gently from our hands, even when another dog is nearby. He calmly meets small children and likes hugs and back rubs. He does dig, but mostly to burn off all that young energy.

Teak is good for Kodi. He'll teach him some life lessons and give him some play. Aria will complain some, only because her aging body does not allow her to enter the fray. She is game, but the body resists. Yet, each morning she walks with us, as far as Teak and Kodi. She is the energizer bunny.

Kodi says, water is good, life is great

85

85. That was the record-setting temperature yesterday. In other places - including Rhode Island and western Massachusetts -- it reached 90 degrees. Rhode Island being the state that was nearly washed away in last weeks floods. We fared better here.

Amazingly the fire danger here is Very High, despite the three recent floods that saturated the ground to overflowing. Several recent days of dry wind and warm weather combined with lots of new woody debris on the ground (felled by the Nor'easters) has increased the risk of brush fires getting out of control.

The wet and the warm weather has brought out the ticks, mosquitoes, and black flies. More welcome spring signs abound though. Kodi and I walked a portion of the Sweet Trail yesterday. Bella's spirit was strong; I last walked this trail with her, when the wetlands were frozen and the heron nests were silent. My heart ached. I still miss her. On yesterday's visit the herons were back, arranging their nests. Mallard, wood duck, and hooded merganser pairs swam beneath the heron rookery. Newly arrived hermit thrushes flitted through the understory. Kodi got to explore another new place. His world is unfolding joyously. He likes the outdoors.

Each new spring day brings so many new things to see and hear: toads trilling, chipping sparrows chipping from roadsides, tree swallows, ruby-crowned kinglets and a belted kingfisher, ant hills and mole hills, blueberry buds, white-throated sparrows singing oh sweet Canada, Canada, Canada.

Lungwort in full bloom in the garden.

Opening Day

Yesterday was opening day for the daffodils in our yard, their bright yellow flowers overlooking the mud-filled road ditch. A reminder of days and days of rain. The post-rain recent stretch of 70 degree and warmer weather hurried along the flush of spring blossoms.

The sun-warmed asphalt roads also brought out the snakes. My first of the year snake sighting, unfortunately, was a road-killed brown snake. Male turkeys are gobbling from the Mitchell field, gathering in their harem of hens. Pine warblers are singing from high up in the tops of the white pines. A hairy woodpecker taps vigorously along the shed eaves, poking in holes for carpenter bees.

Today was my first day back to New Roots Farm helping in the greenhouse. Flats of seedling tomatoes, onions, Swiss chard, herbs, and more adorned the tables. I thinned onions and tomatoes, re-potting the tender shoots into bigger trays. I thinned the Swiss chard by eating any extra seedlings, leaving one seedling per cell. A good start to the planting season with some microgreens to nourish me.

Kodi met Maggie, the black lab farm dog. She greeted my car like an old friend, although unbeknown to her a new friend was arriving. Maggie greeted Kodi slowly and with a few pokes, but thereafter they became great play mates. They chased each other in circles through the hay fields, interrupted only by trips to the pond to cool off. I envision many more visits to the farm than planned, just so Kodi and Maggie can play. Kodi went nose to nose with the small pigs, while the 300-pounders were a bit intimidating. He stared, but shuffled past the big ones.

Renee sent me home with fresh spinach from their hoop houses. Into the split pea dal went the spinach for tonight's dinner. Hours later I can still feel and smell the greenhouse, with a bit of potting soil under my nails and a hint of onion lingering in my finger tips. Spring potting season is oh so sweet.

Zane Stays!

On Saturday we adopted Zane, who we've renamed Kodi. He did not know the name Zane, so we thought Kodi -- short for Kodiak bear because he looks like a bear cub -- sounded better. He is already recognizing his new name. We love him and Aria knows he is harmless, except when he tries to chew her. He does have a wild side that will need to be tamed.

Sometimes, usually in the morning and during the night, he is quiet as a mouse. He does not mind riding in a crate in the car. There too he is soundless. At other times -- near water, in the evening, or when the mood moves him -- his inner wildness emerges. He especially likes to sprint through puddles, splashing here and there, and racing at Aria. She does not appreciate the latter.

Kodi is only one year old, still a puppy. His teeth are sharp and during play he likes to bite. These are playful bites, but none of us want to be his play things.

One issue that has required immediate attention is his marking inside the house. I thought only cats did that. But Kodi was neutered only three weeks ago and he may have never lived inside a home until now. So he is learning new rules. We start basic obedience class next week. I expect the next two weeks to involve close supervision inside the house, but Kodi will learn and settle in to a good life here.

Yesterday he met the extended family at an Easter gathering. All went well with the humans. Another dog did not welcome him, but Kodi remained calm. He never shows any aggression toward other dogs. He rarely barks.

Kodi is a bit of mischief. In the days and weeks ahead we'll channel that energy, taking walks, long hikes, and finding some good watering holes.

Kodi, age one

Frog's Eggs

This is no April Fool's Day. If it were it would still be raining. Instead, the sun is warm and radiant.

To celebrate I returned to College Woods after a two month hiatus. My last visit was with Bella and before the three recent Nor'easter-style rain events. The woods looked a little ragged: the trails were wet and eroded in places, the forest floor was draped in bits of hemlock and pine boughs stripped from the canopy trees, a few large trees were toppled - their entire root ball upended and resembling a flying saucer that landed sideways in the earth.

I stepped around pools of water in the trail and peered into shallow pools alongside the trail. A wood frog called -- or more accurately quacked -- from one of these side pools. On closer inspection I discovered five jelly-like blobs clustered together. Inside were black spots -- thousands of recently laid wood frog eggs. As much a sign of spring as chocolate eggs in the Easter basket.

Wood frog egg masses (in center of photo)

April 1, 2010 College Woods

Zane joined me on the walk. I let him run free for the first leg through the woods and he stayed close. Then he ran out to a field and perked up his ears. He does not yet know his name, or "come" or "stay," so I snapped on the leash. We passed several people, some with dogs and some without. Zane was calm with all of them. No pulling, or jumping, or barking. Nice.

We met two dogs. A large, sleepy-looking male yellow lab and a "small" 110-pound female Newfoundland. On each meeting Zane did the slow circle dance that dogs do to quietly measure the status of one another. Each meeting was uneventful and we continued on our way. I let Zane loose one more time when we approached a pond - a reservoir actually. He splashed about, then darted off to chase a pair of mallards from a cove. The mallards swam off as Zane stared wistfully and perhaps wondering why they did not stay to play.

On the way home from College Woods I stopped at the grocery store. The store was busy with customers stocking up for Good Friday and Easter weekend and for barbecues. Despite jostling for space in the aisles and waiting in line at the checkout, everyone was smiling and polite -- just plain happy that the sun was shining.

Zane seems to be just plain happy. We are nearing a decision on whether to adopt him. He is now free of mange and therefore available to come home for good. Aria has given her okay. We'll take a few more days to decide, but he seems like a black gem.