North

off Wellsville Rd., Washington Township, York County PA

Geese are moving north by the thousands, Canada geese and snow geese both. Two nights ago was the most. Shortly before 9 p.m. they flew over Roundtop mountain and so over my cabin, so many of them and so loud that I couldn’t have carried on a conversation. Every day this week I have seen them, flock after flock, some flocks well over 100 birds.

Their move north is late this year, to no one’s surprise who’s lived in the eastern U.S. this past winter. In this area the movement of waterfowl usually starts the last week of February and tapers off by the end of the first week of March. This year everything was still iced in until last weekend, and now the northward migration is compressed into a few short days. The birds are really feeling the urge to move, no dawdling, no short hops with long stops. They need to get north to get on their breeding grounds and get to work, to get the best breeding sites before that other goose pair beats them to it. The movement has a sort of desperation to it now. They fly early, they fly late, they fly when the weather is not ideal, they fly on a northerly wind.

I still have a bit of snow up on the mountain, patches mostly, but down off the mountain last weekend’s rain made the snow disappear about as fast as I’ve ever seen snow disappear. The farm fields are now bare of it. More snow is expected on Friday, though it won’t last long. This time of year it never does. I am glad I didn’t put the snow shovel away just yet, as I am going to need it at least one more time.

Misty mornings and nights

Canada Geese eye me and Baby Dog suspiciously in the early morning

This week has proved to be one of those changeable weeks that included a 40 degree variation in temperature and a lot of overcast and rainy skies.  Yesterday afternoon I even had a fire for a few hours.  It wasn’t horribly cold but it was horribly damp, and the fire soon took care of that.  I have spent some time outside, though not as much as I typically do.  I find it hard to foray through the woods when rain pelts my face and drips under my rain jacket.  I come home damp and the dogs come home wet. I easily convince myself it’s better to stay inside.

The rain, however, makes for lovely sleeping weather.  Most nights it’s been warm enough to leave open a few windows and cool enough to snuggle under a blanket, all the while listening to the soft sound of rain on the forest leaves outside.  To me, that is about perfect.  The only thing that could make it more perfect is if I’d been in my sleeping bag in a tent, possibly with dogs (as long as they were good).

Few sounds are as lovely as the sound of a soft rain on the forest leaves, lulling me to sleep.  I’ve had plenty of that this week.  It’s not as lovely during the day when I’d prefer a foray in the woods, but I can’t have everything.  This week the rain was my lullaby.

Sunset walk with geese

With the days growing longer, my evening walks with Dog or Baby Dog are no longer restricted to well-worn paths or roads. It’s not yet light enough for me to wander through the woods in the evening—even with a headlamp the footing is too chancy and difficult to see. But in an open field, the last light of the day lingers long enough that a walk across doesn’t feel like tightrope walking.


So Baby Dog and I took advantage of good weather and the last remaining rays of daylight to visit one of Roundtop’s pond. We saw 58 Canada geese. Or, I should say, I saw 58 geese. Baby Dog was much more interested in nosing through the grassy stubble than in watching geese. Even when they took flight and skittered from the open water to the ice, honking all the way, Baby Dog was unimpressed.

I was happy to see them. Except for the old pair who has already taken up residence along “their” pond, I haven’t seen the local group for a while. And the local group has added several to their flock since they were here last. Sunset already held a few of the clouds that will bring snow to the mountain later today. I was glad simply to be outside, even if in failing light. At least it was light if only for a few minutes.