30 March 2024
A Wednesday commute to Moraine State Park was once chilly and grey however somewhat profitable. We noticed 300(!) red-breasted mergansers, many ring-necked geese, blue-winged teal and an extraordinary hen — a trumpeter swan. Charity Kheshgi’s pictures sing their own praises the teal and swan.
Trumpeter swans (Cygnus buccinator) are “the heaviest dwelling hen local to North The united states and the biggest extant species of waterfowl.” They have been just about extinct in 1933 — best 70 remained within the wild — however a number of thousand have been then present in Alaska. “Cautious re-introductions by way of natural world businesses and the Trumpeter Swan Society step by step restored the North American wild inhabitants to over 46,000 birds by way of 2010.” The trumpeter at Moraine is one among their descendants. (quotes from Wikipedia)
Spring is 20 days early in Pittsburgh this yr. To end up it the yellow buckeye bushes have been in near-full-leaf on Thursday 28 March in Schenley Park.
They’re 8 days later than the astoundingly early spring of March 2012. Click on right here to examine that yr.
Early spring is the hungriest time of yr for deer in Pennsylvania as a result of they’ve already eaten all of the easy-to-reach meals. When the deer inhabitants is bigger than the world’s sporting capability they search out meals in abnormal puts. Thus I used to be amazed however now not shocked to peer a deer surfing the trees subsequent to our highrise at 5:30am. There may be not anything to devour down there. There may be not anything to devour any place close to right here.
