​Saturday, 9:02 to 10:02 AM - With the first signs of spring finally arriving, the morning temperature was a nice 51 degrees. There was a cool breeze, but the rays of sun were nice. Hearing a good bit of chirping and singing, and seeing little creatures flitting about the wood line, I decided to camp out at the feeders to see what I could see. It was obvious the birds were back as I spotted 15 different species in my backyard in just an hour.

On Sunday, I sat out for about another hour-and-a-half and, in addition to many of the species seen the day before, spotted 5 more different species. 

• 3:14 PM - (16) a Red-bellied Woodpecker came to bang on the big Loblolly for a bit.
• 3:43 PM - (17) Two Cedar Waxwings briefly perched in the Sweetgum tree before flying off. 
• 3:47 PM -(18) another little bird with yellow on it (remember, I’m not too good with sparrows and warblers) later identified as Golden Crowned Kinglet (another for the life-list). 
•  4:16 PM - (19) a Downy Woodpecker visited the hanging spherical feeder to grab some nuts then fly to a nearby pine for a photo or two.
• 4:21 PM - a female Eastern Towhee showed up and briefly confused me with her more chocolaty color than the male. 
• 4:28 PM - (20) an Eastern Bluebird perched in the Black Cherry Tree. They were much more frequently spotted throughout the winter and have perhaps moved on looking for nesting boxes.  
• 4:38 PM – (21) Turkey Vulture soaring overhead.

​Twenty-one species in just a few hours! That may pale in comparison to the 264 bird species spotted in one day by Team Sapsucker in April 2012, but still a thrilling couple of hours for an amateur birder and his daughter! (Okay, maybe she wasn’t as thrilled as I.) 

There are creatures that lurk in the dark waters… creatures that make our skin crawl… creatures that evoke fear. But what is the source of that fear? Is it truly the long, slithering serpent itself that brings these untamed emotions to the surface? I’d dare say “no”. It is actually fear of the unknown that makes us fear. It is our ignorance of the creatures around us that drives our irrational thoughts.

The majority of the snake calls I receive through my animal control job are, in fact, harmless. Although every caller thinks they have a copperhead or “water moccasin” in their living room, ninety-nine percent of the time it turns out to be some species of rat snake or water snake.

Yes, the water snake genera (Nerodia) are thick, heavy keeled snakes just like the Cottonmouth or Copperhead. And they too prefer and overlap in wet habitats.  But a little bit of study of a few key features can turn someone’s uncontrolled hysteria into a mild caution. Both the Cottonmouth and Copperhead have vertically elliptical pupils; the water snakes have round pupils. “But I’m not going to get that close to look at its eyes!”, most people say. So studying the range of each snake and pattern is also a key to identifying.
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But either way, stay calm, back off, and let it be. There is no need to go chopping off the head of a harmless creature because of an irrational emotion borne of ignorance. 

As I step outside this morning the realization surrounds me: now it feels like spring. Feel the warmth of the golden sunrise beams falling upon the face. Hear the previous months’ silence broken by the songbirds. A mockingbird is scolding and chasing off another mocker. They are back! Singing wildly, chasing, scolding, establishing territories.

I feel refreshed this morning. Two days of camping followed by a good, comfortable sleep in my bed… I am revived. I am looking forward to worshiping my Creator in church in a few hours. I am grateful for the opportunity to be leaving my home earlier than the rest of the congregation to serve by getting the building ready for service.
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Though not as enjoyable as hiking the Gahuti Trail, I am enjoying my drive to church. A bright red cardinal darts by; a squirrel contemplating a dart across traffic; a beaver that contemplated and decided poorly (of all places, a roadkill beaver on Beaverdam Road); another red flash; four black vultures on the power line, three on the tower and one quite ungracefully trying to balance on the wire; another two red flashes… six Cardinals in all on my short drive. Feel the warm spring sunrise. I am arriving at church; closing the notebook and preparing for a Sabbath’s day of worship and service.