Changes, Changes Everywhere!

This week while visiting my spot down by the boardwalk I noticed many changes in the environment! It looked completely different than when I visited last- before spring break!

*Walking around, the first thing I observed was that the snow had almost completely melted in all areas surrounding my place, even though it snowed a little bit yesterday! There were just a few patches of snow left scattered around on the sides of the boardwalk and the grassy park area behind it. For the first time this season, I was able to sit and swing on the benches that overlook Lake Champlain, as well as walk freely on the overlook point that projects out further over the lake from the boardwalk. Also, you could even walk along the rocks that line the boardwalk! I was really happy to see all these signs that the snow was steadily disappearing!

*As far as Lake Champlain is concerned, the intact ice that was previously covering the lake in a solid sheet was now very much broken! The ice flow was clearly breaking down and shifting with the change of the seasons. However, I did notice that none of the ice sheets were moving presently and that the water of Lake Champlain was placid and peaceful. Looking down at the parts of the lake where water was visible, the water had minimal movement, except for a few very small wavelike motions in some areas. For some reason, the lighthouse that sits to the right of Burlington's view of the lake seemed bigger and closer to me today, I have no idea why!

*Walking on the grassy park area that sits behind the boardwalk, my feet wore heavily on the saturated soil. My footsteps squished into the grass like no other! I did not enjoy that aspect of my walk by the boardwalk for the simple fact that my shoes got a tad wet, but it definitely showed me where the snowmelt was going! Also while down at my spot, it was flurrying snow, thus making the environment as well as myself even wetter.

*While walking along the grass I couldn't help but notice that there was a lot of scat around this area. A lot of it clearly came from pet dogs that the locals bring down to the waterfront on walks, but a large portion of it seemed to be rabbit scat- there were droppings of it all over the grassy park area. In one part of the grassy area however, I found a track that was left in the remaining snow that appeared to be a deer hoof! I looked at it as close as I could get, and it had every indication of actually being a deer print. It had a horseshoe type shape, with raised snow at the heel of the print. Seeing this made me question whether or not I could possibly also be seeing deer scat, seeing as that of rabbit and deer look similar. It could be plausible that both deer and rabbit come down to this park area at night from the woody areas near the bike path. I'm definitely going to keep my eyes out for both species....

*Once I perked up my ears a little bit, I also began to notice how many birds I heard chirping down by the waterfront. There was a plethora of birdcalls to be heard, none of which I was able to easily identify. I heard a very cheery chirp though and it put my in a happy, springtime mood! I also saw birds in my area that I had not seen there before- like pigeons! I saw several pigeons, many gulls flying all over the lake and the city, and even one sparrow! I was excited to see about five birds with orange bellies and brown backs, all with orange beaks. They were flying between the trees that are planted along the waterfront, however I didn't see any nests in those trees. I thought these birds might be orioles, because those are the only birds I knew of with orange bellies. But when I got home and looked up birds with the same traits I observed, I found out that they were in fact American Robins. After more research, I found out that American Robins are known for their early arrival at the end of winter, so it made perfect sense that they are at my spot so early in the spring season! Also these birds are known for their song, which coincided with the fact that I was hearing such pleasant birdcalls!

*Lastly, I noticed tree species starting to bud! The elderberry trees that reside in my area were definitely getting new buds on their branches, although the old berries were still very present both on the ground surrounding the trees and on the branches themselves. There also also green moss coming back to life on these trees, which is something I had not noticed was there before.... Even more exciting than seeing buds on these trees was noticing flower buds coming out of the ground!! This was probably one of my favorite observations of the day! What appeared to be daffodil plants, that were previously covered completely in snow, sat in rows along the boardwalk. These plants were flattened by the snow that had sat there prior, and lots of the individual plant matter that was there was browned, but I noticed buds coming out of several plants. These buds were hard to miss, seeing as they were bright green! I cannot wait to see how fast these flowers grow and what they will look like when they bloom in full force.

I could not be more excited for spring to come at this point! There is so much more to be discovered and explored at my spot!