JEEPERS: We were catching up on some overlooked email when this one caught our eye:
“Walked my dog on Tuna Trail about 8:15 this evening and heard the peepers!!!!!!”
That email was dispatched to us on Thursday evening and meshes nicely with our hope that spring is indeed arriving, even though we think it should have been here for awhile already.
It was the first report of peepers we’ve gotten this spring, which seemed a bit late to us.
’Round the Square had already reported the first peepers on March 27 in 2010 and March 23 in 2011. In 2012, the emergence of peepers was reported in mid-March
Peepers, of course, are one of our leading indicators of spring.
The little, inch-long amphibians crawl out from under loose tree bark and forest-floor debris to mate in and around boggy areas.
Their nocturnal noisiness comes from male peepers seeking mates.
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BUZZARDS: Another sign of spring is the annual return of buzzards, or turkey vultures, to the area.
Bob Bucheit emailed us this dispatch on Friday:
“Over here in Port Allegany for the last week or so turkey vultures have been soaring around the town and roosting in a pine grove on Snyder Hill, adjacent to town.
“There are about 25 to 30 (or more) vultures circling just before they roost. But tonight a flock of crows got into the mix. They started chasing the vultures. Probably keeping them away from their nesting area.
“I estimated about 20 crows were flying in and around the vultures forcing them away from the crows’ nesting area. Survival of the fittest. …Sort of reminded me of Alfred Hitchcock’s movie, “The Birds.” The vultures were around last year too … they are interesting to see. Roosting starts just before dark, about 6:30 to 7 p.m.” Bob wrote.
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THEY’RE BACK: We usually report on the buzzards returning to Westline in mid-March, but we didn’t check because it just didn’t feel like spring yet.
Westline Inn bartender Glenn Bish told us on Tuesday that the buzzards had indeed made their mid-March return.
This week, they’ve been joined by a group of great blue herons, Glenn said, apparently looking for a meal in Kinzua Creek.
“They’re much better fishermen than I’ll ever be,” Glenn said.
