Finally the sun has come out after lots more days of rain. The creeks are up better than I can remember them in years. I was walking this morning and came to a place where a little creek was flowing that I hadn't remembered and I followed it up to where it just became. Out of the hillside, water emerged and began flowing and formed a tiny stream that only runs in wet weather. This isn't just a stream formed by rain, like the dry wash that runs through our yard and only flows when its raining really hard. This is more like a seep, all the water that falls on that side of the mountain eventually percolates down and comes out at this point and runs on down the hill to join the main creeks. Pretty cool.Saw the first morel this week so now I walk - eyes on the ground hoping for another. They are so hard to spot, I know they are out there, we have tons of places that fit the bill, may apples under tulip poplars, old growth oak and hickory, but its like looking for a needle in a haystack, looking for a morel in a hillside of dried leaves.
Saw a winter wren this morning too- it's got to be the last of the season. The waterthrushes are back and I've heard the yellow-throated warblers singing in the pine trees down by the pond, but can't ever seem to spot them, though I try and try. They are so beautiful with their bright yellow throats and black mask and white eyebrow. My brother saw an American Bittern on his lawn the other day- how crazy is that? I'll have to add that to my rare spottings list, it was the same day of tornadoes near Raleigh, maybe it got blown off course. He said it looked a bit stunned- as was he having seen it where it should not have been. In case you are not a birder, Bitterns are marsh birds, they live in swamps and around the water, not in the woods or near lawns.
Planted these tulips last fall and they sure are looking pretty.
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