On April 28, 2019, our outing to Linda Sewell’s beautiful property on the Carp Road was a “go” after a day’s postponement due to very cold and windy weather. Twenty Macnamarans turned out for the event, 9 of these were kids and it is wonderful to see them engaged in the natural world.
The frogs were less conspicuous than we would normally expect for this time of year but there were many other species of interest for kids, both young and old. Thanks to our club members, Dr. Jeff Skevington and his very capable assistant, Angela Skevington, we were able to locate, learn about and have close-up encounters with a whole lot of creatures. Here are some of our notable sightings: We captured Green and Leopard frogs, long enough so that most of us had a good look. We had Green Frog tadpoles and we heard Spring Peepers at several locations, although none were seen. We saw Eastern Newts and their land form, the Red Eft. We saw a snake, unfortunately far overhead because it was being carried by an American Kestrel! We captured various water bugs and bugs on land, notably an early Flower Fly, Jeff’s special interest. Observed were 29 bird species and some of the highlights were: the American Kestrel with its snake, Winter Wren, Evening Grosbeak, Pine Siskin and Purple Finch.
Many thanks to Jeff, Angela and Linda for making this happen.
Examining a Painted Turtle
Examining a Deer Skull
Learning About frogs
Stuck in the Mud
Eastern Newt
Red Eft (land form of the eastern Newt)
Looking for Frogs
Beautiful Rocks