Duckies on Ice

Springbrook Nature Center March 14, 2010:

I left my apartment today with the intention of having breakfast at Keys Café (my absolute, favorite place to eat) and then take a walk at the Springbrook Nature Center in Fridley. I was hoping to see some birds today and maybe a few ducks. I was in luck, but the first water fowl spotted was not at the nature center. There were two mallards right by my front door walking around on the lawn. Definitely a good sign! Would have gotten a picture, but I was unprepared and they flew off before I could get my camera out.

Breakfast at Key's was delicious as always. Key’s is like “Cheers” to me. I had stopped going for a couple of years when I moved from Fridley. After my accident last Fall I had physical therapy at a clinic nearby. There were times I didn’t feel I was up to the drive home immediately afterwards. Since it was so close, I began stopping by Key’s. It was like I had never left. Now I am coming on the Sundays again for breakfast. The food is so homemade good and plentiful, that it is almost necessary to walk it off afterwards. And that is what brought me back the Springbrook Nature Center.

It was still a little overcast at Springbrook when I got there, but the fog had mostly burned off. There was an earthy, damp, organic smell. It was a beautiful fragrance, fresh and clean. A lot of the snow was gone from last week, except on the trails. I have no clue as to why that would seem to melt last. It was icy in spots and muddy in others. It was very necessary to watch where I was walking. I didn’t mind too much though, as occasionally I would find evidence that I shared the trails with the inhabitants of the Center. It didn’t take me long to spot my first birds. They were hopping about on part of the trail that was melted ahead of me. But, they were much too fast for me to get a picture and flew up into the trees. However, I was able to get a shot of one of them there. I used my zoom to get a closer shot through the branches. And not much farther up the trail I found a lone mallard swimming in part of the marsh that had melted. But, I could hear what I thought were geese farther up the trail.

I was taking the long trail around the center this week. I had avoided it last week because I was concerned about the conditions and took interior trails. Parts of it were still slippery this week, but manageable. The trail becomes a bridge and winds directly through the northern section of the marsh. It is my favorite part of the nature center as it is so beautiful. During the summer months you can peer down and see fish, turles and occasionally a beaver. There is generally all types of water fowl present as well.

But it is too early yet, just some noisy geese today. I could hear them, but hadn’t seen them yet. The marsh in this area still appears to be frozen solid. But then I looked up ahead and there they were. Two geese walking right next to the bridge. They looked very out of place standing on the ice. But, as I got closer I could see small patches of open water next to the vegetation with more geese swimming. If the weather stays this warm it won’t be long before all of the ice is off and the dozen or so geese will become entire flocks with other species of water fowl as well. Soon!

I didn’t make it around the entire trail as had been the plan. My body started to protest and I decided I should take interior trails back to my vehicle. A long winter has made me a little soft. I will need to work to get myself back in shape to do the entire trail again.

Hope you all enjoy the pictures. Maybe by next week the snow will be gone completely and I can find a little green other than the moss on the trees.