Searching for Bobolinks at Three Rivers

My Dad's birthday was this past week, on a work/school day, and we didn't get together then; he had dinner plans with extended family.  I suggested we get together for a hike today and go look for the bobolinks at Three Rivers Wildlife Management Area.  Bobolinks are migratory birds that return to the area this time of year.  They nest in grasslands and the big open fields east of Sixty Road are a good place to find them.  Bobolinks are funny little birds, the way they perch on plants bobbing in the wind.  Bruce and Debbie always enjoyed birding together, and looking for bobolinks on his birthday has long been a fun way to mark the season.  I haven't accompanied them/him on such a mission since Frankie was born, and we weren't sure how much luck we'd have today... would two noisy little boys and a rambunctious dog keep the bobolinks away?

I also had a side mission to see some spring wildflowers.  We had an amazing time on our trip out west during Frankie's spring break.  We got in lots of hiking and saw lots of wildflowers, and our decision to go in the spring rather than the summer was completely validated by the obscenely hot temperatures.  HOWEVER.  I missed a whole bunch of the very short spring season here, which is my absolute favorite time of year.  The forest awakens and the spring ephemerals emerge, bloom, and disappear again.  It's magic... Anyway, I hadn't seen any of my plants yet and was feeling a little desperate.  I still have Frankie's old five-point seat in my car (along with a booster seat), so arranged to meet Erin on the Potter Road.  We left her car there, and she and Alden rode with us to meet Bruce and Daisy at Sixty Road.

This plan allowed to walk down the hill from the parking area, pause at the pond for rock throwing, continue on the dirt road out in the fields to look for bobolinks, and then take the berm trail south to Potter Road.  Erin and Alden could hurry home for lunch and nap, and the rest of the party would hike back to our cars on Sixty Road.  Had we simply returned to the cars on Sixty Road from the bobolink fields, we would pass through no wildflower habitat, and have little chance of seeing any except perhaps along some edges.  But the berm trail?  Yes, please.  And it worked like a charm!  The boys had fun playing: throwing things into the pond, and the puddles, and channel.  We saw the bobolinks, and listened to them sing.  And we saw some wildflowers.  All boxes checked.  Hurray!!

sediment-covered toad eggs

 

red trillium (Trillium erectum)

white trillium (T. grandiflorum)

the less common yellow form of red trillium

the berm trail

self-portrait with trilliums

Erin and Alden got back to her car after hiking almost 2 miles, and the rest of us looped back via the upper berm trail for a total of 3.8 miles.  The boys may have spent a little too much time arguing over the pronunciation of Io and Ganymede, and there were the usual minor injuries (Alden scraped an elbow and Frankie banged his head).  But overall, it was a wildly successful outing.  Happy birthday, Dad!  And welcome back, bobolinks!