Sandhill Cranes and a Snow Day ...

We had a Snow Day and did not go to school on Friday.  I went into school about noon and two students help me mass out the potato cores from of AP Lab we started on Thursday ... thanks Aaron and Taylor!

On Friday evening, I took a long walk to Long Creek then back through the Goat Field to Holland (stop my Granny's) and home ... about 4 miles.  It was pretty cold and cloudy ... not too many animals out, however, they might see me and I don't see them.  Worked on some school stuff Friday night while listening to the basketball games.

We had softball practice this morning (Saturday) ... lifting, a obstacle course, hitting and throwing.  We started at 8:00 AM and finished up at about 10:00.  We had about 20 players make it into practice ... remember that our next practice session is Tuesday after school.  I went back into school after practice and worked.

I got home just before lunch then, went to on a walk in the the middle of the afternoon.  The sun came out while I was walking.  I heard a group of sandhill cranes down on Long Creek about a week ago but could not see them.  While on my walk this afternoon, I heard three groups go over and could see one group of about 50, heading north to the lake.  Usually I don't see or hear them until the first week in February and they seem to be arriving a little earlier this year.  Also, Kentucky (why, I really don't know) has a hunting season on Sandhill cranes this year ... the season ends tomorrow and 38 has been shot ... the limit in KY is 300 for the season per all hunters.  There does not to be much sport in shooting something that will fly into your corn field and stand there while you shoot them !!!

I only had my point and shoot camera and below is the best picture I could get ... they were pretty far away and I was at maximum zoom ....

Explored the spring furthest from our house today ... it has a big patch of twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla) in this small valley during the spring.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffersonia

This spring starts near the top of the ridge then runs over some shale and disappears about 200 feet further down the small valley.  I checked for planaria and did not find any after checking several spots.  Will try again sometime ... it is pretty isolated from other water sources.  Also, moss on an outcropping near this spring.  Sue Neal and I went to Bowling Green this evening to eat with John and Claire.  It was fun.