3-20-08 Observations

- Cool and clear on the mountain this morning...mid 30s. Normal temperatures for the mountain properties on this date is 59/38 (day/night). Normal for the city of Dunlap, which is about 1,400' lower elevation (using sea level as reference), is 64/41.

- We received 1.38" of rain yesterday, and the Dunlap area is now above normal for the month of March and above average (by .8") for 2008.

- The Magnolias and Bradford Pears are blooming in the Sequatchie Valley, and soon the mountain properties will begin to show the blooms of the Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) and the Redbud (Cercis canadensis).

- Attached is a recent photo of a flock of Wild Turkeys in my driveway just after sun-up. I see this group often, and they have learned to come around and scratch in the debris beneath the bird feeders periodically. Not even these wary birds turn down a free meal now and then!

- Riding a bike on a nearby mountain road recently, I topped a hill and headed down the other side just in time to come face to face with a young Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) scavenging on a small dead mammal in the highway. The startled animal and myself experienced a brief moment of anxiety, but after a loud shout and a short sprint by the fox into the forest, we continued on our way.