Bushcraft

[homoe]

Birding Tips: On Cold Spring Mornings, Spend Some Time In The Sun

Almost any patch of woods on a crisp spring morning is bound to be bustling with songbirds, and it’s enticing to head straight into the woods to follow the songs. But before you head in, pause and look up. Because on a cold morning, most of the birds are bound to be at the sunlit edges of the woods. Why? Because that’s where the food is first thing in the morning. Insect activity wakes up where the day’s first rays of sun warm things up. And active insects attract our favorite insectivores—warblers, kinglets, vireos, and gnatcatchers.

Many birds depend on finding insects first thing in the morning to refuel after energetically demanding nights spent migrating hundreds of miles. Insects depend on the sun’s warmth to get them out of their lethargic state. Where there are bugs, there are birds. And that’s where you want to be.

So look for the first sunny spots early in the morning, often at habitat edges, where woods meet fields, ponds, or open space. Eastern edges face the rising sun, and so they’re best bets. Edges are also gathering places for species from multiple habitats, giving you a chance to spot birds that live in both woods and fields. If you’re in a shady spot, remember to look up and check the treetops—often they’ll be in the sun well before those warm rays reach you.

[homoe]

The information posted above is from ....


https://www.allaboutbirds.org/birdin...me-in-the-sun/

[homoe]

Originally Posted by homoe

Birding Tips: On Cold Spring Mornings, Spend Some Time In The Sun

Almost any patch of woods on a crisp spring morning is bound to be bustling with songbirds, and it’s enticing to head straight into the woods to follow the songs. But before you head in, pause and look up. Because on a cold morning, most of the birds are bound to be at the sunlit edges of the woods. Why? Because that’s where the food is first thing in the morning. Insect activity wakes up where the day’s first rays of sun warm things up. And active insects attract our favorite insectivores—warblers, kinglets, vireos, and gnatcatchers.

Many birds depend on finding insects first thing in the morning to refuel after energetically demanding nights spent migrating hundreds of miles. Insects depend on the sun’s warmth to get them out of their lethargic state. Where there are bugs, there are birds. And that’s where you want to be.

So look for the first sunny spots early in the morning, often at habitat edges, where woods meet fields, ponds, or open space. Eastern edges face the rising sun, and so they’re best bets. Edges are also gathering places for species from multiple habitats, giving you a chance to spot birds that live in both woods and fields. If you’re in a shady spot, remember to look up and check the treetops—often they’ll be in the sun well before those warm rays reach you.

I hope birding is part of bushcrafting...

[homoe]

Spring is a time of great change, of significant transformation in the landscape. The pace starts off slow, with subtle signs here and there, available to the attentive nature watcher. Then, as the days grow longer, there is acceleration. Life seems to burst into the previously dormant world. It’s a wonderful time of the year to be exploring nature and the more you are out, the more you’ll witness. After the short days of winter, it’s a good time of year to dust of your bushcraft knowledge, sharpen your skills and sample the best that springtime has to offer!

Spring is a time when dormant shrubs and trees come back to life. Catkins and blossoms are one of the first signs of this resurgence of activity in the hedgerows and in the woods. Catkins are spikes of small flowers. Catkins are most closely associated with hazel, alder and willows. Blossoms are closely associated with fruit trees in particular. In the early spring we can expect to see the blossom of blackthorn, otherwise known as sloe, as well as the cherry plum, or myrobalan plum, both of which have very similar and very pretty and flowers which appear before the trees come into leaf. It’s quite a transformation when these species come into flower, from a very dark skeletal hedgerow or understorey in the woods, to an explosion of white or very light pink blossom and a spray of brightness and colour.

[kittygrrl]

Get this down..it's the #1 basic skill you need, next to finding a water source.

[homoe]

Originally Posted by kittygrrl

Get this down..it's the #1 basic skill you need, next to finding a water source.

Thanks so much for the tip Kittygrrl.....

But in spring what if there's not a lot of leaves laying about? Would perhaps bushcrafting with a good friend be beneficial as you'd have body heat if not much else to keep you's warm?

[homoe]

Originally Posted by kittygrrl

Get this down..it's the #1 basic skill you need, next to finding a water source.

I enjoyed this video but you know that was A LOT of work, after that no doubt anyone would sleep like a log, no pun intended!

[kittygrrl]

Originally Posted by homoe

I enjoyed this video but you know that was A LOT of work, after that no doubt anyone would sleep like a log, no pun intended!

...
the work calms you...give's you something constructive to concentrate on, instead of freaking out and getting more lost..it doesn't have to be quite that labor intensive...this is why practicing a few different styles in the fall, really helps

[homoe]