February 07 – My Nature Journal
2026-02-07 Nature Journal
I didn’t take my camera out for a dedicated nature walk today. The weather was just way too unpleasant even for me.
Despite crystal-clear, cloudless blue skies and beaming sunshine, the high temperature only reached 34° F (1° C). Normally, this weather would be okay. I wouldn’t love going out in such cold temperatures but staying comfortable in winter is what winter gear is for.
Unfortunately, the Arctic blast that has brought such unseasonably cold temperatures to North Carolina over the last two weeks brought a guest in the form of blustery winds that gusted up to 45 miles per hour (72 kph). Not only were those gusts strong enough to knock my stride off while walking across a parking lot, the wind dropped the “feels like” temperature down into the single digits.
I love walking in nature more than many people, but today just felt too cold to be fun. Instead, I kept a look-out for any wild animals I could spot in the course of running errands.
One solitary Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) soared on a wild ride, thanks to the wind. It wobbled from side to side as it worked to keep its wings level against the wind that was pushing it across the sky. The bird was only in view for a few seconds before an especially strong gust of wind swept it out over the tree tops and out of sight.
A pair of Red-Tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) wheeled above a stand of pine trees on a ridge as I drove home. The hawks took turns flying nearly straight up, pivoted sharply, then dove down towards the canopy. Their flight didn’t look like hunting behavior because they never dropped below the tree level so I wondered if they were mobbing an owl perched in the branches.
The single Turkey Vulture, the pair of Red-Tailed Hawks, and several small birds that zipped past too fast to identify were the only animals I saw all day. Even the American Crows and Eastern Gray Squirrels—animals normally ubiquitous in the landscape—seemed to feel it was too cold and windy to bother going out.
2025-02-07 Nature Journal
Ring-billed Gulls
This Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) was one of about three dozen gulls at the lake today.
The birds flocked together far out in the center of the lake and were very quiet, mostly just floating on the small waves pushed up by the northerly breeze.
This gull must be at least three years old, since it shows adult plumage.
Along with their larger cousin, the Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus), Ring-billed Gulls are very common winter visitors to large lakes in North Carolina.
Mallards
As usual, many Mallards dabbled, floated, and rested along the lake shore this evening. The setting sun spotlighted this adult male Mallard and illuminated its distinctive, gleaming green head, thick, soft body feathers, and bright orange legs.
During February, Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) are well into their months-long courtship season, which starts in mid-September and continues through the winter into March. In addition to foraging for food, this male may have spent his day displaying for the local females.
Male Mallards use a variety of physical displays during courtship, all of which are designed to catch the attention of females and show their physical condition. Each courtship display only lasts a few seconds but can include stretching their necks and shaking their heads, shaking their tails, arching their necks to toss water droplets into the air, and mock-preening.
Today’s Nature Journal Snapshot
|
Time of Day |
Early evening |
|
Setting |
Along large flood control lake |
|
Temperature |
30° F / –1° C |
|
Weather |
Clear |
|
Humidity |
23% |
