Dispatch From Petrie #167, March 2026

Its started as a sunny day when we arrived mid-morning for a walk to the end of the Bill Holland trail. Compared to previous visits the temperature was a nice warm +1°C.  

The trail was snowpacked, but very slippery. Ice picks underfoot were certainly in order. When stepping off  the trail, the crusty snow was at least mid-shin deep. 

Aside from being slippery it was rough, which meant we spent more time watching our footing than what was going on around us. Fortunately the morning was quiet.

The dogwood bushes and snow reflected the bright sun. The snow had melted off most of the beaver lodge.

A few seed pods from the invasive black locust trees were on the trail

The basswood tree seeds were still strewn about, primarily at the start of the Beaver Loop. Some of the seeds had been distributed, others were still hanging on.

The carrion plants were looking a little the worse for wear. Many of the berries have fallen off, some of the ones remaining were in good shape, others well shrivelled. 

The young alder tree catches my eye every time I pass it

What I think was a meadowsweet bush was quite visible

A few chickadees and fewer nuthatches were around

Two pileated woodpeckers calling back and forth had us looking for them. They were well off, hgh up, in a distant tree. (The photos are tight crops and then enlarged so the quality is lessened)

The river had wet spots on it and showed gleaming ice rather than snow cover. A few crows were taking advantage of the water for a drink.

With the leaves off the bushes, two bird nests could be seen towards the end of the trail. Both were not far off the trail and only 3-4 feet above the ground. A seemingly odd place for birds to build a nest.

An abundance of black and red squirrels were watching us to see if were going drop any seeds on the ground. (We had none). This black squirrel was about 20 feet up in a tree. The red squirrels always scamper around you. I’ve combined two photos of the red squirrel.

I had not seen the otters since late last fall. But this time I saw evidence of what I suspect were otters. It was in the same spot the otters used to hang out 25 years ago. While there were no sliding “trails” down to the pond this time, there was a lightly snow covered well smoothed trail back towards the river.

Another deep hole showing some traffic was a little further along the trail. Not so sure this was otter traffic. Something smaller perhaps.

The hole was what produced some of the frost flakes/crystals I mentioned in Dispatch #165

The remains of a fall aster stem had stayed above the snow all winter

And yes, the bittersweet berries again….
Some had lost all their berries and were looking drab, but a few were holding on to their remaining berries.

It won’t be long before the ice fishing huts come back in off the ice. Both the luxurious ones closer to shore, and the more basic ones a little further out.