Rain changes everything when it occurs during droughts. This has been especially evident during recent walks through the woods and clearings along Geronimo Creek.

A pair of red-shouldered hawks has raised two young in a nest of sticks 60 feet high in a cedar elm. The curious chicks often stare at me as I stare back. They have matured rapidly, and both have learned to fly. One has mastered landing in nearby trees while its younger sibling is still crashing through branches.

The parent hawks stay busy searching for food to feed their young. They also have defended their territory from a second pair of hawks. For two days, they chased and dived on the interlopers to drive them away.

The parent hawks were themselves sometimes chased by much smaller birds. A female scissor-tailed flycatcher once landed on the back of a parent hawk and stayed in place for a second or more.

Scissor-tailed flycatchers rarely visited our place during the past several years. But this year a pair has joined the swallows that capture insects over the field from where I monitor sunlight, the ozone layer and haze. Night hawks are back, and they swoop across the sky each evening.

A pair of red-bellied woodpeckers has arrived. These birds stay very busy searching for food, sometimes walking along the underside of large branches. Central Texas is the extreme western edge of their habitat.

Recently, a female green kingfisher was cruising over the creek while announcing its presence with a rapid series of clicks. The last time green kingfishers visited was during the spring of 2000 when a pair stayed for a few weeks. The recent visitor stayed only one day, possibly because the creek was muddy after rain. It's difficult to find supper through water that's opaque.

Fireflies continue to illuminate each spring evening. The ones in the most shadowed areas begin flashing around 10 minutes before sunset. Hopefully recent rain will boost their population back to normal.

Very few snakes have been seen this spring. But a large coral snake seen crossing a nearby caliche road several months ago may have the last word. A few days ago, a dead baby coral snake around 3 inches long was noticed near that location.

Deer, rabbits, turkeys, armadillos and squirrels are doing well. Most evenings a raccoon visits our bird feeder to salvage seeds dropped by the birds. Only one opossum and a single owl have been seen this spring.

You can see many birds and other wildlife at the wooded parks in San Antonio, Seguin and New Braunfels. Just walk quietly and scan the woods for activity.
