It's hard to beat a misty May morning

April and May seem to have flipped spots on the calendar this year. April was relatively warm and dry, while May has been a chilly washout so far. But the unseasonable weather this month has made each opportunity to get outdoors that much more memorable.
Over the course of the first three weeks of May, I've had a chance to take three short trips to enjoy spring birds and wildflowers. And though the weather has been less than ideal, nature's wonders have not disappointed.
West Virginia festival
I began the month at the New River Birding and Nature Festival (www.birding-wv.com) in southern West Virginia. As I have reported here the last several years, my goal at this event is to see a Swainson's warbler. I regret to report that I have yet to actually see the bird. So I guess I'll return again next year.
Otherwise, the New River Festival was a resounding success. Black and turkey vultures sailed almost side my side through the gorge. Baltimore orioles were abundant on a float trip between the New River Bridge and Hawk's Nest State Park. A pileated woodpecker worked a fallen log for more than five minutes as a group of spellbound birders looked on. And the list of birds seen from the porch of my cabin at Opossum Creek Retreat (www.opossum creek.com; (888) 488-4836) rivaled any I saw on the half dozen more formal bird walks I joined.
Enlow Fork
The first two Sundays in May found me at Enlow Fork, a state game land in southwestern Pennsylvania known for both its wildflowers and its spring migrants. Trilliums, geraniums, bluebells, May apples, Jacks-in-the-pulpit and larkspurs were hard to miss, but the stars of Enlow Fork are the blue-eyed Marys. These low-growing blue and white flowers cover the ground like seas of clear blue sky. I don't think I exaggerate when I say there were Marys by the millions. Unfortunately, wildflower displays are ephemeral; the spring blooms last only a few weeks, and then they're gone until the following spring.
One nice thing about wildflowers is that they don't fly away, so as birds appear I can raise my eyes and know the flowers will still be there five minutes later. And on my two trips to Enlow Fork this year, I raised my eyes a lot. Scarlet tanagers, rose-breasted grosbeaks, Baltimore and orchard orioles, indigo buntings, red-eyed, white-eye and blue-head vireos, wood thrushes, cerulean warblers and dozens of yellow warblers made these mornings memorable. A morning with tanagers, grosbeaks, warblers and thrushes is a morning well spent.
Hocking Hills
My final May outing took me to the Hocking Hills (www.hockinghills.com) of southeastern Ohio. Though I knew the area by reputation, I just returned from my first visit. I stayed at the Cherry Ridge Retreat (www.cherryridgeretreat.com; (877) 380-7771) and, suffice to say, Cherry Ridge is a destination in itself.
It rained on and off for my entire three-day visit, but even that couldn't dim the experience. I couldn't believe I was in Ohio. Rolling hills, dense forests, 100-foot-high waterfalls and cliffs -- it seemed more like Pennsylvania or West Virginia than Ohio. There is an Appalachian heritage to this part of Ohio that must be experienced to be believed.
Despite rain, mist and fog, a three-mile hike across state park land from Cedar Falls to Old Man's Cave was the highlight of my stay. I couldn't see much because the forest was dark, and moisture dampened the eyepieces on my binoculars. So I enjoyed the ancient trees, magnificent escarpments, waterfalls and the greenery of the ferns that in the misty dimness seemed to glow luminously.
And I listened -- to omnipresent red-eyed vireos and occasional Acadian flycatchers and northern parula warblers. But mostly I listened to the sound of moving water. As it tumbled over rocks and cascaded down lofty cliffs, the sound was inescapable ... and soothing ... and comforting. It's been flowing there for millions of years and will no doubt flow for millions more.
Blue skies, sunshine and 70 degrees are nice, but even a chilly, misty May morning in the woods beats a day at work.
Send questions and comments to Dr. Scott Shalaway, RD 5, Cameron, W.Va. 26033 or via e-mail to sshalaway@aol.com