Monday, March 31, 2014

Spring is Arriving!!

Here I am, after 6 posts on photography, sharing some absolutely terrible pictures of birds - but they're the first returning migrants of the season, so they're important markers of the changing season here in the valley.  Within 24 hours I saw our first robin, first starlings, and first redwing.

Of all the seasonal changes I think spring comes with the clearest markers of change - first migrating birds, first green grass, first flowers, and so on.   The robins and blackbirds are usually the first of all the migrants to arrive (though I don't like in an area for observing waterfowl).  The date I watch for robins is Mar. 10th; this one arrived on Mar. 30th.  When you don't see them you can easily recognize their calls.

At the same time a group of starlings  usually arrives and sits around huddled together in the cold, waiting for the rest of the snow to melt.  But they do help mark the start of spring.

This is the hind end of a redwing blackbird - probably the worst picture I've ever posted on this blog.  But try to put yourself outdoors where you hear their spring calls, one of the most vibrant signs of spring.  If only he'd turned around...

Still we have lots of snow, though it's now subsiding in the sun fast.  This is a big rock, about 4 feet high in our backyard.  We haven't seen it for 8 weeks, but I like the pattern of the shadows on the snow..

The heavy indestructible plastic adirondack chairs sitting under the old apple tree are emerging; we can actually see the arms of two of the chairs now.

And the snowbanks out front are definitely starting to disintegrate.  The road is bare, and the driveway is almost bare, though saturated and wet at the moment.  Things will take a long time to dry out this year, but I think we've turned the corner.  It hit double digit temperatures today!

I've just squeaked in under the deadline, but I'm glad to join:
http://mylittlehomeandgarden.blogspot.ca/
                                                          for the last time this season.  It's been fun; see you next year.

19 comments:

  1. It is nice to finally see and hear the spring birds moving back into the neighborhood.. The birds never want to pose like you want, do they? Have a happy week!

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  2. How nice to see and hear those spring birds. You really do have a lot of snow there still. I'm surprised as some areas of Ontario have grass showing. Different climates I guess. I heard we might be getting another snow event on the weekend (why break a good record?) coming from Ontario (instead of the Carolinas) so be prepared. :) Have a great week and enjoy the mild weather.

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    1. Yes, I've noticed a huge difference just north to south across southern Ontario in the amount of snow and now in how early spring arrives. It seems to be about five climate zones from here down to Lake Erie.

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  3. I just posted a robin in a tree too. : )

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  4. I heard a red wing blackbird singing this past weekend, so that's a good sign, along with snowdrops in the garden. The snow has almost disappeared here; an afternoon of 9 degrees will do that!

    I'm glad you were able to make it to the final Sunlit Sunday of 2014, Furry Ghome! Here's to things greening up soon.

    Karen

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  5. Let the grass show, snow dissolve, and all springtime events happen for you, here leaves are more golden every day, morning time at 6 a.m. lots darker, and firewood ready. Cheers, Jean.

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  6. I have yet to see a robin, but that doesn't mean they haven't been about.

    It was warm enough today that I could stop back at home and leave my coat behind. I might regret it when I head for home in awhile though, but it's a short walk there.

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  7. I certainly know about birds not cooperating when trying to take a picture... But--isn't it fun to watch the migrating birds?

    Can't believe that you still have so much snow. When will it finally all melt? May or June???

    Maybe Spring is finally coming to our area this week... I hope so since it has been a LONG winter and a crazy one!!!!

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  8. Glad to see there's signs of spring in your area. Yes, I have a hard time photographing birds That's why I usually stick to static objects such as landscapes (and occasional skiers!)

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  9. We are in melt here, hooray! I saw my first robins and redwings last week, and a cowbird this week. Yep, spring is coming!

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  10. You definitely have more snow than we have...but we are not ice-ans-snow-free yet either. ;))

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  11. the quality of the image really doesn't matter!! it's more about sharing those exciting moments and memoralizing them here!! here comes the information you requested as i am not able to reply to your emails.

    blogger sends me an email, every so often, offering 15% discount during a certain period. i always click on that email to start, printing is very easy. i give them the dates i want to print and they lay the whole thing out for you. you do get a few choices. page breaks are very important and i don't reccommend the "page saver" option. if you do that, everything runs together and most of your entries are split up. if you do this and have any further questions, email me, it's no problem at all. stangs6@hotmail.com

    here is the site: http://sharedbook.com/

    in the center of the page it says, blog2print, use can click there. next time they send me an email, with the 15% discount, i will send it to you, it does make a big difference!! i hope if you do this, you love it as much as i do!!

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  12. Debbie, thanks for all the details. Looks like a good idea.

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  13. We have no snow to speak of, but it was only 14 degrees this morning. My sister-in-law called me yesterday, and she had migrating Mountain Bluebirds in her yard out in the country. So we made haste to get out there for a few photos. I did manage a few of them that I'll post in a few days.

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  14. Spring is always exciting. In this part of Virginia, robins overwinter in flocks as they do on our land. Once they start pairing off, then folks see them here in towns. The red-winged blackbird is one of my favorites.

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  15. I have not seen a robin yet..I am waiting! It Looks like spring has found you! :)

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  16. I am glad for you that Spring is finally there. The appearance of these birds is a comforting sign that Spring will stay, isn't it?

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  17. I finally saw a red winged blackbird here a couple of days ago. They are a much more reliable predictor of spring around here than the robin is. Glad your chairs are emerging.

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  18. We don't care if the pictures aren't pro photo quality. It proves spring is on the move!

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