I’m not sure if March is going out like a lion or lamb. It is above freezing, but it is a dark and wet day so not very springlike at all. With all the rain the last two days, I don’t see the ducks in the pond today as they probably went somewhere dry instead. At least the wind is blowing roaring like a lion as it did the previous night but no sunny walks on the beach today.
Wet Walk on the Beach
The spring flowers have been elusive this spring as my early wildflowers still have not poked up, but then they probably heard the forecast with more possible snow and below freezing temperatures. So far only sprouting has been moss sporophytes.
Moss Reaching Up
Yesterday I heard the first frogs of spring, but they are not the deep sounding bull frogs or other larger species. Instead they are tiny little frogs, although they produce a loud noise, they are often less than an one inch long so they are very hard to find unless you see the water ripping as they make their music. On a warm night, the chorus of Spring Peeper carries on the air, as they emerge to feed and sing. They are among the first frogs in the regions to call in the spring and as their name suggests, their high-pitched call similar to that of a young chicken.
Spotting the Spring Peeper
I have a couple spots of snow yet, but the rest has melted causing my little pond to overflow again but not as wide as Siskiwit River.
Siskiwit River Flowing Over Rocks
The rain has melted most of the snow, but the Easter Bunny might find some snow piles left to hide some eggs in although hiding the eggs in green grass would be better.
An Easter Bunny
With more chances of snow in the forecast, the spring arrival birds and the critters that came out of hibernation, just might take a train ride south for a couple of weeks until winter is really over.
Soo-Line Caboose
Just twenty miles north of my place, there was no snow yesterday and I spotted a Red-winged Blackbird on a cattail stalk singing the spring tune. But there is no singing here and even the geese have left my pond as it was cold enough overnight to create an ice layer. I haven’t heard the other summertime birds, like the bluebirds or killdeers, this morning either as they are probably wondering why they came north too soon. The forecast calls for more snow tonight and tomorrow so probably no blackbird spring serenade near my pond until the snow is gone.
Songless Red-winged Blackbird
It is not often for my small pond to have open water when there is a foot of snow on the ground, but the spring snow storm makes it look more like winter again than spring. Hopefully the snow will melt quickly as there was some bluebirds checking out some of the birdhouses in the snow today and the geese stayed mainly in the water instead of wading through the snow.
Springtime Snow at the Pond
I might be just as prickly as this dried up wild cucumber pod as I watch the snow falling outside. Spring is supposed to be here and winter over but winter won’t go away so the critters and birds are probably feeling as prickly as me too.
Prickly Wild Cucumber
For the last week, I have heard Sandhill Cranes way up in the sky but haven’t spotted them as they can be heard up to 2.5 miles away. And while some of my property is rather marshy at the moment from the snow runoff and recent rains, I don’t have the wetland habit large enough for them to nest in so I have to see them on other marshes and bogs.
Their long windpipe create the crane’s unique tone of their trumpeting sound and their long legs provide the graceful courting dances, as well as stepping through a wet meadow with ease. But their long legs will come in handy tomorrow night will possible foot of snow falling so they just might want to head south again for a few more weeks.
Sandhill Cranes
