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
Picture of the Day for March 25, 2016
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
Picture of the Day for March 24, 2016
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
Picture of the Day for March 23, 2016
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
Picture of the Day for March 22, 2016
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
Picture of the Day for March 21, 2016
Geese have been visiting my pond the last few weeks but I haven’t spotted any ducks yet. I rather have the ducks as they don’t leave their calling card on the banks, but then I haven’t cleaned out the wood duck house yet so maybe a good thing they haven’t arrived back yet.
Waiting for a Wood Duck
Picture of the Day for March 20, 2016
Although first full day of spring started out below freezing this morning, the partial sunshine will hopefully warm slightly above freezing so one might take a Sunday drive to view the migrating birds stopping at various areas on their trek farther north. One pond had some Lesser Scaup and Common Goldeneye ducks as well as some Snow Geese. And since the pond was call Goose Pond, there were a lot of Canadian Geese there too. The ducks were more shy than the geese and except for one, all the snow geese remained on the other side of the road. Madison Audubon Society’s Goose Pond is one of Wisconsin’s Watchable Wildlife Areas and a designated State Natural Area and more than 250 species of birds have been sighted at this prairie area around the ponds. My short recent visit there may have only reveal about 10 different species of birds but probably more can be found now that spring has officially arrived.
Goose Pond
Picture of the Day for March 19, 2016
Although I haven’t seen any flowers open in my yard yet, some hardy flowers have sprung up and they had another taste of snow overnight.
Crocuses Braving the Weather
Picture of the Day for March 18, 2016
St. Patty’s Day must have sucked all the green up yesterday and didn’t leave any left for today as it was a white morning with the new snowfall overnight. And the robins have been snowed more than the three times needed for spring to come so nature needs a counting lesson as I want green and not white.
March Snow
Picture of the Day for March 17, 2016
Many people, especially the Irish, may be wearing green, eating corned beef and cabbage, going to parades and of course drinking beer today for St. Patrick’s Day. Even though St. Patrick wasn’t born in Ireland, he is one of the patron saints of Ireland but his colors were blue and not green. But green is the color associated with the day and Chicago even dyes the Chicago River green each year since 1962. Some rivers are always greenish color, especially near melting glaciers like Sawyer Glacier on the end of Tracy Arm Fjord. The water in the fjord is green until it mixes with blue water at Holkham Bay.
Green Water of Tracy Arm Fjord
