March is supposed to go out like a lamb, but it appears it will go out like a roaring lion as the snow has started this evening and the area is under a blizzard warning so not as a gentle lamb but definitely white.
Not Out like a Lamb
Picture of the Day for March 30, 2023
I had to laugh today when I saw a lone goose flying south as he must have heard the forecast of snow and decided it wanted a warmer environment even if the rest of the the gaggle of geese stayed in snow country.
Lone Goose
Picture of the Day for March 29, 2023
It has been hard for people to tap the maple trees for sap this spring with all the snow still on the ground, but maybe this American Red Squirrel has an easier time tapping the trees as folklore credits the red squirrel for the origin of maple syrup. They gouge the bark with its large front teeth and then leaves as the sap flows out. The squirrel returns later when the water evaporates from the sap and licks the maple sugary syrup.
American Red Squirrel
Picture of the Day for March 28, 2023
Eventually the snow may melt enough for me to walk out to clean the birdhouses and I may encounter some squatters who don’t want to be evicted, like this cute little field mouse.
Birdhouse Squatter
Picture of the Day for March 27, 2023
I’m not sure where the trumpeter swans went to when they passed over head earlier this month heading north as my pond is still frozen, but hopefully they found some open water. The trumpeter swans are our biggest native waterfowl, weighing more than 25 pounds and a wing scan of over 6 feet. My pond is too little for these swans as they need 100-yard runway to get airborne.
Trumpeter Swan
Picture of the Day for March 26, 2023
The surface ice along the shore of Lake Superior by the Meyers Beach was never stable this year to visit the ice caves, but there were other places to see ice formations, including inland areas like Devils Punchbowl near Menomonie. The 45-foot tall natural rock amphitheater and waterfall has nice ice formations and with a new staircase install last year, it is easier to made it down the cliff.
Devils Punchbowl
Picture of the Day for March 25, 2023
The temperature warmed enough that a chipmunk came out of its winter den as I saw a chipmunk running on top of the snow for the first time this spring. He was lucky a hawk didn’t swoop down and nap him since he stood out against the snow.
Chipmunk Emerges
Picture of the Day for March 24, 2023
With a narrow strip of ground showing aside the driveway where the snow was plowed off, the returning robins finally have a place to land that isn’t cold from that white stuff. And hopefully no more snow will cover the tiny patch of lawn.
Robin Returns
Picture of the Day for March 23, 2023
With all the snow on the ground, it is hard to remember that it is spring – at least according to the calendar – but another sign that spring may be coming was the return of the red-winged blackbirds as they voiced their arrival rather noisily today as they perched high in the trees (to stay far away from the snow).
Red-winged Returns
Picture of the Day for March 22, 2023
I saw a pheasant this morning that probably wished the snow was gone and he was wading through grass instead of that white stuff. I shouldn’t have chuckled when I saw his foot sinking deep into the snow every few steps, as I was breaking through the crusty snow later in the day too and it wasn’t fun jarring the body when my leg dropped a foot into the snow.
Pheasant Wants Green
