Well at least Mother Nature didn’t play an April Fools Day joke today with more snow, although the forecast does have some snow for later tonight. But the joke is that there still isn’t hint of any spring flowers yet.
No Wildflowers Joke
Last year at this time of year, my pond was filled with ducks and geese. But the two pair of geese and my lone duck have vanished for days since the pond has frozen over solid again so no open water. And the snow today created a white layer on the surface. Maybe tomorrow, if the sun comes out, it will melt a hole back in the ice again.
Waiting to Thaw
It probably is a good thing that there is no hint of spring wildflowers yet, not when the temperature dropped down to 10 degrees overnight and minus zero wind chills. Plus the forecast mentions the s word for several days so more likely to see snowflakes than white blossom petals.
No Wildflowers Yet
The two pair of geese might decide that they came back too early as the pond barely had some open water when it cold enough overnight to create a new ice layer. By afternoon, the geese broke through the thinner ice and one had to belly flop to get back up on the ice. Tonight will be colder yet so the might not thaw enough for their afternoon swim.
Returning Geese Pair
I had a pair of geese standing on my snow pile today and not sure why they didn’t like the bare ground instead, but eventually they made their way down to my pond. The pond is still mostly covered by ice although the big patch drifted to one end so there was an open spot. And in that open slice of water, I spotted the first returning duck of the season. The male Hooded Merganser has black head with a large white patch that varies in size when his crest is raised or lowered,
First Duck of Spring