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
Yesterday I saw some trumpeter swans flying overhead, and maybe with the melting, there might have been some puddles of water but not enough for them to land and swim around in yet so I don’t know where they were headed to.
Trumpeter Swans Return
Yesterday when I was raking snow off my roof, I heard and saw a sandhill crane headed north. It should have been headed back south as there is no bare ground at my place and my pond is still frozen. The crane might have been reading a calendar since seven years ago, they came back to this scene where there was no snow remaining. Otherwise, the female crane might have sent the male (as they mate for life) ahead to find the perfect nesting spot before the spring rush, but locating a good spot under two feet of snow might be tough.
Crane Back Early
This poor cardinal was hiding on the backside of the bird feeder to get out the wind and to try to get some seed which wasn’t buried from the falling snow.
Hiding Cardinal
There was some melting today as it made it to 44 degrees this afternoon so it would have been a great day to enjoy the outdoors except the wind made it feel like barely freezing. But out of the wind, maybe a little sunbathing could happen like this Great Blue Heron positioning its wings to catch the sun rays. And while the technique may help to warm the bird, the sunbathing is also used to get rid of parasites living on their skin and feathers since just ten minutes in the sun rays can heat the wings to 140 to 160 degrees which is hot enough to kill lice.
Sunbathing Heron
This Downy Woodpecker was playing possum when I went out to fill the bird feeders and I waited for him to leave but he remained still until I scared him off when finally walked past him.
Woodpecker Playing Possum
It looks like this chickadee is praying that the snow would stop since the bird feeders keep getting covered with that white stuff which hides the bird seed.
Chickadee Praying
The male northern cardinal is easier to spot against the white snow, but I rather see him hidden in the green grass of warmer days instead.
Cardinal in the Green
Most of the summer birds made their retreat south before the freezing temperatures this week, but the year-around birds are still hunting for food like this Downy Woodpecker checking out the holes in the tree for sap and insects trapped in the sap.
Looking for Food
A group of immature Horned Larks were scattered on a playground lawn earlier this week. I didn’t spot an adult male to see the hornlike feathers that gives the bird its name.
Horned Lark
