Winter is Dead

She turned to the sunlight

And shook her yellow head,

And whispered to her neighbor:

"Winter is dead."

~ A.A. Milne

Winter is dead.

How do I know this? Well, I don't really but everywhere around me, there are sure signs of spring.


Signs like the ubiquitous robin and other warmer weather birds heard singing for their mates. I snapped this image with a short lens, through all sorts of twigs which were partly obscuring a branch fairly high above me. I couldn't resist the robin's cheery song. Yup, I should have put the camera in video mode but alas, I did not.







It's March. In Canada, that means that we're never sure whether we'll need the shovel or the rake, so why not keep both handy?







The kids don't care about the above dilemma. They're gung ho to dig in the snow or in the earth. I suspect these toys might come out at any time during the year. They were at the same house as the rake and shovel.







Another sign of spring is when the mallards become rather possessive of their mates, fending off other potential suitors. Of course, an even clearer sign is that there is open water in which to do that.







It's March and that means that St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner. And on the Sunday before the 17th, Peterborough gives the GREEN light for the St. Paddy's Day Parade. I became aware of the event with plenty of time to plan attending. The route takes it to within a couple of blocks of my place. Judging by the recent Santa Clause parade, I estimated how long it should have taken to make its way here. And I was way off. I missed most of it but caught the tail end.







Its few remaining minutes (about 15) still brought some interesting characters my way. These guys were from the nearby town of Hastings where they run an educational theme park called Blades of Glory.







Cars and drivers, big and small were all decked out with the greenery of the day.







These are the pipers and drummers from The Rogues of Northumberland.







This girl did her own personal version of an Irish jig. I wonder if she kept it up throughout the whole parade route.







And this adorable fashionista stopped to pose for me, and throw some sloppy doggie kisses my way. Smooch!

That's it for now. I've spent the last couple of weeks totally flattened by a nasty flu bug but I'm very much on the mend now, and have been getting out for walks more often. This means more photos coming up before too long. Until then, I hope you've enjoyed this emergence of spring.

Springaling

So spring has sprung, it would seem. Birds have returned from their winter hideaways. Males are singing their hearts out high atop trees. Mallards and geese are pairing up. And some birds are fighting for the rights to their chosen mates

My true first sign of the season is the return of the red-winged blackbirds with their wonderful "Bdleeeeeeeeeeet." Their calls, along with a few other bird sounds are the noises which define spring and summer for me.

They're lovely in flight. These two allowed me to approach the tree upon which they were perched. Then they decided to show off with a bit of aerial acrobatics for my camera. At least that's what I like to believe.

Gulls are beautiful to watch in flight.

And at rest.

And at hurried departure due to woman with camera approaching.

Duck fight! There are only so many female mallards at this pond.

This guy has successfully chased his rival right out of the camera frame.

Have a look at this flurry of activity in front of the tree. It would appear that these robins were squabbling about something.

Here there are, face to face - a stand fly off. How do you suppose this stated?

Ah there she is, waiting patiently while the males fight over her. It looks like we have a winner.


Of course the signs of spring aren't limited to just birds. I'll be back in a few days with some freshly emerging buds and some other goodies. Until then, enjoy the weather - no matter which season surrounds you and thanks always for joining me.

Fine Feathers

"It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds." ~ Aesop

I consider myself very fortunate to live just steps away from a beautiful park with walking paths and a pond. It's home, breeding ground and stopover for many different species of animals - particularly birds. A brisk walk around the pond only takes about ten minutes but I often find myself taking closer to a half hour to make the circuit because looking for, enjoying and snapping photos of wildlife takes time.

A couple of days ago, I stepped outside my door and onto the sidewalk which leads to the park. I walked about three steps and looked down to see a dead Mourning dove. It wasn't bloody or twisted. It actually looked rather peaceful, but a semi-busy sidewalk was not a suitable final resting place for any creature. I returned home, got a small bag, collected the dove and brought it with me into the park where I was able to give it a more dignified location beneath some brambles.

I removed it from the bag, and before I placed it in the snow, I opted to pluck one of its tail feathers to add to this beautiful feather keeper which Ellen so kindly gifted to me a few months ago.

As I continued walking, I heard the familiar "chip" sound of a Cardinal and I paused to look up to see if I could locate him by his brilliant red plumage.

It turns out that it was this more subtle, young cutie who was doing the calling. I think the female Cardinal with all her hues of gold and red is even more beautiful than the male.

Before I ventured much further, I could hear and see what I thought was a large flock of sparrows occupying the branches of a tree. I nearly kept on walking but something rosy caught my eye.

I moved in for a closer look and saw a number of these little sweeties. I wasn't sure what I was looking at and needed to check with a bird identification website. Even then, I wasn't positive so I turned to my other birding resource and he confirmed that this was indeed a House finch. I don't think I've ever seen one before.

I wandered down to the pond which was filled with dozens of Mallards. Typically, they're calm and reasonably quiet emitting a steady stream of murmurs and occasional quacks.

Every now and then one of them get a bit territorial and a fight ensues. This noisy altercation lasted for about one minute. Water splattered everywhere, and other ducks swam off to allow them enough space.

Eventually, they parted and each continued on as if nothing had happened.

Except for this proud fellow who declared himself winner and still champion.

I had nearly forgotten that I was hoping to catch a glimpse of the Wood duck who tends to spend his time with our Mallards. I was scanning the pond when I heard his tell-tale high pitched kind of whistle.

He swam right into my view finder. Thanks, Woodrow! I took about two dozen photos of him and I'll probably share more of them another time but for now, I hope you enjoy this picture of a most handsome fellow.