Bluebirds and Birds that are Blue

 We've been seeing Eastern Bluebirds lately.... everywhere. Every single one reminds me of Dad. He loved them and made many bluebird houses over the years.

There is a flock of at least 8 hanging around in our driveway. Usually they stay at the back of the farm and only come down as far as the old heifer pasture and then only in winter. Yesterday I walked down the driveway and they met me half way.

As for the birds that are blue....this bottle of maple syrup came straight from our boy's sugarbush up in Bath. I am supposed to be making pancakes to go with it, but instead am treating myself to a little spoonful every morning....it'll last longer that way.

Nights are still stupid cold here. It was four degrees when I got up this morning, and even with the sun up and bright it is not particularly pleasant yet. The river almost thawed last week....almost.

But not quite and now it is almost bank-to-bank thick ice with only a few small open leads.

Hint to the Powers that Be....we are ready for spring. In fact, way beyond ready. 

That is all

Thank you.

Happy Birthday, Peggy

 

Planetary Wake-up

 

The wind fluffed his fingers through the silver on her head.

At his icy winter touch she rolled over in bed

And stumbling toward the morning light

She turned away from night.

Raised her face toward the rising bright

And set the morn alight.

A Little Breeze

 

Over the weekend, not only did my brother and his wife put four sets of brake pads and one caliper assembly on our car, (thanks, Matt and Lisa) but Matt gave me a big bucket of drill cores from a dam in Vermont.

They are maybe a handspan...my hand that is...in diameter, and range from eight inches to a foot long. 

They are solid stone.

Last night as we battened down the hatches, the boss put a tarp over some wood shavings bags in the yard that are waiting to go in the pony stalls.

He set the entire five-gallon pail on one corner of the tarp and laid individual cores on the rest.

This morning I found drill cores scattered in the driveway, with one all the way over on the other side and the tarp completely out from under the bucket (!!!!) and wrapped around a tree...

That was some wind! The overnight low was projected to ten degrees with winds gusting to 60 mph. It ended up down to five degrees right now. I slept like a baby though. Three extra blankets, with my head under them all as it was so drafty and noisy. Didn't hear a thing.

This morning even the birds that usually don't show up at the feeders until midmorning or so were there before the sun was even up.

I double fed on the ground and in the flower pot, as I brought the plastic feeders in last night to keep them from banging on things and breaking.

Seventeen Common Redpolls showed up, along with extra-large numbers of almost everything  else.

It's like January all over again.

Some people
banding American Black Ducks
at Lock 12

First Dawn Chorus 2021

 

Don't let the door hit ya...

At least nine cardinals this morning, most of them singing gloriously. Surround sound in the early grey of dawn.

I never noticed when the first real chorus occurred before, but with the NY Breeding Bird Atlas going on, I've been entering breeding codes when I see or hear them. 

Sounds as if at least a little lead has opened up down along the south shore north of the house too. I could hear Mallards and gulls hollering and whispering down there for the first time since late last year.

Small signs of impending spring, but I'll take 'em.