For spring. But it is hard not to be. Went out to check cows in a soft, early morning rain, an Irish rain, not enough to even wet my pull over, but wet enough to hear.(The kind of rain that just might bring on the new grass....I look every day at the hill behind the house...is it green yet? No but soon.)
Wet enough to get the robins going out there in the dark.
And going they were, dozens of them everywhere around, north, south, east, and west, and all points in between. Killdeers too, and four...at least four...song sparrows. The phoebes showed up at the creek day before yesterday, but either they don't like rain or they sleep late. They are not calling.
No woodcock either, although we have heard him a couple of times. I like to think of him out there in the short grass part of the pasture, trotting around on his stubby little legs and shouting imperatives to his lady. Then tumbling sky-high, all whistle and flute, only to drift gently back down and do it all again.
Just a couple weeks ago there were barely any birds and they surely were not singing before dawn. I took a little walk this morning though, just my Hall's cough drop and me, listening for more...new...better...different. Who else is back and taking up territory? Yeah, I am greedy for more spring no two ways about it.
No calves this morning and the sump pump the guys rigged yesterday did its job pretty well, so the flooding is negligible. Thankfully.
We are hoping for some decent weather to get some fencing done and some manure on the fields before the serious spring work begins.
One of my goals each summer is to learn a couple new bird songs. I am not good remembering sounds in that fashion so it is a challenge, but one that I much enjoy. Last year I got indigo bunting and Carolina wren......Who will it be this year?
hang in there it will green up soon enough. Is that a hawk in the pic?
ReplyDeleteI love to join you on your early morning walks. I too have to listen for birds, since I can't really see them with my bad eyes. Last year I learned Black-throated Blue Warbler (beer beer), Common Yellowthroat (witchety,witchety,witchety), and Chestnut-sided Warbler (pleased, pleased, pleased to meetcha).
ReplyDeleteWoodswalker said it. It's so lovely ambling along beside you.
ReplyDeleteWe love the song of the Carolina Wren. I'm not hearing it yet this spring. Fingers crossed.
The titmouse always threw me with all his variations. I think I've got him down, now :0)
I'm with you about wanting things to hurry along. Took my mom on a ride into the countryside yesterday. Still pretty dreary.
Glad things are going better but I hate to be the barer of bad news but calling for lots of rain this week, spring has defiantly sprung!
ReplyDeleteI heard a meadowlark yesterday, now I KNOW it has to be close.....spring that is.
ReplyDeleteEd, we are watching....
ReplyDeleteWW, I love it just when it starts to get light. There usually isn't much traffic...I will have to look up those calls and try to learn them. I know we have many more cool birds than we see and there are many nondescript warblers around at least part of the year.
Carly, I did, but you didn't. What's up?
Cathy, we had two Carolinas around in the winter and I know the cats got one...it was on the floor in the cow barn and I didn't see it until it was too late. Probably dying of the cold anyhow. I hope there are still some come spring. They succumb easily to the cold and it has been a pretty cold winter. Titmice got me too, for years. They are so loud for such small birds; I was looking for something much bigger.
Lisa, we had a nice sunrise today at least...lol
Linda, haven't seen or heard one yet, but we don't get too many of them. I think they like flat fields more and we don't have much flat. Lots of robins though.