Spring is here

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Boomhour, similar temps here. Got the "official" full moon (thought it was last night) coming up over the horizon at the end of the dog's walk this evening - amazing end to a blindingly sunny day (ice and snow reflections) - but that north wind was bitter. I filled the feeders today - "premium" feed - feeling sorry for those little guys. Some suet balls too, they love the stuff. Some yellowish birds that I don't recognize, and the chickadees that've been with us all winter. I dunno how they survive. Nice to see them show up and pig out -winter's not being kind to them.
 
Outside the window is 3-4' of snow and it's not going anywhere as temps are currently at 8 degrees.
So, I improvised for my spring flowers. ...

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So I actually bought these for myself to have some color. The fiance was so happy that I got her flowers, I couldn't tell her they were mine. They left with her this morning to go to her house with her for the week. :rolleyes:
 
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Bobbin said:
OK, it's still really cold. But spring is here... the turkeys are showing up in the yard regularly. And there is an opossum jonesin' the birdfeeder. We've strewn some "wildlife grain" for the turkeys (broken bag from g.m.'s employer) and I put out some moldy cheese for the 'possum. The buds on the red maples are fattening up and the Forsythia and Magnolia stellate are showing signs of awakening, too. What do you see out your windows?
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Frozen over snow. Almost a foot in most places, more where there's snow banks.

Frozen, dirty snow banks.
 
The cold spells are getting shorter and fewer here. 36 yesterday, 46 today and 60 tomorrow. We planted over 90 crocuses on the hill outside the kitchen window last fall, so we could easily see the first signs of spring. They started popping up a few days ago and haven't stopped, only yellow ones so far though. The buds on the silver maples are about to burst and most other trees show some sign of leaves getting ready to emerge.

On the down side, I believe that this year we got what the northerners refer to as, mud season. Even with very little rain, the mud just stays and stays. Everywhere you walk is like walking on a wet sponge and the hard freezing of the ground seems to have separated the sod from it's base. Walking up hills that are still very wet will cause the sod to slide, making it very mucky.

I can't get my golf cart and trailer into the woods, so the dead standing ash trees that I cut down have to be hauled out by hand, which wouldn't be so bad but for the slipping and sliding on mud. I can't complain though, at least I can see the wood and it's not covered in snow.
 
-14 ::F last night, and still 3' of snow in the woods; no bare spots in the fields yet either. Going snowmobiling tomorrow; you gotta love that March riding!

:cool:
 
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Yep. Sixties day before yesterday and now I am looking out at trees and the ground covered in nine inches of snow and temp in the twenties.
 
Hard to say anything about spring covered in freezing rain and sleet today, but we have maples budding, flower bulbs peaking two inches out of the new flower bed I constructed for the wife this summer, all sorts of bird and squirrel activity.........We have a set of starlings who have made a nest outside of our kitchen window every year we have lived here (going on 5 now), and they just started last week cleaning out the old nest and working on bringing in material for the new one. Neat to see. They are 3 feet from our kitchen window, you can hear the baby birds crying for food in the evening when cooking supper.
 
-25 this morning. The 14 day forecast shows some tropical weather moving in on Wed (-2 deg) then back down to -17 deg, closing out the month at -12.

smokedragon, watch out for the crows - my wife wanted me to get the shotgun out last year, after the starlings were attacked. She cried for 3 hours. Our Newf is now the protector of the newborn (chases crows out of the yard). Good momma dog....
 
It's funny you mention that, as the crows don't ever mess around the front of the house. That may well be why the nest is where it is, and keeps getting reused each year. The front gets a lot of traffic, so not a lot of animal activity there.
 
I saw my first salmonberry blossoms on the weekend! (didn't have the camera, stole this internet photo). The bright pink cheered me up after a very wet day.

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Migrations are a sure sign. The chunks and uglies have begun their march to the stove, so spring is not far off.
 
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I hear lots of red wing blackbirds in the marsh but haven't seen one yet.
crocuses are up but they are the frailest shiveringest things I've ever seen.
snowdrops

march peepers haven't started peeping yet and I've heard them in February in the past.
 
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billb3 said:
I hear lots of red wing blackbirds in the marsh but haven't seen one yet.
crocuses are up but they are the frailest shiveringest things I've ever seen.
snowdrops

march peepers haven't started peeping yet and I've heard them in February in the past.
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Lots of redwings here. Stopped filling the bird feeders about a week ago because of them, hate that sound they make. The cowbirds won't be far behind.

The peepers are already getting pretty noisy, love that sound.
 
bsruther said:
Lots of redwings here. Stopped filling the bird feeders about a week ago because of them, hate that sound they make. The cowbirds won't be far behind.

The peepers are already getting pretty noisy, love that sound.
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we have many Robins and blackbirds showing up. They come sit around on the ground by the hundreds. I guess they are worm hunting. The ground is maybe warmer then the trees right now too.

Woodpeckers are busy beating up the trees too.
 
razerface said:
we have many Robins and blackbirds showing up. They come sit around on the ground by the hundreds. I guess they are worm hunting. The ground is maybe warmer then the trees right now too.

Woodpeckers are busy beating up the trees too.
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The robins seem like they're squaring off and claiming territory, I hear them squabbling a lot, same with the cardinals.
 
bsruther said:
The peepers are already getting pretty noisy, love that sound.
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Me too. Last couple years I could hear them from the highway along certain spots (one stretch of flatland for about a mile or so where they just go nuts). So loud it's almost deafening. Once the back 40 thaws out they go crazy around my place too. Funny, some folks can't stand the noise, but it's music to my ears...
 
smokedragon said:
the crows don't ever mess around the front of the house.
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I'm glad to hear that. I know it's nature and all that, but they can be really vicious when the babies are out chasing their parents around on the grass for food. Not liking crows much....
 
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