It is snowing once again here in Massachusetts. We are getting snow-weary and cabin-fevery. This morning as I wandered the house looking for possible objects as the subjects of my photo hunt, fluttering movement caught my eye out in the back yard.
With the snow gently drifting all around them, (the morning after the Great Backyard Bird Count was completed!) I spotted flashes of red in the trees near the back of my yard.
About a dozen robins were happily singing and cavorting in the snow. The sound of their cheery song in the middle of February brought thoughts that maybe spring isn’t so very far away.
This mourning dove, however, seemed to have other thoughts, all puffed up against the cold.
Karma's When I Feel Like It Blog 
Spring has to come for you. Doesn’t it? I wandered out to the section of my yard where the daffodils usually pop up first yesterday and yes! some of them are bursting through the ground. I cautioned them about being overly anxious because truly it is far too early for them. But I also rejoiced at seeing some green.
Comment by Carol — February 18, 2014 @ 11:00 am |
Yes, unless the earth stops revolving around the sun on its tilted axis, I would say that spring must eventually come! It will be a long time before we see anything poking out of the ground around here. I took this photo this morning to show my daughter how deep the snow is at home:
The ridge in the center is my vegetable garden fence!
Comment by Karma — February 19, 2014 @ 8:43 am |
Now I know where the robins got to! We had a flock of them here a few weeks ago, and then they disappeared. Lovely shots. 🙂
Comment by Robin — February 18, 2014 @ 11:56 am |
Thanks Robin. Robins are an odd species, I’ve read, where some of them migrate and some of them don’t, so really they are not a great harbinger of spring since some of them may have been hanging around all winter.
Comment by Karma — February 19, 2014 @ 8:46 am |
Love that first photo! I guess with all that snow you’re still getting, you don’t want me to tell you all about my visit to the Dallas Arboretum yesterday… 😉
Comment by TheDailyClick — February 18, 2014 @ 12:28 pm |
Thanks Michaela. I’m sure the Dallas Arboretum was warm and lovely. Send some warmth this way!
Comment by Karma — February 19, 2014 @ 8:47 am |
I’ll try! 😉
Comment by TheDailyClick — February 20, 2014 @ 9:44 am
Robins! A mourning dove! How lucky you are to see them in winter. We usually see our first robin, shivering, looking for a patch of green, about the end of March. Maybe a stray mourning dove in April. Then you know spring is around the corner.
Comment by Kathy — February 18, 2014 @ 1:00 pm |
The mourning doves never leave us around here. They are the “birds on a wire” year round. Robins, I never know where or when I’ll see them. Since realizing that not all robins migrate, I don’t really consider them to be a sign of spring any more, although their singing yesterday definitely sounded like spring!
Comment by Karma — February 19, 2014 @ 8:49 am |
We’ve had Robins here too. Quite baffling. What on earth are they doing back so soon ?
Those all look like male Robins (as the females lack that deep red colour). I wonder if they come back to find a nice place for the ladies ?
BTW I’m hating winter too.
Comment by sybil — February 18, 2014 @ 6:05 pm |
I don’t think the robins ever left. I think they’ve been hanging out here and there, foraging for what they may be able to find to eat.
Comment by Karma — February 19, 2014 @ 8:51 am |