We had a warm, beautiful day on Saturday with temperatures reaching the 60's. It was so nice to feel warm air and sunshine again. I used this opportunity to survey the far back to see what has been going on for the last month or so since I took a look. The normal effects of winter were everywhere. Lots of downed branches, although no huge ones. Also fence posts and rails had fallen down probably in part to the weather and in part to the deer.
The ground was very soggy and muddy where it wasn't covered with crunchy snow. However, among the snow and the mud, there were signs that spring is on its way including my first snowdrop bloom.
Here are a few things I saw this week
during a Second Look.
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| Shallow snow covered much of the lower back. There was a crunchy layer of ice on top of it that made it fun to walk on. |
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| There was abundant evidence that the deer spent the winter with us. |
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| Among the leaves and weeds, I saw my first snowdrop. |
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| Closer to the house, I saw daffodil leaves emerging. No crocus however. |
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| On Friday, we had several bluebirds visiting the suet feeder and had some good sightings of both males and females. Notice of muted colors of the female on the left compared to the bright blue of the male on the right. (That's a male house finch behind it.) |
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| The big surprise was the bluebird's nest in on of the nest boxes. I'm not sure when it was built, but I do know that I cleaned out the box last fall. It's too early to lay eggs, so I'm not sure what's going on. |
Winter can leave a mess. The way of the wild. Gets recycled back into the soil once it breaks down I suppose. the bluebirds are beautiful, male and female. When do they lay eggs there? Just one next per year?
ReplyDeleteBluebirds can lay eggs anytime from March through August, depending on the weather. Each clutch usually has 3 to 5 eggs. If everything goes well, they may lay two clutches per season. However, it's usually just one.
DeleteWe had warmer weather over the weekend, too--around 45 degrees, which felt almost balmy. :) We had our first crocuses, but now we are expecting another winter storm. The ups and downs of winter, I guess.
ReplyDeleteI am amazed every year when you have crocuses blooming in the protected area by your house. What a nice surprise it must be in the "middle" of winter.
DeleteI took a walk this past weekend with my granddaughter. She was so excited to be able to go on a walk but soon the fun wore off when there was very little of interest to see. She was so desperate to see something pretty that she began looking for and pointing out wreaths on front doors. :-)
ReplyDeleteI know how she feels. However, how positive of her to find something she did like. That's definitely making the glass half full.
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