Oh, the march to spring is SO slow and unpredictable. One day the weather is spring-like, teasing us with temperatures in the high forties and blue skies. For two or three days, we bask in the return of the sun. People are out walking in the neighborhood. Glorious weather. And then the gray skies return, along with a forecast of snow.
But there are still some harbingers of spring. I got an Audubon alert that someone had spotted two Great Blue Herons flying over near Hartman Road. I grabbed my camera, and Gracie and I headed out to one of the few places with open water, Logan's Landing. We drove around, but only saw swans and ducks.
I moved on to another section and saw four young Ring-billed Gulls sitting on a sandbar behind some reeds. The shallow water was so clear I captured their reflections in the water. No herons, though, so I headed to farm country, continuing to look for signs of spring.
Not much had changed since my visit to the area a week ago. Deep snow remained in the fields of corn stalks. Not very springlike at all.
Then I spotted a juvenile eagle in a field across from where I’d spotted the eagles last week. It wasn’t the same one because its beak had yellowed, indicating a little older young one. The eagle's parents were nowhere to be seen. I also noticed that more deer carcasses had been dumped at the corner, which was a bad place with no protection. I wondered if more eagles would come.
And then I saw a little sign of spring. A farmland pond was opening up. There was actually some water. Oh, can the herons and cranes be far behind!
Down the road a bit, I saw another sign of spring, maple syrup buckets hanging in place. Has it really been warm enough for the sap to begin flowing? Oh, spring. It’s so hard to be patient for your arrival when you come to us, inch by inch.
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