The sun came out yesterday afternoon, and I went looking for more of those sweet early spring flowers I’d seen at the Lakeshore. The snow was mostly gone, and vernal ponds and wetlands were saturated from the heavy rains and snowmelt. I saw a flock of fifteen sandhill cranes and caught a ruffed grouse high in a tree. No flowers, though. The closest I got was the hint of green in some of the fields.
When I went to the Lakeshore last week, I saw three beautiful red barns on the back roads I didn’t photograph. I decided to return to get them on Monday, or maybe it was just an excuse to return to the sparkling waters of Lake Michigan at Empire Beach. As I left the village, I spotted a yard full of tiny yellow flowers. Wow! Real, blooming flowers! They were such a welcome sight before today’s wintry ick returned.
These raptors are monogamous and mate for life. I’d never seen a pair together before. The female is the larger of the birds. I knew they’d be flighty, and it only took seconds before the male took to the air, but it gave me a good look at its beautiful red tail.
Yesterday, I traveled to the Lakeshore between Platte Point and Glen Haven, looking for signs of spring. The water was open, and the snow was melting, but winter storms had deposited sand everywhere. At the Empire beach a front loader was working to clear the parking lots. I shouldn’t have been surprised by the amount of sand, but I was.
I follow two pairs of Sandhill Cranes who live not far from my home. Every winter, they migrate to Florida, flying up to 500 miles a day. I always feel relieved when they’re back on their home territory and nesting grounds. Saturday, I saw that all four had safely returned.
