And so it begins

Despite my talk of spring weather yesterday, March rolled in this morning at a brisk 18°F. There was also a pretty good wind out of the north, but the sky was that clear blue that you know I like, so not a bad start to the month at all.

The picture taking was going pretty slowly, however, until I stopped by the pond on my way back south. That’s where I found our first spring returnees of the year: three red-winged blackbird males. They were all a little jumpy, but this one eventually relented and posed perfectly in the sun for us. “Thanks, Buddy, and welcome back!”

Back by the river, I found a pair of these American tree sparrows. We are in their winter range, so we do see them from time to time, but we don’t have as much of the tall grasses that they like, as Havenwoods State Forest and Lakeshore State Park do, so my guess is that these two are just passing through and are already on their way towards their breeding grounds in the far north of Canada and Alaska. “Safe travels, little cuties!”

Finally, there’s still plenty of ice on the river, despite the recent warm weather, so this goldeneye drake, and the five hens I saw with him, seem content to stick with us for a little while longer. “Take all the time you want, Handsome!”

That’s the show for today, but I see that the forecast for tomorrow is even better: a smidge colder, clear skies, and winds nearly calm, so keep your fingers crossed that it really comes to pass.