Birds and Blossoms about a Year Ago.....

This year, we are really behind....

I took these photos in April and May

and right now, I am writing this on Easter Sunday

and we are getting

MORE SNOW...!!

 

Our ground has about 2 feet of white on the ground and

we haven't had bare lawns since last autumn.
 

I decided, in order to KEEP MY SANITY

I had to peek at what is to come,

(I hope, very soon)....

Do you see him???

(A handsome Wood Duck sits in the middle of the scene)

A Merganser couple...



Wood Duck couple...



 

 



I am hoping your Easter Sunday

is filled with love, family,  sunshine

and blooming flowers...

send the warm weather

and flocking birds and ducks back up north

to us, will you PLEASE????????????????????????????

Spring hopes eternal................Marsh Marigolds and Bloodroot Awaken

We still are all white here with snow...so today I decided to post more pictures from early of 2012 that I haven't shared yet.



Marsh Marigolds....

Bloodroot!....

Waiting for the snow to melt here, so these beauties will re-emerge from the forest floor, here they are still under more than 3 feet of snow....

 

Are you getting your spring wildflowers yet?

An Encounter!

We went for a hike last April, when the snow finally let us back on the

Spring roads....

and we rounded a curve and there was

THIS cute fellow!!!:

A porcupine!

We hadn't seen many in the woods for years!:

Contrary to beliefs, they do NOT throw their quills...

they just "display" them to warn you:

But after a few minutes of me slowly following him, clicking away with my lens, he settled down and figured maybe I wasn't such a threat after all:

 

Or, maybe NOT! (I am sure he was thinking: why is she STILL following me?):



I'll just stop and give her my "model pose":

I think they have such cute faces!

He had enough of me, and headed to the deeper woods.....

 

I was so happy to have spent some time with him!

 

In the woods: April in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

Even though there are barely any leaves on the trees in our neck of the woods in early April,

it is still great to get outside with my camera lens and capture

whatever we can find.

 

I am looking forward to next month, when our snow will hopefully be gone

so I can get out again.

These shots were taken last April out in our woods...



This waterfall has no name, it only shows up in the spring when the snow melts:



Nothing like mushrooms on an old stump for texture!:

And, to get a glimpse at the first wildflowers in our area to bloom (Trout Lilies!) are a thrill:

Spring beauties growing by an old log:

And to see the first turtles in the melted ponds--it's always nice!:

Sunbathing in the new spring sun must feel pretty good to them!:

I can feel the warmth of the sun is getting stronger.

 

We still have very cold temperatures here, but during the day our icicles are dripping hard

and I hear the maple trees are starting to provide some running sap for maple syrup.

 

Spring can't be far behind that, right???

This Ongoing Winter is for the Birds!.....

I don't know about your neck of the woods....

but, here....

we are getting pretty tired of winter.

 

 

Even the birds seem to agree....

 

 

 

Chipping Sparrow:

Chickadee:



Purple Finch:

Junco:



 

 

 

 

 

 

Pileated Woodpecker:

Purple Finch Pair:

 

More snow coming down today.....

(sigh).

 

I say: it is for the birds!!

 

 

Hope you are feeling more Spring than us today!

 

I am trying to be patient about the "end of winter thing".

 

I see it's not working for me....



 

April Previews.....

We are still buried under quite a bit of snow....but I was looking through some of my last year's photos taken in April and it gave me great hope that in a short month or so....THIS is what will be happening in our neck of the woods!:

Pussywillows!:

Up close and personal!:

Sweet little Spring Beauties wildflowers:

Trout Lily:

Lovely Spring Beauties by the log:



Spring Beauties, close up:

I am counting the days!

 

How about YOU?