The sign was meant to welcome spring, but Old Man Winter thought it meant that all was forgiven and he should come back.
With the ice, I might be able to hear songbirds walking and hopping.
Snowmelt from utility wires tried to connect the dots on the snow below.
I'm not certain as to its location.
Told me that spring is coming. A starling's bill turns yellow this time of the year.
If you drink this stuff.
In Salina, Kansas.
And into Brandon, Iowa.
Welcome.
In Hungary, I was told that white storks nesting on a house brought good luck and protection from fire.
My father thought that barn swallows provided the same service,
A young member of my extended family likes birds and LEGOs. This is what happens when those two passions intersect. A blue jay.
A hummingbird. The green violetear.
And a European robin.
This is why it is called a red-bellied woodpecker.
And this is not called a red-bellied woodpecker.
In Texas. Especially be on the look out for snakes traveling 11 mph.
And in Minnesota where the bumps in the roads bump the signs.
And in Alaska, where there is an open season on signs with no bag limit.
In Minnesota, we stop for hawks.
The end from Alaska.
But my good luck held.
I'd driven over bad roads to get there. This is how I knew.
I like the spiffy decal and my binoculars aren't complaining. The 8.5 X 45 binoculars seem to be a good fit for me. I look. I see.
I watched a squirrel run over the wind-hardened snow filling the road ditch as it fled from my place for the friendly confines of a neighbor's. It was a dangerous scamper. It was running the gauntlet of possible red-tailed hawks. Raptors enjoy fast food.
I saw a groundhog later in the month that contains Groundhog’s Day. To the big rodent, it was Groundhog’s Month. It ventured forth cautiously and then scampered back quickly to the safety of its burrow. Maybe it had seen its shadow. According to folklore, if it’s cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on Groundhog’s Day and it doesn’t see its shadow, spring will come early. If it’s sunny and the groundhog sees its shadow and retreats back into its burrow, winter weather will persist for six more weeks. Maybe it is frightened of its shadow? A crow walked the same ground. The groundhog could never match the crow’s swagger. The crow probably saw its shadow and liked it.
We hang in here for the swell awards.
The sight of this hanging on the wall of The Vine in Mankato makes me want to grab the ground and hang on.
They were meant for each other. Nominative determinism is the theory that a person's name has a significant role in determining profession or character.
A great-horned owl flew overhead in a whisper. The sight thrilled my eyes, but was of no more use to my ears than the silent hop of a songbird under my bird feeders. Crows followed after it. There was no whispering done by the crows. They had found the daytime roosting spot of the owl. They chased it from that location with obvious outrage and delight. The great horned owl likely had a nest nearby.
I’d seen two red-tailed hawks perched side-by-side on a billboard advertising hot tubs. I start seeing this lovey-dovey behavior of this raptor around Valentine’s Day each year.
Spring is in the air and it’s not just the smell of skunk.
Nutrias do a great deal of damage to the vegetation. They are hunted and a $5 bounty is offered for each animal killed.
There is a hunting season on alligators. They are not only used for suitcases, boots and belts, but are a popular food in restaurants.
