March 27, 2022: Signs of Spring

You don't even need to look for them now - the signs are spring are everywhere.  The snowdrops are blooming,

Snowdrops, especially for you PP!

even though there are still snow remnants lingering here and there.

Cracks in the ice are widening, creating convoluted icebergs separating from the ice sheet as ice-out 2022 begins.

Where currents flows under the ice, all the lakes now have large openings, and waterfowl have already arrived and started to claim their territory.

The geese are staking out their nesting sites.

In addition to two pairs of Canada geese I saw a wood duck and a ringed-neck duck in the open expanse of water by the Lake Wicwas dam, just a sneak preview of the coming migration season.

The first wood duck of the year swims behind the geese.

A welcome sight is the color green on the ground.  Grass in the warmest spots is starting to show green as are clumps of moss where even a small ray of sunshine infiltrates the leafless branches overhead. 

Moss, green and photosynthesizing already.

It's been cold enough that we're pushing the bird feeder limit towards the recommended end date of April first, and with cold weather in the forecast, we might make it.  We continue to have a wide range of birds at the feeders including many very active goldfinches zooming in on the wing,

Incoming!

braking for the food stop,

Flaps down.

grabbing a seed and dashing away.  

Cargo secured.

 

Usually goldfinches sit on a perch and eat seed after seed, but sometimes they get aggressive in their behavior towards each other so they don't stick around.

Not sharing nicely, are they.

But their most rewarding trait is a certain sign of spring:  though looking a bit ragged as they molt, they are starting to show their yellow coats of the breeding season!

Yellow!

Spring can't be far off now!