Blog Archives
Winter Birdie
Friends, this tiny bird is a red-breasted nuthatch, found around here in the winter months, they find their food in the bark of trees and in friendly bird feeders, they prefer the feeders with suet in them. Getting ready for the Easter holiday, Happy Easter to you who celebrate with us, til Tomorrow MJ
Surprised Merganser
Friends, raiding my archives from last spring, i found this hooded merganser who was grocery shopping in the open water, not much open water available yet, I must have been a surprise cause his crest is raised, today warmer weather is thawing the snow, sloooowly but surely, til Tomorrow MJ
Waiting
Friends, these Trumpeter Swans are waiting, patiently for the snow and ice to melt, I am not so patient, I go to the Meadows in expectation to find nothing new, bummer, maybe i will have to visit elsewhere to find some action, maybe the waves on Lake Superior will talk to me about spring, but last time i visited there, the waves were washing in the ice shards, sharp and glasslike panes, having family for Easter, so I guess cleaning house is the order of the day, til Tomorrow MJ
Empty Pods
Friends, getting desperate for new images, these milkweed pods were interesting but kind of drab in colors, but the snow made a great background, these pods are empty of the silk that emanates from them in the fall, now they are empty but a short stem remains, see the macro below to see what is left in the pods, til Tomorrow MJ
Tree Hugger
Friends, this boy has found a birch tree to nibble on, he is a porcupine but his quills are not erect so you see his guard hairs on the surface of his coat, The quills are laying down and he is climbing up the tree to get away from me. Porkies are active in the winter but don’t get around very well in our deep snow, so tree climbing is a way of life. His quills are small compared to those of the African variety. til Tomorrow MJ
Spring Sandpiper
Friends, this sandpiper is a yellowlegs, but i do not have the expert birding knowledge to identify it definitely so I will leave that to my viewers who have that knowledge, I just like his fishing pose and the circles of water in front of him, i think it tells a story, but some are more interested in the details, the feathering is very mottled in colors to blend into the marsh grasses of spring, still no water around here but hope is in the air, til Tomorrow MJ
A Promise of Spring
Friends, this Sandhill Crane was walking in water last year at this time, but not this year. I have not seen a crane yet and definitely no water except where the water is running fast like a river or stream. It is snowing again this morning and I am getting really tired of waking up in clouds and snow. But March is usually our snowiest month so I should know better than to fret over the winter blah weather. So i send you this warm spring sunshine this morning to promise that warmer days are coming (for those of us in winter now) 🙂. til Tomorrow MJ
Swans in the Air
Friends, I will never get over the elegance of swans in flight. They look so formal against the sky,and this week they are returning to the Meadows where there is open water. Most of the open water available is on moving streams and rivers. So glad to see them return and to hear their welcoming hoarse honking, like a goose with a cold. til Tomorrow MJ
Cranes in Spring
Friends, yes the cranes will return to Crex Meadows soon in all their spring finery, this image was taken last year about this time of year, but last year we had no snow at this time, now we have feet of snow on the ground and more coming today, ugh!!, but the color in this image helped to brighten my day, hope you like, til Tomorrow MJ
Quiet Time
Friends, this wolf is taking a nap on the snow, his coat is very thick and protects him from the cold. He may look sleepy but his yellow eyes followed our every move. We have timber wolves in Crex Meadows but we rarely see them, they prefer the cover of darkness to hunt deer and teach their young how to hunt. At night, we hear the howling at our house, the wolf pack that stalks the Clam River sometimes passes our place closely. When we visited these wolves at The Wildlife Science Center, the chorus of howling was probably the only wildness left in these captive animals, but they sang of green forests and bogs where their relatives still roam free. til Tomorrow MJ
MJ Springett 