Words fail and birds sing ~ it's Spring

I have to agree with Mark Twain ... “It's spring fever.... You don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!”

May Day Moose

A cow moose on the meadow early this morning. Thin and molting but she outsmarted the wolves and made it safely through a long winter. This young moose about two years old may only recently have left her mother. Moose will stay with their moms until just before the next young are born, usually during May.

Here are a few of the pics I lifted from David's camera ~ he took probably a hundred shots. If you click on these pics they'll come in quite large for a nice close up look.

After the snow melts, shallow pools of water collect in low lying areas of the hay fields making early green shoots of meadow grass a favourite spot for wildlife, birds and waterfowl.

(Goose in the upper left) and Moose meandering . . . After an hour of her carefree grazing and our undivided attention, off she goes. Till next time. Thanks for dropping by.~ A PS on Tuesday ~ Our young moose seems to be taking up residence here on the meadow. She appears to be staying within the safety of our zigzag fencing and we see her many times a day now ~ mornings and evenings back at her favourite grazing spot on the meadow and other times on the ridge or down by the island ... the photo above David took this morning of one of our resident hawks and 'our' moose in the same shot :)

Feathered friends of April

The last few days have been overcast and chilly with early morning frost. There is still snow in lots of places but it feels like the first day of spring today. Warm and sunny! Yeah. The birds that we love to see and photograph are returning daily. Someone new everyday now. Red Winged Blackbirds rising from the willows at the creeks edge. David got a couple of pics of two Sandhill cranes on the meadow this morning though this is not the first sighting this year. And our little finches are back at the feeders; pine siskins, house finches and purple finches ... Yellow headed blackbirds (just a few) and Red winged Blackbirds (abut a hundred who stay all summer and serenade us with their beautiful songs ) Flickers Robins, of course. And shorebirds in the shallow pools of melted snow on the hay fields ... a pair of Lesser Yellowlegs have been visiting this week.Lots of delightful Junco's and Sparrows ... and last but not least; a soft spring sunset over the meadow last night. Life is good and we count our blessings!

Mid March on the Meadow

A walk about with camera in hand . . . time to enjoy the disappearing snow, the blue sky with cotton-ball clouds, songs of the Red Winged Blackbirds and that sweet spring bud; the pussy willow.