It's sometimes been a little hard to remember we're almost at the end of April. We've had below freezing temperatures for most of this month's nights. We've had snow, sleet and freezing rain multiple times. Granted, it doesn't stay around long and, as I type this, there is no evidence of that crappy stuff to be seen.
There is clear evidence that spring has arrived out there. Grass is greening up. Leaves are starting to unfold on trees and bushes. That pussy willow I mentioned in the earlier posts has gone to pollen. Daffodils, hyacinth, forsythia, etc. are all out there and in various stages of bloom. Most, if not all, of the migrating birds have returned. The robins that I wasn't seeing arrived about a week after my last post and I've been seeing them in droves.
Days and nights are (slowly, very slowly) warming up, and the need to crank the heat up inside has faded to the point where I don't fear looking at the electricity bill anymore. People are starting to shed their winter apparel for lighter articles of clothing. Kids now regularly play outside, and it's wonderful to see the park not far from me in use again. Also not far from me is a marina, and boats are being brought in by car or being unwrapped and taken out of storage, and they'll all soon be hitting the water. It won't matter that it's still at best in the 40s, 50s and 60s. They'll be out there like the rest of the spring arrivals, defying the elements and enjoying the moment.
This winter has been like the houseguest that doesn't know when to leave. While it's not unheard of to still have this kind of chillier and more than a bit snowier/icier than usual kind of weather in April in New York, the winter solstice has worn out its welcome and needs to disappear until December like a good little season now. I'm going to put away my snow shovel and my ice melt as a symbolic gesture and general hint. Hopefully, Mother Nature will agree it's time for spring to be in control and not make me haul them out again until after December 21st.
Happy Earth Day, everyone. Go out and honor and respect the planet 24/7/365.
Showing posts with label bird migration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bird migration. Show all posts
Saturday, April 21, 2018
Monday, March 19, 2018
Countdown to Spring–The Last Day of Winter
Well, no, it wasn’t my intent to miss my self-imposed deadline of Wednesday last week. But, stuff happens. This is better, though. Traditionally, I’ve taken a walk on the last day of winter and blogged about it in this series before. Now, that tradition has been continued, with the last entry of the series tomorrow.
The snow is just about gone in my area. Threatened significant accumulation locally from the Nor’easter last week never happened. At best, my area got an inch. There are other areas throughout the Northeast, though, that will still be seeing snow on the ground not just tomorrow, but into April. They truly have my sympathy. The warmer temperatures that are coming even before the end of this month will help make it all go away and become a memory fast enough.
Okay, so not to rub it in (much) to those who are still hip-deep in the white stuff, I was out on my snow-free and dry deck Sunday in my bare feet. I figured it was going to be cold, but I wasn’t going to be out there that long, so it wouldn’t be so bad. I have to say, the deck was actually warm and pleasant under foot. Although the air temperature was only in the mid-30s, the angle of the sun is now high enough that its rays more directly hit the deck. It felt great. I can’t wait for that to happen on a regular basis.
On my other walks, I wasn’t seeing much in the way of spring flowers trying to even send out their leaves. The only ones I was seeing were planted near houses, where escaping heat coupled with reflected sun’s warmth were bringing them up faster. But today, I finally saw something I’d been waiting for. There’s a patch of daffodils that somehow got started between a utility pole and a grate over a rainwater runoff. They’ve been there for years. They, too, have been slow to show signs of life. But finally, I got to see them. They’re only about an inch high and barely noticeable peaking out from under the leaf litter of autumn, but there they were, those yellow (soon to be green) shoots. About time, guys.
All the trees and bushes have buds on them, even the ones that won’t be sending out leaves for a while yet. The maples have been especially noticeable, as they’ve been sending up that sap that the syrup makers covet for a while. The sap has been feeding tips of branches which have been showing signs of waking for weeks. The heck with the maple syrup, much as I love it. Just show me some unfurling leaves!
So many of the migrating bird species are back now, although I still haven’t seen any other robins than the one I mentioned in an earlier post. People keep telling me they’re out there. I’m usually about two weeks behind everybody else in my first (live) robin sighting, but even today, looking for them in the places I always see them in the spring – nothing. In their place, however, were lots of other birds singing out their territory claims and even a few making nests. Yup, more than one bird with fluff or twigs in their beak heading for those places they’ve designated home to their spring-borne families. Now, there’s a sign of renewal if ever there was one.
As I returned from my walk, I looked out the door to my little balcony and saw the last vestige of snow from the igloo I created to keep my perishables from spoiling during our 12-hour power outage during Nor’easter #2. It’s just a football-sized patch of snow now that will likely be gone by the weekend, assuming I don’t take a shovel to it.
Hmm, I might have to do that tomorrow. Sort of a ritual to end the winter season. It’s been a long one – can you tell?
Only 1 day until Spring.
The snow is just about gone in my area. Threatened significant accumulation locally from the Nor’easter last week never happened. At best, my area got an inch. There are other areas throughout the Northeast, though, that will still be seeing snow on the ground not just tomorrow, but into April. They truly have my sympathy. The warmer temperatures that are coming even before the end of this month will help make it all go away and become a memory fast enough.
Okay, so not to rub it in (much) to those who are still hip-deep in the white stuff, I was out on my snow-free and dry deck Sunday in my bare feet. I figured it was going to be cold, but I wasn’t going to be out there that long, so it wouldn’t be so bad. I have to say, the deck was actually warm and pleasant under foot. Although the air temperature was only in the mid-30s, the angle of the sun is now high enough that its rays more directly hit the deck. It felt great. I can’t wait for that to happen on a regular basis.
On my other walks, I wasn’t seeing much in the way of spring flowers trying to even send out their leaves. The only ones I was seeing were planted near houses, where escaping heat coupled with reflected sun’s warmth were bringing them up faster. But today, I finally saw something I’d been waiting for. There’s a patch of daffodils that somehow got started between a utility pole and a grate over a rainwater runoff. They’ve been there for years. They, too, have been slow to show signs of life. But finally, I got to see them. They’re only about an inch high and barely noticeable peaking out from under the leaf litter of autumn, but there they were, those yellow (soon to be green) shoots. About time, guys.
All the trees and bushes have buds on them, even the ones that won’t be sending out leaves for a while yet. The maples have been especially noticeable, as they’ve been sending up that sap that the syrup makers covet for a while. The sap has been feeding tips of branches which have been showing signs of waking for weeks. The heck with the maple syrup, much as I love it. Just show me some unfurling leaves!
So many of the migrating bird species are back now, although I still haven’t seen any other robins than the one I mentioned in an earlier post. People keep telling me they’re out there. I’m usually about two weeks behind everybody else in my first (live) robin sighting, but even today, looking for them in the places I always see them in the spring – nothing. In their place, however, were lots of other birds singing out their territory claims and even a few making nests. Yup, more than one bird with fluff or twigs in their beak heading for those places they’ve designated home to their spring-borne families. Now, there’s a sign of renewal if ever there was one.
As I returned from my walk, I looked out the door to my little balcony and saw the last vestige of snow from the igloo I created to keep my perishables from spoiling during our 12-hour power outage during Nor’easter #2. It’s just a football-sized patch of snow now that will likely be gone by the weekend, assuming I don’t take a shovel to it.
Hmm, I might have to do that tomorrow. Sort of a ritual to end the winter season. It’s been a long one – can you tell?
Only 1 day until Spring.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Countdown to Fall–The Final Observations of Summer
And so, as the sun sets on the final full day of summer, even though I can’t see it because it’s been cloudy all day, the sights I’ve seen show that, while things are still mostly green in my area, the summer solstice is definitely losing its grip on our physical reality.
It isn’t just the color changes which are slowly overtaking the shrubs and trees. Plants which were thriving in the late summer have now matured and are dying back, some with roots that will survive to send up growth next year and some which have dropped seeds to begin again. In their place, the fall asters, goldenrod, late morning glories and the like are giving us color which will also fade in a matter of weeks. For those who mow, you probably have noticed and are thrilled that your lawn or experimental weed factory isn’t growing as quickly as it was just a few weeks ago. Sure, just when you don’t work up a sweat during mowing, you don’t have to do it so much, although I do know one fanatic who mows right up until the first snow.
As I noted earlier, the bird songs have diminished. The migration has begun and a number of species have already begun the trip south. In their place, the songs of the birds which remain year-round become more noticeable. The variety of singers may be less, but their songs are still welcome.
There are several marinas nearby and boats are slowly being hauled out of the water and either prepped for winter storage or hitched onto pickups and taken home for the season. The people hanging out at beaches aren’t swimming anymore. The land activities now rule. Home improvements to prepare for the cold are now in full swing.
Speaking of cold weather, the fuel oil trucks are starting to roll in greater numbers than they did just a month ago. People are stocking up on wood and wood pellets as well. They’re having all manner of house heating equipment serviced to make sure it starts and keeps going. Everybody want to be prepared for that chilly morning when they can no longer avoid cranking the thermostat up just a few degrees.
The first day of fall will likely look a lot like today, although it is supposed to be sunny tomorrow in my area. The changes which are occurring aren’t going to suddenly speed up just because September 23rd has arrived. It might seem like it in some ways, but really, the season comes in on its own timetable.
Only 1 day until Fall.
It isn’t just the color changes which are slowly overtaking the shrubs and trees. Plants which were thriving in the late summer have now matured and are dying back, some with roots that will survive to send up growth next year and some which have dropped seeds to begin again. In their place, the fall asters, goldenrod, late morning glories and the like are giving us color which will also fade in a matter of weeks. For those who mow, you probably have noticed and are thrilled that your lawn or experimental weed factory isn’t growing as quickly as it was just a few weeks ago. Sure, just when you don’t work up a sweat during mowing, you don’t have to do it so much, although I do know one fanatic who mows right up until the first snow.
As I noted earlier, the bird songs have diminished. The migration has begun and a number of species have already begun the trip south. In their place, the songs of the birds which remain year-round become more noticeable. The variety of singers may be less, but their songs are still welcome.
There are several marinas nearby and boats are slowly being hauled out of the water and either prepped for winter storage or hitched onto pickups and taken home for the season. The people hanging out at beaches aren’t swimming anymore. The land activities now rule. Home improvements to prepare for the cold are now in full swing.
Speaking of cold weather, the fuel oil trucks are starting to roll in greater numbers than they did just a month ago. People are stocking up on wood and wood pellets as well. They’re having all manner of house heating equipment serviced to make sure it starts and keeps going. Everybody want to be prepared for that chilly morning when they can no longer avoid cranking the thermostat up just a few degrees.
The first day of fall will likely look a lot like today, although it is supposed to be sunny tomorrow in my area. The changes which are occurring aren’t going to suddenly speed up just because September 23rd has arrived. It might seem like it in some ways, but really, the season comes in on its own timetable.
Only 1 day until Fall.
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Countdown to Fall – Migration: Poetry for a Thursday Night
Migration
it's gotten quieter out there
Not so many bird songs
are floating through the air
The days are growing shorter
and our feathered friends all know
That soon their food will go away
and soon there will be snow
Some will leave and head on south
some will stay on here
But make no mistake they'll all return
To sing for us next year
Lauren Swartzmiller
© 09/17/2015
Only 6 days until Fall
Only 6 days until Fall
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