Spring Reveals Itself...

April 3, 2018 Cheryl crotty

It snowed yesterday. Today it is raining. The sun shines for a day and then disappears for several days. It's still cold and the ground is doing it's best to bring forth mud season. Oh, you don't know about mud season. Then you don't live in New England. We have summer, fall, winter, and mud. Those are our seasons. Here's the thing though, while we are feeling sorry for ourselves because we would like a bit of sun and some warmth, in the background, underneath the mud, and up in the trees and on the ponds, Spring is working its own magic...yes, even here in New England. I saw it this weekend and was amazed at how unobtrusive it was as it gently but purposefully snuck its way into my neighborhood. So we may have some rain, and we may even have some more snow...but now I know, it won't last. Nature is busy making itself known and what is more telling than Tulips...even if these came from Trader Joe's.

This was the first sign. The Hawks have been missing all winter. Now this one is back...in my yard.

I was not really happy to see him in the tree but when he showed up on the ground for the very first time, this really bothered me. He was gathering sticks for a nest. Nest means spring and babies. Not my favorite raptor since I have a very white 6 pound dog who is now on a leash full time.

The most significant sign of Spring is always Easter for me. I got help dying the eggs this year and the boys also decorated the table. The sun did shine for the Easter egg hunt which made us all very happy.

Sunshine for one day and then back to snow. The good news is I am so excited to see Mama owl back again this year, to her nest in the big pine tree. Snowflakes flying, as she sleeps with one eye open. Resting up to take care of the little owl that will soon join her. I can't wait.. Welcome home Mama Owl.

My owl friend gave me a big boost so I headed to the pond to see if spring was visiting there. Look what I found on this snowy, dull day. Such bright color and he was singing his lovely mating song. This day, dull and dreary, was giving me such a beautiful sneak peek at Spring.

Further down on the pond, not to be left out of the miracle of spring, were these two lovelies pruning and primping..using the pond for their mirror. Yes, they were also being snowed on but by now it only added to the beauty and miracle of what is called Nature. Seasons changing.

Back home again, in my own backyard, the crocuses broke through the mud and revealed themselves in all their beauty and strength. Tiny little spring flowers pushing their weight around. Like us, they refused to wait any longer for Spring. I'm renewed in their beauty.

Spring All day the flicker has anticipated the lust of the season, by shouting. He scouts up the tree and at a certain place begins to cry out. My in his black speckled vest, bay body with red trim and sudden chrome underwings, he is dapper. Of course somebody listening nearby hears him; she answers with a sound like hysterical laughter, and rushes out onto the field where he is poised, his head swinging, his wings opening and shutting in a kind of butterfly stroke. She can't resist. They touch, they flutter. How lightly, altogether, they accept the great task, of carrying life forward! In the crown of an oak they choose a small tree-cave which they enter with sudden quietness and modesty. And, for a while, the wind that can be a knife or a hammer, subsides. They listen to the thrushes. The sky is blue, or the rain falls with its spills of pearl. Around their wreath of darkness the leaves of the world unfurl. Mary Oliver

So embrace spring, however, and wherever it presents itself to you. The smallest of "life'" lives on throughout the winter, buried and hidden from view and once again joins us in the spring. Hope springs eternal.

All wildlife photos were taken with the Canon 5D Mk111 and the Tamron 150-500 lens. The Easter egg hunt was taken with the 7D MK11 and Tamron 16-300 lens. All indoor photos were taken with the Fuji XT-2 and the 23mm 1.4 lens