Yes, Hello!

 

 Yes, hello. We see you have bird food. We, too, enjoy bird food.

 

Back Yard Birding

 I never get tired of watching the birds that hang out in my yard. They are a source of endless entertainment (of course, as you know, I'm very easily entertained!).

 
Goldfinches are starting to return in large numbers and will soon be emptying the feeders at alarming rates.

I thought the snow on the beak was pretty cute. 

When male goldfinches start to put on their summertime feathers, they look a little bit like they're wearing motley harlequin costumes. I guess it's appropriate, since they engage in foolish antics. This fellow has a bright yellow patch appearing on his back and the feathers around his neck are starting to take on a sunnier hue. He'll look pretty silly in a couple weeks and then he'll finally become his sleek, debonair, canary yellow, summertime self. The entertaining antics seem to persist, though.

The juncos, on the other hand, are winter-only visitors. They melt into the underbrush in the spring and only reappear if there's a late snowfall. I guess that makes them foul weather friends (fowl?).
 

Harebrained April Foolishness

Here's the reminder from yesterday's puzzle: 

And here's a slightly different point of view:

You see it, don't you?

I promised a solution to yesterday's puzzle, and I didn't even pull an April Fool's trick on you (just a bad pun in the title).

This cottontail stayed right in that spot all afternoon, tucked in among the grape vines.  It had hollowed out a small, rabbit-sized crater in the snow and I began to wonder if it might be giving birth to baby bunnies, since it stayed put for so long.

I put out treats for the bunnies every night, apple parts, carrot pieces, turnips -  whatever I have from kitchen activities - along with a few jar lids filled with rabbit pellets from the feed store. There are a couple of nibblers that come by almost every night and clean up the offerings, leaving rabbit footprints in their wake. I check each morning to see if they've come for their snacks and I always seem to get a goofy grin when they've been there. 

Yes, I'm a fool - April or otherwise. And yes, they're still murderous on the tea roses....

Further Friday Fun

You all seemed to have fun with the last Friday puzzler. So, here's another picture from my back yard.

 

Find anything interesting about this one?

I'll post the big (or little) reveal tomorrow. It's sort of a fun story. :)

Goose Lake

Pyatt Lake had a snowy blanket over the ice last time I walked the loop there, setting the stage for an excellent show.

As I walked out onto the overlook platform, a gaggle of geese was stepping out onto the ice and wandering across the lake. 

They may not have been graceful enough to inspire a ballet, but they were entertaining as they made their way across the frozen expanse.

I'm not sure who was in charge of the choreography or what they thought they might find out on the ice, but they were a determined troop.

Occasional preening came close to arabesque form, but still not quite up to ballerina standards.

There was some pretty extensive toe work, though, so there's still potential. 

I think we might need more kazoos in the orchestra for the proper musical counterpoint to goose song. 

Avian Arrival

One of my favorite things about early spring is seeing who  is flying back into my neighborhood.

 

This tree sparrow showed up a couple days ago and perched in a lilac bush near where the other birds were coming and going to and from the feeders. 

 

It must have been tired, because it stayed there for a long time. (Isn't that the cutest face? And the toes!)

 

It was all fluffed up like a little feather ball, trying to stay warm. 

I hope it decides to nest nearby. I love seeing these cuties!

 

Spectacular Sunrise

On a chilly morning, not so long ago, (Pi Day, to be exact) I picked up a friend and went to watch the sun rise on the opposite side of the peninsula. I usually wander around on the western shore, but after I shared the pictures of the moon setting, my friend thought it might be fun to go watch the sun come up.

It was a very cold morning for March. The weather app on my phone said it was 11 degrees, so layers were the order of the day!

The color was pretty dramatic, lighting up both the sky and the bay.

The sun painted the undersides of the clouds with brilliant reds and golds.

It was well worth getting up extra early to get there in time.

Ducks were paddling around in the shallows and seagulls swooped around overhead (there's one in the upper right part of this picture).

It was a beautiful way to start the day. And, of course, we met my sister at my house and all had quiche to celebrate Pi Day! (And the next day, too, since everybody got to take some Pi home with them.)