Spring Fling
I have been back in New England for six months now.
I have enjoyed a fabulous fall.
And a wondrous winter.
Now it’s time to swing into spring.
I will begin with trips to several Audubon sanctuaries that I visited last fall.
To see how nature is getting on.
And today’s delight: Moose Hill.
These sanctuaries are wonderful places for reverie and reflection, as this blog has amply shown.
But since these are Audubon places (thank you, John James!), my focus will be on the birds.
The greatest of all my many passions.
(Save one.)
All this joy will culminate in the warbler migration of May.
As seen in Cambridge’s Mount Auburn Cemetery.
Oh, yes. And these pretty birds will be back in May too!
But I am jumping the gun!
Four months ago to the day, I went to Moose Hill in Sharon, Massachusetts.
It was just after Thanksgiving.
But spring was in the air today.
The sun was strong and bright.
I did, however, manage to find a cloud.
This was the point in the proceedings.
Where I shouted: “What a beautiful day!”
(I often add profanity. As a matter of emphasis).
I even saw my first butterfly, ridiculously early in the year.
It was the mourning cloak, famed for being out in late March.
It almost landed on me several times.
Must have been the pink shirt.
Or the pink bandanna!
Speaking of pink, wait until these guys hatch.
(I believe these are wood frog eggs.)
When they emerge, they will make an infernal racket!
(I suppose we should call it a vernal racket).
Like this dude was making. Mr Pileated.
Doing his best to give himself a massive headache.
The skunk cabbage was all over the place.
These fellows love the sun too.
The Vernal Pool still has some ice on it.
But make no mistake: Spring is here!
I trust you are ready?
