Day 90 - 31st March 2014 - Purple Finch, Geese and Eagle

Monday morning, temperature is +4.7, back to work and more rain on it's way today. Rainfall and freezing rain alert is still posted. Guess it's going to be another inside day - if that's the case will tackle some spring cleaning. At some point the weather will break and I want to be ready for it, or at least not feel guilty about things not done.
Sunday was mostly a lazy day, seems I say that too much - maybe it's time to get my act together and really get things done. A couple of days of hard work and I'll have everything crossed off my around the house list I haven't finished this winter. We had rain most of the day. Did go up to breakfast - nice to see some folks we haven't seen lately -  chat, visit and not have to cook. Lois called to say that Kate & William's kids were back so I was twitching to see them. Finally I got out around the hood about lunch time for a quick run - sure enough saw them, some ducks and the eagle. Had 2 male Purple Finches and 1 female at the feeders when we came from breakfast. The trees were alive and sounding like an Alfred Hitchcock movie - Goldfinches everywhere - in the trees, bushes then down in the feeders. Spend a good portion of the day hanging out. We have about a dozen Chickadees too and I think there may be some courting going on in that department. Larry made Corn Chowder and biscuits for supper - so good! The corn is some from the garden we had frozen - just as sweet and good as the day we picked it.

I wish the Finch would co-operate for a photo shoot.

 One of these things is not like the others....

 Two of the four children.

 As I walked along the cove I could hear the other two flying and honking.

 The Bald Eagle was the reason.

They quickly headed back to join their siblings.










Enjoy your day!

Day 89 - 30th March 2014 - Loon, Ducks, Bridge and Reflections

Another day with the big red weather alert bar up - "Rainfall warning" - well at least it's mild, +0.8 and we don't have to shovel this. Wind is nothing like last Wednesday either. Sounds like mostly an inside day. I've got to order seeds - which I should have done weeks ago, go through some of my photos in search of some nice plant and wild flower photos and maybe clean some more off my laptop. Larry decided last night he wanted corn chowder for supper tonight so he's in change of that and I'll convince him later we need biscuits to go with it - he's the biscuit maker in the family not me. Breakfast at the Fire Hall this morning - not our turn to work, might just enjoy being waited on. Yup - sounds like a full Sunday. For now I'll leave Larry and Lexi in bed to catch some zzz's and I'll have some quiet time.
We had a great Saturday - turned out fine, fog eventually lifted and we went on a birding tour. Left home at 7:30 am, met the group at Clyde River at 8:30. It was mostly a day for binoculars and scopes (and boy some people had big ones!) Nice to go with a group as we found a few new spots to bird even though we've travelled this area before and help with identifying some gulls. Lots of ducks,gulls, geese, loons, and a few other birds around and over the water.  Went way down to the end of Blanche, by that time it was also time for lunch. We left the group just around 3 when we were almost done for the day - last stop was to Baccaro Light and headed off, still had groceries to get and had been a long day for Lexi at home. Got home around 4:30 and neither of us were too energetic the rest of the evening. Fresh air and good company wears you out.  And I must mention - Lou-Anne - a day to pee in bushes - thank goodness it was warm.

 Looking over at the Port Clyde bridge.

 A Bald Eagle spooked a flock of Canada Geese.

 They just circled around and landed again.

 A perfectly calm day for reflections.

 Some wildlife as well as gulls.

 Just some old wire and chain.

 Mergansers are always leaving me.

 There were quite a number of Greater Scaup.

Loons are beginning to change color.

 Bright and colorful - buoys bobbed along.

 Love looking into water.

A pair of Cormorants at Baccaro Light. Didn't notice the Snowy Owl, but we didn't roam around for fear of scaring them for the others.







Enjoy your day!

Day 88 - 29th March 2014 - Crocuses, Bird Feeder and Golden-Eyes

Saturday - a morning to sleep in at our house - no I've got everyone up early, hopefully we are off to a birding tour with a group from the Nova Scotia Bird Society this morning. Just checked - rain seems to have stopped, temperature is +7.1, won't need a fire in the furnace today. Am looking forward to this, maybe there will be some interesting birds that have flown in from the storm on Wednesday. We'll also do the same old Saturday stuff - grocery shopping on our way home.
Friday was pretty nice - sun eventually came out for awhile, but the wind picked up again. You know what they say - March winds bring forth April showers. Umm...think the showers are going to be happening before the 1st of April but that's how it goes some years. Lexi and I did our normal - roam the hood, did some work - nothing terribly exciting. I did have tea with Lois in the morning and we had a good chew about world problems, solving them all in about 20 minutes. It was a funny afternoon had two phone calls from friends that we haven't seen or heard from for a while. Good to catch up with them as well.

 The sun moves so slowly.

 A thin layer of ice over the lake again yesterday, still some thicker stuff close in the coves.

 What a difference a day makes I can see centers poking out.

 Always a few Blue Jays around to add color.

 One of the Grackles stopped in - haven't seen them for  a while.

 The Goldfinches are beginning to get brighter.

 But they scatter when the White-breasted Nuthatch flies in.

 When Larry came home he said grab your camera quick there are some ducks in the river. So off we went. A pair of Golden-eyes were my prize.

Wish you could get closer - this is where I have lens envy and wish for a bigger one. Maybe some day.








Enjoy your day!

Day 87 - 28th March 2014 - After the Storm - Snow, Woodpecker and Crocuses

Friday, another week coming to an end as well as another month almost over. Temperature is -1.8 and rain on the way for most of the weekend, at least the temperatures will be mild for a while. Maybe in the next few days this snow will disappear again, but it's the snow of our childhood that you can walk across the top of - firm and crusty so it may take a while. Warm days and rain may do the trick, then I can return to searching for Mayflowers.
The wind finally died out last evening. It continued to gust most of the day but nothing like Wednesday. I went out for a walk early to see how things looked - road was slippery at that time and the private road I travel on was just getting plowed - by a tree farmer. Have to haul out the big equipment for the drifts that were there. Mostly Lexi and I hung out around the house - doing the usual. We roamed around the yard and through the woods some - hard walking there through the deep snow - then hardly any snow. Had some pesto I had made last fall with an over abundance of  basil in the garden in the freezer. Some fettuccine, chicken tossed in pesto made a nice change. Exercise class last night - the usual hurtin' good workout.

 Guess I won't be enjoying this seat for a while.

 The Woodpecker was chowing down at Lois' this morning.

 I was sure the wind yesterday would have emptied the lake of the rest of the ice - but no luck.

 I could believe the crocus' were still holding their own and up beyond the snow.

 This one looks like it will be pretty when it blooms.

A few tulip leaves and daffodils were poking their heads through too.

 The Chickadees are no doubt the cutest around the yard.

 The small trees wore snow coats in the woods.

We had some wave action from the roof.










Enjoy your day!

Day 86 - 27th March 2014 - Sharp-shinned Hawk, Beach and the Last Storm of the Winter

Still windy out there but nothing like yesterday, temperature is -3.5 but looks like it will be a lot warmer the rest of the week. Rain on the way beginning on Friday. Lexi and I will get out in the hood today and check things out. Guessing we won't be going through the woods too much as I'm sure there's lots of drifting. Really hard to tell how much came down. Today most people will shovel out and return to work. I have to laugh we have internet during a hurricane/snowstorm but on a fine July day it goes out - absolutely no rhyme or reason to the system we have.
Several times Wednesday I kept thinking we were having a lazy Sunday - for some reason it felt like a weekend not a weekday. We made it through the day with just a few power flickers, luckier than some. Even managed to get brown bread rolls made to go with the soup. Both were good and we munched all day. I spent most of the day playing on the computer, had a short nap to recuperate from my early morning with Lexi on the sofa after lunch. She and Larry had gone back to bed in the morning - the weather plays havoc with his arthritis.  It was as wild as it could be - everything and then some of what was forecast. Nova Scotia knows how to throw a party! Of course not a day for photos and to be honest I didn't much feel like taking blowing snow pics. Although was lucky enough to look out the kitchen window at the right time and see a Sharp-shinned Hawk having lunch. Not sure who - but too big for one of my little feeder birds. I took a chance after supper that the power would hold and had a nice long soak in the tub.

 Not great photos but here he is - Sharp-shinned Hawk.

I felt rather sorry for him it was blowing so hard he had a hard time flying and carrying his dinner.

 A few leftover from better days.

Enjoy your day!

Day 85 - 26th March 2014 - Frost, Mist, Rope and Ice

Temperature is -2., a little better than the last few days. Not sure I want to do another post about stormy Wednesday but here goes. Suppose to be the biggest and baddest of the season. If we get what they are all forecasting, March will be remembered for a long time. Was a little disappointed when I got up and there is nothing on the ground yet, although I'm sure I'll get over that soon enough. I saw a couple of  flakes when I had Lexi out a few minutes ago. Better to have it started, then for people to go to work/school and come home in the middle of it. All those that can stay home - do so, another unnecessary fool cruising around the roads in a storm is probably not needed. Weather sites are still giving storm surges and blizzard conditions.
Had a good Tuesday in town - lots accomplished and they weather stayed pretty good. Sun was nice in the morning, but the wind picked up in the afternoon - it's still pretty chilly. Once we got home and supper of leftovers was out of the way I started a nice pot of soup. Ground chicken, tomatoes, cabbage, onion and some elbow pasta - dried herbs and fresh basil - smelled so good simmering away on the stove. Got a load of laundry done and ready for the storm. Seems everyone was making soup, chowder or something for storm day.

A little mist rising off the water between the ice.

 Frosty branches.

 Shadows across the lake.

 Rope used to decorate.

A gull sat on the iced up reef.








Take care, stay warm and enjoy the storm day!

Day 84 - 25th March 2014 - Wind Chimes, Gates and Water

Another chilly morning - temperature is -9.8. Finally they've posted the big red "Blizzard/Storm Surge" Warnings on all the weather sites. Sounds like this might be the storm of the season or as some are referring to it a "Bomb". I filled some juice containers up with water and put them in the freezer. They will help to fill it and keep it colder in the event of a power outage. I'm off to town today to do more normal Wednesday stuff, when I get home I'll get the rest of things ready - phone, etc charged up. Lights, candles, etc I keep in a tote box so they are all in one spot and easily accessed. If I'm energetic when I get home tonight I might make a soup for the next few days.
Had a good morning in town Monday but very cold. Thought I might roam around town while I was waiting to get my hair cut and find a few birds but not too be, I guess it was even too chilly for them. A really good hairdresser does your hair and then drives  you home - got the house warmed back up, ribs marinated and cooked for supper, then Lexi and I had a roam around the hood. Exercise class last night - another good workout. There are still a few of us left that haven't gone south this week.

 We are getting more water and less ice.

 Guessing today`s wind took more as well.

Still a bit of ice/snow in the swampy areas.

 Looks like a Merganser out near the reef in the harbour.

 These wind chimes were tingling away on this verandah.

 Soon the museum will be open again for the season.

 Some buds on the lilac bush.

 Not sure if they will bloom before the storm on Wednesday.

 A sprig which has seen a better day.

Finally got our new composter set up on the weekend.

















Enjoy your day!