Day 90 - 31st March 2015 - Mourning Doves, Pine Siskins and a Song Sparrow

Say goodbye to March, don't let the door hit you on the way out! Now hopefully April will be a little nicer to us all! Temperature is 0 this morning, but it snowed a little again last night. Hard to make much progress with melting the snow. Back to the book today and some more Spring cleaning. Maybe I'll take Big B. out for a walk in the hood later.
Sun melted some more snow and ice. Lexi and I managed a couple of good walks. Enough snow over the ice on the private road to make walking more comfortable and there is a fair amount of dirt in places now too. Looking better. I did some work on the book. Found another Dr. since mine is leaving in August so I thought I better make the switch now rather than wait. She has 1000 patients that will be looking for care and I really didn't want to go the route of Out Patients every time I needed something. Had a Song Sparrow and Robin in the yard yesterday, first I've seen of either for several months.

I'm not sure if she's winking at me or started to doze off.

The gangs all here - Pine Siskins.

Mourning Doves always want a place to perch.

I love this old fishing shack down at Gunning Cove.

Rose Hips have survived the winter.

Song Sparrow







Enjoy your day!

Day 89 - 30th March 2015 - Redpolls, Pine Siskins, Gulls, Bald Eagle and Common Eiders

Monday, -10 and the start of the work week once again. I'll be in serious editing mode today as Karen has gotten ahead of me with writing and revisions so I need to get caught up. Would like to finish the Spring cleaning upstairs too. If I don't dilly dally around I can get this done. Exercise class tonight, hoping to make it there to. Time to get back in some kind of shape other than round! Should warm up later today too.
Well the sun came out and did it's thing - warming and melting the snow. Although it's not making much headway at this rate. We decided to go for a drive and see if we could find any ducks or other interesting birds around the wharves after lunch. Just a break for a few hours. Our road looked good but as we progressed down the road it wasn't so great. We made it to the Gunning Cove Wharf and it was much better going back then getting there. Then decided to head to Sandy Point and Jordan Bay. I was a little disappointed, thought we might spy some Guillemots or Grebes but none to be found. Lots of Loons, a Merganser, Gulls, Mallards, Black Ducks, Common Eiders, Golden Eyes, a Bald Eagle and a Turkey Vulture (no photo opt for that one). Had the Sharp shinned Hawk fly into the yard after we got home. I was standing on the deck with Lexi watching the Chickadees and my camera in the house, he left hungry but is an awesome bird to watch. It was still nice to get out and away even if it was just a short jaunt. Maybe next weekend the weather will be better and we can escape for a day.

The sun was breaking through the snow laden branches.

I think Lexi was trying to build a snowman.

So all I needed was more snow to bring the birds back to the feeders. Redpoll and Pine Siskin.

There was lots of activity out there in the morning.

Goldfinches.

Their color is getting brighter.

Bald Eagle being chased by a Crow.

Greater Black Backed Gull.

I think they are Golden Eyes. They were quite a distance away.

Loon - their winter plumage is beginning to change.

I think this is a first winter Common Eider.

Shaking off the water.






Enjoy your day!

Day 88 - 29th March 2015 - Downy Woodpecker, White-Breasted Nuthatch, Bunny and Deer

Temperature is -5 this morning. Had to push the back door open this morning as the snow was above the bottom. Lexi usually just takes a quick look around and then goes back to bed with Larry. My time of the day! I was hoping we could get off for a few hours - maybe go to Cape Sable Island and check out the Brant Geese, but we might have to shovel instead. Will see how the day turns out. Any where would be a nice break and a change of scenery. Seems like we are back to square one after all that rain and fog this week.
Yesterday started with a call from up the road, someone was sure they had a Sandpiper hanging out in their yard. I suggested maybe a Woodcock, but said I'd go take a look. After we got there they had looked again on line and agreed it was a Woodcock. It never did appear but we stopped and had tea. Headed for home and made another stop to visit someone we've not seen for a while, coffee there. The morning was mostly shot by that time, lunch and then off to town for groceries and a birthday party. Snowed most of the day but never really amounting to anything until after supper when the trees were once again dressed in white. Oh winter when will you end!

I took some of these at my cousin's one day, Downy Woodpecker.

White breasted Nuthatch hiding behind branches.

May it's the Easter Bunny!

At Lois' the squirrels like to hide in the tree trunk under the feeder.

Some grasses survived the winter - how strong are they to hold in the wind and snow.

A bad shot taken through the windshield of the truck - but 2 deer where on the road yesterday morning.








Enjoy  your day!

Day 87 - 28th March 2015 - Mallards, Gulls and Boats

Temperature is up this morning, +1 but they say snow is on it's way...again! It's nice to begin seeing things around the yard - the edge of the kitchen garden boxes, composters and under the fir trees there is grass. I really don't consider more snow as making progress. Have grocery shopping to do and a birthday party to attend for my oldest Great Nephew who turns 4. Saying Great makes me feel very old! HA!HA!
Not a lot of rain today, but mild with some lovely fog. At one point I thought the sun was going to break through, but then it got overcast again. It was mild and once I got out of the driveway, the walking along the road was easy. I'm happy to be plodding through mud for a change. Larry heard an owl over by the little lake in the morning, he thinks a Barred. The feeders weren't terribly active, maybe with the warmer weather the birds are on the move.  Some more spring cleaning, laundry and I did the nasty chore of cleaning the fridge. It was a good day to do it before grocery shopping. How does that stuff get shoved to the back and die. Ugh!

Mallards enjoying  a better day.

A few icy rocks along the shoreline.

Old wharfs are always interesting - texture of the woods, the seaweed that gathers on them.

I took a number of photos one day of this gull with boats - I love the soft blurry colors.

Boats at the Jordan Bay Wharf.

Herring Gulls, I think at different ages.

And of course you can always find a Chickadee.





Enjoy your day!

Day 86 - 27th March 2015 - Red-Winged Blackbird, Mourning Dove, Chickadees and Grandmother's Journal

More rain on the way for today, temperature is mild at +3. I can see my little table on the deck again and a number of other things are poking up from the snow in the yard.  Planning to put in a few more hours on the book and try to finish off the upstairs today. We may be getting more snow tomorrow - I can live without that!
The rain and the fog is beginning to remove that white stuff, hoping in the next day or so the ice in the driveway goes too. Started the spring cleaning Thursday, got through two rooms, some editing and a few other household chores. All in all a productive day. Even made it to exercise class last night.
Grandmother's Journal:
26 March 1976: Beautiful day, Bob & Tom to MC to work, warm. Roads are drying up. Whit & Audrey up to their place for the weekend. 
27 March 1976: Beautiful day. Wind a bit cold not much wind. Bob and two boys up to MC. Bobbie took small tractor up in back of his truck. I worked from 11:30 - 12:30. Kim and I had lunch at Loyalist. I walked, lovely for walking not too warm or cold. 
28 March 1976: Bob, Bobbie & boys and Tom to MC. to work. Roads bad. Fine in morning, showers in afternoon late. To church, Kim was baptized today.
Sounds like winter was over that year and spring was on it's way. Sometimes when I read her journal, warm wonderful memories come flooding back, this is one of those days. I'm truly thankful that my Grandmother took the time to write everyday, even if it was only a few lines.

The Red-Winged Blackbird is shy - but you can see his pretty wing.

About 5-6 Mourning Doves have been around lately.

And some pretty wet Blue Jays yesterday.

The weather never seems to bother the Chickadees, they just flit around.

My girl has beautiful brown eyes.

Finally he posed in the one of the apple trees for me.










Enjoy your day!

Day 85 - 26th March 2015 - Blue Jays, Red-winged Blackbirds and Chickadees

It's mild this morning, +1 and a little windy. No stars out, rain is on it's way. The weather sites have the big red bar up "Rainfall Warning" well that's a change from Snow/Blizzard. There also might be a little snow too - ugh! Sounds like Lexi and I will only get in short wet walks today. I'll be back to working on the book and some housework - nothing exciting.
We need more weather like we had on Wednesday - what a beautiful day! Go snow - Go! I buzzed around and got a few things done as well as another chapter finished and sent off to Karen for corrections etc. Sometimes it's just things we need to search out. The girls and I headed out to Woods Harbour in the afternoon to set up and get ready for our Silent Auction/Kitchen Party Fundraiser. It was +9 when I left home. We had a great evening, didn't get home til almost 11 pm. Really late by my bed time standards.

The pink skies of morning, showing through the trees.

 At first glance I thought there were a couple of Starlings with the Blue Jays, but then I spied that little yellow on the wing. Was delighted to see two Red-winged Blackbirds. Spring must be here.

 I guess someone doesn't want to share!

 There he is. Not great shots, not chance to get out on the deck - they don't want to hang around so I settled for through the kitchen window.

 Mourning Dove, I could hear them early in the morning.

 Chickadee.

Enjoy your day!

Day 84 - 25th March 2015 - Blue Jays and Redpolls

Stars are all twinkling in the sky, lake is softly speaking and the temperature is only -9, Suppose to warm up today again. I have about  half the day home to get some work done then it's off to Wood's Harbour to help out with a fundraiser - Kitchen Party and Silent Auction. Hoping for a good turn out as we have some fabulous stuff and musicians.
After starting Tuesday with -19 temperatures it warmed up to +4 with beautiful blue skies and a nice warm sun. The snow is beginning to melt, a few more days like this and perhaps it will begin to feel like spring. It wasn't a bad day in town, got some things accomplished and it's so much easier walking these days - sidewalks are clear again from ice and snow. Leftovers for supper and a lazy evening. Larry and Lexi went visiting - they are the social butterflies!

The Blue Jays seem to multiply in numbers, there were at least two dozen the other day!

But they add a bright spot of color to the landscape as they clean out my feeders.

A Redpoll - looks like he's walking a thin line.

I usually throw some extra seeds out on the snow.

Taking in the sun on the Honeysuckle Bush.







Enjoy your day!