# Spring is here



## Bobbin (Mar 16, 2014)

OK, it's still really cold.  But spring is here... the turkeys are showing up in the yard regularly.  And there is an opossum jonesin' the birdfeeder.  We've strewn some "wildlife grain" for the turkeys (broken bag from g.m.'s employer) and I put out some moldy cheese for the 'possum.  The buds on the red maples are fattening up and the Forsythia and Magnolia stellate are showing signs of awakening, too.  What do you see out your windows?


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## begreen (Mar 16, 2014)

I can tell by the increase in hummingbirds. The feeder is emptying every 3 days now. In a few weeks I will need to have 2 feeders going and they will get emptied daily.


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## Ktm300 (Mar 16, 2014)

The chipmunks are busy stuffing peanuts in their mouth. I have some blue birds eyeing up a bird house. There is a greenish ground cover I have not seen in a while.


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## Bobbin (Mar 16, 2014)

Hummers?  it'll be a solid 3 mos. before they show up here.  (aren't they great?)


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## bag of hammers (Mar 16, 2014)

Bobbin said:


> ....What do you see out your windows?



4' of snow. 

According to Weather channel, coldest day on record here for Mar 16 was -21 (1950).  Beat that by 2 deg this morning. But Its sunny and bright outside - I think spring is trying but old man winter ain't lettin' go just yet.


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## begreen (Mar 16, 2014)

Bobbin said:


> Hummers?  it'll be a solid 3 mos. before they show up here.  (aren't they great?)


We have some overwintering couples, Anna's Hummingbird. How they make it when it's 20 outside is beyond me, but they do. We keep the feeder thawed out to help them get by. We also get Rufous in spring. Most will be migrating but they stop off here to feed on spring flowers. They love salmonberry. That's when our feeders are packed with 2-3 feeding at a time. It gets pretty noisy on the porch and in the yard with their aerial acrobatics and dogfights.


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## Bobbin (Mar 16, 2014)

Cracks me up that so many think spring means 65 degrees.  "Spring" is the nearly imperceptible change in light and the equally imperceptible changes in the biochemistry that occurs in plants and triggers similar changes in indigenous wildlife.  It all happens WAY before 65 degrees occurs (at least with any regularity!).  I love this time of year.  Yeah, I long for warmth... but I also love the foreplay... .  Count me one of those "frosty" New Englanders.


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## begreen (Mar 16, 2014)

Spring and summer are my favorite seasons. We're fortunate here to have very long lingering springs. I was just checking the lilacs and see nice fat buds developing. Our red maple is in flower. Spring is definitely here and it's only 45F right now. (Ok it got up to 60F yesterday.) Here are some happy hellebores.


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## Bobbin (Mar 16, 2014)

Ahh... what you presently enjoy, Be., will arrive here in its own sweet time.  For me, though, there will be several weeks of "foreplay".  Wonderful sunny, warm days followed by cold nights... and the lingering possibility of a late snowstorm (4/15!) that will bury emerging spring bulbs.  So, even though I see spring all around me, I'm not deceived! we've a way to go yet.  But I know it's on the way and I love these confused winter/spring days all the more because of it!


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## begreen (Mar 16, 2014)

It's good for maple sap flow too.


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## hossthehermit (Mar 16, 2014)

I look out under the bird feeders and see 3 dead squirrels ............


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## begreen (Mar 16, 2014)

What are you feeding them?


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## Bobbin (Mar 16, 2014)

No kiddin'! ease off on the strychnine, Hoss. 

I really dig wildlife.  And I'm not usually one that favors feeding them, but for some reason I just couldn't resist spreading the "gone by" stuff for the 'possum.  I'll prolly regret it when/if the 'coons show up.


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## firefighterjake (Mar 16, 2014)

Bobbin said:


> Cracks me up that so many think spring means 65 degrees.  "Spring" is the nearly imperceptible change in light and the equally imperceptible changes in the biochemistry that occurs in plants and triggers similar changes in indigenous wildlife.  It all happens WAY before 65 degrees occurs (at least with any regularity!).  I love this time of year.  Yeah, I long for warmth... but I also love the foreplay... .  Count me one of those "frosty" New Englanders.




Still no pushy willows ... so it isn't Spring yet for me.


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## firefighterjake (Mar 16, 2014)

I heard that opposite had worked their way into southern Maine ... Haven't seen any up this way yet though.


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## Dix (Mar 16, 2014)

Waiting for the crocuses ... waiting.........


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## Bobbin (Mar 16, 2014)

'possums are pretty common down here in the "banana belt".  Sadly, the only times I've had a chance to really study them was when they'd been hit by a car and were dead in the road.  I noted the different tracks in a fresh dusting of powder and was surprised to see one chowing down on fallen seed beneath the bird feeder mid-morning. More surprising was that our cats were happily hanging out in the garden area right along with Mr./Ms. 'possum.  Neither seemed the least bit bothered!  Anyway, I spent too much time on the business end of the binoculars and have decided that 'possums are _way_ too cute for words!

(marsupials are VERY cool animals)


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## BrotherBart (Mar 16, 2014)

Doing The Dixie Eyed Hustle said:


> Waiting for the crocuses ... waiting.........



Coming back from the mailbox as the last snow was melting I picked the only bloomed Crocus and brought it up to the little brown haired girl. She asked me to bring more. I told her "You don't understand. That is the only bloom of any kind on the whole five and a half acres.".


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## BrotherBart (Mar 16, 2014)

Bobbin said:


> 'possums are pretty common down here in the "banana belt".  Sadly, the only times I've had a chance to really study them was when they'd been hit by a car and were dead in the road.  I noted the different tracks in a fresh dusting of powder and was surprised to see one chowing down on fallen seed beneath the bird feeder mid-morning. More surprising was that our cats were happily hanging out in the garden area right along with Mr./Ms. 'possum.  Neither seemed the least bit bothered!  Anyway, I spent too much time on the business end of the binoculars and have decided that 'possums are _way_ too cute for words!
> 
> (marsupials are VERY cool animals)



Possums and cats get along just fine. Interesting thing about possums is that scientists believe that they don't get rabies because their body temp is too low to support the virus.


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## Bobbin (Mar 16, 2014)

I scoped out 'possums on the internet and was surprised to learn of their resistance to rabies, BB!  Much less apt to be carriers than are 'coons.  I know cats and 'possums tend to "get on", my brother has several photos of his kitties and the local 'possums sharing a food and water dish.  Ditto skunks.  He even had a skunk come into his house and only discovered it when he hit the kitchen lights and startled it.  He shut off the light and went to went to bed, lol!  It was gone in the morning, no harm done.


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## Ktm300 (Mar 16, 2014)

If you ever want to scare yourself look into a possums mouth


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## BrotherBart (Mar 16, 2014)

Yep Spring has sprung. Just looked out the window and the Saint Patrick's Day snow storm has begun. Coming down like crazy.


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## Seasoned Oak (Mar 16, 2014)

Official spring date Mar 21 is calling for sunny and 53 Deg. Sounds like spring to me. But tomorrow will be 32 for a high,snow showers and 15 overnight. Were not there yet.


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## Dix (Mar 16, 2014)

BrotherBart said:


> Yep Spring has sprung. Just looked out the window and the Saint Patrick's Day snow storm has begun. Coming down like crazy.



Supposed to miss us ... and now that I have said that .......


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## boomhour (Mar 16, 2014)

Seasoned Oak said:


> Official spring date Mar 21 is calling for sunny and 53 Deg. Sounds like spring to me. But tomorrow will be 32 for a high,snow showers and 15 overnight. Were not there yet.



Have to agree it's not over yet
http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/canada/ontario/huntsville


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## bag of hammers (Mar 16, 2014)

Boomhour, similar temps here.  Got the "official" full moon (thought it was last night) coming up over the horizon at the end of the dog's walk this evening - amazing end to a blindingly sunny day (ice and snow reflections) - but that north wind was bitter.  I filled the feeders today - "premium" feed - feeling sorry for those little guys.  Some suet balls too, they love the stuff.  Some yellowish birds that I don't recognize, and the chickadees that've been with us all winter.  I dunno how they survive.  Nice to see them show up and pig out -winter's not being kind to them.


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## Warm_in_NH (Mar 17, 2014)

Outside the window is 3-4' of snow and it's not going anywhere as temps are currently at 8 degrees. 
So, I improvised for my spring flowers. ...





So I actually bought these for myself to have some color. The fiance was so happy that I got her flowers, I couldn't tell her they were mine. They left with her this morning to go to her house with her for the week.


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## Adios Pantalones (Mar 17, 2014)

Bobbin said:


> OK, it's still really cold.  But spring is here... the turkeys are showing up in the yard regularly.  And there is an opossum jonesin' the birdfeeder.  We've strewn some "wildlife grain" for the turkeys (broken bag from g.m.'s employer) and I put out some moldy cheese for the 'possum.  The buds on the red maples are fattening up and the Forsythia and Magnolia stellate are showing signs of awakening, too.  What do you see out your windows?



Frozen over snow. Almost a foot in most places, more where there's snow banks.

Frozen, dirty snow banks.


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## razerface (Mar 17, 2014)

Adios Pantalones said:


> Frozen, dirty snow banks.


it needs to snow to turn them clean white again.


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## Adios Pantalones (Mar 17, 2014)

razerface said:


> it needs to snow to turn them clean white again.


Ha ha! Ya, what a vicious circle that sumbeech is


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## Doug MacIVER (Mar 17, 2014)

march 26,2014?


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## Warm_in_NH (Mar 17, 2014)

Doug MacIVER said:


> march 26,2014?



26th???????

20th? 

Huh?


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## bsruther (Mar 17, 2014)

The cold spells are getting shorter and fewer here. 36 yesterday, 46 today and 60 tomorrow. We planted over 90 crocuses on the hill outside the kitchen window last fall, so we could easily see the first signs of spring. They started popping up a few days ago and haven't stopped, only yellow ones so far though. The buds on the silver maples are about to burst and most other trees show some sign of leaves getting ready to emerge.

On the down side, I believe that this year we got what the northerners refer to as, mud season. Even with very little rain, the mud just stays and stays. Everywhere you walk is like walking on a wet sponge and the hard freezing of the ground seems to have separated the sod from it's base. Walking up hills that are still very wet will cause the sod to slide, making it very mucky.

I can't get my golf cart and trailer into the woods, so the dead standing ash trees that I cut down have to be hauled out by hand, which wouldn't be so bad but for the slipping and sliding on mud. I can't complain though, at least I can see the wood and it's not covered in snow.


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## Doug MacIVER (Mar 17, 2014)

Warm_in_NH said:


> 26th???????
> 
> 20th?
> 
> Huh?


ugly model,plus last ten days forecast coldest in 50+ years or so.


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## jharkin (Mar 17, 2014)

Yes indeed, Spring  renovation season is here!


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## TX-L (Mar 17, 2014)

-14  last night, and still 3' of snow in the woods; no bare spots in the fields yet either.  Going snowmobiling tomorrow; you gotta love that March riding!


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## Jags (Mar 17, 2014)

Its a mighty nice winter we are having this spring.


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## BrotherBart (Mar 17, 2014)

Yep. Sixties day before yesterday and now I am looking out at trees and the ground covered in nine inches of snow and temp in the twenties.


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## smokedragon (Mar 17, 2014)

Hard to say anything about spring covered in freezing rain and sleet today, but we have maples budding, flower bulbs peaking two inches out of the new flower bed I constructed for the wife this summer, all sorts of bird and squirrel activity.........We have a set of starlings who have made a nest outside of our kitchen window every year we have lived here (going on 5 now), and they just started last week cleaning out the old nest and working on bringing in material for the new one.  Neat to see.  They are 3 feet from our kitchen window, you can hear the baby birds crying for food in the evening when cooking supper.


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## bag of hammers (Mar 17, 2014)

-25 this morning.  The 14 day forecast shows some tropical weather moving in on Wed (-2 deg) then back down to -17 deg, closing out the month at -12.  

smokedragon, watch out for the crows - my wife wanted me to get the shotgun out last year, after the starlings were attacked.  She cried for 3 hours.  Our Newf is now the protector of the newborn (chases crows out of the yard).   Good momma dog....


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## smokedragon (Mar 17, 2014)

It's funny you mention that, as the crows don't ever mess around the front of the house.  That may well be why the nest is where it is, and keeps getting reused each year.  The front gets a lot of traffic, so not a lot of animal activity there.


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## Cynnergy (Mar 17, 2014)

I saw my first salmonberry blossoms on the weekend! (didn't have the camera, stole this internet photo).  The bright pink cheered me up after a very wet day.


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## Woody Stover (Mar 17, 2014)

Migrations are a sure sign. The chunks and uglies have begun their march to the stove, so spring is not far off.


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## billb3 (Mar 18, 2014)

I hear lots of red wing blackbirds in the marsh but haven't seen one yet.
crocuses are up but they are the frailest shiveringest things I've ever seen.
snowdrops 

march peepers haven't started peeping yet and I've heard them in February in the past.


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## Doug MacIVER (Mar 18, 2014)

gonna get hot in 2015? wsi via twitter


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## bsruther (Mar 18, 2014)

billb3 said:


> I hear lots of red wing blackbirds in the marsh but haven't seen one yet.
> crocuses are up but they are the frailest shiveringest things I've ever seen.
> snowdrops
> 
> march peepers haven't started peeping yet and I've heard them in February in the past.


Lots of redwings here. Stopped filling the bird feeders about a week ago because of them, hate that sound they make. The cowbirds won't be far behind.

The peepers are already getting pretty noisy, love that sound.


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## razerface (Mar 18, 2014)

bsruther said:


> Lots of redwings here. Stopped filling the bird feeders about a week ago because of them, hate that sound they make. The cowbirds won't be far behind.
> 
> The peepers are already getting pretty noisy, love that sound.


we have many Robins and blackbirds showing up. They come sit around on the ground by the hundreds. I guess they are worm hunting. The ground is maybe warmer then the trees right now too.

Woodpeckers are busy beating up the trees too.


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## bsruther (Mar 18, 2014)

razerface said:


> we have many Robins and blackbirds showing up. They come sit around on the ground by the hundreds. I guess they are worm hunting. The ground is maybe warmer then the trees right now too.
> 
> Woodpeckers are busy beating up the trees too.


The robins seem like they're squaring off and claiming territory, I hear them squabbling a lot, same with the cardinals.


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## bag of hammers (Mar 18, 2014)

bsruther said:


> The peepers are already getting pretty noisy, love that sound.



Me too.  Last couple years I could hear them from the highway along certain spots (one stretch of flatland for about a mile or so where they just go nuts).  So loud it's almost deafening.  Once the back 40 thaws out they go crazy around my place too.  Funny, some folks can't stand the noise, but it's music to my ears...


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## bag of hammers (Mar 18, 2014)

smokedragon said:


> the crows don't ever mess around the front of the house.



I'm glad to hear that.  I know it's nature and all that, but they can be really vicious when the babies are out chasing their parents around on the grass for food.  Not liking crows much....


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