Even though it is not yet Groundhog Day, there have been signs that spring is coming early. For the past few days, the weather has been sunnier and warmer (i.e., above freezing). As a result, almost all the snow has melted -- revealing not only the ground, but also the bright green leaf tips of a multitude of bulbs.
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| New daffodil shoots pushing up through the ground. |
The birds are also taking advantage of the turn in the weather. This morning, I was alerted to the return of some migrants by the unexpected sound of loud honking; I looked out the window just in time to see a flock of Canada geese (
Branta canadensis) flying from the south. Meanwhile, birds that have been enduring the winter here now have expanded food options. Many of the
Cedar waxwings (
Bombycilla cedrorum) have switched their diet from juniper berries to the freshly uncovered
cotoneaster berries, and a small flock of dark-eyed juncos (
Junco hyemalis) has been busy hopping around and pecking at various small items that had been hidden underneath the snow.
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| A male dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis, "Oregon" subspecies) foraging on the ground. |
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