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Northeastern jungle
It was like the greenwood of a fairy tale in the marsh we visited yesterday. Everything was bursting out and greening up and singing and chittering and croaking.
We were greeted by a yellow warbler at the entrance to the trail.
He stood out pretty well, perched at the highest vantage point he could find.
But when he turned his back, he looked just like one of the leaves.
The May apples always bloom in this spot first, and they were everywhere. We found them when we spooked a rabbit and I bent over to look beneath the canopy of leaves for a nest.
No nest, but… blooming May apples!
You have to bend the stem back a little to make the drooping flower face front for a picture. It always reminds me of a hold-up: “Don’t shoot!”
There were ferns rolling out their fiddleheads everywhere.
Not everything was colorful, though. My daughter spotted (somehow!) this leaflike butterfly.
Tiny plants are emerging on the forest floor. (I got some better, more diverse photos last year around this time.) These are some of my favorites, though I never noticed them till last year.
“Gaywing” 
The whole place has a primeval feeling about it.
Though it’s surrounded by noisy highway, I heard lots of birds — warblers I never got my eye on. But one of the reasons I like the place is that in spring there are so many blooming trees and plants.
Even though it was in the 60’s, there was no way we could forget that the green carpet is rolled out to stay.
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Mossy Falls
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Tantalizing redstarts
They were darting around in the treetops — flashes of orange and black, fluttering and falling, males clashing over the territory near the river. As much noise as they make with their insistent calls, as colorfully as they flash among the leaves, they never really sit still for pictures. I did get a few fleeting digital glimpses…
The females were more sociable and came close several times. But still, I wasn’t quick enough to capture much.
There were other birds around too… a chestnut-sided warbler…
…a blue-wing, I think:
A warbling vireo:
Some mystery birds:
And the ever-present catbird.
Besides that there were red-eyed vireos singing, and an oriole. But I was preoccupied with trying to see the redstarts.
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More spring bird sightings
They’re everywhere in the woods, and this is the season not only to hear them, but to see them. And to see them seeing you back.
Ovenbird 
Ovenbird This fellow seemed to want his picture taken…
Chestnut-sided warbler 
Chestnut-sided 
Chestnut-sided 
Chestnut-sided This warbler buzzes rather than sings.
Blue-winged warbler These were a treat to see…
Male blackburnian warbler 
Female blackburnian warbler 
Female blackburnian This guy is a real tattletale — can’t stop chattering when he sees people nearby.
Catbird These next pics are grainy because they’re taken through a window across our yard, but they capture a novel phenomenon. We’ve had several male orioles in different stages of maturity hanging around, eating suet. My only theory is that it’s due to the colder-than-usual spring.
Oriole 
Feeder phenomenon 
Grosbeak and young oriole -
Things in the grass
Rabbits with excellent posture…
Chipmunks pilfering the seed beneath the bird feeder…
Busted! Violets…
Canny white-throated sparrows.
Hiding… 
Quiet beauty -
Looking for spring
Spring is really dragging its feet around here. It’s been so cold that there are still bare branches everywhere. But here and there are signs that this too shall pass, and warmth and color are poised to return. Over the past few days I’ve seen the first of the warblers coming through on their way back to the north country, and it cheers my heart.
Yellow-rumped warblers are always among the first wave.
They’re usually accompanied by palm warblers.
I’ve seen a few yellow warblers, too.
Other birds are returning as well. The Eastern towhee has been out and calling for a mate.
A couple of flickers were drumming and calling back and forth in the woods nearby on a recent walk.
Male flicker 
Female flicker A pileated woodpecker was calling for a mate, too.
I’ve heard a couple of brown thrashers making themselves known. They’re favorites of mine, such endless chatterboxes!
The catbirds are back too, but they aren’t making a lot of noise yet. These two hopped silently up from the bushes to where they could examine me.
Those are just a few recent sightings. Of course, there are encouraging signs in the world of flora, too.
Though it’s taking far too long to warm up, I think it’s safe to assume that spring is here.
So long, fall and winter… 
Spring battles through and wins the day! -
Phoebe
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Morning Birds
We went for a walk at the University nature preserve and saw some ruby-crowned kinglets. There was a winter wren singing in the brush near a creek, a pair of wood ducks, a broad-winged hawk and a kingfisher, along with the other tough birds who’ve been here all winter. (Actually the kingfisher may have stayed — we saw one last year in the dead of winter. This was a colder, longer winter though.) There was one I didn’t recognize: a dark reddish-brown, warbler-sized bird working the ground among the marsh grasses. We also saw what may have been an oven bird, as well as a startled (I think) flicker.
Only a few posed for pictures, of course. But it was a great way to start the day — right around freezing, but with plenty of activity indicating that spring is underway.
There was a whole treetop full of blue jays warning that this hawk was around, though we didn’t realize what was bothering them till he flew overhead.
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Glen
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Song Sparrow
