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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
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Crocuses
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Big Red
We were in Ithaca on Saturday, so we stopped by the site of the the Cornell hawks’ nest for awhile. This is Big Red on a light post next to the one where her nest is. The nest itself is in a difficult spot to observe — at least, compared to the one they used the year before last. I visited a few times last year but didn’t take many pictures. Luckily lots of other folks did, though.
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Spring Robin
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Waterfall
This is a favorite picnic spot. I was able to get in close for the first time the other day; it’s been a steep and icy descent until now.
Another welcome sign of spring: water. Most of these streams have been silent, but now the woods are full of the sound of rushing water. It corresponds to the freedom I feel as winter releases its grip.
Always I am reminded that we are only the most recent of a long line of visitors here.
