Birds, a Harbinger of Spring

It's February and winter progresses. I'm not a fan of January, but February is not much better, although it's a shorter month. But, the days are getting longer so spring is getting closer.

Returning birds are a harbinger of spring.

Migratory birds are being sighted. We are right under the Sandhill Crane flyway and I have seen heard several flocks overhead.

They fly very high and can be hard to spot, but because they call to each other, I can usually find them.

Yesterday Craig and I saw a flock of Greater White-Fronted Geese at the lake when we walked Tammo and Pepper. 

That was a surprise - they usually stay west of the Mississippi. (They were still west of the Wabash but only by a quarter mile or so. LOL)

Geese photos and map from Cornell Lab All About Birds.

While driving out in the country earlier this week, I spied five or six turkey vultures. They return in the spring fairly early, but the first week of February? That's the earliest I've ever seen them come back.

Hawkeye Sarah lives up to her name - she has an eye for birds. Not only did she help me find Ruby over Christmas, 

but a few years ago there was a snowy owl near our home and she tracked it down, too.

This winter there have been snowy owl sightings where she lives in Iowa, 

so of course Sarah grabbed her camera and tracked it down, too.

She has far surpassed me when it comes to sighting and identifying birds.

This is a female snowy owl; the males are all white.

As you can see, it is really unusual for snowy owls to come as far south as Iowa or Indiana. The thought is, of course, that they are searching for food. (Map from Cornell Labs  All About Birds.)

Not only did Sarah find Ruby this winter, but she headed to Minnesota for a few days' vacation for some birding.

The temperatures there were below zero, but she found the owls she was looking for. (She did admit that she got a "little" cold.)

Over a dozen in the three days she was there. I don't remember what kind these are but I do see why she finds owls so appealing.

Here's one last appealing bird for you.

Erin, one of my former students, tagged me on social media yesterday so I'd see this crane she had folded. Long story short, origami cranes were a big part of a semester-long project  I did with my students. 

Just as was done in the book, Sadako and the 1,000  Paper Cranes, we would fold 1,000 origami cranes, string them, and hang them in our classroom.

That was one of my favorite projects to do with students and it warms my heart that Erin took the time to show me that she still enjoys making them now as an adult out in the work force!

Birds, be they feathered or paper, are wonderful reminders of spring. And it is coming. 

I am soooo ready.

Birds & Bees at the Barn

Hi! It's me, Two Socks and I've been a little upset. My Mom has left me! And not just me, but the whole herd, too. She just disappeared one day with Cowboy Tim and she hasn't been back.

I am really lucky that Aunt Abby and Aunt Dolly are here.

Uncle Hokey, too, but he mostly likes to stay in the nursery barn and nap.

Aunt Abby asked Candy Cane Girl to come out and "explain things" to me, saying she was getting too old to give "the talk" to "Silly Filly" (did she mean me?) and that Candy Cane Girl should "tell her."

Candy Cane Girl said she'd be right out as soon as she finished her shopping.

Aunt Abby and I waited for her by the gate. (That place is the best place to talk Candy Cane Girl into an extra peppermint or two.) Soon Candy Cane Girl arrived and fed me a piece of candy cane. 

Aunt Abby told me that my breath smelled MUCH better. Well, to tell the truth, so did HERS!

Candy Cane Girl told me that my mom would be coming home soon after she was done "visiting her boyfriend." She and Aunt Abby smiled as though that was a funny joke, only I didn't get it.

Then she said that Mama would be bringing home a surprise only it could not be "opened" until sometime next spring.

Hmmm, okay, I guess. I still have a lot of questions, especially why can't I open my present when Mama comes home? But I do feel better knowing that I will see Mama soon.

And, I'm grateful that Aunt Abby (even though she joked about my breath), Aunt Dolly, and Uncle Hokey are still with me.

I can't wait to open my present in the spring.

Pony Pal Fashion (Show Among Other Things)

The COVID-19 pandemic has shut most of the world down. Thankfully, there are ways of staying in touch during the pandemic. Pony Pals Julie and Kate, along with Cowpoke Susie, have been using social media to talk with me. Recently we had a little impromptu fashion show. 

It began with Pony Pal Kate sending me a text with a photo of herself in a cute horsey tee shirt.

And then a Marco Polo where she described the horse on her shirt and told me about the "lines" on it. (I think she meant the reins.)

Cowpoke Susie chimed in, just to say she loved me.

I decided that I would send a Marco Polo back and show Pony Pal Kate my own tee shirt.  She loves rabbits and bunnies even more than unicorns and horses, so I grabbed the only article of clothing that I own that is even remotely connected to bunnies.

My Jackalope tee shirt, a tongue in cheek gift from Nancy Kelly. (Nancy knows I really dislike unicorns, and the tee shirt says "Jackalope - Not everyone can be a unicorn.")

 Well, that opened the door to three more Marco Polos.

Next I got to see Kate's color changing sequin unicorn shirt. "It goes easily back from gold to silver," she explained as she ran her hands up and down the sequins.

Julie got on, only she didn't want to show me her clothes, she wanted to discuss her passion, birds. (Including the fact that some cultures make soup out of birds' nests.) She also told me about the juvenile robin that had spent some time on their patio but then "Its mom and dad found it" so everything was okay.

I slipped over to the bush in our yard where a robin is making a nest and sent back another Marco Polo showing Julie that nest, a hummingbird nest from last year that we'd found when we'd trimmed our clematis a few days ago, and the barn swallows' nest in the arch over our porch. (And where two bluebirds roosted at night last winter.)

As I stay home during the pandemic, I sometimes feel isolated, even with Craig and Pepper around to keep me company. I am very grateful for social media that allows me to stay in touch with family and friends. Talking about everyday, normal-life things like tee shirts and birds' nests brings some normalcy into the craziness of the world right now.