April 10th: At dusk, I went to our local supermarket five minutes from home that is nestled next to the mountains. I saw a funnel of at least 100 vultures gracefully soaring on a warm thermal whirlwind. Even though some vultures overwinter here in the north, I just found out that many migrate. I was told they were probably not hovering above a kill, but just enjoying the rising warm air currents and stretching their wings. And that they were a harbinger of spring. Who knew vultures were harbingers of spring?
April 9th: While sipping my cappuchino and gazing out the window this morning, another grey, wet, cold and dreary one, I saw that something was amiss. I realized that none of the four squirrel-proof bird feeders were hanging. Donning hat, coat and boots, I went out to investigate only to find that not only were they down, but they were gone, nowhere in sight. Ahhhh, I waited just a little too long to take in the feeders; the bears have awoken and they be hungry and bird seed is like easy pickins trail food. I found only one feeder near the stream out back. It was just too wet to explore far and wide to find the others. That will wait for a warmer and sunnier and drier day. These feeders weren’t cheap either and they really kept the squirrels out, who got quite enough from the leavings scattered on the ground; birds are really sloppy and picky eaters.
April 2nd: Finally 55 degrees, I sat on the porch of the studio that my husband Steve built and listened to the symphony of at least a dozen different birds whistles, songs and calls. The owls were hooting. The woodpeckers were pecking. The robins were hopping all over the lawn still covered in many patches of snow. The squirrels were chasing one another. The chipmunks scurrying over the snow mounds with their little tails in the air. Wafts of the heady earthy smell of Spring were floating in the air. Spring is slow in arriving, but it is definitely on its way.
