Bloom and Song

This has been such a beautiful week.  

Some of my favorite flowers are blooming in the yard.

Tulips near the patio 

(others farther from the patio are just rabbit and deer snacks).

The Blood Root near the garage has been spreading steadily every year.

This poor Blood Root was planted under the Choke cherry tree by the sun room several years before the plant by the garage.  

Obviously, the conditions are not optimal.  It's amazing this one still survives.

Yesterday was the first visit to Oak Openings for the monitoring season.  There were no blooms to count, but this little chipping sparrow serenaded us near the parking lot.

There were several Eastern Towhees singing "Drink your tea" in the Vasvery meadow.  

I'm tickled pink that I can capture reasonable photos with my new camera. 

That Time of Year

Flowers are blooming.

Daffodils

Anemone

Scilla

Bees are buzzing

(actually, these were silent….working on an identification)

And, love is in the air

Got 'em

I learned on Rarebird.org that there were Horned Grebes in the area.  

Sure enough, I started seeing them on the river, too; nothing looks quite like a Grebe, except a Grebe.  The trouble is, they don't stay in one place long.  They float down river and when they aren't floating they're diving.  

After many failed attempts, I was finally able to get enough of a shot to correctly identify them this evening.  

If you'd like to see a better photo, click here.  

I've never seen a Horned Grebe here before.  

They spend their winters on the Atlantic Ocean and breed in Canada.