Our World and Nature Notes: Last Week of March

We have had a very wet March and for that matter we've had a wet four years or so.

I'd rather have too much rain than too little and at this point I'm happy when it doesn't freeze. We only had one morning with black ice this past week.

The mourning dove above was all puffed out on a cold morning and the female cardinal below took a bath in the sun a little later.

During a neighborhood walk I spotted the squirrel below on his own feeder.

I'm not sure if the warbler was getting ready to join the woodpecker but I like the way he looks like he's poised in mid air. 

I like the way I can see more of the sky from my windows while many of the trees are still naked.

I think nuthatches are so much fun to watch.

The way they dart up and down trees  makes it hard for me to photograph them.

Below the brown thrasher was facing a bird it scared off the deck wall. Although I didn't catch the bird that was in the air I did capture his shadow.

I think brown thrashers have crazy looking eyes.

 The male cardinal below looks like a tree hugger.

The ravens below look like a handsome couple hanging out on the branch.

I'm surprised how well some of the tree's flowers are doing while others couldn't take the cold snap.

Even on gray days there is color to be found.

I was envious of how well the hellebores below were doing because mine didn't fare well this year.

I started to photograph the flock below on one tree but by the time I focused they had flown to another tree which is where I caught them.

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Today's Flowers: Last week of March

 

It is starting to feel like spring is here to stay.

The Japanese Magnolias on my street didn't bloom this year because the buds turned brown during cold weather.

I was surprised to see the Japanese Magnolia (above) around the corner from me blooming this week.

My camellias lost a lot of flowers (buds turned brown when it got too cold) but the one above bloomed with only a touch of brown.

I like the garden boxes a neighbor has beside their front steps.

I'm glad there are still some daffodils blooming.

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Photohunters: Bird and Trees

The main problem I had combining the themes, bird and trees, was that I have too many choices.

I decided to narrow it down by picking one shot per year of a bird or bird(s) in a tree or trees.

I took the first shot on December 27, 2010; the second on May 28, 2011 and the third on November 23, 2012.

I didn't spend a lot of time trying to pick the best shots but I picked ones that mean something to me for different reasons.

I took the fourth shot on January 21, 2013 and the fifth shot on March 25, 2014.

For the trees photohunt click here and for the bird photohunt click here. 

The Weekend in Black and White: reflecting

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SkyWatch Friday: Late March

I can't believe that we are already nearing the end of March.

 I might as well say, I can't believe . . ., about the past couple of decades.

It is so strange the way time goes so much slower when you're young but speeds up into warp drive with age.

I feel like every time a turn around a year has passed by.

I realize that everyone may not experience time in the same way.

For me, the first decade or so of my life went by very slowly.

Time started accelerating gradually in my twenties and thirties.

My 40s zipped along at a fast pace.

Towards the end of this year I'll turn 57 and I feel like if I blink I'll be moving into the next decade.

I suppose there are some advantages to time speeding up for me.

If I have a bad year it will be over before I have time to get depressed.

I'm over simplifying the time issue but I know when I was younger if I was having a bad day it would seem to go on forever.

At this point in my life, nothing seems to last forever.

Boy have I gone off on a tangent that has nothing to do with the sky.

Then again sky watching is a good way to mark the passage of time.

The position and size of the moon changes throughout the month marking time within the month.

The length of day and night changes through the seasons marking time within the year.

If I knew more about astronomy, I guess I would notice the sky changes based on decades and even what century we're in. 

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