Its really Spring!!

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

YIPEE!!! I know its really spring now in spite of the huge amount of snow we still have because... THE ROBINS ARE BACK! I was so excited this morning when I went outside early and heard a robin. I spotted 2 of them while I was doing my barn chores. Around here the robins are the surest sign of spring we have, like other places seeing the first crocus or daffodil

The sound of them always puts me in a good mood and I will have a smile on my face all day. The robins are back, the robins are back... I want to shout it from the roof tops.

 

[chandab]

The first crocus is usually our sure fire sign of spring; but this year with all this snow, its going to take awhile for them so poke through.

 

[Jill]

I actually LOVE winter snow, but I think I am also ready for spring and in NEED of it. Such a case of the blues. I turned on all our compact florescent bulbs (lamps, ceiling fans...) and opened the blinds wide to the sun a bit ago. I think it's actually helping.

THIS year, we are doing a veggie garden, too, so I'm anxious for that part of spring (planting) as well as waiting for our trees and flowers to bloom

 

[chandab]

At this rate, I don't think spring is ever going to arrive here.

And, the snowplow has been stuck 100' from our yard for nearly an hour now. Wanna see?



he wasn't supposed to come down the hill, just hit the top part of our driveway and we'd get the rest iwth the snowblower, guess he didn't get that part of the message.

 

[MountainWoman]

No robins, way too early for bulbs here and just a lot of snow and cold

but I remain hopeful warmer weather and sunny skies are on the way.

 

[Riverrose28]

well, if it's spring, some body forgot to tell Mother Nature! We've had robins here for over a month, poor little things almost froze to death during the last snow fall, and we just had a snow burst come through, but yes the robins are still here. I also have daffodills coming up and crocus, and my iris is coming up. My rose bushes have new growth too, can't figure out the weather, warm one minutes freezing and snowing the next. Crazy! Some of the horses are shedding, some aren't, I'm about to lose my mind! Sorry for the rant, but can't seem to get any thing done with this nutty weather. Seeds have been planted in pots in the indoor, can't get them in the ground, that is, unless we want to sink up to our ankles in mud. YUK! They are saying it will hit the high 50's this weekend, yeah!

 

[anoki]

I was doing 'the robins are back' dance yesterday!!! Saw my first one yesterday morning (haven't seen any other brave souls yet)! We thought we heard some singing a couple of weeks back when we were boiling sap, but none were seen.

Saw several flocks of swans fly over yesterday too....crocus are very close to coming out as well....

It's getting closer!!!!

~kathryn

 

[REO]

I know when the ladybugs come out, it's Spring. They were seen yesterday!

 

[ohmt]

It was 3 degrees here this morning and the snow is endless

Oh how I need spring.

 

[disneyhorse]

My daffodils have long since come up and are already withering. We've only got fall and summer here... No winter or spring.

 

[AngC]

We've had a robin here and there for a couple weeks. But last weekend, several hundred showed up. They were everywhere...all over the pastures, lawns, flower bed, garden. We counted 15 in just the little flower bed in front of our front porch; they were having a robin party.

I had been pondering where they go, since I never thought of them as being migratory birds. I read that in the winter, they don't migrate but gather into flocks and head out looking for berry/fruit type food sources. So I guess we were invaded! Now there's only a few hanging around. ...hope we get some more that stay.

We also have a hooty-owl that's moved into our trees.

....only birds I don't much care for are the crows.

 

[Lil Eowyn]

Its been melting here too--I can see some grass in one area!!! The rest is like 2 feet of snow now, but about a foot has melted so far! Theres going to be some big puddles this year!

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

There are certainly a wide variety of 'signs' . I'm sorry for those of you who haven't yet been given hope that 'the end is near' . It was warm enough here yesterday that I could almost watch the snow melt and could certainly hear it.

Spent the afternoon on my deck in my Tshirt soaking in that sun. My barn roof decided to let most of its snow load slide and managed to block the trail to my horses water trough so I had to set out a new one and fill it in a different location, and our driveway has begun to brek up making it necessary to use 4 wheel drive to get up to the house. Ah, early spring is such a mixed blessing.

AngC the robins are for sure migratory here. They would never survive our winters and I wonder even how these early birds manage when there is so little open ground and the birds who do spend the winter have decimated the berries from the mountain ash etc. that might sustain them. I must be strange, I actually like crows. I don't appreciate it when they pull my sprouting seeds from the garden but I can't help but be impressed by how intelligent they are. They are also the only bird I've seen who will try to help a family member (after its fledged) that is in trouble and will actually mourn the loss of one of their own. I had an injured crow here one year that sat in the branches of a big fir tree and the other crows brought it food. It eventually succumbed to whatever was wrong (was on the ground under the tree one morning) and the others gathered for hours in the branches over it cawing and cawing. I had to think it was their type of funeral. Amazing creatures to me.

Little Eowyn, sounds like Minnesota has much the same weather as we do. There is at least 2 feet of snow (probably more actually) in most places but it drops every day and we have dirt patches where it was plowed and about 4 feet back from the south side of the house now is open. It is for sure going to be a muddy (and buggy) year. All this snow will become water that the ground has trouble absorbing ... but I still say bring it on, hello spring, good bye winter!

 

[Miniature217]

It will come just pray for warmer weather , The snow was a spring snow . Did anyone hear thunder and see lighting when the last snow fall ?

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

No thunder here thats for sure.

When it snowed last (at the beginning of the month and up to last week) it was very much still winter hanging on. But you are right, as sure as day follows night spring will follow winter. At least here, I guess some climates don't have all 4 seasons. Now without winter what would I have to complain about? lol

 

[AngC]

Sorry Reighnmaker M.... Although I do remember watching a science-type show on how intelligent crows are, when they first started bathing in our horse water dishes, it was war. After some Internet reading about West Nile virus and the simple inconvenience of oil slicks in the horse water (plus pieces of bread from the lady a few properties over that was feeding them) coupled with the fact that they appear to have few natural predators in our area I just can't find too much to like about them. Luckily I'm here in the daytime and keep an eye on the horses water and change it out. ....gets kind of irritating though.

They do appear to be quite smart though... My eyesight sucks anymore and I hate wearing my glasses thus would never pick up a firearm, but the husband has trained our crows so I can take my porch broom and point it at them and they all flee (for a short time.)

Interesting thing though.... Our horses ignore smaller birds (like robins) but they chase crows. Our baby is especially enthusiastic about the sport. This evening Coco, our mare, had a robin perched on her back... I about killed myself running for the camera but was too late.

 

[Riverrose28]

FYI, crows just like horses are a dead end host for West Nile, they don't spread it, so not to worry about. They are very intellegent but can be messy if they start to drink from the horse tubs. Last year hubby had to take down an old dead tree because buzzards were nesting in it and drinking water from one of our horse tubs. It wouldn't have been so bad if they just drank but they were also pooing and spready bacteria. I still see them occasionally, saw two yesterday. Of course they only were drinking from it during really dry times, so I took an old feed tub no one was using and would dump the dirty horse water in it and set it under some trees for the thirsty little beggers.

 

[Sonya]

We've had robins here for a while too, but it's not spring yet. The snow is melting, thankfully, but it's still cold and predicting snow next week. I even heard the spring peepers yesterday...they are gonna freeze their bums off here in a couple days. I actually enjoyed this winter since we got back into snowmobiling, but I'm ready for summer....boating, fishing, camping....can't wait.

 

[ohmt]

I spoke too soon-robins and MELTING here today, woohooo!!

 

[Riverrose28]

The last of our snow is finally gone, the remaining snow that was on the north side of the indoor finally melted. Today it was in the 50's, I actually was just out in just a sweat shirt, of cours I have on two tee shirts, but better then carhearts. Tomorrow it is supposed to be close to 60, time for me to bath a couple of show horses, yeah! I so need to see their body condition so I can adjust their rations. Yes now is the time to yell it from the mountain tops, Spring is on its way. YEAH!