The Blessings Of Spring

Let's take a look a some birds and maybe a flower or two.

Spring is always filled with excitement. Seeing the birds return to our area is definitely exciting.

This Franklin Gull was only one of a flock that were nearby. They have such distinct patterns.

Sometimes I get to see a bird that is not like the other. This pair of Canada Geese, seemed to be enjoying time together, but one is definitely much lighter than the other. It is without a doubt a Canada goose, as the markings are the same.

Now this kind of action always gets my camera going. I love capturing these action shots.

Sometimes, no, most of the time, getting pictures of images like flowers is a lot easier, because they don't fly away.

Early spring brings out the Prairie Crocus and they are so beautiful.

I love to look into the flower and take note of all the details.

Those hairy stems remind me of a warm coat. Perhaps that is because it is usually still quite chilly when these flowers are blooming.

Plunge into the blessings of spring…

the sprouting of trees and grass,

the sound of birds returning from their winter furlough,

the daffodils and tulips.

 

The Culprit

So... I have had very few small songbirds on my yard this spring. I do believe I have the answer to who is to blame.

A pair of Merlins has set up housekeeping on my neighbours yard, or more precisely in this tree on her yard.

I can be standing in the house and not hear a thing, but almost as soon as I step outside,I hear this high pitched screaming. Looking up into the tree right beside my deck and I am greeted with this sight.

I wouldn't want to be a small bird anywhere near. I will spare you the details, but I have watched him feasting on a small bird.

Yes, he is quite handsome, but please Mr. Merlin, find a different place to raise your family and allow me to enjoy my birds.

I will just have to say, this is the way of nature and accept what is.

I may have shown this picture before, but it sure was a lovely and peaceful sunset on Lake Minniwasta. At the time of this picture there was still ice on the lake. I am happy to say that is all gone now.

Watching a sunset is mostly a surprise. You just never know when that sky will light up with color.

Something to Think About:

“Happiness is the art of never holding in your mind the memory of any

unpleasant thing that has passed.”

 

Never A Dull Moment

I have ttitled this post, Never A Dull Moment. The reason is that this set of pictures show our conditions starting April 4 to through April 14.

I will say that spring has finally arrived and the grass is greening up and the birds are singing.

An ice sculpture at sunset.

Another piece of floating ice at sunset.

The Canada Geese are some of the first to arrive back.

There is beauty in seeing all theses geese take off as one.

The flock below are actually Greater White Fronted Geese. I wish I had shot a video to share the sound upon takeoff.

The Kaleida Marsh is a great place to watch the setting sun.

When conditions are right, almost any puddle on the field can be beautiful, especially at sunset.

This is on April 14. Take note of all the snow. The Robin looks a little confused.

Dark-eyed Juncos don't seem to mind the snow, but this one is wondering where his food went to. It was now buried under snow.

Yes, the snow does make for a pretty scene. The other praiseworthy item about this picture is the creek. This creek flows out of Lake Minniwasta and all last year it was almost dry, so our water levels were very low. Seeing this amount of water in the creek is such a blessing.

I will choose to praise God for the abundance of moisture we have so far.

To God Be The Glory!

 

Finding Beauty

I know that by now we all want warm temperatures and spring, but bear with me as I have a few more wintery and early spring pictures to share. 

Look up, look way up. What do you see?

During spring at the Pembina Valley you may well see one of these, or many of them. This beautiful Harlan's Hawk, a subspecies of the more common Red-tailed Hawk graces the blue sky.

Spring also brings large flocks of geese. Most common are the Canada Goose, but we regularly see the somewhat smaller Greater White-fronted Goose, such as these in the photo below.

I always enjoy watching the sunsets and as most of you know, Lake Minniwasta is a favourite spot to watch the sun setting.

In this picture, you can see that we still have ice on the lake and I might add that as of yesterday,May 5, there is still some ice left.

This may not look like much of a picture, but notice the small rainbow cloud in the middle. This is referred to as 'cloud iridescence.

With the thawing of the ice, unique shapes can occur. Here is a small ridge of ice that caught my attention.

Another small ice formation seems to be mimicking a goose.

See next shot.

A Canada goose stretching it's wings. 

 I trust that as you go into each day you will choose to find beauty and joy.