The first flower of Spring!!

The first flower of Spring!!, originally uploaded by pejnolan.

When I go on my morning walks, I've been hearing a bird call I'm unfamiliar with. I would look and look, but couldn't find it. It is coming from the old tree in front of the brown house down the street that sold last autumn. That tree has been home to a pair of wood ducks (yes, wood ducks right in town!) as well as a menagerie of other wild animals.

Today I found out the the calls were from a pair of red-headed woodpeckers! They are building a nest in the high branches of that tree! If you go to the link, you can her a recording of their song. I never heard any of the tapping, just the song which is why I was confused.

There is a downy woodpecker in the neighborhood at the other end of the block. It drives me crazy because it chooses to tap on the metal TV antennas. Silly little bird. You would think that if it never found food in those antennas it would stop. Maybe it just likes making a racket.

There has been a rash of tree cutting in last six months or so. The bee tree that was also home to a family of raccoons was cut down last autumn. The old trees on the corner of Sixth and Davy were cut down last summer. This past Friday the tall old firs that were our neighbors to the back and butted up to our backyard - they were at least 60 years old - were cut town.

The baby screech owls would come in the evenings to roost on the fir branches and hoot softly to me as I went to sleep. It was a thoroughfare for squirrels and there were many bird's nests. The rich acidic soil provided a home to beautiful ferns. No more. All gone in one day. I wonder how much it confuses the animals or if they just adapt and move on without much thought.

The first flower in my yard popped up yesterday! The first flower is officially a yellow crocus. The color is just amazing. When I woke up it was 19 degrees (F) (-7.22C), but in a matter of half an hour it was already 27! (-2.77C) . That is a pretty big jump.

I got a commission piece to work on over the weekend, so printmaking was put off yet again. I need to win the lottery so I can do that full-time. Always dreaming!