• Tuesday-What'sUP March 29 - 02:35 pm

Last Saturday, we talked of tree circles that indicate spring isn't too far away and now today, we have another common sign that spring is coming. It's the spotting of a returning Robin, this one from Donna MacIntosh. Donna lives in Baraga and you can see by the little splotches of snow around the bird, that their snow cover is pretty much gone already. Not so much, for those of us that live further north here, but it's slowly melting away. Donna's other two photos are further proof from the animal kingdom, that soon it will be warm again… the goldfinch flock is starting their plumage turn, from the winter green/brown color, to their summer coat of bright yellow. You can just see it beginning to emerge around the neck and wings. I can feel it in the air and the signs are all around us... spring is on its way! :->

There has been a couple Robins in our crab apple tree since January. Reports in my area said that not all Robins left for the winter, that many remained here.

Donna...is you messin with my head? :-)
The birds in the second photo look like mirror-images of one another...nice job!
I have heard Cardinals singing in the tree tops when I leave for work in the morning, but I haven't seen one yet. I love to catch a glimpse of the red against the blue-morning sky.

Our chipmunk has been coming out of his hole and we have been leaving it sunflower seeds to get his day and evening started. I was able to get pretty close to get some cute shots of him or her. Got a couple of him/her coming out of the hole. Real cute.'O) They look cute sitting on the snow with the tail wrapped around them.

spiders in the kitchen sink----SPRINGTIME.

A Michigan friend once told me that the true harbinger of Spring is the redwing blackbird, and sure enough it proved to be so. We usually 'keep' our robins all winter here in the Ohio Valley. The finches are so pretty in their summer-gold glory!;>

HEY...I didn't notice that! Good one Alex...and no...not messing w/yer head. I'm jealous...you have cardinals! I've not seen a male cardinal here...I've seen 2 females tho. One of my friends living "as the crow flies" about a mile from me, has cardinals nesting in her yard. Every year too. She calls her bird "RALPH".

Donna, the proper term for a Cardinal is your eminence, or your grace. We had a Cardinal in our yard for a few years. Never thought to name him. I have however named the possums, the rabbits, and the chipmonks. There first names are all the same. D**N followed by there species. We get along if they stay out of my shop and my garden. One of the rabbits, comes up to me for his dinner. I feed him carrots, and left over salad. This winter he aquired a wife. She is not as brave and waits for me to go inside before she eats.

Donna...named after Cardinal Ralph de Bricassart of The Thorn Birds?

I have been obsessively looking for my first robin of the spring, I
usually hear them before I see them. Today's photo gave me
hope!

I've seen my first robin, but they don't stay all year here in mid-Michigan. We have cardinals regularly all year, always in pairs. One winter after a snowstorm several years ago, there were over 25 cardinals in a tree in our frontyard. Not an everyday occurrence! They were beautiful amidst the snowy branches! Looks like I'd better fill my thistle feeder tonight.

Pretty birds.

Great pictures! I love watching the birds. We feed them outside of my window at work and have named the Cardinals Clarence and Claudette. Donna, I believe Cardinals are usually together in pairs so if you've seen 2 females, the males were probably right nearby. Last weekend I had 8 males around my feeder at home and various females but they were fluttering about so much that I couldn't count them all! It was quite a beautiful sight. Shirley, I too have heard that the first sign of spring is the red winged blackbird and I had one of them at my feeder last week! About 40 degrees today here in Mt. Clemens - maybe finally we can turn the corner!

The rabbits that bounce around our yard do not and wil not eat carrrots or lettuce or anything rabbits are suppose to eat. strange rabbits..

Hi
A sign of spring my mom & I always listen for is the little frogs---spring peepers and chorus frogs. I also like to look for migratig waterfowl, since we're blessed with lakes and rivers down her ein SE Michigan.

One other sign of spring:the Dexter Dairy Queen is now open

Kathyl, I drove past the Dexter Dairy Queen today and the line was out to Main Street. A sure sign of spring! The opening of that place has always been one of my getting-through-winter milestones along with the opening of the A&W, and I stopped there for lunch!

When the frogs are 'peeping', the maple syrup season is all done. We had the first Robin here in Cornell last week, now there are 5 of them.
Mickill, try giving them the pellets from the pet store or feed store. Ours used to like them.
We had spring-like temps here today, up to 43°. The driveway is getting solid again so it must be time for some more snow. Shhh!

We've seen mourning doves around our house, a sign of Spring, and our local ice cream store opens 4 the season, today.

My dad's yearly April Fool joke was that he saw a robin in the yard :-)

Very nice pictures of birds!! They make it look like spring. I wish it felt more like spring.

Todays cam notes, march 31,2011, is cam-notes from a couple days ago.