February 7th.  Out behind Route 85 Lumber, a flock of American Robins (Turdus migratorius), puffed to stay warm in the 7 degree cold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The same image, 'shopped.

 

February 19th.  More and more snowstorms have rolled through, limiting my access to the trail.  Yesterday was "just" 4 or 5 inches.

 

 

 

Red Maple (Acer rubrum) buds are beginning to swell - or is that wishful thinking?

 

A rare photo of a person on the trail - and this happens to be me.  (Thanks, Roland.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 20th.  A flock of American Robins (Turdus migratorius) hanging around the marsh.

 

They seem to have been feeding on Bittersweet berries and/or Red Maple buds, judging from their waste.

 

A different view, from just onto the marsh ice.

 

 

 

February 21st.  What a difference a day makes.  Foggy and misty but morning temps above freezing for the first time in memory.

 

February 22nd.  Male Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) are finally back!

 

What a treat to hear their calls.  Spring is coming!  (And a glorious warm day today to demonstrate it.)

 

 

 

February 27th.  Cold and bleak.

 

 

 

American Robin (Turdus migratorius).

 

March 1st.  Contrails parallel the Air Line, seen from the thick ice of the marsh.

 

 

 

 

 

March 6th.  Seven degrees.  One bold Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) calling at the marsh.  Not sure who he could be calling to. The first males showed up on February 22nd, but I've seen or heard very few since.

 

 

 

 

 

March 8th.  A distant male Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus). At 25 degrees, lots of birds were around that had sheltered during the recent cold.

 

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapilla).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What from a distance seemed to be a Song Sparrow turned out to be a female Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis).

 

March 9th.  Daylight Savings Time means catching the tail end of sunrises.

 

 

 

March 11th.  Mallards!  (Anas platyrhynchos)  A few open spots in the marsh ice brought Mallards out of hiding.