really red bellied

We've seen both the male and female Red-bellied Woodpeckers at the edge of the wild woods this winter.  Usually, their red belly is not easily visible.  However, on a recent morning the male came out of the woods for suet and showed us his full colorful plumage.  It is courtship season for Woodpeckers!

woody trees

Walking in the wild woods today, I checked on the woodpeckers' favorite trees.  Some of the excavations look fresh.  Woodpeckers in Minnesota do get started in late winter to build their nests.

earliest crop

The rhubarb stems push their way up through the mulch towards the light, intending to unfurl their beautiful textured leaves as the sun beckons.  Rhubarb is one of our first crops each Spring.

it may seem like winter . . .

Salix caprea Pussy Willow

Lonicera sempervirens 'Major Wheeler'

A sunny day . . .   welcome respite after too much late season snow.  With more heavy wet snow coming in the next few days, I took time to notice the buds on each tree and shrub.

Junco gathering

We remember being confused in January when it was 40F.  Now, in mid-April, we're even more confounded by several inches of heavy wet snow.  There are more Juncos at the edge of the woods --  probably the ones that wintered here as well as some on their way from southern Minnesota back up north where they usually nest.  I put out a plate of seed for them to eat heartily on their way.  One of them seemed to have a white tail, rather than the typical long dark one.  Looking closely, it seems to be missing those dark feathers and we are seeing only the white rectrices (Latin for "helmsman").  This bird may have trouble migrating without all his tail feathers which help the bird to brake and steer in flight.

Fox Sparrows

Among the Juncos and Chickadees, today there were two Red Fox Sparrows searching for seeds on the ground at the edge of the woods.  They find insects, larvae, and scale insects in leaf litter with a hop forward and an immediate hop back, during which they simultaneously scratch both feet backwards. Several inches of snow this week may be delaying migration of these and others birds who go back up north to nest and raise their young.