Is the icy grip of early spring beginning to yield? The critters seem to think so!
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No sooner had the robins arrived when they discovered it might take a while before any worms were available. With their favorite staple somewhere far below earth's frozen layer, the robins had to make do elsewhere, like chilly sumac drupes.
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Likewise, these starlings sampled the sumac.....this was not only the first time I had seen starlings eating sumac, it was the first time I remember starlings eating without making a noisy racket. Several dozen descended on the sumac trees and they hardly made a sound.
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As the snow recedes, the whitetails aren't having to work so hard to find a meal.
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For now yarding up is still commonplace -- warmer weather and greater food availability will result in herd dispersal.
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From a distance I first thought this hawk to be a redtail.....the more I look I'm thinking its a rough-legged hawk.
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Here it.s about to take flight.
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Mourning doves have been showing up in vast numbers. This pair has been enjoying the spillage from our bird feeder.
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With the snow all but gone, the red squirrels can get down to some serious foraging........
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Score!!!!..................kinda looks like a meatball cookie with no icing!