It's courtship season!

April 5th

We still have snow. We began the day, yesterday, in the cold. There was a bit of rain overnight (0.76mm).

It doesn't feel like spring.

However, the osprey is back. This is a good sign.

That said, the birds are getting ready for spring mating. Courtship proceeds at a sprightly pace on the part of the turkeys.

wild turkeys from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

May, 2018 Woodpecker courtship dance
Woodpecker mating from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

These were way across the Big Rideau, April 4th, but you get the picture!
Trumpeter swans from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Sugar shack horses: April 3, 2011

"What are they doing mommy?"
"They're just hugging!" (What else could Caitlin say on a family walkabout?!)

A pair of flickers

Birds mating on well

Then, there were the robins April 5th, 2019!

robins from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

First comes love...
Indeed, this is a Woodpecker nest. After gardening, I came along the driveway and could hear a ruckus. The jays were harassing momma. You can hear the babies screaming for food, all day, every day till they fledged! Saturday, May 21, 2016 at 4:59 PM.
After they fledged, the tree fell over in a storm.

NaPoWriMo Day 25 – Anaphora

Prompt
Anaphora is a literary term for the practice of repeating certain words or phrases at the beginning of multiple clauses or, in the case of a poem, multiple lines. The phrase “A time to,” as used in the third Chapter of Ecclesiastes, is a good example of anaphora.

 I take a deep breath, beginning anew...
Glorious time of year as garden wakes
I've spent hours using rakes
Creating sanctuary birds return
Twitterpated, I do discern

I take a deep breath, beginning anew...
Chickadees flutter, preen and cajole
Fluttering above the grassy knoll
Surprises daily in my inherited garden
My skills the plants they duly pardon

Painted Lady, flowers

I take a deep breath, beginning anew...
Successes better a list to keep
For past mistakes I've buried deep
Each trial and error and tribulation
Do not require cogitation

I take a deep breath, beginning anew...

As Phoebe begins their ritual yearly

Females taken cavalierly

Daffodils their heads they raise

Springtime's here, we all do praise