It is officially the first day of spring. Although the snow is indeed melting and skies are blue, we expect at least a few more snows and more cold weather. The Mallards are coming more frequently to our yard, sometimes in the broad daylight, which drives our dog crazy as he watches through the back window.
One sign of spring is the recent periodic appearances of two Hairy Woodpeckers in our yard, which have been absent since the summer.
Also another apparent sign of spring was a pair of Brown Creepers talking and flitting from tree to tree at Spenard Crossing this morning. As usual they were difficult to photograph, but I did get a few shots.
Another sign of spring was the increased numbers of Common Mergansers and Common Goldeneyes at Spenard Crossing, where the water was flowing briskly along in some large open areas that had very recently been covered with ice.
The pictures below are of Common Mergansers and Mallards there, the last one showing the arrival of one of the male mergansers from farther out on the water and his being greeted by two of the females.
Finally is a picture of a Common Raven at Spenard Crossing. They usually seem to disappear when I point my camera at them, but this one was engrossed in getting across the ice to where the ducks were.
Lynn Barber's Birding Blog 