The red maple trees in our yard are flowering and make a pretty backdrop for the various birds that come and go from their busy branches.
… After that unheard-of coldness,
That intolerable Winter,
Came the Spring with all its splendor,
All its birds and all its blossoms …
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow – (The Song of Hiawatha)
The Northern Cardinals have been plentiful in our backyard this winter. I spotted these two cuties in our bushes one afternoon. The female, though not as flashy as the bright red male, has lovely brown-gold plumage with warm red accents and a distinctive crest.
“On matters of style, swim with the current, on matters of principle, stand like a rock.” ~Thomas Jefferson
A Red-tailed Hawk sitting in a tree along the Mississippi River levee.
“For to have faith, is to have wings.” ~J. M. Barrie
“When I bought my farm, I did not know what a bargain I had in the bluebirds, daffodils and thrushes; as little did I know what sublime mornings and sunsets I was buying.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Earlier this week, as I was out walking shortly before sunset, I came upon this Barred Owl. It was sitting on the long arm of an oak tree that was stretching across our country road. Though I sometimes hear the hooting of a Barred Owl in the distance, this is the first time I had come across one up close.
“Life’s tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late.” ~Benjamin Franklin
“Sometimes … the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.” ~A. A. Milne
Despite several onlookers on the levee road below, this eagle appeared to be quite content as it sat on its private perch overlooking the Mississippi River.
“Surely there is something in the unruffled calm of nature that overawes our little anxieties and doubts … [and] seems to impart a quiet to the mind.” ~Jonathan Edwards
I spotted this brown thrasher along an embankment beside the road. He was bobbing up and down between busy spurts of churning leaves and digging dirt. My presence didn’t seem to phase him at all — as finding food was obviously of top priority.
” Give whatever you are doing and whoever you are with the gift of your attention.” ~Jim Rohn
“Be not forgetful to cherish the gifts each moment brings.” ~Mother Teresa
I was pleased to see the goldfinch enjoying sunflower seeds from the feeder and berries from the bushes in our backyard this week. Snow and cold weather usually brings them around.
walking on a country road 