Saturday, March 21, 2020

Woodcock, starlings, and snow. All the signs of spring.


Opened the door last night after sunset, and I heard the woodcock performing his terrifying mating ritual. First time in several years that I've heard it, that determined nasal "peent peent peent" and then the wings whistling as he goes into a divebomb straight toward the ground, pulling up at the last moment.  All in the hopes of impressing the girls.  (sound familiar?)

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Woodcock/id

sometimes in summer if I'm walking in the fields one will whir up almost under my feet,  scaring the daylights out of me, and if he had been still, I'd never have known he was there. 

This afternoon I went out to let the cat out, and heard the starlings in the woods behind the house.  In all the time we've been there we've seen migrations away, but never back, so this was a treat. 

Annnd in a day or two, we're supposed to get more snow. Of course we are.
Posted by mittens at 6:04 PM

4 comments:

  1. Boud3/21/2020 7:38 PM

    I'm just so happy that spring is still springing, no matter what fool things people get up to.

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    Replies
    1. mittens3/21/2020 9:58 PM

      Im afraid our spring takes a bit longer to get around to itself; we have a saying here guaranteed to take the fizz out of anyone's good time: " 'Twon't lahst, don't get used to it."
      Covers everything from first flowers to good fishing weather to a nice picnic under the trees...and I often think that March is just that kind of month.
      It hits you with snow in the face for about a week, then you get two 50 degree days and actually go outside without a hat OR mittens, and just about the time you think it's safe to change coats, the temp goes back down to 10 above and it snows for two days straight. The second half is even meaner. =)

      Delete
  2. Argus4/04/2020 3:54 PM

    The Spouse and I used to refer to pheasants as "tok tok" birds (Clue: chickens would be 'cluck cluck' birds) and they'd sometimes just burst out from under our feet in the fields. I guess we sort of like birds ...

    "Hey, you! Beak-face!"
    "Awwwwk?"
    "Do that on my car one more time and YOU are dinner!"

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  3. mittens4/06/2020 9:53 PM

    well, there's birds and there's dinners, too.

    We had, for a few years, a ruffed grouse that we called Grouse Perot because, well, he needed a name. He was also insane. He would spot that damned Other Grouse in the reflection of the car and chase it up our driveway.
    It took me awhile to realize he was chasing that rival grouse, and if he'd caught him, well, he'd a killed him. And ruined the paint job on the car.

    We're slowly inching our way toward spring, but around here by the time spring arrives it's almost summer, and it kinda gets lost in the middle.

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