Wednesday, March 27, 2013

You will just have to take my word on this one

Impossible to get good pictures this morning so you'll just have to take my word on it.

The cove is not frozen, at least not right up by the bridge. This morning the water was busy. At least six ducks busy having breakfast, their tail feathers sticking up as they ducked their heads under the water. At first I thought I saw a beaver, and I actually turned my car around to drive by again for a better look. It was just the ducks though. A good sign of spring.

Up the street at the state beach, sunrise was coming across the still frozen lake. Five cars parked dutifully in line, 2 across, waiting for the middle school/high school bus that comes every morning. I do envy those cars, getting to sit there every morning and watch the sunrise over the lake every day.

Snowmobile tracks led from the main pedestrian gate out to the edge of the lake, and then split up. One track to the left, one to the right, and one straight out across the lake. There is still a layer of snow on the ice and the whole thing is just white. I'm not sure if it's still strong enough to support those snowmobiles, but the tracks are still looking fresh.

Sunrise through the trees on top of the hill, near Stowell Road was pretty, but impossible to get a photograph of treetops and sunlight like that. Especially while driving.

I was running late enough that the sun was already above the roof of the library when I passed through the center of town.

On down to Haskins Meadow, just across the Amherst line. A male and female duck have been at the pond lately. They are a cute couple. This morning they were both getting breakfast. Close together, heads under water, as they found their food. A frost was on the meadow grass as the snow has melted down there.

Up in Shutesbury it is still mostly snow cover, but in Amherst, down lower the snow is gone and last year's grass lays in the sun waiting to be warmed and turned green again.

At the Umass library the familiar screeching was above my head, and I saw at least two falcons taking off and landing on the library roof. Not sure if these are the parents or last year's babies, but they have been rumored to be around for a few weeks now and today I saw the proof.

Let's hope we are done with snow now as March quietly comes to an end. I'm ready for spring, and it seems nature is too.

Friday, March 22, 2013

It's Spring!

Well Spring started a couple of days ago, but you would never know it at the lake. We got a bit of snow on Tuesday, the last day of winter, and it hasn't all melted yet. Even this morning I saw fresh snowmobile tracks going across some of the roads in town.

Here are a few pictures I have been able to get this week. Last day of winter- Tuesday, March 19th. Kids actually got a snow day out of this one so I was home.




Spring started on Wednesday, March 20th. Here we are on Friday, March 22nd Maybe on the dark side. This was 6:30am on my way to work--




Monday, March 11, 2013

And I got it backwards

So we changed our clocks over the weekend and now it is dark again, not light, on my morning commute. Argh. Such it is. I do have a couple of recent photos that I will try to put in here soon. I had meant to bring them with me today but I changed the card on my camera and they are in the old one.

Sorry about that.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Daylight soon comes

The darkness has prevented me from photography on the morning commutes, and winter has hidden away much of the wildlife. A couple of weeks ago I fell and injured my arm.

But soon... daylight comes.

Next weekend we spring our clocks forward. I am hoping that as spring approaches and winter melts away I will once again be able to contribute here more regularly. I thought of it this morning but as usual I was running late, and my arm made it difficult.

Soon though.. daylight will be here and so will I.