Spring Has Sprung

Our small acreage is a veritable bird haven. We’ve been seeing mallards swimming in the creek pools for weeks, but recently we’ve also seen a pair of cinnamon teals, which are apparently common in the west. Robins are everywhere. We hear meadowlarks singing constantly. Raptors cruise the area. We haven’t heard the owl this year, but I expect we will this summer. One day I saw a turkey out by the mail box. It looked wild, but turned out it was a domestic from a neighbor’s coop.
Today, we spotted 4 lazuli bunting at our bird feeders. Beautiful birds. They were out there with the house finches and goldfinches, enjoying the black oil sunflower seeds.
The cottonwoods are leafing out today. Elms, aspens, fruit trees and willows have been coming out over the last few weeks. Grass and alfalfa are 8-10 inches in the pasture.