This time of year it is easy to soak up all the shades of green like a refreshing drink of water. Soon many of those greens will be shades of pale gold and brown. This pretty draw is on the Big Buck section of the Methow Wildlife Area. The big cottonwood in the clump of aspens always stands out for me.
We took the dogs up a steep hill on the game range near Twisp. It was sunny and cold. We could walk mostly on dirt although the dogs enjoyed little snow patches. Luna especially likes them. She does better in cold weather and isn’t looking forward to the end of winter. And she seems to not care to have her photo made. I had hoped to find sagebrush buttercups but it is not the warmest hillside in the valley. We did find other green shoots and soon there will be more. Probably not this week with nightly low temperatures forecast to be in the teens. Brrrrr.
Despite what the calendar indicates, Spring is bursting out all over. The animals feel it. They are out foraging for fresh food. Insect-eating birds have returned from their winter vacations and are having no trouble finding bugs to consume. A Northern Pygmy-owl spent a couple of days here eating the voles whose dirty handiwork is emerging from the melting snow. I’d hoped the owl would stay longer to put a real dent in the vole population but it has moved on. Both Western and Mountain Bluebirds have arrived. The Western’s are checking out nest boxes and making plans for the upcoming breeding season. It is fun to watch the pairs take turns examining a box and seemingly discussing the pros and cons of each one. ‘Look this one has a nice view’. ‘ Ahh but I like that one over there with the better perch’. Well what about that one out there?’ ‘Too close to the dog corral’. And on and on it goes. The Say’s Phoebe, a pretty bird with a soft, sometimes two-note call has also returned. It is a member of the flycatcher family and easily identified, unlike some of its relatives. And high on our hill I found a singing Western Meadowlark – truly a joyous sound of spring! Most of these birds were pretty distant for photography, except the ferocious looking owl. But that didn’t keep me from trying.
And on another note, Ken took the lids off of his two beehives and sure enough, they are still alive and ready to start foraging as soon as the flowers start to bloom!
Luna and I walk on our hillside everyday. Sometimes we get away and walk other places. Spring is a season of change. Everyday, everywhere you look, you can see something new. Here are some images from recent walks.
This vernal pond above our house has not had water this year. By my reckoning, that makes this a dry year. Maybe today’s rain and snow will change that.
Waterleaf is in full bloom now.
It’s a ground-hugging, diminutive plant.
Up valley, I found the spring beauty to be far more pink than around here.
This snag is a great wildlife tree. It has lots of cavities for cavity-nesting birds and mammals.
An interesting fungus
And another one
Luna found this last patch of snow and rolled around in it.
Balsamroot
At the Suspension Bridge along the Methow Community Trail. Compare it to how it looked the last time I went skiing on March 9.
Looking up river
And down river
There is a series of William Stafford poems in the Methow. This one is at the Suspension Bridge.
Back at home, the serviceberry is finally blooming. When I drove through Wenatchee on April 1, it was already in full bloom.
Here is a batch of tiny tent caterpillars in the bitterbrush.
Bluebells have been blooming for almost a month.
A currant bush hugging an old lichen-covered fence post.
More signs of Spring each day now. Yesterday the dog and I went for a steep walk above the bottom of Pipestone Canyon. I had thought about walking up the canyon but the access road is still muddy and snowy in places. Best not to even try to drive on those conditions. The bird highlight was a couple of Dusky Grouse. They should be displaying soon. Western Meadowlarks sang as we walked. It was overcast and a little chilly.
The view looking up towards Pipestone Canyon.
A nest from last year high in an old bitterbrush. I had to hold the camera above my head to get pictures.
The name of this flower has slipped my memory. Hopefully it will return soon.
And I don’t know this tiny pink bud emerging from the crusty soil.
Balsamroot buds
And the first wildflowers – bluebells.
Funny, I haven’t seen any buttercups yet.
My Everyday Photos 