It’s still cold; 20 degrees last night, and the sugar water in the feeders froze. It’s supposed to warm up today, and there’s a possibility of thunderstorms all week.
Yesterday and today we’ve had a Harris’ Sparrow and a White Crowned Sparrow at the feeders. And yesterday, for a few minutes, a Brown Thrasher came to check them out. It’s a very busy time for the birds – they start singing very early and eat madly all day long. We’re going through about twice as much sunflower seed as we did during the winter. The Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are back, but not the Orioles or the Hummingbirds. Jackie has had Orioles for the last few days, but they haven’t found us yet. There are White Throated Sparrows everywhere, and the Chipping Sparrows come up every evening to the millet feeder.
Harris’ Sparrow
We burned more than half of the brush we’ve been collecting on top of the bluff above the house. We hauled it back to the field in the gator plus the trailer – the field is a much wider open place, so it’s a much safer place to burn. Mike burned and I hauled, and we got most of the big piles done. If we get another good burning day, we can finish it off. It really is starting to look like savanna up there. And there are some savanna plants coming up between the trees – Northern Bedstraw, Hoary Puccoon, and Monarda.
Some spring flowers are blooming in the prairies.
Hoary Puccoon
Bird’s-foot Violet
Rue Anemone in the woods
And some spring butterflies are appearing.
Spring Azure
The burn on Indian Grass Prairie is starting to turn green.
