April 9, 2013 Signs of Spring

Well, as you can see by the photo, there is no shortage of snow around here.  We had about 8" over the weekend followed by another inch or two.  It was looking like serious winter again.  I half expected the whole deer herd to return.  We were down to about 30, give or take....at any given time.
Skinny Butt had been gone over a week.  I figured my favorite boy was gone til next winter.  Well, I just finished breakfast and here he came, charging in to the yard, tongue hanging out.  I looked, no wolves in sight....hmmmm.  Pretty soon, here were two other good sized bucks, neither of them young, walking into the yard.  I guess he found a couple of buddies on his roamings of late.  But then, we always have some "new" deer show up as they move back toward their summer spaces.  I don't think they are going to be too pleased with getting back in the brush yet.  There is still a lot of snow!  He moved over to his favorite door, as usual.  I brought him out some treats.  He was a happy guy!

Food in his belly....time for a rest.  Not every day I get to see this.  I see the does and fawns laying out here all the time, usually quite a few at a time.  But, getting to see the bucks laying down is rare.

Here is one of the new guys.  He isn't a spring chicken, by any means.  He had some hair rubbed off his ribs on both sides.  He got busy, promptly, eating some of the alfalfa.  They can always use a bit more quality foods in their bodies this time of year. 

Here is another shot of him going to check out the other alfalfa patch.  In the foreground, you see a crow with its mouth wide open.  It has been hanging around a couple of weeks now.  I finally got a really good look at it this morning when it got close to the house.  The left bottom half of the beak is seriously broken.  It has to put its whole face on its side to pick up some food.  I watched it try to pick up some pieces of corn and it couldn't as it can't close its beak.  Outside of the always open mouth, it seems to be doing fine.  It is pretty amazing what some of nature's problems can bring and they still manage to get by. 
Back to signs of spring.....I saw my first chipmunk on the deck on Sunday.  I also saw the first pussywillows out.  I thought about picking some, but didn't.  Today, as I started on my morning walk with Toby, I saw my first woodcock.  It seems like, a good many years, the woodcocks arrive before there seems to be any food for them to find.  This one was along the county road, trying to find some stuff along the ditch.  Anyway, since some of them are arriving, spring might be coming.