SIGNS OF SPRING---(with Bambi!!)

I realize that any real "macho" followers of this site might say to what I present below:  "Uggghh!!"  Well, this little segment, little remembered by old fans of the Bambi movie, is about Bambi seeing the signs of an approaching spring...And, as this weary Hudson River Birder has already told you, I'm more than a little weary of this winter, especially with all the viruses and colds I've had to weater".  So let Bambi keep us hoping for a soon arriving...SPRING.

AWAITING THE EASTERN PHOEBE'S ARRIVAL

After the Red Winged Blackbirds arrival here at Esopus around Feb 27th, the "next" real harbinger of a much desired approaching Spring....will be the call of the Eastern Phoebe.  No!  I haven't seen any yet.  Maybe on April 1st.  I have seen them down in NYC in Central Park even in March.

RED WINGED BLACKBIRDS ARE BACK IN ESOPUS!!!

As cold as it is today... (It seems like 20 with the wind chill).. The Red Winged Blackbirds are back down along our stream that traverses The Mount from the southern ponds just at the top of Esopus town to the apple orchard of the Apple Bin Family, the Red Winged Blackbirds are back. As I said yesterday I can "hear" them, but, even with my 60 power scope I cannot see even one. But, as the Irish say about the fairies,  They're there!!!   The pitch on this one below (49 sec clip) is a bit higher than the Red Winged we get here.  It just goes to show that there are regionalisms  even among birds.

THERESA'S BARRED OWL

Recently one of our secretaries here at Mt. St. Alphonsus, Theresa, brought me this amazingly clear and almost "posed" photo of a Barred Owl that was sitting practically hidden on a tree branch this winter above her snow covered garden awaiting...as we all do...THE SPRING. Enjoy.

THE BARRED OWL-"WHO COOKS FOR YOU?"

I don't know whether the Barred Owl that Theresa photographed sung for her.  But there most common cry sounds like someone saying, Whom cooks for you?  Here is one sitting on a tree just like the one above.

STAND UP FOR WORLD PEACE

....Wow!!!.  Two posts in one day!  This one won lots of awards.  At the end it says that, If you want to respond, just post your own You Tube video on world peace.  Enjoy and Good Night!

From

The Hudson River Birder

at "The Mount"



WAITING FOR SPRING

I have not been able to do much photography on Esopus and our Hudson Valley this winter.  Colds and bronquitis have "something" to do with it.  Another "factor" is the painful reality that, even though I may remain here  in the Hudson Valley as a Roman Catholic missionary Redemptorist who loves God and loves the "reflections of God" that is nature with its trees, birds, sunrises, sunsets, insects etc, I will not be living at Mt. St. Alphonsus after January 2012.  Our 103 year old "The Mount" will cease its retreat operations on that date and possibly be leased to someone who will hopefully love it, cherish it and respect its deeply spiritual aura...So, yes, there is a bit of melancholy...and not just coughs and aches that have inhibited my photo essays.  So today I just "surfed the web" with the words "waiting for spring" and the embedded short video below is what I found.  It reflects my mood.  Yesterday, down by the stream that runs from North to South through "The Mount" I could hear but not see the Red Winged BlackBirds.  I looked with my 50 power binoculars and 50 power scope.  But whatever they were doing I could not see even one of them moving.. So I, with many of you...AWAIT SPRING.  Enjoy this short video by Michael Minneboo.

Daily Webhead: Waiting for spring from Michael Minneboo on Vimeo.