Spring?

Today started cold. Minus thirteen degrees in the middle of the night. By morning though the cold was forgotten as bright sunshine flooded the valley, and all of the surrounding hills, while still coated in a white shawl of snow, were held fixed and focused against the bright blue.

It was a mistake to forget the cold as it was still minus eleven degrees when I left the house for school..

Bohemian Waxwing on Mountain Ash

Female Pine Grosbeak

This male robin busied himself on the snow finding fallen berries.

A pair of Bohemian Waxwings

Undaunted and suitably attired I marched to school knowing that spring, if not totally here yet, was on its way. And I was not the only one to think so. The Song Sparrows were again earning their name. And there was....

American Robin [actually a thrush]

American Robins - the first for the year here in Nakusp! At least six birds were feasting on bright red Mountain Ash berries. They were accompanied by a noisy flock of Bohemian Waxwings some fifty in number. A couple of Cedar Waxwing, a pair of Pine Grosbeak, some Juncos and the ever present Pine Siskins and Redpoll rouned out the obvious birds [save the corvids]. Oh and Chickadees. It was a good way to start the day and happily  they were still about this afternoon when I returned camera in hand.