100 Days of Science #24-- Signs of Spring

It was really starting to feel like spring was never going to arrive in New England.  We had snow and snow flurries into the middle of April this year and our temperatures were so cold that we weren't even seeing any signs of spring.

It warmed up a day or two here and there but my boys and I were beginning to think that we were going to miss spring altogether this year.  That's when I challenged my boys to find some signs of spring; any signs of spring!


We brainstormed what kinds of things we might see:

  • birds; especially new species we didn't see in winter
  • green sprouts and buds coming up through the ground or on the trees
  • possible flowers we might see
  • sounds of the birds, peep toads, and other things waking up
  • we've been hearing a lot of woodpeckers knocking on the trees
  • pollen collecting on the water or blowing through the air

Then we used the camera to record what we saw and while I took most of these pictures some of the birding ones are all thanks to Evan and his ability to creep up on our bird feeder without scaring the birds away.

A black capped chickadee 

A bird's nest we found in the woods

A pile of frog's eggs

Snakes; a sure sign that warmer weather is arriving (just not a sign I like!)
The sun turtles are back

A busy beaver heading home

A sparrow

We saw two swans on the lake

The first flowers poking up out of the ground!

We have watched male and female cardinal prepare a nest and sneak food from our feeder

The trees are budding!
Brown headed cowbird 

We watched this cardinal and his mate most of the morning one day last week.  He came to the feeder, got food in his beak, and brought it back to her.  We could actually see her take the food out of his beak.  

Red winged blackbird; one of my favorite birds! 

A baby snapping turtle 

Flowers sprouting in the garden

Flowering blooms

Bleeding heart flowers 


We've also seen yellow finches at our feeder too and are hopeful that we can put up our hummingbird feeder real soon.

We're hearing lots of bird calls and peep toads.

We've seen swarms of may flies and noticed a lot of bugs (even ticks) out and about while hiking.

I guess spring is on it's way after all.

Comments

  1. daisy gurlApril 30, 2018 at 8:09 AM

    We've been enjoying more birds over the last two weeks and our hummer feeder has been quite busy!
    Enjoy the season!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mother of 3April 30, 2018 at 4:39 PM

      We just put up our hummingbird feeder yesterday and I'm hoping to see some real soon.

      Delete
  2. Brenda @ Chatting Over ChocolateApril 30, 2018 at 5:34 PM

    So much beauty in this post! We've been really enjoying all the fine feathered friends around this spring too! :) Hope this week is off to a great start for you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sheltie TimesMay 1, 2018 at 8:04 AM

    Our perennial garden is finally feeling brave enough to show itself. No sign of the asparagus yet and that is a bad sign as it only flourishes in the Spring it doesn't like the heat of summer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mother of 3May 1, 2018 at 4:02 PM

      Yeah we have so many things that would normally be blooming already that I am not even seeing buds on; not sure if we'll have to replant a few things or if I just need to be patient since spring has been so late in getting here. I am afraid that we're going to skip spring altogether and get right into those hot days of summer though.

      Delete
  4. Pieni LintuMay 2, 2018 at 2:48 PM

    Cute nest!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mother of 3May 2, 2018 at 4:26 PM

      It was so small! It sparked a great discussion as to what kind of bird might have used it though.

      Delete
  5. Kelleyn RothaermelMay 3, 2018 at 3:11 AM

    Great idea! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mother of 3May 3, 2018 at 6:28 AM

      Thanks! I love taking nature photos and I'm trying to pass that on to my boys.

      Delete
  6. Two Tiny HandsMay 6, 2018 at 4:55 AM

    Yay for spring! It's finally arrived and we can enjoy a bit of warmer outside fun. Love that your birds are very different to ours over here in the UK!! ‪Thank you for linking up to the #familyfunlinky‬

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mother of 3May 6, 2018 at 10:03 AM

      We have had some really pretty birds around this year; I almost got a picture of a Baltimore Oriole yesterday but he flew away so fast. They're all bright orange and black and really pretty.

      Delete
  7. Helena TheQueenofCollageMay 6, 2018 at 6:33 AM

    It's lovely to see the signs of spring in your country #FamilyFunLinky.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Mother of 3May 8, 2018 at 3:10 PM

    Thank you!

    ReplyDelete

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