Bluejays and (blue) grass

With the warm weather arriving early this year, spring is well underway with trees greening and plants blooming and animals busy nest building. The wooded area outside our kitchen window has become a favourite place of bluejays to gather nest material - I've counted up to 8 birds at one time picking up twigs and fighting over the best pieces.

The higher temperatures and frequent rain have also helped the grass germinate and thicken well.  

March 1st

March 17th

March 29th

We've also had pairs of geese and pairs of ducks landing on the pond in the mornings.

Gratuitous cute cat photo.

Heading towards winter

We've been getting frost on a regular basis and the deciduous trees are down to their skeletons. I really like how much the landscape opens up and reveals hidden spots in our area.

The seasonal shift has brought our friendly neighbourhood beaver back to the pond and he/she seems relatively unbothered by my regular traipsing round the pond trying to get some photos. I caught him in a lazy moment as he was tanning on the pond's edge - I think he put off going back in the cold water as long as possible.

We also saw a new deer investigating the pond - the first buck with antlers I've managed to get a photo of.

The changing light has made the area even more photogenic in a way. I've made use of a panorama compiling program called 'hugin' - I highly recommend it - it's free! Below are some panoramic shots and some others that came out well. Click on an image to view it full size.