It’s a little early, but…
I was puttering around the kitchen this morning, waiting for my guys to wake up, when I heard a rustling in the flower bed on the other side of the big window that gives us such wonderful, bright light.
At first, I could just make out a few muddy shapes in the dead leaves lining a corner nearest our patio.
After a moment of watching them, wondering if it was the danged mice I hate so much, I saw a flash of red.
OMGawd… it was a small flock of robins!
Yipes… it’s awful early for them to be in Pennsylvania! But here they were, rummaging for birdseed that some of the finches enjoy flinging to the ground.
Robins!
I suddenly had a rush of IwannagetoutinmygardenNOW!
I mean, if these guys were here, maybe the forecasts of a long, hard winter weren’t very accurate…
Maybe spring really IS around the corner!
Or maybe, this little fella –sitting in my denuded Calicarpa bush– was just teasing me…
Maybe he’d just flown up from the southern states that are getting hit by the big snowstorm today.
Wait… what’s that? What’s that flash of bright red?
No… say it ain’t so!
But… but….
Dang it. If the cardinals are here, then winter is most definitely NOT over.
So, despite having my hopes raised by this…
… there’s no doubt that this fella is more likely correct.
It’s the last weekend of January and we’ve got a looooong time to go before my zone 6 garden wakes up.
Wow! FABULOUS bird pictures! I have to admit, it gave my spirits a lift to see BOTH birds… sometimes I really miss the East Coast.
i bet those robins *are* escaping the storms in the south–good work, detective.
Great, more bird pictures! Nice shots. Keep ‘em coming.
I haven’t seen a lot of Robins this winter in Chicago, but I haven’t gone birding much this winter due to it being a colder than the past few years. Contrary to common belief, Robins are found in all the 48 states south of Canada during the winter. Some of the Robins do go farther south in the colder months, but they are replaced by others (in smaller numbers) who come down from Canada to winter in the northern states.
Wondering where the mate was for that bright red Cardinal in your pics? Usually they’re nearby.
We’ve had strange bird actiivity here lately, too. Including a cackling crow a few days ago deemed by Spawn as “The Crypt Keeper Laughing Bird that Creeps Me Out”. Such a drama queen sometimes! :p