Signs of Spring

[newfsmith]

While it may have been the second coldest morning of this winter, spring definately is coming, the buckets are in the sugar bush.

[Surlygirl]

I saw a flock of about 20 Robins yesterday. Geez they must be cold. They may be back a little to early though, snow is predicted again on Thursday.

[DeniseGoldberg]

I saw a flock of about 20 Robins yesterday. Geez they must be cold.

I have to admit, I can't figure out the robins - I saw a bunch of them several weeks ago as I was out walking in one of our crazy snowstorms. I wonder if some of them break the mold and decide to spend the winters hiding somewhere in New England!

And, thanks newfsmith - for the "spring" photo. While this really hasn't been a bad winter, I've definitely been dreaming of warmer weather.

--- Denise

[Nanci]

A bunch of them are still enjoying the Florida sun, but they are really flocking up, a sign that they are about to leave. It's funny- (I'm from up north) down here robins are a sign of _winter_.

I used to live across the street from a guy who made maple (and everything else) syrup. You can never go back to fake after you've had homemade...

Nanci

[Surlygirl]

I have to admit, I can't figure out the robins - I saw a bunch of them several weeks ago as I was out walking in one of our crazy snowstorms. I wonder if some of them break the mold and decide to spend the winters hiding somewhere in New England!

--- Denise

Yeah, some do overwinter. I've had bluebirds overwinter too! They guy at Cornell doing the bird count didn't believe me till I sent him pictures of my ten bluebirds sitting in the feeders in February with a foot of snow on the ground one year.

[SpinSis]

Nice photo! Thanks. And nice to see those are "real" taps & buckets and not rubber hosing... I've never been to a sugar house in the spring, and I grew up in NH! Hoping to try to this year.

With this current cold snap, it is hard to believe it's March today!

[Trekhawk]

Yeah, some do overwinter. I've had bluebirds overwinter too! They guy at Cornell doing the bird count didn't believe me till I sent him pictures of my ten bluebirds sitting in the feeders in February with a foot of snow on the ground one year.

Hey Surly are you doing project feederwatch?

This is our first winter on the project and its great the kids and I have seen so many of your beautiful birds. I can name quite a few now and non bird people laugh and say gee the Aussie knows more of our birds than we do.:D

[Crankin]

Today I felt like "spring." I didn't ride this weekend, but we did the annual spring clean up on the bikes. Today, I wore a spring skirt to work. I am sick of wool. I plan on riding Thursday, maybe Wednesday and Saturday.

Yes!!

And for the first time, I have ridden at least once in every month this year.

[SadieKate]

A spring skirt? No more complainin' about your New England weather! I'm sitting here in a wool skirt and turtle-sweater with boots. Veronica is a (sturdy) drowned rat due to the giant yellow and red radar blob that just blew through NoCal. Not going to listen to you whine anymore about how us California girls have it so good.:cool: :D

[DeniseGoldberg]

A spring skirt? No more complainin' about your New England weather!
I'm certainly hoping that we won't have weather complaints next weekend. The forecast is for Saturday temps in the 50s; although that's a few too many days away to believe, maybe it will surprise us and be true.

That would be fitting payment for the weather wizard's tricks last Saturday when I came very close to being forced to the ground by a sudden blast of wind. OK, OK, it was windy for my entire ride, but there was one blast that absolutely stopped my forward movement. It seemed like forever, but I'm sure it only took a second for my foot to automatically react, heel out and lift - ah, my foot hit the ground before my bike and I fell over! (And not to worry, I'm sure my body would have prevented my bike from getting any scratches...)

--- Denise

[im4smiley]

I went out this past weekend, did about 13 miles on Saturday with my new Felt. Not only am I getting used to a new bike with the drop handlbars, I have to get used to the different shifting and braking and I also have my new bike shoes so I practiced clipping and unclipping and clipping again. Sunday I went for a quick ride around town about 10 miles. I couldn't believe how windy it was, pushed me around a couple of times. I made it up a couple of short steep hills (I was worried about shifting) so now I feel a little more confident about riding my bike. I hate to say it but I am wishing the week away hoping for a nice weekend!! :o

[Asphaltgirl]

well, DH must be getting antsy with the weather reports for the weekend, 'cause he just called from the bike shop where both bikes are now residing for their annual tune ups! now if I can just stay away from buying a new ride at the bike show in Boston on Friday!
Barb in the Berkshires
~AG~

[Surlygirl]

Wahoooo. Are you guys ready to ride or what? Bring it on. I can't wait to get outside and ride. Anything over 50 and I'm a roadshow! :D:D

[QUOTE=Asphaltgirl]well, DH must be getting antsy with the weather reports now if I can just stay away from buying a new ride at the bike show in Boston on Friday!

I thought you said it was your birthday :D Sounds like a good birthday present to me.

Trekhawk, I did not do the bird count this year but have in the past. I live in the woods so have tons of birds. I even have a couple of Barred Owls that frequent my yard. I taught my kids how to feed the birds from their hands when they were little and they loved it. I keep a camera, binoculars and a bird book in my kitchen.

[newfsmith]

Monday night's rain was warm enough to start the salamander migration, I saw 12 non-survivors on the way to work this morning. (I figured no one would want to see photos.) For the rest of us that means Spring, now I'm waiting for the woodcock dances and spring peepers.

[RoadRaven]

"The buckets are in the sugar bush"????

OK... this is not within my experience, I assume these are buckets converted into bird-feeders? Full of sugar? For robins?

What about ants - don't they bother the buckets?

And as for salamander migrations... nope, didn't even realise they migrated! The closest we have in this country (as far as I know) are axolotyls... in pet shops...

[DeniseGoldberg]

"The buckets are in the sugar bush"????

OK... this is not within my experience, I assume these are buckets converted into bird-feeders? Full of sugar? For robins?

No, they are buckets to collect the sap that is used to make maple syrup. Wonderful sweet syrup for pancakes, French Toast, baking... Here's a link to a New Hampshire Maple Producers web site with an explanation of maple sugaring: http://www.nhmapleproducers.com/abc.htm.

--- Denise

[Jen]

The first sign of summer..... the pool guy came to clean the neighborhood pool. It is filled and ready to go in May.

[RoadRaven]

No, they are buckets to collect the sap that is used to make maple syrup. Wonderful sweet syrup for pancakes, French Toast, baking... Here's a link to a New Hampshire Maple Producers web site with an explanation of maple sugaring: http://www.nhmapleproducers.com/abc.htm.

--- Denise

OK... thanks Denise...
I luuuuurve maple syrup... but the maples that grow in NZ don't give the yummy sap, so we have import it...

but now I understand buckets and robins and spring... thanks.

[Surlygirl]

Did somebody say spring. I've been watching snow flurries all day and the temps went from 62 on Monday to 34 today.
I mark spring by when the goldfinches turn yellow and the peepers start peeping and I haven't seen or heard that yet. It was nice to get the weekend rides in though, even if it was just a teaser. As for the salamanders, they have a group around here that actually stand in the road at night to make sure they get across. Now those folks are dedicated.

[Nanci]

Man, I miss having salamanders down here in Florida. I _loved_ them in Minnesota! I can remember some spring nights when I would go out in the yard and find 20 or 30 of them! They are the cutest things. I love their smiley little faces, and their little four-finger hands. _So_ easy to keep as pets, too.

Nanci

[newfsmith]

They actually close the road for the salamander migration here. I get to have a private highway some rainy, spring nights. The director of the Audubon sanctuary I ride through knows me and my commuting habit, and probably that I have been a member of Audubon for over 30 years. She just waves me around the barracade. I walk my bike thru the areas that the salamanders are heaviest. I've only seen one actually crossing the road. I tend not to linger because I suspect that my lights might disturb them.

[SadieKate]

Now, if it were Davis, we'd just build 'em a tunnel and expect them to be smart enough to use it.:rolleyes:

http://www.daviswiki.org/Toad_Tunnel

[snapdragen]

Now, if it were Davis, we'd just build 'em a tunnel and expect them to be smart enough to use it.:rolleyes:

http://www.daviswiki.org/Toad_Tunnel

Well, maybe they'd use it if the city would put up signs! You gotta tell them where the tunnels are fergoshsakes!:D

[Nanci]

We have an "Ecopassage" here through Paynes Prairie, a huge marsh with bison, wild cattle and horses, alligators, wading birds, bald eagles, ospreys, etc.

http://tinyurl.com/etsxh

There is also a wildlife barrier that keeps them off the road, but is hidden from sight. Biggest problem now is people stopping to feed friend chicken to the gators. (They get ticketed, highly frowned upon!!)

Nanci

[RoadRaven]

Wow Nanci...

...bison, wild cattle and horses, alligators, wading birds, bald eagles, ospreys...

reminds me that I live two hours from nowhere... I am in awe of some of the creatures that are a part of you gals' every day...

[Nanci]

Florida is a weird state. You'd think it would be highly populated, and I guess in the popular coastal areas it is, but you can have a college town, like I live in, complete with bald eagles landing on the side of the road and alligators holding up traffic and ospreys having special towers built for them, which they _like_, right in the middle of the city, and then do a, say, Century ride, right from town, and so fast be out in the middle of nowhere, like you've gone back to the 1800's with a little cabin on blocks here and there, and _nothing else_, and ride like that for hours and hours, it's unbelievable.

I noticed in the paper today that my county had the lowest percent of population growth out of the whole state. Fine with me. Unless any cyclists want to move down.

Nanci

[Surlygirl]

Okay ladies we are on our way. I did a 20 miler this morning and rode by a swamp and had to stop. The peepers were making so much noise I had to find out if that was actually what I was hearing. The goldfinches are also starting to turn yellow. It was a bit breezy but all in all a great ride. Its so nice to be back outside. Bye Bye coach Troy.

[CorsairMac]

Wooohooo Surly!! That so ROCKSSS!!! I had Forgotten about the finches turning yellow in the spring - there are some things I miss since moving to the desert - not Many you understand - but a few. (high yesterday 70, high right now 62) :D :D

[DebW]

The peepers aren't out yet in my neighborhood, and the finches I saw this morning weren't very yellow. But it's 55 degrees now, they better get moving! My favorite sign of spring is peepers in a pond I ride by on my commute from work (it was still frozen a few days ago). As I pass the pond in peeper season at about 16 mph, the doppler effect is unmistakable. It's hard to believe that those little frogs can make such a crescendo of sound, with frequency shift dependent on my speed of course.

[Crankin]

I haven't heard any peepers either, but I bet they'll be out here in Concord by the end of the week. I just got back from a 15 mile ride with my husband. I got home at 3 and at 3:05 he called to say "I'm leaving now, wait!"
Things are back to normal...

[Surlygirl]

Yup definately the peeps are out. I did the Nashua River Rail trail early this morning and those little froggies were singing their hearts out. There were even a few places in the swamp that still had ice. The Trail was virtually empty and they are extending it. So far it is only about a half mile longer than before but a gorgous ride.

www.betweenwaters.com/etc/nrrt/intro.html
This one has pictures. Make sure you click on the 2002 photos.

[wavedancer]

Heard my first peepers of the year in Wompatuck on Monday. Spring is definitely here! :)

Thinking of getting out on the road tomorrow before work...but it's still in the 30's in the mornining. Maybe a few more days of the Evil Coach Troy.

Linda

[uk elephant]

Spring has definitely arrived here too. Went out yesterday afternoon. Sunny and warm :D , with a massive downpour half way...and swallowed my first few flies of the year :( (hack cough).