March 1

The pussy willows are opening up.  This is the first thing that I noticed this morning; when I looked out of my window. These poor little catkins are fortunately unaware of the weather extremes that they will endure over the next month.  They have a long way to go; until they are fuzzy and full of pollen.

The yard cardinals are chasing each other around, robins are fussing.  I noticed that one robin which has nested on a neighbors porch post for the last 3 years has apparently returned again.  I can hear a killdeer right now.  One of my carolina wrens is upside down in the window, searching for one more cluster of spider eggs. The fox sparrows are still digging away underneath the rhododendrons. Snowdrops are finally getting a chance to fully open and more crocus bloom each day.