March 2011: Signs of Spring

March came in like a lamb, and with it came some signs of spring; just enough to keep us hopeful that spring will indeed arrive on time this year!  

March 1st gave rise to the very first, and much anticipated, sign of spring:  Crocus!

... and also some daffodils and tulips starting to emerge!

On my birthday, March 16th, spring was becoming bloomin' evident on my block!

                                                           
Abundant Purple Crocus:

And yellow ones too!

A walk around the neighborhood on Saturday, March 19th uncovered many more signs of spring, that made me happy indeed! 

I looked hard to find a magnolia bud nearly ready to burst:

It was not so hard to find a stereotypical robin!

This saucy early daffodil was a welcome surprise:

There was new green growth
on some bushes in the park:

The local waterfowl were swimming in pairs
on the pond, including this odd couple!

Male Redwing Blackbirds were puffed up
and singing their hearts out to potential mates! 
Cong-a-leeee!

Pussy Willows reached for the blue sky!

Turtles were awake and sunning!

Then March 23d & 24th brought thunderstorms, hail and more snow to us!  All our joyful signs of spring were blanketed in the despicable white stuff:

Crocus covered in snow:

This poor cold dove was sitting
among snow-covered dogwood buds:

One more week in March to go!  Will spring ever show?? 

March 28th:  Well, the snow has melted, but temps remain unseasonably cold - with many mornings below freezing!  Let's hope that April will be better!

This dove is puffed up against the cold, but at least there is no snow on the branches!

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Happy First Day of Spring!

The Vernal (Spring) Equinox officially arrived on March 20, 2011 at 11:21PM!   This is my favorite time of year, when my interest and energy levels are renewed along with the rebirth of the natural world!

From now through November, life will be at its finest!

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The "Super Moon" of March 2011

On Saturday, March 19th, the moon arrived at its closest point to the Earth in 2011:  a distance of 221,565 miles. At its peak, this supermoon appeared 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than lesser full moons (when the moon is at its farthest from Earth).   The apparent size of the Moon varies because the orbit of the Moon is elliptical; so when the moon is nearer to earth (perigee) it appears larger than when it is further away (apogee).

When the perigee moon lies close to the horizon, it can appear absolutely enormous. That is when the famous “moon illusion” combines with reality to produce a truly stunning view.  For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, a low-hanging moon looks incredibly large when hovering near trees, buildings and other foreground objects. The fact that the moon actually was much closer than usual only served to amplify this strange effect.   Supposedly this phenomenon occurs only once every 18 years,  so it was widely advertised as a not-to-be-missed event. 

Bob and I went to Kissena Park to watch the moon rise over the meadow there, unhindered by tall buildings or groves of trees!   Moonrise was at approximately 7:27PM, and within 5 minutes the moon started to crest over the horizon!  Huge and orange, it was a totally awesome sight; definitely larger than normal, but only until it become wholly visible.  Once it had risen and started it's climb higher into the sky, it slowly started to "shrink" back to normal size.

My camera doesn't have the capacity for great moon shots ~ not enough zoom ~ so my hand-held photos are pretty mediocre, especially compared to some other shots I've seen.  But at least I got a record of the event!  And the color was pretty accurate to what we actually saw!

First coming over the horizon, a bit blurry but accurate in color: 

My shot was better once it had actually risen!

A bit different angle, through tree branches:

And that's it until 2029!!

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Spring Courtship

This Chinese Goose, called "Bumpy" by some of the local Kissena Park patrons, has been a loner and the self-proclaimed "King of the Pond" for at least the past three years.  During that time I've never seen him with a mate.  But this past Saturday (3/19/11), on my first spring walk through the park, I found Bumpy actively courting this shy Canada Goose.  He was really pursuing her and strutting his stuff!  Yay! Way to go, Bumpy!

I also didn't realize that different varieties of geese mated, but it seems that these two have - or will shortly!  In a couple of months, we'll see if this union produces some mixed-breed offspring!  I can't wait!

I already know that Bumpy is great with kids - he proved his babysitting abilities in May 2009 with the offspring of some of his friends!  I think he considered himself "Uncle Bumpy"!  (below)

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