Spring...Really?

March weather in Vermont this year has been sort of a roller coaster ride.  A spell of unseasonably warm daytime temperatures during late February through early March kicked off maple sugaring season and the northward bound hordes of Canada Geese and other waterfowl.  Ice covering the Connecticut River broke up and ice floes flushed out earlier than usual, and open-water conditions on rivers, streams and many of the larger lakes forebode an early spring, or so it appeared, and then a return to winter.  More snow was forecast for yesterday, and this morning we woke to 13 inches of new snow carpeting the yard.  No April Fools joke...just early spring in the Green Mountain State more or less as usual.

All winter we have had a flock of Wild Turkeys numbering between 26 and 31 birds making nearly daily visits to the yard to feed on cracked corn.  With increasing day length we observed this past week two toms come into season showing off their finest "attire" before the hens which seemed not to pay any attention to them but rather focus on consuming corn.  The following movie clip was taken from the dining room window.

The recent snow storm was followed by considerable bird activity at our feeders with 18 species tallied for today.  Of special note was an adult male Pine Warbler feeding on suet and seeds.  While shoveling snow, it could be heard singing (a high, musical trill) from the tall pines hear the house.