Last weekend, it was so bitterly cold that I didn't leave the house at all. This weekend, it was so nice outside I couldn't wait to get out. Friends were feeling similarly, and a bunch of us got together last night to celebrate the fact that the weather hadn't trapped us in our homes for a change. It felt great to be out, and seeing people in the flesh instead of in pixels.
I went for a walk along the river yesterday, where most of the ice has melted.
I saw a pair of hooded mergansers on the river. I think they look like punk rock ducks.
Skunk cabbage is starting to send out its shoots, the first sign of spring to come.
I put birdseed out on my deck, hoping to attract birds. It worked. After many tries, I finally captured the shy tufted titmouse in a curious pose.
Of course, I also attracted a squirrel, who wasn't shy at all. He just looked at me when I banged on the window, then continued shoveling down the seed.
The sparrows are less shy than the titmice, but not as bold as the squirrel.
I wasn't able to capture the cardinals or the chickadees this time. But it was nice to see them; last weekend, which was the Great Bird Count, I hardly saw any birds at all because it was so cold. I'm sure they're as anxious for spring as I am.