more signs of spring

I am ready for spring, and I think it may finally be happening. Or almost. I see some buds on the trees. There is still snow in some places, but it's disappeared from our little campus completely. And summer birds are returning!

Here are some my first-of-the-season birds.

Tree Swallows are back!

first Great Egret of the year, hanging out north of Duxbury Harbor

my first *ever* Piping Plover - Duxbury Outer Beach

Because I've never seen Piping Plovers before, I'm including several pictures. You're welcome. (-:

Piping Plover Peeping

By the way, they run very fast.

No, I wasn't chasing them. Grateful for a zoom lens. (Wish I'd had this in Haiti! Not that it would have been practical.) Actually, other than the first one I saw down by the water, the rest were behind a roped-off (well, with plastic tape) area so they won't be disturbed. One hopes dog walkers will obey the leash laws on the beach; so far the only off-leash dogs I've seen have been very much under vocal control, so that's good.

Stay back!

As you were...

I went down to the picnic table near the water to work on a sermon this afternoon and saw my first laughing gull of the season, as well. This is not a good picture - it was very far away - but I'm happy to see their return. I assume there are more around somewhere nearby, as gulls seem to hang around in flocks.

The winter birds are building their nests.  I've seen a couple of red-tailed hawks trying to build in or near our grove, and they keep getting chased off by the crows, who seem to work well in groups. The crows are building, too, of course, and they have their future offspring in mind.

I went to the North River Sanctuary and found new little things pushing their way through the dirt, undeterred by the few piles of leftover grey snow here and there.

Anyone know what these are? Bulbs of some kind? The ones below are coming up all over the wooded area where I saw this little group.

OK, there is nothing summery about this seal from the North River, but I've never seen one on the East Coast, so I'm excited.

I hope the happy news, happy sights, and hope of spring in the air help you and I and all of us to sleep well tonigh and wake refreshed and ready to go - with a spring in our step.