An elderly friend used to tell me that Spring wasn't officially here until you hear the Peepers sing .
Today they are singing loud and clear at my house. I've been listening for them for days...
...after all the daffodils have been blooming for over a week. Walking out on the deck in the late afternoon or early evening ....but nothing. That is until today :0) Today I was in my studio....searching for a creative idea to strike me...instead when I leaned back in my chair with my eyes closed....I heard the Peepers! I ran out to the deck and stood there for at least 30 minutes ... just listening.
It was so windy I'm surprised that I could hear them...but they are very loud singers :0)
The Purple Finch is really having a "Bad Feather Day" He's been molting this week and the wind was blowing his shedding feathers all over. He looks all prickly now :0(
The House Finch and the Gold Finch have already turned their bright summer colors.
So Mother Nature had better listen cause the animals are saying Spring is HERE!
They are saying they are already spraying for mosquitoes in LA. Too early. My daffodils are not blooming yet. Can't wait! Love your birds even the one that's molting.
ReplyDeletePeepers? I am going to have to google them.
ReplyDeleteLove the colors on the finches. Spring may well be arriving your way, but it will be a while up here. That's why I enjoy the pics so much. ;)
Spring peepers are to the amphibian world what American robins are to the bird world. As their name implies, they begin emitting their familiar sleigh-bell-like chorus right around the beginning of spring.
DeleteFound in wooded areas and grassy lowlands near ponds and swamps in the central and eastern parts of Canada and the United States, these tiny, well-camouflaged amphibians are rarely seen. But the mid-March crescendo of nighttime whistles from amorous males is for many a sign that winter is over.
Spring peepers are tan or brown in color with dark lines that form a telltale X on their backs. They grow to about 1.5 inches (3.8 centimeters) in length, and have large toe pads for climbing, although they are more at home amid the loose debris of the forest floor.
They are nocturnal creatures, hiding from their many predators during the day and emerging at night to feed on such delicacies as beetles, ants, flies, and spiders.
They mate and lay their eggs in water and spend the rest of the year in the forest. In the winter, they hibernate under logs or behind loose bark on trees, waiting for the spring thaw and their chance to sing.
We have been hearing peepers for about 2 weeks now.. But we have a pond in front of the house and 2 behind it! I have a few pictures of them. When we had a pool they would get in it.. I had one brave little frog that kept singing no matter how close I got! It was great.. Here is a link about spring peepers! http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/spring-peeper
ReplyDeleteCarol the Peepers were rioting yesterday. It is the loudest they have been. We have been hearing them about a week. I love there lovely song!
ReplyDeleteThat is one raggety finch. Hope he fills out soon. It is so nice that spring is here. Not too much drama around here this winter. Hope you have a wonderful spring.
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