signs of spring 2010

[lucy]

No floods or snow in Collserola, only lots of mud, so I can start the thread this year! I heard three woodpeckers yesterday practicing for the new season with a bit of light drumming.  The reverberations were pretty quiet, as if they haven't got into the swing of it yet and are still warming up the appropriate muscles.  I heard one, very near, with an immediate response from further up the hill, and then a third woodpecker joined in from another direction.

[Simon]

Hi Lucy, et al, and Happy New Year,

Despite the foul (fowl ) weather it is reassuring to see signs of the forthcoming spring! It always strikes me as magical at this time of year when we notice the new shoots on the fruit trees around and about our village; 'lime' green on the almonds and a wide variety of reds and maroons on the soft fruits.

There is also a marked furze in the wild woods. I remember reading somewhere that not a leaf falls but that it is pushed out by the following year's growth bud. I'm not sure that this is literally true, it could be in our part of the Pyrenees where wind of any kind is scarce, least of all the howlig gales of the north countries! The view below is of the Sierra de Montsec, taken just before Christmas. The dead oak leaves will remain until April, when the countryside seems to explode into life!

As I write this the city of Tarragona is basking in glorious sunshine, which we propose to enjoy in full awareness that it is a delusion of springtime - tomorrow the blizzards that are brewing over the Pyrneees will be down here in force - brrrrr - it's not sprintime yet!

Regs

Simon

[glennie]

Noticed a male pigeon getting decidedly frisky with a couple of females this morning.

Does that count? 

[Dave]

Hi Glennie and All
They do that all year round, probably just keeping warm
Regards
Davw

[Simon]

Mornin' all - and not springlike at all!

Dave's pigeon hypothesis reminds me of a conversation between a dog breeder and a potential buyer:

"The females are in season three times a year and the 'heat' lasts for about a fortnight."

Client, "What about the males?"

"Oh, just the once per year."

"Really, how long does this last?!"

"Twelve months!" 

Regs

Simon

[Phil James]

 I saw my first primrose of the year while out walking yesterday. Amazed to see it so early at about 1000m in the Pyrenees. Footpath was patchy snow but it was just flowering alongside the path in a clear sunny patch.

No other signs of spring yet here - still pretty nippy!

Phil

[lucy]

Yesterday a blackbird was singing near home all afternoon, which made it feel very spring-like.

[lisa]

I noticed my first primroses this week too, though only at about 500m, then today was too slow to identify a butterfly   before it sailed out of our yard.

[Bob M]

I've got daffodils and primroses.  Some flowering trees making a move, catkins on the hazel trees.


Bob

[Phil James]

Some more signs of spring in the Pyrenees at about 1000m. Lots of stinking hellebore out, a few primroses and this little hepatica looking a bit sorry for itself. Catkins on the alders.

Phil

[lisa]

Could it be two days in a row of sun here? Saw my first swallows today so looks like yes! Two birds heading resolutely north 

[Dave]

Absolutely gorgeous weather the last few days
A baby Blackbird fully fledged but with its yellow gape visible, feeding on the riverbank
The Black redstarts singing from the rooftops
A baby Sparrow being fed on the terrace
The rooks in the various colonies busily repairing their nests
A trip to get some soil for the pots, along with fertilizer for the roses and shrubs
Two mornings spent clearing up the terrace of plants that did not survive the winter
The roses pruned and showing their new shoots
Daffodils and Crocus in flower
Oh yes spring has arrived in León
Regards
Dave

[Technopat]

Greetings Dave 

What a great poem -
That’ll show ‘em!
Your rhyme scheme was hard to find at first:
Try as I might
Even if it were to take me all night
I just couldn’t get your “rooftops” to go with those “shrubs”
And then, of course, it finally dawned on me!
You were able to evoke images of beauty, of birds, flower and tree
And the fact that it don't rhyme
Makes us have to concentrate on each idea a line at a time
And to conclude that signs of Spring have arrived in León – at last! 

[Dave]

Hi TP
Thanks for that apparently it is less a poem more a form called free verse, which has no meter, and very little in the way rules, but that made me think
Beautiful  weather the last few days
A baby Blackbird fully fledged basking in the warm suns rays
The Black redstarts singing and having a ball
A baby Sparrow being fed on the terrace wall
The rooks in the various colonies busily repairing their nests
A trip to get some soil for the pots, and sprays for the pests
Two mornings spent clearing away the detritus
The roses pruned despite my arthritis
Daffodils and Crocus flower once more
Spring has arrived at León´s door
Regards
Dave

[lucy]

Thanks for the poem Dave - fledglings out there already, with the snow barely melted!

I saw this woodpecker hole the other day, freshly drilled and with a handy fungus to keep the rain and sun off.

[Technopat]

Greetings Dave 

That's the way to do it - get a bit of rhyme and reason into our lives

[tonyninfas]

Saw my first asphodel of the year blooming in the Els Ports yesterday.  I absolutely love these plants as they remind me of chandeliers.

[Maria]

The birds are stealing the dogs hair out of the garden, not direct from the dogs I might add, so I guess nest building is full steam ahead 

[Petrea]

Young lizzards enjoying the sun - and a snake in the middle of the road (dead, of course!  )

[Petrea]

- and it´s time for parking in the shade!