Spring: Daffodils, bluebell buds & turtles

Spring is here in all its glory!

My daffodils are blooming.  Every year, that first peek of yellow takes my breath away. Who would have guessed, out of the cold drab earth, a bloom so bright and yellow would emerge?

I tried a haiku about daffodils:

Tight yellow buds

Peek shyly – then trumpet

Bold hallelujahs

©Karen Eastlund 2019

We saw a bald eagle.  There are two tiny chicks in its nest, and I’m watching as the parents take turns sheltering and feeding the chicks.  Find it at

https://dukefarms.org/making-an-impact/eagle-cam/

On our walk we saw:

Virginia bluebells… they’ll bloom soon, here is a current picture of the tiny purple buds

Great blue heron

Turtles – at least 7… sunning on logs along the canal

Swallows

Cormorants are on the river, lots of them.  I learned from a passer-by that cormorant’s feathers are not fully waterproof, so they have to dry themselves in the sun.  Here’s what Cornell’s online ornithology page says:

• Cormorants often stand in the sun with their wings spread out to dry. They have less preen oil than other birds, so their feathers can get soaked rather than shedding water like a duck’s. Though this seems like a problem for a bird that spends its life in water, wet feathers probably make it easier for cormorants to hunt underwater with agility and speed.

Lots of them were sitting on a log in the river, spreading their wings to dry. We saw one dive, and it was down a long time, and came up many yards further up the river.

It was a lovely day to be out.