Signs of Spring!

After a long, hard week, I spent this weekend doing things I really enjoy. The weather was beautiful - 70degF on Saturday; overcast, cool, light rain on Sunday.

Saturday, I cleaned my house then spent the day outdoors running errands and playing around. I went on a 20ish mile ride following the following route and adding a trip around Lake Lansing:

Sunday, I slept in. I took a birding trip up near Perry, MI (about 20 miles NE) to a flooded field in the country. I found Bonaparte's gulls (50-100), ring-billed gulls, killdeer, greater yellowlegs (2), and one herring gull.

Greater yellowlegs

Bonaparte's gull

Bonaparte's gull (nonbreeding plumage)

Ring-billed gull harassing Bonaparte's gull

Ring-billed gull

I stopped at the Lake Lansing Park for a quick stroll to scan the lake for birds. The weather had deteriorated to higher winds and heavier rain making the lake pretty choppy. I was able to pick out bufflehead, American coot, Canada geese, mallard, and northern shoveler. I saw a pair of brown-headed cowbirds, a common grackle and several American robins picking through the grass. A white-breasted nuthatch hopped down the wall of a concession shelter then into a tree. I love those little birds! Several flowers were in bloom. So beautiful!

White-breasted nuthatch

Brown-headed cowbird (female)

Brown-headed cowbird pair

American robin

Fancy daffodils?

Daffodil

I left the park and headed home to eat a bit of lunch. Then I went to MSU campus to take a walk and see what sorts of flowers I could find in the gardens.

Red Cedar River that flows through campus

The Red Cedar is home to several mallard ducks

Mallard duck (drake)

The garden had a few flowers in bloom

Finally, Shadow's debut on my blog. I adopted him in early February. He is a one and half year old Golden Retriever x Standard Poodle. He weighs about 80 pounds and is a very happy, goofball of a dog.

Here he is sitting very nicely given the fact that a squirrel is scolding him from a tree about 20 feet away.

Shadow intently watching a squirrel while trying to keep sitting

One of many squirrels on campus. This area of Michigan has black squirrels. Pretty neat!

I am officially a graduate student at Michigan State University. My work is going very well and I'm preparing for my quickly approaching field season. Perhaps I'll write more later about what exactly my field season is all about.

Hope you are all well and enjoying the beautiful outdoors as it awakes from a long winter!