OK, May is the Month of Spring!

This week has been the first that has really been spring-like around here.  But OH! what a change we have seen.  The radishes and lettuce are both up in the new raised beds, along with the broccoli plants.  I also planted the onions and potatoes in two other beds.  This was the first year that the garden centers sold onion plants in stupid little three packs, with three or four plants in each pack.  Geez!  Had to hunt all over town to find something worth the purchase price.  Ended up buying two of the three-packs, one sort of better square flat, and a pack of pulled and banded plants.  I will compare the results for next year.  But they were all far more pricey per plant than ever before.

We did get all 8 yards of mulch spread around the yard, and Bill finished the new compost bins.  So, when the weather finally seemed to stabilize, and the yard bloomed with daffodils and tulips, it was wondrous! 

This morning was a bird-watcher’s heaven.  I awoke and raised the window shade in our bedroom to look out on the evergreen garden.  There were many birds out at the feeders and birdbath there, including three Indigo buntings.  I’ve only seen one of those since we moved here.  Gorgeous.  But it got better.  A little later we watched three pairs of rose breasted Grosbeaks around the yard.  The three males were dramatic, and the females blended in, but were obviously there.  The usual Goldfinches, Housefinches, Song sparrows, and Cardinals were around as well.  There is a troop of three or more Brown headed Cowbirds serving as the bully gang in the yard, along with the Crows who are making life miserable for the Red-tailed Hawk in our neighbor’s Spruce tree.  I have little doubt they will hide their eggs in one or more nests of the others.  Mid-morning, the Cooper’s Hawk made an appearance, and everyone else vanished for a few moments.  But they all came back. I’ve seen a hummingbird already, and there are Orioles around, though they have not been to our feeders.  There are two or three birds that I can’t identify for sure.  About the size of of a large finch, smaller than a Robin.  Most obvious feature is a white eye-stripe, and crest, with black stripes between. Front is greyish, back more to brown.  Short tail.  At first I though they were the female Grosbeaks, but then saw them together and they are different.    Help, friends, please.