Odds and ends....

Here are a few misc. shots from at home plus the rest of my wetlands shots.

 I have a Catbird hanging around the suet at the moment.

 The lilacs were beautiful this year.....

 ....and the ornamental Cherry tree.

 Coot at the wetlands

Saw several damselflies but I don't know their names 

 Laying eggs

 One Mallard male sleeping on a log

I forget the name of this bug and am too lazy to look it up :-) 

 A few Canada Geese hanging out with the turtles

Robin 

 I'm not going to guess what type of sparrow this is. 

 If anyone can tell, I'd be happy to know which one it is!

 The White-throated Sparrow

Turtle time at the wetlands!......

Yep....time to post turtles again!  They are out on the logs in full force.

 This guy was right in front of me and I was fascinated to look at his claws and tail, so here are some close-ups. 

I believe this is a Painted Turtle....name seems obvious.  

I love the red dots on the "hand".  Looks like he has been to a tattoo parlor. 

Nasty looking claws they have!

Nice red on the tail, too.

Some of the assorted turtles on various logs throughout the place. 

I always love the full logs and piles. 

 I call this one the "turtle train" 

Feet out and balanced.....whee! 

 This is actually a very small one.  I'm on a bridge looking down and it is about dollar size.

Even piled in the sticks and branches on the shore. 

 "Hang over"

Count them. 

I like the curved reflection :-)

I did see other things and will post them in a couple of days.  Nice to have something to post once again.

So who needs to mow the lawn anyway?.....

I'm never sure what my neighbors think at this time of year, but I don't let Mike mow the front lawn until the violets are done blooming!  They are everywhere this year.....not sure if there is any grass or not :-)

Masses of violets

A close up

 The birds don't seem to mind!  A few of the birds who were searching for food among the violets.  The little Chipping Sparrows have shown up recently.

A Junco in the violets 

A Robin 

The violets make a nice background for everyone :-) 

 A White-throated Sparrow....

.....and the back view.

 It was a beautiful day on Sunday and I spent about an hour sitting out in the glider enjoying the birds as they came and went around me.  A Bluebird on the feeder.

 Mrs. and Mr. Cardinal

 A Chickadee hanging under the suet.....time for a refill!

 The Chipping Sparrow on the driveway.

 The Crab Apple tree is beautiful right now.

The Goldfinch male.....that pink flowering cherry is just getting started. 

 He blends in better in the maple tree.

 A male House Sparrow

 The maples are full of seeds.

The White-breasted Nuthatch moved just as I took the photo. 

Mrs. Red-bellied Woodpecker.  She flies to the crab apple trunk...then hops over to the tray feeder for a seed...and then takes it to the maple tree to peck it open.  Back and forth she went.

 One of the Red-winged Blackbirds that is still hanging around.

 A turtle in the yard! That was a surprise!

This Yellow-throated Warbler was in and out very quickly so I didn't get a very good shot, but enough to identify it.  I don't see a lot of warblers so this was a thrill for me.

Little by little spring is coming.....

Just a few quick photos to let you know that I haven't quit blogging :-)  Life has been intruding a lot lately and winter has taken forever to start going away and I have had no time to go take photos anywhere.  It is only 32 degrees at the moment....again.  Every time the sun starts shining regularly and the temps begin to climb and the flowers begin to bloom....winter stops by again briefly.

 One sure sign of spring....the Goldfinches are gold again!  They know it is spring even if the weather isn't sure.

 A downy on the feeder

 The female Goldfinch....not so pretty as her mate...and a male House Finch.  I just filled the feeders, so everyone is hungry for their breakfast!

 Another sign of spring!  An Indigo Bunting sitting in the driveway looking for seeds.! I love that beautiful blue color!

There are trees blooming and budding everywhere, but I don't have any photos yet.  There are more daffodils than I can ever remember seeing.  The long cold winter has made things bloom well!

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Mike's dad has been in the hospital and his mom needs care, too, so we are running around a lot, but not with a camera in hand.  Some day life will get back towards normal and I may catch up on the blog and look in on your blogs!