Wisconsin Winters

They do drag on, and on.  This was the view as seen through our living room window on March 20th.  The snow had melted.  The robins had returned and were busy searching the waterlogged soil for worms.  I had begun putting together a mental checklist of the outdoor projects I wanted to tackle this year.
                                                                                                               
And then this happened.
Snow began falling on the night of March 22nd and continued through the next day leaving us with a staggering 17 inches of wet, heavy snow.  The birds weathered the storm in nearby evergreens and left only to quickly fill their bellies with seed or to clean their feathers in our heated bird bath.  I've read that March is the toughest month for birds and this storm really emphasized that fact.

I adore killdeer.  This pair showed up in the backyard a couple of weeks ago.  They just scream, "Look at me!", with their long legs, prominently striped bodies, and bright red eyes.  They scurry around so quickly and are particularly camera shy.  I love listening to them call out to each other.

There is a second killdeer hiding in the above photo.  Can you find it?

March in Wisconsin is like a wild roller coaster ride full of dramatic twists and turns, highs and lows.  One day you're opening your windows and breathing in that wonderfully perfumed, damp Spring air and the next you're shoveling snow.  And so it goes.  Mother Nature may be a bit of a sadist but patience has shown that she always relents.