Bits of Phenology: Spring 2024 (Don't Blink!)

Weeds, Birds, Wind, and a Happy Hound

Outside my office door this morning

This weekend I was pedaling down an alley and spotted my first robin of 2024. I remembered years ago sitting in a summer Spanish class and learning that robins are called primaveras in Spanish. Primavera is also the Spanish word for spring. I've been watching the signs of spring becoming more evident for a few weeks, but the robin cemented the deal in my mind. Spring is here, people!

Patches of green here and there

I've seen several bird changes lately. Lots of cormorants have arrived. They've become much more numerous in our local parks as the Canadian geese have flown away. There were white-crowned sparrows and some unfamiliar larks in the mesquites at Mae Simmons Park on Saturday. Great blue herons are much more numerous this week. The egrets haven't started showing up, but I'm watching for them. Northern shovelers are still hanging out in most of the playa lakes. I'm seeing (and hearing) more mockingbirds, and the starlings are starting to display their breeding plumage. This time of year makes me want bigger lenses and more patience for photography.

The little brown dots on the elms will soon be leaves.

I am spending more time outside, more time riding, and more time picking up trash. Yesterday the jeans got to skip the dryer. The little black Ford never left the house. I am so very thankful for time outside.

Click the pic to see a little Lubbock, Texas breeze.

This morning I did not need a coat or anything to keep my ears warm as I rode to work. It was almost sixty when I left the house this morning. It'll be a little tougher on the ride home - a forecast of 87 and 25 mile per hour winds. (And I'll be smiling the whole way!)

All those little yellow flowers at Mae Simmons

This pic has nothing to do with spring, but Phoebe loves free publicity.

May you be enthralled with the beauty around you, may you be delighted with all the seasonal changes, and may you nap like a hound!

I pray you are joyful and well, and I sincerely thank you for checking in.

The First Lizard of Spring (2022)

 Woohoo! This one came much earlier than most AND it's not a Mediterranean gecko! (Although, I'd be just as excited to see a gecko - after the big freeze we saw almost no geckoes last year.)

For those of you who don't love the herpetological version of Where's Waldo, let's try that again.

No, I don't see many these days, so I was thrilled to see this tiny horned lizard.

The little brother and I went for a mountain desert bike ride at at Mae Simmons yesterday and saw the newborn horny toad. They were extremely common when I was a kid, but pesticides, fire ants, and cats have decimated the little anteaters. These days I am lucky to see two per year, so I'm thankful for each one I see.

May you (and the little guy in the pics) thrive and prosper! Be well, friends!

More Lubbock Wildlife 4-25-20

Spring is definitely here. My birdhouse architect/builder and friend - otherwise known as Lyle - advised me to keep an eye on Clapp Park this month to see a great variety of birds migrating through town. It was very good advice.

A yellow (maybe a pine) warbler - my first of two birds I'd never seen in person (or is that in bird?)

A mockingbird shopping for hardware

Yesterday I grabbed a bike, a camera, and a powerful desire to see some natural beauty and took off pedaling.

Amphibian Break

Bullfrogs, represent! (two)

A trio of white-wing dove

Mallard

Let's Break for Flora

(I wasn't the only one there with crazy hair yesterday)

Back to the Birds

A male redwing blackbird talking

A female blackbird...

...takes flight

A lovely shorebird

Mammal Break

Squirrels being squirrels

And the other bird I'd never seen in person/bird

The official coolest sighting of the day - an osprey

This is a bird I've wanted to see for at least forty years - and to see one less than a mile from home was downright blissful. I'm still stoked and excited to share it here.

The rear view

This bird was pretty unconcerned about me, so I took about 100 photos. I was able to hear its surprisingly delicate vocalizations and able to watch it dining on a carp.

The eating-a-carp view

It was a great day out!

This post was brought you by...

Canon, Huffy,

my  talented friends at Yellowhouse Coffee, Lyle, and Lubbock Parks!

May you find wonders nearby, may you be well and healthy, and may you be thankful for all you have.

A Few More Bits of Spring Backyard Phenology! (plants and birds)

Two backyard plants popped out leaves the week.

The pomegranate

I never noticed how similar in color the two plants are. The pomegranate generally produces very little fruit. This year I need to look into caring for it a little better. If anyone has any advice, let me know.

The pomegranate is an unruly beast. My wife is not fond of it, but the flowers are amazing and the sparrows think it the greatest place around.

The crepe myrtle

We have three crepe myrtle on the north facing wall. They are outside the bedroom and bathroom windows and they are my favorite weather vane. They let me know if we've had moisture overnight and they let me know how hard the wind is blowing - the wind is always blowing. I am thankful the previous homeowner chose them.

Easter lily on the kitchen table this week. Thanks, Granny!

Not pictured are the 4 O'clocks that have just started popping up. More of them to come!

Redwing Blackbird at Clapp Park

Not a lot of bird photos this week, but I've seen a lot more house finches and the town seems to be covered in mockingbirds. There's a male grackle who perches each day on top of the tallest tree around and chatters all day. The reeds at the park have thrived this year and they're covered in redwing blackbirds. I started to say that they are some of my faves, but they all are. The older I get the more I love birds.

The baby squirrels are growing fast. Their tails are now bushy and they are venturing wildly all over the two big elms.

Yes, I've been lonely for family, friends, and my work family, but all the creatures and plants have been amazing. I'm very thankful to have them.

May you be blessed, well, healthy, joyful, and thankful.

Thanks for stopping by!

A New Word for Spring

I just finished The Urban Bestiary again. I think it's my fourth reading.

The first time, I fell in love with possums. The second time it was a huge appreciation for corvids. Truth be told, I was already fond of ravens and grackles, but the book brought them closer. The third time it was starlings, which had only recently arrived in Lubbock. I still marvel that I had to research quite a bit to find that the most common bird in North America was nesting in my backyard elm.

I'm no stranger to new revelations from re-reading. I read Romeo and Juliet five times per year for eight years and I found something new each time. I read Cannery Row every other year and find new joy in the aubades each time. I read the Bible almost daily and I constantly find new nuances and applications buried in familiar verses.

With this reading of The Urban Bestiary, it wasn't a new animal. It was a new word - phenology.

I've been trying it out on friends, but none have known it. They've been guessing it's a complicated psychological term, but it's something much simpler. It's the observation of natural signs of seasonal change.

It's something I've practiced for years without knowing it. Each year I look forward to sharing "The First Lizard of Spring" photo on Mesquite Hugger. (Spoiler alert: it's always a Mediterranean gecko.)

Lately I've noticed the elms budding, the Canadian geese have left town, and the egrets, cormorants, and wigeons are scarce. The blue jays and starlings are back. The days are noticeably warmer.

Lord, how I revel in these things (even though I miss the egrets.) The weather is a little warmer and I;m commuting on the bike more. Being outside is a giving me chance to see more phenological signs.

Through the winter, I've struggled with my commute - mostly in a car; with my job - in a windowless office; and even with my home that I rarely see in daylight.

But spring approaches and I'm armed with a new word. It's time again to live (and watch) more deliberately, to drink in these natural delights. Joy comes in the morning.

May you find your own new word and awaken from whatever slumber has held you. May you enjoy the season deliberately.