Winter took a break today with temperatures finally climbing to the low 50's. But the bucktoothed rodent in Punxatauney, Pennsylvania reportedly saw his shadow as he crawled out of his burrow, meaning we're in for six more weeks of winter. Never mind, I hopped on my bike to enjoy the respite from the frigid cold as well as to see if I could find any hints of spring in nearby Prospect Park.
It was a beautiful day but the park flora was still sound asleep. I thought I might find some crocus shoots poking their heads above ground, but a frozen pond, some unmelted snow and lots of wet meadow and mud were all I could see. As for animal life, there were plenty of us humans who, like me, were out to enjoy the warmth and a remarkable scene on the pond -- thousands of birds sunning themselves on its frozen surface.
Prospect Park Pond - frozen on February 2nd. Home to thousands of birds.
Goose, Goose, Gull ... and many more on the frozen pond in Prospect Park.
Canadian Honking Geese - gingerly step out onto the ice of Prospect Park Pond.
Oh my! It's a goose parade. Early signs of spring? Not really - I searched throughout the Park on a 53 degree February 2nd, but to no avail: not one solitary shoot has appeared. Perhaps another week or so. But in our very own front yard bulb shoots have been coming up since December ... probably due not to forthcoming spring but rather to not having been buried deeply enough when planted last fall.
Bulb shoots in our front yard - but a sign of spring? Not.
