Not Spring

Yeah, we got some snow today. About five inches, we figure, although it was warmish, so it melted some as it fell. 

Accumulation on the deck table this morning.
Probably got another two inces after that.

The chickens were loath to come out of the coop this morning.

I'm not going out there! My feet will get all snowy.

I shoveled the snow from in front of the coop door and tossed some scratch grains on the ground. Only then did all seven venture forth.

So I shoveled the snow and put down scratch grains.
They went back in when the food was gone 

I had the presence of mind to cover the dust bath yesterday. Good thing. This is what it looked like at 8:30 this morning.

Snow on the top of the dust bath cover

The oaks were snow covered

The fifth oak

As were the river birch.

The river birch

This robin found a place on the patio that was snow-free to rest for a moment. It looks a little grumpy.

Damn! I though it was time to fly north, and look at this shit!

Meanwhile, the goldfinches busied themselves throwing the sunflower seeds from the feeders onto the ground. Cardinals, juncos, mourning doves, and redwing blackbirds worked on cleaning them up.

Mourning dove, male cardinal, junco

It wasn’t peaceful, though. The male and female cardinals have their head feather fluffed up. Beware!

Cardinals fluff their head feathers to signal danger.

The redwing flashed his epaulets and screamed. The mourning dove and junco take to the air.

A redwing blackbird, lower right, chases away a mourning dove and junco, upper left

The birds flew back and forth between the feeders and the shelter of the trees. A bunch of blackbirds took refuge in an apple tree.

Blackbirds in an apple tree

Two mourning doves sat in a birch.

Mourning doves in a birch tree

For most of the day, every time I though the snow was letting up, it came down harder. It’s 4:00 now, and it seems to have stopped. Last week we were grilling. This is why we don’t plant the tomatoes until late May. The robins might have been fooled into thinking it is an early spring, but I know better.