A change in the air...

There is a change in the air, and despite the remaining presence of snow and cold temperatures, there is definitely the scent of spring. I am hoping that the change of the external season will also bring a change in my internal season. Winter has been a long, grey time and I don't think I have been in hibernation exactly, but perhaps more like in a state of torpor. Hibernation and torpor are methods animals use to survive winter, with hibernation being like a deep, deep sleep and torpor being periods of sleep broken by periods of activity. So while outwardly continuing the activities of life, inwardly, I have been quiet, removed, needing of a great deal of solitude. This is the first time that I have written for a while but perhaps there are seasons for words also. 

I felt that the time of snow was ending so I had better enjoy its presence before it had gone completely. There are many wonderful things about these last snows when the season is on the cusp of a new fresh one. A pristine cover of snow in the bright sun is a thing of great beauty, but it also allows a glimpse into life in the forest become invisible once it is gone. Like...nature's artwork in the snow..

showcasing small things of beauty..

like a vine tendril..

or an beech leaf..

or a feather.

Or showing evidence of who has been present in the forest like..

a deer mouse with tiny feet and a dragging tail,

a hungry rabbit..

a meadow vole, whose subnivean (under the snow) tunnels become apparent as the layers of snow begin to melt,

or this intersection of prints which show that a deer mouse (diagonal), a deer (vertical), and a squirrel (horizontal tracks) have all been in the same area recently.

Ice is a winter companion also, dangerous underfoot but spectacularly beautiful in all its forms....

gravity-defying icicles.

ice baubles dangling over the creek,

patterns in frozen puddles and

 at the river's edge.

Not only is there a whiff of spring in the air, but the silence of winter in the forest is beginning to give way to the sounds of approaching springtime. The birds that remain here year-round are quieter in the winter. They call to each other to communicate where they are, or if there is food to be shared, or if there is danger close by. Now their repertoire expands to include mating calls and territorial warnings.

The male cardinal is heading up from the shrubbery to the treetops to sing for a mate and to establish his 'patch'. The chickadee's songbook will now include a distinctive two-note song as well as the well-known 'chick-a-dee-dee-dee', as he sings seeking companionship. The sparrows are starting to squabble and investigate the possibilities for nesting.

One of my favorite things is to watch the squirrels waking up and joining the mating game. Many are nesting right now, probably in a hole in a tree, but there is plenty of noisy chasing and chattering going on.

The grey squirrels and the black ones,(who are also grey even though they are black and often have red belly fur), are busy building a drey to nest in. (Not dray, as in cart, or dre as in Dr.) There is a hollow centre to these nests that is lined, warm and soft for babies. They seem to defy gravity and the effects of weather, so they must be well built. With the leaves still being absent, it is possible to see the squirrels doing parkour in the trees, as they pursue the activities for which the nest is prepared, ahem.  

The remaining snow highlights the changing colours.

The Red-osier dogwood's red bark is so bright and cheerful, 

while the youngest branches of the willows glow a soft and warm gold.

The moss seems more verdant as it is still the only thing around that is green. 

Even the sky seems a brighter blue as we welcome back the presence of the sun. Life will go on as before, but it just seems more hopeful and easier to bear when the sun is shining, and when we know that Spring is in the air.