Fortunate to Live So Close to it All

The last couple of days have been very nice. The snow has stopped for the moment, but the overnight lows and daytime highs are still pretty chilly. Lows in the low 20’s and highs in the mid 40’s. Plus a decent amount of wind. I suspect this is all a result of the La Niña that has existed in the Pacific for the last three years. I’ve read that an El Niño is developing and, while I don’t love the extreme cold that we have been having, I am less fond of the extreme heat and its consequences.

But I digress.

I’ve been able to see Red-tailed Hawks, Red-necked Grebes, and Long-billed Curlews posturing, presumably for mating. I’ve seen Osprey and Bald Eagles clash. I’ve seen Kestrels take flight, hover, and drop to the ground and eat something. I’ve seen crows harassing a Swainson’s Hawk and Bald Eagle nestlings. And I am beginning to see wildflowers- or at least the leafy parts of the soon-to-be wildflowers.

And it is all happening within a 20 mile radius of home. So I can slip out in the morning or evening and find myself in nature.

That’s not too bad.