The first week of April brought warmth and sunshine to Cleveland, which was quite welcome after the cold & snowy winter we had. I had the windows open and was pleased to see the grass growing greener and everything smelling new and fresh. The neighbor placed several pots of flowers by the doors of the apartment building and they served to brighten things in anticipation of spring bulbs sprouting. But then, this past week, spring retreated, taking the warm temperatures with it and leaving three days of cold rain instead. Some people refused to wear coats as they left the building, pretending the chill hadn't come back. The forecast for next week has spring returning, hopefully for good, but I won't put my parka away just yet.
Despite the changing weather, the birds are very busy. There's been an influx of new species and many of them are building nests in the arbor vitae trees lining the driveway. Though the robins are back, I've not yet seen any goldfinches yet, though I know they are in the southern part of the state from photos taken at a birding pal's feeder.
I also hadn't seen any turkey vultures until a week and a half ago, though they usually return to northeast Ohio in mid-March. They are large birds and look wonderful soaring on the thermals in the sky. I am always excited to see them return and was very pleased to see several of them at 2 different locations. One pair was flying directly above a McDonald's and I wondered if they were trying to figure out how to fly though the drive-thru window? Might be difficult with a five foot wing span.
I've also seen a lot of ducks and Canada geese, not just now, but throughout the winter. At least some of them migrate before the colder months, but evidently a good sized population stays here year round. Once again, I'll try to get to the nearby pond(where the photo was taken) to see the ducklings. In all the years I've lived here, I've never timed it right to see the yellow fluffy babies, but hope springs eternal each year. Perhaps I should go to the pond every week until I see them?