Red-Wing Nation

One way to know that spring has arrived is the coincidental arrival of the Red-winged Blackbirds - Agelaius phoeniceus.  They've been here for several weeks already but spring has not sprung.  Truthfully it's more like winter. 

A week ago we got gob-smacked with 8-12 inches of snow and Friday brought more of the white stuff.

I've been keeping five bird feeders stocked during this time of privation - one for suet, another with niger thistle seed and three more with mixed wild bird seed.

Judging from the crowd I seem to have become a hit among the red-wing nation.

There is a dark-eyed Junco on the thistle feeder in the foreground and after yesterday's storm the sun came out and the goldfinches arrived.  Spring can show-up anytime.  With overnight lows of eleven degrees I can be done with winter...